A leader based in a different country once approached me with a challenge: "I have a team member who tells me exactly what I want to hear, but his actions don't match his words. Since I'm not there physically, how can I identify this and manage him differently?" When leading from a distance, you cannot rely on "vibe" or hallway observations. You have to bridge the gap with triangulation and granularity. Here is how to handle it: 1. Triangulate Your Perspective Don't rely on a

Have you ever visited the world’s largest prison? When people are asked about freedom and whether they consider themselves free, the answers vary wildly. Many feel there are borders or limitations to their liberty. Here is what those limitations often look like: Spatial Freedom : Some cannot leave their country or a specific region. Perhaps their nationality prevents them from visiting a place they dream of seeing. They wish to travel, but they cannot. Professional Freedo

Are you a people manager who finds it challenging to let go? Do you prefer being close to your employees and following up constantly? Are you a fan of tracking as much as possible? If you want to change your leadership style but don’t know where to start, this is for you. Let me tell you: it is super easy and incredibly tough at the same time. Why? Because it is primarily about a mindset change . Changing your mindset and your attitude can feel like a huge hurdle. Howev

A colleague of mine recently asked me for advice and feedback on a specific situation. I agreed to meet with him for an open conversation online. We talked, and I openly shared all my thoughts with him. He listened and commented. Then, after about 20 minutes, something unexpected happened. He asked me if I could send him a summary of my feedback by email. What?! Seriously? Man, you asked for my help. I took the time to talk everything through, and instead of taking notes your

Culture, in itself, is a complex topic. It is assessed and perceived differently depending on the individual. I believe that every employee defines the term “culture” differently and certainly associates different topics and priorities with it. In my HR experience, culture is often underestimated. Many organizations do not make it a top priority, or they only pretend to do so. I rarely meet managers who stop by my office and say, “Hey, Agnes, I wanted to share a cultural topi

"Creativity is the focused combination of unlikely things. Your mind locks onto a certain element and then searches widely for something unexpected that fits with it. What can scuba diving teach you about agriculture? What can trees teach you about public speaking? There is always some connective tissue between disciplines. If you wish to be more creative, look for the connections between two previously unconnected things." (James Clear) This applies just as much in a busin

Imagine a job interview. You are sitting with a candidate who is excellent at presenting herself. Time passes. You start to wonder: is she truly this confident, or is she just trying to appear flawless? How self-reflective is she? Is there a gap between her self-perception and how others perceive her? How do you find out? The current trend in recruitment is to maintain a positive atmosphere at all times. The motto seems to be: think positive, stay positive, talk positive.

Is this a harsh truth or just an exaggeration? Many supervisors fool themselves when they send their employees to trainings and believe that is enough. They think that simply selecting a course completes their leadership duty. Moreover, I have met many employees who are convinced that attending around two external trainings per year is—or should be—the standard. Regardless of the actual need: two trainings. And if Colleague X got two, I should also have the right to enjoy

While sitting in a lengthy meeting recently, I found myself reflecting on the age and seniority of the attendees. In HR, we often teach that younger, inexperienced employees require more guidance and a hands-on leadership style than seasoned professionals. (While we could argue that this isn't true for everyone, let’s shift our perspective for a moment.) What about truly senior people? Those who have accumulated decades of experience and know their roles—and the company—i

"People usually judge you based on where you are at currently, not what you could become eventually. Don’t let one comment stop you from trying. File it away or use it as fuel. Focus on getting better. Someone else’s analysis of your current position doesn’t tell you anything about your current potential." I love this quote by James Clear (taken from his inspirational newsletter). It is so relevant for leadership or when hiring someone. We often get fooled by looking at the c

With the new year underway, many people are taking time to set objectives. Others are reflecting on whether their personal vision is still accurate and helps them steer in the right direction. I invite you to step back and pause for a moment. Let’s focus on what will be important and meaningful for you when 2026 is over. Which of your objectives will have helped you choose the right path? You don’t know? Me neither. Neither for you, nor for me. So, how can we make t

For 2026, I wish for you to be content. Have the trust to listen to yourself. Everything you need to know is already within you. In an age of AI and daily information overload, I wish for you to recognize and value your intuition. It takes patience to trust that life will bring the right information to you at the right time. It takes courage to not fill your mind with every available detail, but to select only what serves you in the present moment. It takes reflecti

In a time of high pressure, tight schedules, and bad weather, I notice how people become more irritated. Myself included. It’s the right time to remind myself that I don’t have to act on my emotions. When the feeling of being overwhelmed starts to creep in, I take a deep breath and try to distance myself. I distance myself from what’s going on and from any negative emotions arising. I remind myself that not all emotions need an immediate reaction—that I have the power to paus

I’m currently in many sessions discussing individual employees and their performance in 2025. Some of the people managers—some of them new to their leadership roles—don’t really know what to say, how to assess, or how to start difficult conversations. That’s normal. It takes some reflection and practice to give meaningful feedback. Today, I would like to share some thoughts on the purpose of giving feedback. We are all adults. We are responsible for our own lives. Yet

You are looking for an HR Manager or Specialist to help you develop a great company culture? Great. You do it because someone told you that you need HR? Okay. You think that this HR person will solve your problems and change your culture? Sorry, nope. You can hire the best HR person (which is a good decision), but he or she won’t change much alone. They can be the best individual fighter and they might succeed in reaching other open-minded individuals, but the problem is ALON

First of all, let me tell you that you might get to know your best friend ever at work. If that happens, forget this article and celebrate your friendship! For the rest … let me give you some examples of consequences when being too close at work. What means being too close? How can you be too close with someone? It depends on the culture and business environment you live in. Some countries, in general, tend to be very close and relaxed at work. There might be no clear l

Human conflicts and disagreements are natural. As long as human beings work together, there will be those who work well together while others feel strong dislike. And each individual would be convinced that their view of the situation is right. Worse, many feel that their perception is the only possible way of seeing it and, therefore, they must be right. Since there is often not one single solution which helps to decide who is wrong and who is right, managers – even when

Don’t mistake talking about problems for solving them. The world is full of problems: health issues, financial difficulties, relationship challenges, demanding education, high job expectations—not to forget the weather. And they pile up constantly. Isn’t there always several things that don’t go right? Well, yes, you are absolutely right. That is your current focus, the current way you look at your world. It is the mindset you learned and practiced over many years and decades

You have a business problem and cannot solve it over a longer period of time? Let me tell you a secret: Most of the time, it is not about the problem itself. You think it is about the problem, but it is not. Most problems don’t get solved or very slowly solved because it is a relationship problem. There is some form of mistrust or underlying conflict or opposing interests. And that leads to destructive behavior, instead of getting to a solution quickly. Most peo

Everything in life has a cost. Everything. Once you realize that, you will be able to make smarter choices. You will be able to make choices which better suit your personal needs. Cost is not limited to money. It can also be about your time or your energy. Money is actually the cheapest cost, because money can be replaced. Your time and energy are limited. Watch out for hidden price tags. A pretty luxury car might cost you $200k. That’s an obvious price tag and y