3 Types of Power
Every individual has 3 types of power: Positional, Relational, and Competence. Understanding what these are and which are most important...
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Brian Watkins
- Aug 21
- 2 min
Adapt or Status Quo?
In my 30+ years as a working adult, paying attention to many different businesses and all kinds of people, I’ve seen a whole lot of...
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Brian Watkins
- Aug 8
- 2 min
Rethinking the Most Important Role
I am a fan of Adam Grant's books and podcasts. His last book "Rethinking" was all about how we should go about rethinking concepts so we...
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Brian Watkins
- Jun 9
- 3 min
Why Don't We Respect People Managers?
Here is what we know: engaged employees execute better on a successful strategy to ensure higher profits and all kinds of good things...
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Brian Watkins
- Apr 26
- 1 min
Pretty Good Is Not Good Enough
A big part of my job is to convince managers that they aren’t great. No one likes to hear that and it can be hard to convey that message...
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Brian Watkins
- Feb 13
- 3 min
Meta Makes Mega Mistake
When an individual is successful, I ask myself one question - were they successful "because of" or "in spite of" what they did. This is...
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Brian Watkins
- Jan 24, 2022
- 1 min
"Don't Make Other Managers Look Bad"
No one is HR says it that way, but the sentiment is the same. In order to make sure things are equal, they want you to stop doing certain...
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Brian Watkins
- Jan 18, 2022
- 1 min
Be a People Manager
Management is a profession. Full stop. However, it doesn't get the attention and respect that other professions do (outside of lawyers...
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Brian Watkins
- Dec 8, 2021
- 1 min
Undervaluing Competent Managers
We don't value good management. One reason is that we don't see it often. Which means we think it doesn't exist. Another is the messages...
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Brian Watkins
- Nov 30, 2021
- 1 min
Ideas are Everywhere
I do a ton of research on management, leadership, and business. But I also get ideas from very unexpected sources. For example, I was...
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Brian Watkins
- Oct 26, 2021
- 1 min
The Big 5
My Great Manager program focuses on 13 behaviors that I believe every manager needs to be successful. I am sure there are a few that...
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Brian Watkins
- Oct 12, 2021
- 1 min
Flat Orgs Exacerbated the Bad Manager Problem
We've had bad managers for a long time. The situation has gotten worse as the workplace has shifted from manufacturing to the knowledge...
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Brian Watkins
- Jul 28, 2021
- 2 min
Management vs. Leadership: Which is a Higher Calling?
I'm tempted to survey a group of recent college graduates and ask the following question: Would you rather be a manager or a leader? I...
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Brian Watkins
- Jul 4, 2021
- 1 min
Why Are Businesses Having a Hard Time Hiring?
It was a common thought during the pandemic that when things opened up, people would go back to their jobs and things would slowly return...
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Brian Watkins
- May 23, 2021
- 2 min
Fictional Bosses
I love reading the old Dilbert cartoons. I think the US version of The Office is hysterical. All the characters were funny, but the...
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Brian Watkins
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min
Twas The Day Before a Holiday
There will be no blog posts tomorrow or next week - I won't be publishing during the holidays. I'll be working hard on content and 2021...
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Brian Watkins
- Dec 16, 2020
- 2 min
Non-Compete Contracts are Horrible
This is one is a periodic series of posts about things that make my head explode because they are such bad ideas - the non-compete...
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Brian Watkins
- Dec 9, 2020
- 2 min
Social Support (Part 2 of 2)
Yesterday I wrote about autonomy. The companion element to that is social support. Having either one is great - having both is the goal....
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Brian Watkins
- Dec 8, 2020
- 2 min
Autonomy (Part 1 of 2)
When you start to study engagement at a deeper level, you start to notice that one concept continues to pop up - autonomy. It is at the...
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Brian Watkins
- Dec 3, 2020
- 1 min
Manager Serenity Prayer
Many of you have probably heard the Serenity Prayer at some point in your life: I have my own version of the Manager's Serenity Prayer:...
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