The Blog by Mark Murphy and Leadership IQ

Quiz: How Do You React To Constructive Criticism?

We’re all going to receive constructive criticism at some point. So the big question is “how will I react to constructive criticism?” Take this quiz to see how YOU react to constructive criticism.

Posted by Mark Murphy on 24 April, 2017 Constructive Criticism, Interpersonal Skills, no_cat, no_recent, Quizzes, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5 | Read more →

Are You A Technical Genius Who Gets Accused Of Lacking People Skills?

It’s not always easy being the technological expert on the team. You’re valued for your knowledge and skills, but those same two factors can make you appear superior, sarcastic or uncaring to others who are less technology savvy.

Posted by Mark Murphy on 19 April, 2017 Communication Skills, Forbes, Interpersonal Skills, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5 | Read more →

The Compliment Sandwich: What Is It And Why Is It So Bad?

One of the worst management techniques ever created is the Compliment Sandwich. The Compliment Sandwich was created as a way of giving somebody constructive criticism:
"Bob, you're just so talented. You're so smart. You might be the smartest person in the department. Your behavior...

Posted by Mark Murphy on 18 April, 2017 Constructive Criticism, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership Skills, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_11, sb_ad_16, sb_ad_5, sb_ad_6, sb_ad_7, sb_ad_8, Video | Read more →

You're 87% More Likely To Love Your Job If You Work From Home

Telecommute We discovered that people who work from home (i.e., telecommuting) are almost twice as likely to love their jobs than employees who work in traditional co-located work-sites (like office buildings). And mobile workers (i.e., using multiple workspaces, in and out of the office) were about 58% more likely to love their job than their office-based peers.
First we asked people where they usually work (in an office, mobile or telecommute). And then we asked people to rate how they felt about their job (love, like, tolerate, dislike or hate). Here’s what we found.

Posted by Mark Murphy on 13 April, 2017 Forbes, no_cat, no_recent, Research, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5, Telecommuting | Read more →

Quiz: Is Your Personality More Suited To The Corporate World Or The Gig Economy?

The gig economy is here! While the 20th century was typified by a corporate model of work (long term salaried jobs, benefits, maybe a gold watch), the last decade has seen the strong emergence of gigs, freelancers, solopreneurs, the self-employed and the coffee shop-qua-office. It’s increasingly difficult to describe our work in a single word (e.g. lawyer, engineer, nurse).

Posted by Mark Murphy on 11 April, 2017 Interpersonal Skills, no_cat, no_recent, Quizzes, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5, Telecommuting | Read more →

Here's The Phatic Expression You Should Never Say To Remote Employees

Deep and meaningful conversations are a hallmark of successful managers of remote employees. But while a lot of managers are talking to their remote employees, they’re not learning anything important during those conversations. A good litmus test of how productive your conversations with remote employees are is to ask yourself if your remote people are sharing with you their problems, bad news, struggles, challenges and all the other things you need to know to keep your people accountable and aligned.

Posted by Mark Murphy on 10 April, 2017 Forbes, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5, Telecommuting | Read more →

Video: Goal Setting Requires HARD Goals

Ever since I wrote the book HARD Goals, which is about goal setting, I've gotten a bit of a reputation as a guy who hates SMART goals. I think it's maybe a touch unfair, but let me tell you where it comes from. We did a study to look at goal setting involving over 4,000 people. . .

Posted by Mark Murphy on 06 April, 2017 Goal Setting, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5, Video | Read more →

Stop Asking These Questions On Your Employee Engagement Survey

If your organization conducts employee engagement surveys, there’s something you really need to know: Never ask a question you don’t know how to fix. Sounds simple, right? Well, some of the most common engagement survey questions violate this simple rule (and one of your survey questions might be on this list).

Posted by Mark Murphy on 05 April, 2017 Employee Engagement, Forbes, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5 | Read more →

Here Are 3 Leadership Skills That Managers Will Need In 2017

It’s cliché to say that "this is year is different." But I think most of us would agree that, yeah, this year is actually kind of different. And it’s not just all the political and societal changes we face; businesses are going to see changes, especially when it comes to their employees.

Posted by Mark Murphy on 04 April, 2017 Forbes, Leadership Skills, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5 | Read more →

The Dunning-Kruger Effect Helps Explain Why People Resist Hearing Constructive Criticism

Dan is a senior financial analyst and, in his mind, he’s the best one on the team. But according to his boss, while it’s true that Dan’s financial skills are very good, his emotional intelligence is virtually nonexistent. And Dan’s coworkers would describe him as smart but also narcissistic, abrasive and tone-deaf.
Dan could really benefit from constructive feedback to get his people skills closer to the level of his financial skills.

Posted by Mark Murphy on 29 March, 2017 Forbes, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership Skills, no_cat, no_recent, sb_ad_30, sb_ad_5, sb_ad_6 | Read more →

Mark Murphy / Leadership IQ Blog