Author: Francis Wade

By Francis This week, I created a video summary of the column. Should an employee be granted the right to turn down a manager’s request to focus on a given task, thereby dropping everything else? And is it better to have a reporting relationship based on obedience or its opposite: independent choice? While there are...

By Francis How do you ensure employees are balancing their time between routine activities and long-term, strategic projects? Managers and their HR Partners have been tackling this problem for decades but continue to fail to separate the two different energies essential to sustain high performance. Here’s why. Robert Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle...

By Francis “Basic” Time Management Training? No such thing! As a manager, you may advise a subordinate: “You need a basic time management program.” While this advice is probably well-intended, it turns out to be flawed. Today, a more nuanced picture has emerged. Your intent might be pure. Many employees who once appeared to be...