Is your leadership feeling sluggish? Time for an upgrade

Like software, your personal operating model as a leader needs regular updates to enhance your productivity and drive change in your organization, writes McKinsey's Arne Gast, who notes this involves reassessing priorities, roles and what you spend your time doing. "Top leaders focus on their most important work while allowing themselves the flexibility to handle emergencies, engage in strategic thinking and create space for personal time," Gast writes.

Put it into practice: Setting clear priorities is crucial for effective leadership, Gast writes. Focus on fewer, high-impact priorities to improve your company's performance and take time to reflect on what's important to you to make your your actions align with your company's goals, Gast recommends.

Make 2025 a momentous year by adopting a Momentum Framework that focuses on 90-day sprints rather than a 365-day marathon, writes Michael Watkins, a professor of leadership at the IMD Business School. "This approach represents a fundamental shift from yearly rigid planning to a more responsive model that enables organizations to adapt while maintaining strategic direction," Watkins writes.

Put it into practice: In addition to the time frame, other key points of the Momentum Framework include bi-weekly check-ins and reviews at the end of each quarter. "The key is not to create a perfect prediction or rigid plans but to build an organization capable of maintaining momentum while adapting to change," Watkins writes.

If your boss makes a hurtful comment during a review, take 24 hours to think about the intent and context before responding, writes Anne Sugar, an executive coach and speaker. "By trying to address the comment at the moment, you could say something you don't mean and make things worse," Sugar writes, while acknowledging "it's important to address how you feel so you can move on."

Put it into practice: Most of the time, comments aren't intended to sting, but your boss might not realize their words have extra oomph. "Managers frequently have to comment on and critique work -- which can sometimes lead to comments not being framed with care," Sugar writes.

Easy, science-backed strategies to enhance team productivity include hosting a "fail party" to encourage creativity by sharing embarrassing stories, analyzing peak experiences to identify what energizes the team, and embracing "anti-power hours" to allow for creative downtime. "By running a fail party, reflecting on peak experiences, and embracing boredom, you're not just boosting your team's output -- you're setting the stage for a more robust, innovative finish to the year," writes Nadya Zhexembayeva, founder of the Reinvention Academy.

Margaritaville at Sea will host the first dog-friendly cruise in November 2025, allowing up to 250 dogs onboard the Islander. The chartered event, organized by Cruise Tails and Expedia Cruises of West Orlando, will include special activities for dogs and humans, and measures will be implemented to ensure cleanliness and safety, including pet butlers, private relief areas for dogs and a vaccination and health requirement.

Managers are humans, which means, as Anne Sugar points out, they can sometimes say things that feel harsh without intending to hurt your feelings. In that case, you should question if it's something you should take personally, do some physical activity to shake off the comment or take 24 hours to mull it over and talk again with your manager. They may have no idea how their comment hit you at that moment. Give them a chance to explain or apologize and clarify what they meant.

But what if you have a manager who intentionally says hurtful things to you? I had such a manager in one job. He would say critical and hurtful things to me over the shared intercom we used to communicate throughout our section of the building. He constantly criticized everything from my work product to my appearance and dedication to the job.

If you have such a manager, some of Sugar's rules still apply. Remain calm and professional, seek clarity from your manager before becoming visibly upset and take care of yourself.

Some other rules apply, though, like documenting your encounters with this manager, writing down what was said, when and where and noting any witnesses to the exchange. Set boundaries with the manager by firmly but respectfully letting them know their feedback feels hurtful. If these steps fail to stop the behavior, go to human resources or their boss for help.

If nothing changes, you may take my ultimate option and find another job. On my way out the door, I did an exit interview with HR, and I wasn't the only one. This manager was so abusive to me and others that he lost nearly half of his staff -- the half that was talented enough to find another job.

We all deserve to be respected in our workplace. If you're constantly being disrespected, set boundaries, take care of yourself and remove yourself from that job if necessary. Your mental health is worth it.

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