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An anchor hanging from a rope
The Burnout Lesson I Hadn’t Learned Yet
The Burnout Lesson I Hadn’t Learned Yet 1080 608 Jason Lauritsen

I’ve been struggling for the past few months. Honestly, I’ve probably been struggling for much longer than that. I just finally became aware of how bad it was recently. To start with, I was exhausted all the time. Regardless of how much I slept, I never seemed to find that point where I felt rested.…

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Is it time to abandon the idea of “culture” at work?
Is it time to abandon the idea of “culture” at work? 1080 608 Jason Lauritsen

As companies are requiring employees back into the office, one of the most common reasons cited is culture.  CEO’s will argue that their culture requires being together in the office. Others suggest that remote work is degrading or ruining their culture.   The first reason listed by Andy Jassy, CEO at Amazon, for requiring employees back…

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How to Have Effective Check-in Conversations
How to Have Effective Check-in Conversations 1080 608 Jason Lauritsen

It was my birthday and I was craving some time with my kids. In a brazen attempt to pry my kids away from their technology, I offered a trip to Dairy Queen for some ice cream. My hope was, once they were a captive audience in the car, we’d be able to chat a bit.…

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What Baggage are you Carrying into 2023?
What Baggage are you Carrying into 2023? 1080 608 Jason Lauritsen

Like so many others, I decided to take some time off between Christmas and New Years.  My goal was to largely put work aside to rest up, spend time with my family, and reconnect with some friends.  The first few days went pretty well due to all of the great distractions that Christmas provides. Cooking,…

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Performance Management Isn’t Only About Results
Performance Management Isn’t Only About Results 1080 608 Jason Lauritsen

I recently finished binge-watching the FX show, Welcome to Wrexham. It’s a documentary made about the team and community surrounding a Welsh Football (Soccer, for us Americans) Club that was purchased by two Hollywood stars, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2019. I’d highly recommend, particularly if you are either a sports fan or even…

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Why we need to kill the dress code
Why we need to kill the dress code 150 150 Jason Lauritsen

Perhaps the simplest and most potent management advice I have to offer is this. Treat people like responsible adults. Sadly, the legacy of traditional management practices we inherited doesn’t always do this. Case in point: the dress code. For most of my career, I’ve railed against dress codes as insulting and mostly unnecessary. Our role…

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How to Make Work Suck Less
How to Make Work Suck Less 150 150 Jason Lauritsen

My recent video about Quiet Quitting generated a lot of reaction. Reading through the comments, I was reminded of a sad reality. Work still sucks for a lot of people. If you look at any article or video online about Quiet Quitting, you find the same thing–a bunch of comments that fall mostly into two categories. The biggest…

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Why You Should Ask Employees What Would Make Them Quit
Why You Should Ask Employees What Would Make Them Quit 150 150 Jason Lauritsen

It’s the conversations we are most afraid of that are the most important to have.  This is true in all areas of our lives. And it’s particularly true at work right now. As you worry about retention and losing our best people, I’d ask you this.  Do you know why each of your best people…

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Quiet Quitting is NOT the Problem
Quiet Quitting is NOT the Problem 150 150 Jason Lauritsen

Is it just me or does it seem like references to “quiet quitting” are everywhere all of a sudden? Thanks, TikTok. Last year, it was people posting their resignations to TikTok (also known as “for real quitting”). Now it’s quiet quitting. But what is it? Is it actually quitting? And it’s not really that quiet…

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How to Fix Employee Performance Issues without Breaking the Employee
How to Fix Employee Performance Issues without Breaking the Employee 150 150 Jason Lauritsen

One of the biggest mistakes I see from managers and organizations is how they address performance issues with employees. They treat the performance issue as if it’s some flaw in the employee to be fixed. Or worse, like the employee has somehow decided to under-perform on purpose and deserves to be punished. Performance improvement plans…

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Jason Lauritsen