Turning a Negative Spiral Positive

Have you ever had a day that started badly, and just got worse? Maybe you dropped a glass in the kitchen, which led to you leaving for work a few minutes late, which meant you got stuck behind a school bus and sat in worse traffic, so you were late to your first meeting ofContinue reading “Turning a Negative Spiral Positive”

Completing 2025 and Moving On to 2026

As we move towards the end of another year full of challenges and growth, successes and failures – on the personal, professional, and global levels – many of us are looking for ways to bring closure to the year and recharge for the new year. Depending on your role, a clean break from work mayContinue reading “Completing 2025 and Moving On to 2026”

Who are Your Unsung Heroes of the Year?

If you’ve been reading the Building Bridges Leadership blog for a while, you may remember the Good News Jam series we started in April 2020, at the early height of the Covid pandemic (inspired by John Krasinski’s own pandemic YouTube series, Some Good News). These virtual happy hours had a simple design: for each personContinue reading “Who are Your Unsung Heroes of the Year?”

Rewinding “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?”

Have you been on either side of a job interview recently? As mentioned last week, job interviews don’t always show the candidate at their best or most authentic; heightened stress and excitement often lead to a situation where both sides need to sift through what was said to get to find out if this isContinue reading “Rewinding “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?””

How to be a Lighthouse Manager

Are you familiar with the idea of helicopter parenting? The stereotype is that Helicopter Parents hover around their child, checking up on them and regularly swooping in to solve their problems. If you’re a parent, perhaps you even recognize this in yourself – especially with your first child, this is a very common trait. But,Continue reading “How to be a Lighthouse Manager”

Know any Seagull Managers?

As we experience record high temperatures this summer in the Northern hemisphere, you may be thinking less about the office and more about the beach; less about work and more about relaxing in the sun, sand and water. We hope you have structures in place to be able to take a full break from workContinue reading “Know any Seagull Managers?”

Is Your Constructive Feedback Developmental or Corrective?

Managers often give their direct reports constructive feedback. But in reality, constructive feedback takes two forms: Developmental feedback helps someone grow for the future. Corrective feedback lets them know something that needs to change. If you receive constructive feedback and it’s not clear whether it’s developmental or corrective, this can lead to longer-term problems. InContinue reading “Is Your Constructive Feedback Developmental or Corrective?”

The Sound of Silence: The Value of a Simple Pause

“And in the naked light I saw / Ten thousand people, maybe more / People talking without speaking / People hearing without listening / People writing songs that voices never share / No one dared disturb the sound of silence” – The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon In turbulentContinue reading “The Sound of Silence: The Value of a Simple Pause”

When You’re Stuck with Curmudgeons and Critics

Bring to mind a time when you were on a team or in a meeting with one or two people who – either literally or metaphorically – sat there with arms crossed, only speaking up to criticize the work of others. Perhaps you can recall many experiences like this. If so, I wonder how youContinue reading “When You’re Stuck with Curmudgeons and Critics”

“What Did You Do Last Week?”

What would you do if you received an email like those in the American federal government received a few days ago, asking for an account of your work accomplishments over the past week, accompanied separately by the threat of losing your job if you don’t respond? Needless to say, I hope this is a situationContinue reading ““What Did You Do Last Week?””