by Esther Derby | Sep 10, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
When managers want to improve financial results, they turn first to trimming costs. This is the logical first place to look if balance sheets are your primary view into how the organization functions. Many cost cutting measures do have an immediate effect on the... by Esther Derby | Aug 13, 2010 | Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
Questions matter. The questions we ask open one avenue of inquiry, but close others. If we want to change the way we manage, we need to change our questions. And so, here are my slides from my talk at Agile 2010: 14 Essential Questions aimed at refocusing... by Esther Derby | Aug 2, 2010 | Collaboration & Teams, Leadership & Management, Systems and Complexity
I’m a big believer in one-on-one meetings on manager-led teams. It’s a way to connect with people, stay in touch with progress, learn about problems early, coach, work on career goals, offer feedback, and more. But if you are the manager for a self-organizing team,... 
by Esther Derby | Jul 1, 2010 | Collaboration & Teams, Leadership & Management
Hiring managers (and HR departments) expend enormous effort finding people with the right skills to fill open positions. But, skills are only half the equation for success. Many years ago, psychologist Kurt Lewin reduced the mysteries of human behavior to this simple...
