Five Things Most Leaders Are In Denial About:

* What their employees know

* What their employees want

* Their control over their department

* The degree to which their employees trust and respect them

* Their own feelings of fear and powerlessness

For fun, try this. Close your eyes for a moment, and imagine yourself taking the point of view of one of your employees. Once you reach that point, ask yourself: "As an employee, what do I want?" Then take the time to ask yourself: "As an employee, what do I fear?"

Your excuses are myriad. It's faster if I do it myself. I have a particular way I want things done. It's cheaper than paying someone to do it for me even if the results aren't the same. Whatever your reason, you're  stubbornly loathe to delegate even the most basic or the most time-consuming of undertakings. If you're a dyed-in-the-wool control freak, you may be reluctant to confront the true costs of refusing to delegate, but rest assured they exist. If you're hoarding responsibilities like a secret cache of white truffles, the person you're really hurting is yourself.

What many industry leaders have caught on to is that our demanding business world still needs managers, but in a role being reshaped by new workplace trends. To stay on top, companies must reassess the responsibilities of their managers and train them to effectively manage the modern workforce.

Making the move from coworker to department manager was a tricky transition because, as the new manager, Margo was responsible for the productivity and results of her department. Oftentimes, former coworkers, either because of jealousy or out of habit, didn't want to treat her as the boss - they wanted to continue treating her as one of the peer group. Here are 7 tips for making the transition easier:

Confirmation that companies are on the right track in demanding frequent coaching sessions comes from Google's "Project Oxygen," the company's rigorous, data-based analysis of what makes great managers. Technical expertise made a difference, but only a small one. The single most important differentiator between good and great managers? "Be a good coach."

Coaching is about working with people to show them new possibilities and assist them in taking actions previously not obvious to them. Coaching is the capability to alter or shift the structures of interpretation, the context, the ground of being within which people normally operate. It is the means by which people development becomes a process of continuous learning integrated with people's daily work lives.   In this sense, introducing coaching competencies into an organization is a very powerful strategy for modifying or creating a culture which is more adaptable to change and growth.

As a leadership style, what coaching brings is a commitment to unlocking people's potential , focusing on the stuff that matters, empowering people, and helping them take responsibility.

Present over Perfect is full of thoughtful insights and beautiful writing. I want to highlight three practices from the book that can help leaders like us avoid the trap of perfectionism and stay engaged in the present.

Your goal is to show your "commitment to helping your colleague develop and grow," but also to "step back, remember the organizational mandate, and think about how best you can work side-by-side with this person to get things done." Here are some tips to get the most out of these meetings.

If you're going to be a successful leader, you are going to have to learn how to ask good questions. Here are seven tips for taking this skill to the next level.

The benefit of one-to-one meetings between a manager and employee can't be overstated. This is valuable, uninterrupted time to listen to what employees have to say, discuss and stay focused on the big picture strategy, address issues, keep an employee engaged and strengthen the relationship-to name a few compelling benefits.

More-progressive organizations are leaning into this trend. Great managers think of their roles as developing people first, and that corporate objectives are achieved through this development, not by resisting it. I'm always astonished when I hear managers say, "I simply don't have time to develop my team." What do they think their job is?

In my work as a performance strategist, I have found that at the core there are five principles that guide great performance in an individual: Mindset, perceived impact, challenge, effort, and enjoyment. These five principles are a distillation of all the latest psychological and social science research on what creates peak performance. Each of these principles get to the core of what creates real, honest and exceptional performance. These core principles are often not considered in the traditional performance review process.

One of the most important, leadership skills to develop in managers is the ability to coach effectively-including how to connect with employees and get the best out of them on an ongoing basis. From my own experience, here are three employee performance management best practices I've found effective in turning frontline managers into first-rate coaches.

Here are five things lousy managers do when they should be leading and inspiring their teams:

Chris's experience proves that not only can traditional leaders adjust their style, they absolutely should. It could very well be one of the best professional decisions of your career. Readers, I challenge you to ask yourself: what kind of leader am I? Am I a directive leader, am I compassionate - where do I fall on the spectrum? And most importantly, are you willing to do what it takes to adjust?

But one thing that stands out about The Intern is how Ben's ability to mentor affects everyone in the office. As I watched, I counted ten traits of highly effective mentors demonstrated by Ben toward Jules and the rest of the team:

Coaching says "yes" to who we are and what we have to bring, and creates the conditions that activate Self 2. Coaches are powerful agents of change specifically because they deconstruct three limiting social myths, operate out of three profound values, and ask perspective-changing questions from three important angles.