Focus on doing right by your employees, not on being buddies

Flattened hierarchies can be tough on middle managers | Focus on doing right by your employees, not on being buddies | Every strategy needs to adjust to reality Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( April 15, 2019 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( ADVERTISEMENT  [] Leading Edge [] [Flattened hierarchies can be tough on middle managers]( Changing from a hierarchical structure to a flatter configuration will uproot many midlevel managers, who need a path to a new role, new ways of thinking and a clear understanding of compensation, write Aaron De Smet, Daidree Tofano and Chris Smith. "In our experience, midlevel managers are more likely to end up in agile roles that suit them well if they receive career counseling," they note. [McKinsey]( (4/2019) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Focus on doing right by your employees, not on being buddies]( Teams need caring leaders, but caring about people is not the same as trying to be friends with them, says author Kevin Kruse. "I just focus on my values, the organization's goals, and do what's right by that," he says. [Skip Prichard Leadership Insights]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Strategy and Management for Competitive Advantage Learn to accurately assess the competition, design a compelling strategy, leverage your firm's capabilities to full advantage, and obtain necessary resources through alliances, acquisitions, and internal corporate ventures. June 17-21, Philadelphia, PA. [Apply Today](. ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Every strategy needs to adjust to reality]( Every strategy needs adjustments to address hidden biases, bad data and surprising outcomes, writes Sherrin Ross Ingram. "Not only does refinement sharpen a strategy, it enhances the ability of those executing the strategy to cut through the noise of imperfect information, distractions and setbacks that inevitably happens during execution," she argues. [Forbes]( (4/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Behind the insights-driven strategies of Mars, PepsiCo]( Mars and PepsiCo are among consumer-packaged good brands investing in technology to glean faster insights to implement campaigns that more effectively connect with current consumer mindsets and behavior, writes Karlene Lukovitz. Mars' insights team is sharing data across the organization and PepsiCo is also introducing insights and content tools that can be shared company-wide, she writes. [MediaPost Communications]( (4/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [Don't let fear keep you from canning bad projects]( Strong leaders encourage employees to learn from mistakes, which can also help organizations end projects that are going nowhere without fear of reprisal, writes Art Petty. "Armed with the belief and commitment that it's your job to form and strengthen an environment for people to do their best work, share their best, most outlandish ideas, and try new things, the tasks that lead to kicking fear out the door are intuitive," he argues. [Art Petty]( (4/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Working A weekly spotlight on doing more without working longer [] [Believing in yourself makes for better outcomes]( Self-criticism and self-doubt are common ways that capable people hold themselves back, as research suggests self-belief is better correlated with workplace success, writes Deb Knobelman. "When the voice in your head tells you that you're terrible and wrong any time you go near a task, eventually, you avoid the task altogether," Knobelman writes. [Medium (tiered subscription model)]( (4/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [The team that plays together stays together]( Retention and productivity can be improved when leaders create a culture that encourages employees to care for each other and spend time together, even when it's not directly related to work, writes C. Lee Smith, CEO and founder of SalesFuel. "It's those little traditions, turns of phrase, inside jokes or the way we do what we do that makes us different from everyplace else," he notes. [Chief Executive online]( (4/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Amazon's mascot represents company's "peculiar ways"]( Amazon employees are familiar with the googly-eyed, orange mascot Peccy, who represents the "peculiar ways" of the company, says HR chief Beth Galetti. Peccy is not well-known to the public but is found internally on training materials, swag, baked goods and more. [Fast Company online]( (4/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Most Read by CEOs The most-clicked stories of the past week by SmartBrief on Leadership readers [] - [Stop using these morale-killing phrases]( Lolly Daskal [] - [What does integrity mean for leaders?]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [Use this process to make better decisions]( ThoughtLeaders [] - [There's no crying in baseball, but there is at the office]( Quartz [] - [Poor communication takes many forms]( Quartz [] [] The tragedy of a thoughtless man is not that he doesn't think, but that he thinks that he's thinking. Andrzej Majewski, writer and photographer [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [Sign Up]( [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters]( [Advertise]( [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience]( Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions]( [Update Your Profile]( [Unsubscribe]( [Send Feedback]( [Archive]( [Search]( Contact Us: Jobs Contact - jobhelp@smartbrief.com Advertising - [Laura Engel](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Editor - [James daSilva](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2019 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy Policy (updated May 25, 2018)]( | [Legal Information]( Â