Category: Management + Culture

How to avoid the “scattershot approach” when you share feedback

Have you ever heard a manager give feedback to their entire team, but you knew that feedback was intended for one specific person on the team? If so, you’ve witnessed the “scattershot approach” of giving feedback — spraying little pellets of candor across the entire team rather than delivering a tough message to the single person who … Continued

How to Manage Your Team’s Performance

One of the biggest challenges managers face is dealing with performance issues when they arise. As a manager, your job is to help each one of your employees do their best work, but if someone is struggling, you might have to take more direct action. Ignoring performance issues will not only impair your team’s ability … Continued

Delegation Tips for New Managers

If you’ve recently moved into a management role, it will be crucial for you to develop the skill of delegation. Delegation is not merely a tactic to minimize your personal workload; it is one of the most effective ways to develop your people and give them stretch assignments to grow and improve. Although it’s natural … Continued

How to Lead an Effective 1-on-1

You’ve probably been on the receiving end of 1-on-1s for a while. If you recently transitioned into a management role, you’ll likely be tempted to run your 1-on-1 meetings the same way your boss ran them, which may or may not be an effective way to do it. The Importance of 1-on-1s Meeting personally with … Continued

How to Manage Former Peers

If you recently made the transition from team member to manager, you understand that managing former peers can be challenging. You want to maintain personal relationships but aren’t sure whether doing so will give the perception of favoritism. Some of your closest friends may be on the team, which can make performance conversations even more … Continued

Creating a Culture of Candor

In the past two weeks, two people at Gravity have thanked me for giving them unsolicited feedback.   I was struck by this because, even though I’ve worked at several companies before Gravity, I’d never witnessed a culture in which feedback was not only tolerated but appreciated. While we’re far from perfect, our company’s pursuit … Continued

The 3 Enemies of Feedback

Receiving critical feedback is one of the most difficult things about working with others. But why is it so dang hard? And how can we get better at both receiving feedback and learning from it? One thing to keep in mind is that half the battle comes before a tough message is ever shared. Those … Continued

There’s Only 1 Question You’ll Ever Need To Ask To Test Your Company’s Core Values

Many companies proudly display their core values, but in practice those values are often just marketing. To determine whether your core values are honest or just rhetoric, ask yourself this one simple question: Would you adhere to your values even if they created a competitive disadvantage? If a company is not willing to sacrifice for … Continued

The Secret Success of Gravity Payments Lies In 2 Ounces of Water

Customer service is a statement to people–you either matter or you don’t. That realization hit me like a ton of bricks one day when I was out to lunch at La Carta De Oaxaca, here in Seattle. The server, a young woman, noticed my glass of water was about 75 percent full. She walked across … Continued

We’re All CEOs Here Part Ten

In early 2014, I was hired on as the second member of Gravity’s Marketing team. Coming from a traditional company back in Minneapolis, it was strange to me how everyone operated at Gravity. Many of my peers around me were moving fast and getting things done in a way that was efficient and hugely beneficial to … Continued