Dear Madeleine, I have been a student of leadership ever since I became a supervisor in my first job in the early 90s. I am now a VP of services for a collection of call centers across the UK. I ...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/04/27/one-of-your-managers-is-nasty-to-his-people-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a team of mostly young people, all of whom manage internal communications for a global manufacturing company. A few years ago the company went to an unlimited paid time o...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/04/20/team-member-is-overusing-pto-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a marketing director for a medical devices company. I manage all our social media and speaking engagements, which involves a lot of details and spreadsheets with tasks and tr...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/04/13/procrastinating-with-a-writing-assignment-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I read your last blog Not Sure How to Address Burnout? with interest. I work in consulting with one of the big five consulting firms. We hire go-getters and work them hard. The co...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/04/06/questioning-the-work-ethic-of-new-hires-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a regional president for a global financial services company. About five years ago, I hired a whiz kid to inject some creativity and innovation into our use of technology and...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/03/30/technical-genius-needs-to-play-well-with-others-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I’m a tech founder and have developed a tool called “burnout tracker,” which is embedded into our 1:1 tool. Without going into too much detail, the tracker is able to predic...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/03/23/not-sure-how-to-address-burnout-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work in fashion manufacturing. I was promoted about six months ago. I manage the supply chain, timelines for delivery of goods, etc. I have a huge team and work all hours becaus...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/03/16/not-sure-what-innovation-means-for-your-team-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am an HR generalist working at a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). Our CEO started the company about eight years ago, and I have been his right hand since the beginning. He i...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/03/09/ceo-doesnt-see-flaws-in-his-executive-team-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior manager and have managed people for decades. I am a student of leadership and work every day to be a better leader. Here is something I am having trouble putting int...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/03/02/people-wasting-their-potential-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a small team in a big company. Here is my problem. I start my day at 7 a.m. with a meeting, and then my entire day is back-to-back meetings. Almost every meeting generate...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/02/24/daily-back-to-back-meetings-have-you-fried-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, My boss is just awful. He is the son of a friend of the owner, and the owner has no idea how he treats people. Although he comes from a company in our industry, where he was the o...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/02/17/dealing-with-a-toxic-boss-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I just read one of your past columns entitled Latest Team Member Causing Chaos? I recognized the person as what I call HOF—“Hair On Fire”—and we have someone like that at ...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/02/10/influential-coworker-making-you-crazy-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work for a large publishing company. I started here because my dream is to someday be a published author, so I thought I would at least be in the industry. I have been here for ...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/02/03/promotion-seems-like-a-deal-with-the-devil-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am the CEO of a mid-sized business. I was the COO for many years and stepped into the CEO role six months ago. The good news is that the business is in good shape—there is a h...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/01/27/making-change-without-breaking-things-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work on a team where I am the only member who is remote. Pre-Covid we all worked together at the office, but during the shutdown I took advantage of my company’s remote-work o...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/01/20/working-from-home-and-feeling-left-out-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work in a large global organisation. The president for EMEA (UK and all of Western Europe) is my boss’s boss. I recently hired his son into my team. He gave a good interview a...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/01/13/hired-the-bosss-son-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a global team of extremely talented scientists. It is clear how the work we do benefits our organization. I got a new boss about nine months ago, and I’m pretty sure my...
https://leaderchat.org/2024/01/06/concerns-about-an-upcoming-performance-review-ask-madeleine/
The year 2023 will be remembered as a time of high managerial expectations from an in-demand workforce. Readers of Madeleine’s Advice for the Well-Intentioned Manager continued to adapt, grow, ...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/12/30/ask-madeleine-the-top-5-of-2023/
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior sales manager in a mid-sized company. I love the company, the work we do, and the people. I have been identified as a high potential. My team always hits goal, I get...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/12/23/coworker-comment-caught-you-off-guard-ask-madeleine/
This letter came to Lucy Dannewitz and me as a result of our podcast, “Leaders Who Influence,” in Blanchard Community. Blanchard Community is a space created for all who are interested in Bla...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/12/16/accountability-issue-with-a-team-member-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work in a call center that delivers customer service for highly technical products. I have been a supervisor for about six months. I have a great manager and a great team. My pr...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/12/09/dont-want-to-overcommit-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a financial analyst and have always been very good with numbers. I am young and this is my first job out of college. I was happy to get the job. My problem is that my boss is...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/12/02/dealing-with-a-mean-boss-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a mid-level manager in a global software company. I have been working here for about ten years and I lead three teams. Right now I am working with my manager on our goals for...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/11/25/no-way-you-can-maintain-current-work-pace-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I recently started a new job. I am super interested and engaged. I think I am doing well and my manager seems thrilled. People here think I’m much older than I am, and everyone ...
Dear Madeleine, I love my job and I am good at it. When the COVID lockdown was settling in for a then-unknown period of time and everyone in my company was working from home, my partner and I too...
Dear Madeleine, I am at a crossroads in my career. I am 63 years old and have held positions of plant manager and operations manager. I currently serve as director of operations at a company that...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/11/04/at-a-crossroads-late-in-your-career-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I lead a team that provides services to the professionals in my company. In my last performance review, my boss told me I needed to find new ways to add value to the organization....
https://leaderchat.org/2023/10/28/not-sure-how-to-exceed-expectations-with-your-boss-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have always been good at dealing with stress in my personal life—difficult pregnancies, a special-needs child, and parents requiring help. But now I am going through a challen...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/10/21/life-issues-making-you-less-effective-at-work-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a few teams—data scientists, bio engineers, research fellows, project managers—in a fast-growing biotech company. I have teams in Southern California, Canada, Eastern...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/10/07/worried-youre-a-bully-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a fully remote team and have one member who is wonderful—when he is able to focus on work. His contribution is valuable, he is easy to get along with, and other team me...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/09/30/concerned-about-a-teammates-commitment-to-work-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, My boss is the Chief Revenue Officer for a billion-dollar, publicly traded company, and I am watching her melt down in real time. She has been in the job for two years and has mad...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/09/23/thinking-about-bailing-on-a-losing-company-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I was recently promoted and I am drowning. I am still supporting the person who took my former job while trying to get my head around my new job. My new team is huge, and I didn�...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/09/16/just-promoted-and-drowning-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, You have answered many questions about being a mentor—but as a young person in my first job, I wonder how I can find a mentor. How do I go about it? How do I know if someone is ...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/09/09/looking-for-a-mentor-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior analyst at an insurance company. I want to start building my leadership influence. I know my position is not at manager level yet, but I think leadership can happen ...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/09/02/looking-to-develop-leadership-influence-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, How should I deal with LinkedIn? Everyone who wants to “connect” with me ends up trying to sell me something. Sometimes it appears that a person has done their homework and ha...
Dear Madeleine, I am the director of ecommerce marketing for a fairly new and innovative global digital logistics company. The marketing team is huge; there are three other directors for other ki...
Dear Madeleine, I am a partner in a medium-sized professional services organization headquartered in a large metropolitan city. I was recently at a private social function that some employees of ...
Dear Madeleine, I am director of client services for a global financial consulting group. I have a direct report who has a lot going for her. She is a hard worker, always organized and prepared, ...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/07/29/direct-report-needs-to-work-on-executive-presence-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am really worried that my company is going to replace my entire team of graphic artists with AI. What can I say to people who have spent decades to get really good at their craf...
Dear Madeleine, I manage an operations department for the headquarters of a large media company. I have six direct reports and about 70 workers who report to them. One of my direct reports recent...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/07/15/exiting-employee-labeled-you-as-a-toxic-leader-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a business unit for a medium-size business. I have a group of six regional managers who report to me. We have been working remotely since long before Covid and have been ...
Dear Madeleine, I am fairly new to the workforce. I have a degree in accounting and got a great job right out of college, working in the finance department. I’ve been in this job for almost two...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/07/01/old-people-with-old-ideas-got-you-down-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage the US Eastern region for a global manufacturing company. Our new CEO, who is in Europe, is very frustrated at our US employees’ resistance to return to the office. He ...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/06/24/ceo-wants-everyone-back-in-the-office-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, What advice can you provide about how one can develop more confidence as an aspiring leader? Aspiring _____________________________________________________________________ ...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/06/17/need-more-confidence-as-an-aspiring-leader-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have been a manager for a couple of years. My company provided zero training. I kind of figured things out as I went along, and took a lot of online courses. I’m doing okay. M...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/06/10/not-sure-how-to-work-smarter-than-you-are-now-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work for a national mortgage company and recently took over a team from a leader who had led it for 37 years. Every single person on the team is more experienced in the business...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/06/03/leading-a-team-that-needs-a-reboot-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have been working for a company for a few years now. They moved to an Unlimited PTO policy just as I joined. It was heavily promoted in the recruiting stage. Things went fine th...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/05/27/boss-keeps-denying-pto-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, There is a woman on my team who is driving me crazy. I am on the young side and she is nearing the end of her career, but I don’t think it is just about generational differences...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/05/20/interpersonal-tension-with-a-coworker-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work in the communications media studio for a large company. I’m kind of entry level here, but I have a lot of experience directing video. I often end up working with very sen...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/05/06/need-to-coach-executives-who-are-terrible-on-camera-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have been offered a promotion and need to make a recommendation for the team member who will be promoted into my job. I have one very likely candidate: my most promising employe...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/04/29/not-sure-team-member-is-very-happy-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am an executive leader for a giant global organization. Last week, massive layoffs were announced. I have a team of twelve direct reports with hundreds of people reporting up to...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/04/22/dealing-with-impending-layoffs-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, This isn’t really a work problem, it is a life problem caused by success at work. I am the CEO of a respected company and have been successful beyond my wildest dreams. I was th...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/04/15/need-to-set-boundaries-with-people-asking-for-money-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have an employee who is very dependable and is doing an excellent job. I am certain he will do very well here, long term. He has been with the company about a year, has develope...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/04/08/quiet-employee-reluctant-to-speak-up-in-meetings-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I was recently promoted to a VP role in my company. It was a bit of a surprise as I thought my boss would never leave—but he did, quite suddenly. I have been in the role now for...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/04/01/trouble-getting-out-of-the-weeds-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I read your article “Celebrating Women at Work” with interest and it prompted this question. I am a female senior manager in a fast-moving tech company. I run a high-level cus...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/03/25/new-boss-wants-you-to-hire-more-young-men-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a large regional business unit, and a few years ago all managers went through a coaching class. We learned to ask fewer why questions when coaching, and I have found it t...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/03/18/direct-report-keeps-asking-why-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I read last week’s column with interest and it sparked a question for me. I am hiring right now for a position that requires someone to simply keep their head down and get the j...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/03/11/does-every-hire-need-to-be-a-rock-star-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I recently recommended a former colleague for a job in my company. Months have gone by since then, and our company has restructured. The job she applied for was recently offered t...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/03/04/older-former-colleague-is-now-reporting-to-you-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I struggle with interrupting people—and I hate doing it. I usually realize it after it is done. What are some ways to help me overcome this habit and make personal improvements?...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/02/25/trying-to-stop-interrupting-others-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I lead a business unit for a global manufacturing company and have been in the role for about 18 months. I took over for someone who was completely checked out and it was a bit of...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/02/18/want-to-call-out-a-toxic-leader-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have had a long and varied experience in law. I started as a public prosecutor in corporate law and rose quickly to reporting to the General Counsel. My current boss isn’t goi...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/02/11/ready-for-your-first-c-level-job-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have raised three children while working full time. I am now a senior executive. I love my job and am normally a very even-keeled, cheerful person. Recently, however, I am feeli...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/02/04/everything-is-irritating-and-you-dont-know-why-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, My organization instituted a mentoring program a few years ago. We have a cool online system so that prospective mentees can review bios and request people who have signed up to b...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/01/28/want-to-be-a-better-mentor-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work for a bioengineering company that was a successful startup. It is now well into its seventh year and we still have our founding CEO. As the fairly new COO, I report directl...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/01/21/ceo-is-driving-you-insane-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am in leadership development and talent management for a global manufacturing firm. A reorganization initiative will take place early in the second quarter of this year, causing...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/01/14/need-to-successfully-manage-a-reorganization-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have risen through the ranks of my organization very quickly. Last year I took on a lot of new responsibilities with almost no direction, did a good job, and got a raise and a p...
https://leaderchat.org/2023/01/07/ambiguity-making-you-crazy-ask-madeleine/
Madeleine Homan Blanchard is on holiday break this week and will return with new questions from readers beginning on January 7th. While on break—and as we move into the new year, Madeleine sugg...
2022 will be remembered as a year of continued change as workers adapt to a post-COVID, hybrid work environment. This was reflected in the questions Madeleine received from her readers. Here is a...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/12/24/ask-madeleine-the-top-5-of-2022/
Dear Madeleine, I live and work in a third-world country. I got scholarships and completed a master’s degree in business and computer science and have an excellent, high-paying job. I have buil...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/12/17/frustrated-trying-to-work-a-broken-system-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a sales manager for a specific product in a large US company. My team is small and we all work very hard. As a result, I applied to hire a new team member to accommodate the ...
Dear Madeleine, I am the operations lead for a region in a global manufacturing company. I oversee physical plants and offices, and work closely with HR around issues of safety and compliance and...
Dear Madeleine, I have been managing people for years. All the companies I have worked for have provided solid training. I’ve always felt like I knew what I was doing—until now. The last trai...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/11/27/overwhelmed-with-leadership-training-content-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am an experienced executive. A few years ago, my company created a mentoring program. I have really enjoyed mentoring young new hires and have done several six-month stints. My ...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/11/19/want-to-give-your-work-mentee-life-advice-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a team in a large company that recently went to an Unlimited PTO policy. I am glad, because tracking and trying to get people to take their PTO was a pain. So far, it has...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/11/12/direct-report-going-too-far-with-unlimited-pto-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I work in a company that has recently gone to a matrix environment. It is kind of a disaster because no one seems to know what that means. Trying to get anyone to make a decision ...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/11/05/struggling-with-a-matrix-environment-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine I work at a large global company. I was recruited right out of college. I was homeschooled, went to college early, and completed my undergrad and masters in four years. I only ment...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/10/29/thoroughly-disillusioned-with-your-job-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am the CEO of a small but rapidly growing global employee relocation services organization. It is a complicated business. One of the complexities is that employment laws are dif...
Dear Madeleine, I have had a film/video production business with a cofounder and partner for about seven years. We have been friends since college. I am the business operations and sales guy; my ...
Dear Madeleine, I recently graduated from college and started my first job. The job I was offered was the one I wanted, but on my first day I was moved to a different department and given a job t...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/10/08/first-job-is-off-to-a-rocky-start-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have had uncanny success in my company. I am extremely competitive and incredibly focused, and I work really hard because I live in fear of disappointing my boss or my customers...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/10/01/not-sure-youre-ready-to-be-a-leader-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am at my wit’s end. I am pretty sure my boss has ADHD. She jokes that she doesn’t have it but causes it in others, but it isn’t funny—because ever since I started report...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/09/24/boss-is-driving-you-nuts-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, In the middle of the pandemic, I took a job that I love and am good at. At the time, my boss made it very clear that the job was classified as “remote” and the deal was that I...
Dear Madeleine, Your advice has been very helpful in the past, so I couldn’t stop myself from writing to you again about a tricky situation. I have recently taken over the area of learning and...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/09/10/serious-concerns-about-hiring-an-internal-applicant-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a junior partner in a small investment firm. My job is huge—there is always more to do than time to do it. Last year, the firm hired a junior analyst to work with me. I did...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/09/03/not-sure-where-to-start-as-a-new-manager-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am seeking your guidance. I am studying for a BA in human resource management and will be completing my degree program within the next six months. I must submit a final researc...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/08/27/not-sure-what-hr-ld-topic-to-research-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I lead a team of eight employees. One of them is dealing with a personal crisis outside of work and I can see he is struggling. This isn’t the first time I’ve had an employee ...
Dear Madeleine, What do I do if I just can’t connect with one of my direct reports? I was recently promoted and inherited a whole new team in addition to the one I had before. The team is good ...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/08/13/not-connecting-with-one-of-your-direct-reports-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage three large global teams. They do similar customer service, but for different product lines. They all have very seasoned team leads and produce excellent results. Our bus...
Dear Madeleine, Is it naïve to want people to like me? I have been very successful at sales and developing partnerships in my job, partially because I am so good at knowing how to relate to peop...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/07/30/needing-to-be-liked-getting-in-your-way-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have a couple of questions about networking that I was hoping you could help me with. I am pretty good at walking up to people and networking with them these days. I also messag...
Dear Madeleine, I manage a small team for a startup health and wellbeing subscription platform. I was super excited at the beginning—the founders seemed to have the right values and care about ...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/07/16/not-sure-you-want-to-stay-with-your-company-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, A few years back, I started working for a boutique real estate investment trust (REIT) company. I was inadvertently so good at it that I was made a junior partner in two years. I ...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/07/09/boss-just-keeps-asking-you-to-do-more-and-more-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a talent acquisition leader with a midsize tech company. I built my team from scratch in the past year. We are a high performing team that is greatly appreciated by our stake...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/07/02/need-help-with-possible-layoffs-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have a problem with lying. Yes. I am a liar. But I’m not a compulsive liar by any means. What I mean is for a long while I’ve been thinking about little lies that most every...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/06/25/tired-of-telling-little-lies-to-smooth-things-over-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I have a new friend at work, and she is so great. At least she was. We met when we volunteered to be on a committee for a big company community outreach event. We work in differen...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/06/18/relationship-has-turned-sour-at-work-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am a senior leader who reports to an SVP. I lead a business unit for a region. I recently had a one-on-one with my boss—a rare thing—and she gave me some feedback I am grapp...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/06/11/dont-have-a-vision-for-your-business-unit-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I manage a team that has been working together for a long time, although one person recently left. Her replacement is a new high performer who is settling nicely into the job. He ...
Dear Madeleine, I manage a massive sales function for a software company. I am so exhausted from all my people quitting! What is going on? At the end of the Q1, FOUR of my managers quit. And a mo...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/05/28/trouble-hiring-and-retaining-employees-ask-madeleine/
Dear Madeleine, I am at the end of my rope with all of the new software platforms my company expects me to use as part of my job. Every time I turn around, there is a new app introduced but never...
Dear Madeleine, I get no feedback. I like my job, my boss, the team I work with, and my company. At every annual review I write my own review first and my manager adds her two cents, always point...
https://leaderchat.org/2022/05/14/hungry-for-constructive-feedback-ask-madeleine/