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For Leaders: The Accidental Bad Boss
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BETTER THAN THIS — Article 8 of 9 This is the eighth article in the Better Than This series on toxic workplace cultures — what they are, how they work, and what actually helps. New to the series? Start with Article 1: The Workplace That Wears You Down → Most leaders do not wake…
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Gaslighting at Work: When Reality Becomes a Moving Target
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BETTER THAN THIS — Article 6 of 9 This is the sixth article in the Better Than This series on toxic workplace cultures — what they are, how they work, and what actually helps. New to the series? Start with Article 1: The Workplace That Wears You Down → You left the meeting confused.…
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The Lost Art of Listening: Why No One Feels Heard at Work
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BETTER THAN THIS — Article 5 of 9 This is the fifth article in the Better Than This series on toxic workplace cultures — what they are, how they work, and what actually helps. New to the series? Start with Article 1: The Workplace That Wears You Down → Think about the last time…
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“It’s Not That Bad”: Microaggressions, Complicity, and the Invisible Harm We Normalize
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BETTER THAN THIS — ARTICLE 2 OF 9 This is the second article in the Better Than This series on toxic workplace cultures — what they are, how they work, and what actually helps. If this is your introduction to the series, you may want to start with Article 1: The Workplace That Wears…
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The Workplace That Wears You Down: Toxicity, Complacency, and the Slow Fade Nobody Talks About
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Article 1 in the Better Than This Series. Picture someone you worked with — or work with now. They came in with energy. They had ideas. They asked questions, pushed back when something didn’t make sense, stayed late because they actually cared about the work. Maybe they were a new hire. Maybe a newly…
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The Energy Audit: When Exhaustion Goes Deeper Than Sleep
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My dog was waiting by the back door, ready to go outside. I stood up from the couch, made it to the top of the stairs, and had to sit down. Not because I was physically injured. Not because I was out of shape. Because I had no energy left. It wasn’t a lack…
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The Support Staff Paradox: Responsibility Without Power
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Your job requires you to hold people accountable. You chase down approvals. You remind managers about deadlines. You follow up on documentation that’s three weeks overdue. You enforce policies and requirements that everyone agrees are important—right up until you ask them to actually comply. And here’s the catch: the people you’re reminding don’t report…
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When Optimism Feels Out of Reach
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A quick note—I missed last week’s post. My computer died (fully, no heroic recovery), and rather than trying to force something together on my phone, I chose to pause and wait until I was properly back up and running. It’s a good reminder for me, and maybe for you too: plans matter, but so…
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Year-End Reset: What You’re Carrying Into Your Career
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As the year wraps up, many of us feel the pressure to sprint through the finish line—tie up every loose end, complete every project, respond to every message, and roll into January with a color-coded plan. But the truth is: you don’t need a perfect ending to create a strong beginning. What matters more…
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The Learning Zone at Work: How We Grow Without Burning Out
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Most workplaces still treat growth like a test: sink or swim, figure it out, push harder.But that’s not how humans learn best. Neuroscience, positive psychology, and experiential education all point to one simple truth: We grow most effectively in the learning zone—not the comfort zone, and definitely not the overwhelm zone. The Science: Challenge…