We want our leaders to be authentic, and we want to be our authentic selves at work. Unfortunately, the world is a complex place, and sometimes neither our leaders nor ourselves can be authentic. It’s essential not to succumb to cynicism. It’s important to learn how to be “more or less” authentic.

I recall talking to a data quality specialist and asking how they assessed the quality of data in HR systems. They said they didn’t need to look at the data; all they needed to do was look at the processes for producing the data, and they could predict where the problems would be. That insight reflects a broader principle: processes shape outcomes. Bad processes reliably produce bad outcomes. To improve outcomes, we need to be imaginative in rethinking processes.

If you are developing your expertise on a management topic like “teams” or “trust”, you will find an endless number of frameworks, models, and theories. At first, it might feel like you are learning more and more about the field. However, at a certain point, you will get frustrated. You will find that “new” ideas are often just rehashes of old ones. You’ll find that the frameworks don’t fit together in a coherent way. Overall, you’ll just find that there are too many ideas to keep in mind when y