She’s pretty, young and smart, but that’s not what thrills me about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Big results rarely come from doing everything harder and faster and meaner. The real foundation of results is something we usually overlook.

You can’t be nice all the time, and nor can you be nasty all the time. Effective feedback requires generous helpings of both support and challenge. Here’s what happens without that balance …

Resist the urge to try and ‘improve’ someone with feedback, as in fix aspects of their character. It won’t work. Here’s a ranking of things it’s easiest to influence.

Some people feel they must be combative when giving feedback, as if it’s a clash of wills or a battle of wits. It’s counter-productive. Test your style against this checklist …

My research indicates we waste a whole day a week in useless meetings. Other findings presented here are depressing, but what does all this wasted time signify?

Proper feedback can’t be just any old conversation, a bit of a chit-chat, an occasional word in the ear. Here are all the things it must do …

If I spent my career improving weaknesses, I would just end up with stronger weaknesses. Mediocrity, in other words.

It’s a lazy, off-the-shelf technique that imposes a generic template for an idealised employee. And it’s irrelevant.

Good accountability is enabling and inspiring; the person is activated as an agent in bringing about a new, good reality. Bad accountability backfires.