Art Markman
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Articles by Art Markman
Why leaders shouldn’t have to apologize for private remarks
If you’re in a public-facing role, you are likely to get caught up in some kind of “hot mic” event in which an offhand remark said in private gets aired publicly. (Indeed, this piece was inspired by the recent experience of a former colleague.) These events are embarrassing, and they almost always end with a standard—and unsatisfying—apology in which the speaker regrets the remarks and says that they did not mean them.
How to change your mind without losing credibility
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” From his vantage point in the nineteenth century, he was expressing frustration with the typical leader who feels the need to stick with an opinion that has outlived its usefulness. The modern world also seems to punish leaders who change their perspective, branding them flip-floppers. In a dynamic world, though, opinions, beliefs, and plans should change as new information becomes available.
What to think about before making a big ask from your direct reports
As a supervisor, you have some ability to dictate what your direct reports work on. The requests you make should typically fit their job description, though most descriptions have a catchall “other duties as assigned” attached, which is likely to cover you. That said, the jobs you give someone generally have a particular expectation of the skills required, the hours to be worked, and the stress level associated with the tasks.
How to make a big ask of a colleague
Self-reliance is a virtue that is drilled into most of us from an early age. After all, most of the work you’re asked to do in school from kindergarten onward through college is done individually. Group work is done sparingly. When a student does ask for help, teachers are reluctant to give answers away. They often answer cagily at best, and so many students will stop asking for assistance. These habits are so deeply ingrained that they are likely to persist well into your work life.
How to handle being blamed for something that isn’t your fault
When something goes wrong at work, a good organization focuses on what caused the problem and what can be done to ensure it does not happen again. If someone has made a mistake, we expect them to own that mistake and learn what they can do differently to prevent the same error in the future. For example, sometimes there is a problem with the environment. Lots of work in user interface design identifies how small changes in the way a product is designed can reduce the number of errors people make.
How to figure out which advice is worth taking
If you are ambitious in your goals for work and want to continue improving your performance, then you’re going to get a lot of advice from people. If you try to follow all the advice you get, you’ll be a like a dog chasing its tail. There will be a lot of activity, but you’ll get no closer to the success you crave. That doesn’t mean you should ignore all the advice you’re given either. Instead, you have to figure out which advice you should heed and which you should ignore.
How to figure out which advice is worth taking
If you are ambitious in your goals for work and want to continue improving your performance, then you’re going to get a lot of advice from people. If you try to follow all the advice you get, you’ll be a like a dog chasing its tail. There will be a lot of activity, but you’ll get no closer to the success you crave. That doesn’t mean you should ignore all the advice you’re given either. Instead, you have to figure out which advice you should heed and which you should ignore.
Want to improve your performance? Focus on this
There was a time where being a high performer meant putting every other aspect of your life on the back burner and devoting all of your time and energy to your work. Family, hobbies, and other obligations were cast aside. Rest and sleep in particular were a luxury the high performer could not afford. That thinking is changing in several ways. For one thing, being a high performer at work for the long term does not necessarily require sacrifice of the rest of your entire life.
Cómo afrontar un conflicto de valores en el trabajo como líder
En general, tu satisfacción laboral depende en parte de si tu organización tiene una misión alineada con tus valores y lleva a cabo su trabajo de una manera coherente con tu forma de vida. Esta relación entre valores personales y cultura organizacional no es menor: un metaanálisis de 21 estudios encontró una relación entre el ajuste persona-organización, la satisfacción laboral, el compromiso organizacional y la intención de abandonar una empresa.
How to navigate a values conflict at work as a leader
In general, your satisfaction with work is driven in part by whether your organization has a mission that is aligned with your values and goes about its work in a manner that is consistent with how you choose to live your life. I have written about the impact of values conflicts at work broadly before, but there are several specific problems that arise when you are a leader and the organization wants to do things that are a mismatch to your deeply held commitments.
How to use AI to give yourself a head start at a new job
When you start a new job there is a lot to learn. There are projects, clients, and processes that are likely to be new to you. You may have been pointed at the employee handbook and maybe even given a mentor. But you probably still have more questions than answers for the first few months. As trite as the phrase “drinking from a firehose” may have become, it is a pretty accurate description of those first eight or 10 weeks.
How to use AI to give yourself a head start at a new job
11 hours ago Enjoy the fruit, but save the pit for your own tree. If you enjoy the delightful, sweet-tart flavor of apricots, then consider saving the pit for planting. Growing your own apricot tree can be a rewarding adventure, though it typically takes about three to five years before you can harvest your …
How to get your attention span back
We live in a world of distraction. In the time it took me to write this sentence, I got a new email alert on my computer, two new DMs, and an alert on my phone that my Duolingo streak is in jeopardy. With all of this outside interference, how in the world do you manage to sustain attention on anything anymore? Chances are, you’re having trouble with that. You may not be able to work for more than a couple of minutes at a time without your brain interrupting you to do something else.
How to get your attention span back
I don’t use AI to write my emails — here’s how I use it to manage my inbox instead When my grandfather would write me while I was away at school, he would end each letter with, "It's been fun to visit with you for a few minutes." …
Como evitar a fadiga de decisão e preservar sua energia mental
Em uma aula sobre criatividade, um estudante perguntou se deveria escolher um caminho diferente para o trabalho todos os dias. A mudança poderia produzir encontros inesperados, mostrar partes desconhecidas da cidade e gerar novas ideias. Também exigiria tempo e esforço mental para tomar uma decisão que, na maioria dos dias, não teria importância. Esse exemplo revela um desafio comum: temos uma quantidade limitada de energia para manter a concentração e realizar um trabalho produtivo.
How to avoid decision fatigue
Over the years, I have taught a lot of classes on creativity, and I once had a student ask me whether it would benefit their creativity if they took a different route to work each day. While changing up your environment can create serendipitous engagements with things that might spur a new idea, changing up your daily commute would mostly make you spend time and effort thinking about how you get to work when that time could be better spent in other ways.
How to use AI to boost your creativity
Most of work life doesn’t involve that much creativity. Instead, it involves experience. The more that you have seen before, the more likely it is that you will have a ready solution for something that comes up at work, because you have previous experience to draw on. That is effective, but it isn’t really that creative. Creative problem solving is needed when the situation doesn’t remind you of anything you have seen before that will provide you with a course of action.
O que fazer quando seu melhor funcionário perde a motivação
Uma das tarefas mais difíceis para um gestor é lidar com um funcionário que simplesmente perdeu o interesse e permanece desmotivado por um longo período. Todo mundo tem dias em que preferiria estar em qualquer outro lugar, menos no trabalho. Mas o que fazer quando alguém da sua equipe deixa, de forma recorrente, de demonstrar energia e entusiasmo pelo que faz? Vou me concentrar aqui em como trabalhar com alguém que já teve um bom desempenho, mas que, desde então, se desligou emocionalmente.
Cómo usar la IA para potenciar tu creatividad
La mayor parte de la vida laboral no implica tanta creatividad. En cambio, implica experiencia. Cuanto más hayas visto antes, más probable es que tengas una solución lista para algo que surja en el trabajo, porque cuentas con experiencia previa de la cual echar mano. Eso es efectivo, pero no es realmente creativo. La resolución creativa de problemas se necesita cuando la situación no te recuerda a nada que hayas visto antes que te proporcione un curso de acción.
How to use AI to boost your creativity
Most of work life doesn’t involve that much creativity. Instead, it involves experience. The more that you have seen before, the more likely it is that you will have a ready solution for something that comes up at work, because you have previous experience to draw on. That is effective, but it isn’t really that creative. Creative problem solving is needed when the situation doesn’t remind you of anything you have seen before that will provide you with a course of action.
How to use AI to boost your creativity
The size of a person's vocabulary is one of the best single predictors of their general intelligence, not because big words make anyone smarter, but because quietly acquiring and keeping thousands of them draws on the same ability an IQ test measures Here is a fact that sounds like a party trick but is well established: one of the best quick estimates of a person’s general intelligence is the size …
Your high performer is checked out. Now what?
One of the most difficult things to do as a manager is to deal with an employee who just isn’t feeling it and remains unmotivated for a long period of time. Everyone has their days when they’d rather be anywhere else but at work, but what do you do when a direct report consistently fails to bring energy and enthusiasm to their work? I’m going to focus here on working with someone who was working well at one point, but has since checked out.
Your high performer is checked out. Now what?
One of the most difficult things to do as a manager is to deal with an employee who just isn’t feeling it and remains unmotivated for a long period of time. Everyone has their days when they’d rather be anywhere else but at work, but what do you do when a direct report consistently fails to bring energy and enthusiasm to their work? I’m going to focus here on working with someone who was working well at one point, but has since checked out.
When your job conflicts with your values
People are more likely to stay at their job when their values and the organization’s mission are clearly aligned. But not every task you are asked to do may fit with your personal system of values. What should you do when asked to do something that causes you discomfort, because it compromises something you hold dear? Up front, it is important to acknowledge that values conflicts are common.
When your job conflicts with your values
People are more likely to stay at their job when their values and the organization’s mission are clearly aligned. But not every task you are asked to do may fit with your personal system of values. What should you do when asked to do something that causes you discomfort, because it compromises something you hold dear? Up front, it is important to acknowledge that values conflicts are common.
¿Usas IA en tu trabajo? 3 situaciones en las que es mejor no hacerlo
Actualmente, las empresas están invirtiendo grandes sumas de dinero en recursos de inteligencia artificial (IA) con la esperanza de que mejore el desempeño de las personas y haga que las organizaciones funcionen de manera más eficiente. Debido a la magnitud de la inversión, existe presión para que las personas utilicen la IA en la mayor cantidad de tareas posible durante su jornada de trabajo.
When not to use AI at work
Companies are investing a lot of money in AI resources right now in the hope that it will enhance people’s performance and make organizations function more efficiently. Because of the size of the investment, there is pressure for people to engage with artificial intelligence in as many tasks as possible. Broadly speaking, if you have not played around much with AI, there is value in engaging with it. The tools are constantly changing, and the capacities continue to grow.
When not to use AI at work
Art Markman Companies are investing a lot of money in AI resources right now in the hope that it will enhance people's performance and make organizations function more efficiently. Because of the size of the investment, there is pressure for people to engage with artificial intelligence in as many tasks as possible. Broadly speaking, if you have not played around much with AI, there is value in engaging with it. The tools are constantly changing, and the capacities continue to grow.
Cómo decir que no a proyectos que hacen perder el tiempo
Todas las personas que conozco están ocupadas. Dedican muchas horas de trabajo saltando de una reunión a otra, redactando informes, participando en tareas internas y de cara al cliente. No hay mucho tiempo de descanso. Sin embargo, toda esa ocupación no necesariamente equivale a producción. Con frecuencia, haces lo próximo que tienes delante sin pensar en los costos asociados al trabajo. Cada vez que te involucras en una tarea, esta tiene un costo real.
How to say no to projects that are a waste of your time
Everyone I know these days is busy. They put in long hours at work running from one meeting to another, writing reports, engaging in internal and customer-facing work. There isn’t much downtime. Yet, all that busy-ness doesn’t necessarily equate to production. Often, you do the next thing in front of you without thinking about the costs associated with the work. Every time you engage in a task, it has a real cost to it.
How to say no to projects that are a waste of your time
Everyone I know these days is busy. They put in long hours at work running from one meeting to another, writing reports, engaging in internal and customer-facing work. There isn’t much downtime. Yet, all that busy-ness doesn’t necessarily equate to production. Often, you do the next thing in front of you without thinking about the costs associated with the work. Every time you engage in a task, it has a real cost to it.
Productividad durante la incertidumbre: 3 estrategias para tener enfoque laboral
Actualmente, vivimos en un periodo de gran incertidumbre sobre el futuro. La inteligencia artificial tiene una influencia significativa (aunque aún desconocida) en el futuro del trabajo. La inestabilidad global dificulta la expansión internacional de las empresas. Todos estos factores afectan la inversión en nuevos negocios, lo que hace más difícil predecir la economía que se viene y qué se afectará tu productividad. Puede resultar difícil concentrarse cuando sientes ansiedad por el futuro.
How to stay productive when the future feels uncertain
It can be hard to focus in the face of feeling anxious about the future. Here are three strategies for coping. An underlying anxiety will have several bad influences on your daily work life. For one thing, it raises your overall level of psychological energy (called arousal), which can ultimately make you less productive if deadlines and other work pressures compound and you end up with so much energy that you can’t concentrate.
How to stay productive when the future feels uncertain
Right now, we’re living in a period of significant uncertainty about the future. AI is having a significant (but unknown) influence on the future of work. Global instability is making it more difficult for companies to engage internationally. All of these factors are affecting investment in new business, which is making the future economy more difficult to predict. It can be hard to focus in the face of feeling anxious about the future. Here are three strategies for coping.
O segredo de um bom trabalho não é a felicidade
Se você trabalha em tempo integral, uma parte significativa da sua semana está dedicada à vida profissional. Além de passar oito horas ou mais por dia trabalhando, é provável que você continue pensando em assuntos do trabalho mesmo quando está fazendo outras atividades. Por isso, embora o emprego não precise ser sua principal fonte de realização na vida, você tende a ser mais feliz de maneira geral se desempenhar uma função que considere gratificante.
¿Buscas un trabajo que te haga feliz? 3 claves para tu satisfacción laboral
Si trabajas a tiempo completo, una parte importante de tu semana está dedicada a tu empleo. No solo pasas ocho horas o más al día en una oficina, sino que es probable que pienses en asuntos laborales incluso cuando haces otras cosas. Por lo tanto, aunque tu trabajo no tiene por qué ser tu principal fuente de satisfacción personal, serás más feliz si te resulta gratificante.
How do you find a job that will make you happy?
*How do you find a job that will make you happy? PUBLISHED: June 22, 2026 at 2:05 PM EDT | UPDATED: June 22, 2026 at 2:07 PM EDT Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... By Art Markman, Fast Company If you work full-time, a significant chunk of your week is bound up with your work life. Not only are you engaged eight or more hours a day, but you’re likely to think about things going on at work even when you’re doing other things.
How do you find a job that will make you happy?
If you work full-time, a significant chunk of your week is bound up with your work life. Not only are you engaged eight or more hours a day, but you’re likely to think about things going on at work even when you’re doing other things. So, while your job doesn’t need to be your primary source of life satisfaction, you will be happier overall if your job is one that you find fulfilling.
Cómo dejar todo en orden antes de tus vacaciones (y evitar el caos al volver)
El verano está a escasos días de iniciar. Y aunque la mayoría de los lugares de trabajo no se rigen por el calendario escolar, esta es una época en la que mucha gente elige tomarse unas vacaciones. Parte de esta decisión es práctica: las familias con niños pueden llevarlos de viaje con más facilidad que en otra época del año. Y otra parte porque simplemente ve este tiempo como ideal para relajarse. Si te preocupa tomarte tiempo libre, no estás solo.
How to ask for and take time off without getting penalized
Summer is here. Even though most workplaces are not on an academic calendar, summer is still a time that many people choose to take vacations. Some of that decision is pragmatic—families with school-age children can bring their kids with them on a trip over the summer more easily than during the school year. Some of it is just that summer feels like a time when vacations ought to happen. If you’re worried about taking time off, you’re not alone.
How to ace your summer internship
As summer begins, many college students are getting ready to dip a toe in the sea of work by taking on an internship. These internships play a few important roles. For many interns, this is the first time that they are venturing out of the safe confines of school and into a real workplace. In addition, internships give organizations a chance to work with promising young people who may make great employees after graduation.
O erro que faz as pessoas ignorarem seu feedback
Quando você supervisiona colegas de trabalho, precisa orientar comportamentos e ajudá-los a desenvolver habilidades. Isso significa perceber erros e oferecer feedback capaz de influenciar comportamentos futuros. Mas talvez você perceba que, mesmo depois das conversas, sua equipe não melhora tanto quanto gostaria. Se esse é o caso, existem algumas práticas que podem aumentar bastante a eficácia do feedback crítico. No fim das contas, você precisa aprender a pensar mais como um professor.
Cómo reparar una relación laboral con un compañero de trabajo (sin fingir que no pasó nada)
Por muy simpático que creas ser, no te llevarás bien con todo el mundo. Seguramente conoces al menos a un compañero de trabajo con el que no tienes una buena relación. Si se ha deteriorado con el tiempo, quizás quieras buscar la manera de mejorarla. De entrada, es importante tener en cuenta que no es necesario ser amigo de los compañeros. El objetivo es mantener una relación de respeto.
How to give feedback that sticks
When supervising colleagues, you often need to guide their behavior and help them to improve their skills. That means noticing the mistakes people are making and giving them good feedback that will influence their behavior in the future. You might find, though, that your team members don’t improve as much as you’d like after you speak to them. If so, there are a few key things you can do to maximize the effectiveness of your critical feedback.
How to repair a relationship with a colleague that’s gone sour
No matter how likeable you (think you) are, you won’t get along with everyone. Chances are, you can think of at least one colleague that you just don’t have a good relationship with. If that relationship has gone bad over time, you may want to figure out what you can do to repair it. Up front, it is important to bear in mind that you don’t need to be friends with your colleagues. The aim is to have a respected relationship.
El secreto para que te asignen proyectos de alto valor y logres ascender en tu trabajo
Si quieres tener éxito en tu empleo, no solo necesitas cumplir con tus tareas, sino también hacer el trabajo adecuado. Ese trabajo implica contribuir a la finalización de proyectos que realmente importan a tu organización y que son fundamentales para su misión. No te asignan a esos proyectos clave de inmediato. Suelen estar dirigidos por líderes con amplia experiencia y cuentan con personal que ha demostrado sus capacidades y cómo contribuirá a un resultado positivo.
The secret to getting assigned high-value projects
If you want to succeed at work, you not only need to get work done, you need to do the right kind of work. That work involves helping to complete projects that really matter to your organization—ones that are central to the mission. You don’t get assigned to those key projects right away. They tend to be run by leaders with significant experience and are staffed by others who have proven their capabilities and have demonstrated how they will contribute to a positive outcome.
¿Mucho estrés en el trabajo? 6 maneras sencillas pero poderosas para mantener la calma
Es inevitable que tengas uno de esos días de trabajo (o semanas o meses) caóticos, donde la calma brilla por su ausencia, en los que tu agenda esté repleta de reuniones, se acerquen fechas límite y surja una emergencia que debas resolver de inmediato. Si bien tener varias cosas que suceden al mismo tiempo puede ser beneficioso, a la larga, te causará problemas.
How to stay calm on a hectic day
A little physical activity helps as well. If you spend too much time sitting and locked into one position, you will add physical discomfort to the mental arousal, which can keep you too energized. Take a short walk. If you’re in a building with several stories, hop into the stairwell and walk a few flights of stairs. I used to work in a nine-story building and would walk the stairs at lunch time at least once. It didn’t take too long and reenergized me. Keep a picture of your loved ones close by.
How to stay calm on a hectic day
You are bound to have one of those crazy days (or weeks or months) where your calendar is jammed with meetings, there are looming deadlines, and an emergency has cropped up that absolutely needs to be dealt with right away. Having a few things that hit at the same time can actually be good for you, but eventually, it is going to cause you problems.
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