Author: Gabriela Quintela

Swedish work culture is known for its consensus-based decision-making and diplomatic management style. This work culture certainly has many advantages, preventing useless conflicts. But taken too far, when diplomacy becomes conflict avoidance at any cost, it can stall the kind of friction that actually drives new ideas and solves problems. Swedish ethnologist Åke Daun (1936–2017) included “conflict avoidance” among the core traits of Swedishness. In his famous book “Swedish Mentality,” he wrote that, when faced with a conversation topic that sparks strong opinions, “Swedes will typically try to change the subject of conversation, come up with an evasive answer or even relinquish their own view on the matter, in order…

In episode 31 of “Diary of a CHRO,” João Ricardo interviews Niels Jansen, Head of HR at LG Benelux. An introvert himself, Jansen believes that introverted leaders are often underestimated, despite the powerful qualities they bring to leadership. For instance, he highlights that listening is often more important than speaking. Introverts lead differently, and that difference can be a major advantage. Jansen stresses: “I’m not saying the introverted leader is better than the extroverted one. Just different.” He considers that introverted leaders may have more difficulty in building relationships and bonding with the team, but that skill can be developed. “I still think with some right amount…

Our subscribers are always creative with their out-of-office messages, and the ones on parental leave are no exception. After years of reading humorous, witty out-of-office messages from both moms and dads on parental leave, we’ve compiled a list of the best ones here. If you are about to go on parental leave and need some inspiration for your own out-of-office message, this list should help. When writing your reply, just make sure to add your expected return date and contact information for your replacement or other relevant points of contact. (We’ve suppressed this info from the messages below due to privacy reasons.)  1. Unpredictable working hours Hi there, Thanks for…

In episode 30 of “Diary of a CHRO,” João Ricardo interviews Luís Sottomayor, the Founder and CEO of Talent Portugal, a talent attraction and employer branding platform connecting candidates, companies, and universities. In this interview, Sottomayor discusses the four key elements that contribute to a strong employer brand (a strong EVP, consistency, internal engagement, and data); how talent attraction has changed for employers with the advent of remote and hybrid work; and the key metrics for measuring the success of an organization’s employer branding strategy. He also addresses the mistakes companies make when trying to build their employer brand. For him, a huge…

The AI strategist warns that the greater productivity AI brings should not be taken as an invitation to cut engineering teams prematurely. The companies getting the best results aren’t replacing their top engineers.

For Laura Dowell, the fields of AI engineering and beauty pageantry have turned out to be surprisingly connected.

We break down what recruiters are handing off to AI, what they’re keeping for themselves, and the reasoning behind their choices. Plus: the growing problem of AI screening AI-generated applications, and how to deal with it.

Trust is a word that gets thrown around in every leadership conversation, often without a real definition. Vanessa Ilieva, Project & Program Manager for IBM’s High Availability Center of Competency (HACoC) in Bulgaria, doesn’t let it stay vague. Leading resiliency engagements for IBM’s top 100 global clients, she believes that trust is built on character and competence — both elements must be present, and neither substitutes for the other. We spoke with Ilieva about what trust actually looks like day-to-day on a tech team, why she doesn’t think AI or flexible work have changed the fundamentals of building trust, and what makes Bulgaria’s tech talent pool distinct. TechTalents Insights: Can you…

Cover letters have always been a bit of theater: everyone performs boundless enthusiasm for a role they may have found ten minutes ago on a job board. Now that AI can generate a cover letter in seconds — often just to be read by an AI screener on the other end — the theater has only gotten more obvious. Lately, a wave of satirical, honest cover letters has been making the rounds online — the kind nobody would actually submit, but everyone wishes they could. We’ve gathered some of the best. We also added an example of how to actually use humour in your cover letter.…

From Spain’s team-first mentality to an underperformer’s redemption goal, here’s what football’s biggest stage teaches us about managing people.