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ANONYMOUS FEEDBACK IS A COP-OUT
Imagine being called into your boss’s office and hearing one of the following statements: “I have some negative feedback for you and everybody feels the same way”; or “a number of your colleagues have...
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PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK: DO NOT BURY THE LEAD
In an interview conducted by the “Academy of Achievement” (p.4) the late author Nora Ephron recounted her oft told story of her first day in Mr. Charles Simms’ Journalism class at Beverly Hills High...
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A “STOP IT” PHRASE: YOU ARE COSTING US/ME MONEY!
I was recently talking with an employee who told me that their boss was fond of reminding them that their work efforts were costing the boss money. This phrase was really irritating them. Was their...
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IGNORING A PROBLEM IS ENABLING THE PROBLEM
In most of my management workshops the discussion, at some point, generally comes around to one of those workplace problems that few managers wish to confront. For example: A personal hygiene issue....
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DO NOT WITHHOLD INFORMATION THAT CAN HELP OTHERS SUCCEED
One of the great gifts any experienced manager has at his or her disposal, is the lessons of their experience. Years of hard work, countless hours of practice and application, the painful lessons of...
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PROBLEM SOLVING: WHAT IS/ARE THE REAL ISSUE OR ISSUES INVOLVED?
Abraham Maslow, famous for his theory of the “Hierarchy of Human Needs”, also had this to say about problem solving: “If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail”. I have known...
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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION AND TRAINING
I have never encountered an organization that at least rhetorically did not champion the importance of training for all its employees. But I have encountered quite a few organizations whose management...
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TEAMWORK: IT’S INTERESTING WHAT YOU CAN LEARN SITTING AT A BAR
Recently during a business trip to Denver, I was having a drink and dinner at the bar of Ted”s Montana Grill in Aurora, Colorado. Being alone, my attention focused on the three individuals working the...
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AUTHORITY VS INFLUENCE
One element of being a manager that lures many to the profession is the idea of having some real authority, of being in control of something and of having the power to give orders and directions that...
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CAPABILITY AND CAPACITY
My friend and sometimes workshop partner Jack, loves to talk about the importance of assessing an employee’s capabilities and capacity. Regarding the importance of these concepts, I could not agree...
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UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITS OF ATTENTION
Listening or paying attention to something attentively for an extended period of time, is a challenge for most human beings. In my experience, how much we humans will listen to anything, pay attention...
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DANGER SIGNS THAT SOMETHING IS GETTING THE BEST OF YOU
Is your temper on a somewhat shorter fuse than usual? Is the list of things that get under your skin growing longer by the day? Is your tolerance for the human foibles of those around you noticeably...
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PLAYING THE HAND YOU’RE DEALT
Most managers fantasize at some point about being handed the “DREAM TEAM” assignment. You know, a staff filled with self-starting, bright, multi-talented all-stars who basically need little management...
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ACCOUNTABILITY: THE SIMPLE MANAGEMENT SECRET OF THE PAUL O’NEILL STORY
Chapter four of Charles Duhigg’s fascinating and highly insightful book “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” is entitled“Keystone Habits or the Ballad of Paul O”Neill”. This...
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LEADERSHIP: SOME UNAVOIDABLE REALITIES
I have been studying, writing about, and addressing the subject of leadership in many forums for over 30 years. While I still would not consider myself an expert on the subject — especially on whether...
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GOOD MANAGERS WORK AT IT
When different people, focusing on different fields of endeavor and at different times all end up sending us the same message, seems to me we ought to pay attention. So consider the following message...
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UNDERSTANDING HUMAN NATURE
Unique though we all are in our individual ways, there remains this thing called HUMAN NATURE. Specifically, the vast majority of we humans tend to behave in rather predictable ways confronted with...
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GOOD MANAGEMENT: THE ART OF NUDGING
I once asked a senior manager colleague what she considered the “core competency” of a good manager. “the art of Effective Nudging“, she replied. I knew at once what she meant as I had done my fair...
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EFFECTIVE “CORPORATE” DECISION MAKING: STEP ONE THE PURPOSE AND REQUIREMENTS...
To be a manager is to make countless individual decisions for which you will personally be held responsible and accountable. However, in most organizations managers collectively are also required to...
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EFFECTIVE CORPORATE DECISION MAKING: STEP TWO GROUP MEMBER REQUIREMENTS
To be a manager is to make countless individual decisions for which you will personally be held responsible and accountable. However, in most organizations managers collectively are also required to...
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