“I keep six honest serving men they taught me all I knew, their names were what and where and when and how and why and who“ Rudyard Kipling In an earlier article in this series entitled “Untested Assumptions”,… Read More ›
Exercising Responsibility
THE BOSS WHO PLAYS FAVORITES: MANAGING POOR MANAGEMENT
Almost all of us who have managed others over the years, have had to deal with a boss whose own management style and set of management skills left something to be desired. Managing up — as it is called —… Read More ›
THE VALUE OF THE LONG VIEW
In a recent article, I encouraged managers to define a few, long-term “big ideas” or goals they intend to pursue over time. I did so, because I believe that is the best way for a manager to achieve a real… Read More ›
WANT A SENSE OF REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT? CHAMPION A FEW BIG GOALS
So many managers I talk with tell me that one great source of their frustration with the job, is obtaining a sense of accomplishment day-to-day. This is an experience I well remember and it never ceased being a challenge. The management… Read More ›
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AT WORK: DOES IT MATTER MANAGERS?
Talk about a hot topic among managers in many of today’s workplaces. And here I use the term “social media” in its current contemporary sense to refer to formats like Facebook, Twitter, e-mailing, text messing etc. The question is, should… Read More ›
KNOWING THE LIMITS OF YOUR POWER
The job of a manager often strikes those of us who have done it as quite a conundrum: apparently straight forward, yet frequently complex; occasionally clear but often maddeningly ambiguous; and especially about having been granted power, yet often leaving… Read More ›
EXERCISING AUTHORITY: THE “IF NOT, THEN WHAT” MESSAGE
The best managers intuitively seem to understand that the less often they need to blatantly exercise their authority, the better. Frequent displays of management behavior, designed to impress and remind subordinates of “who is in charge”, generally have more negative,… Read More ›
MANAGERS WHO COMPLAIN TOO MUCH
Life is complicated, things do not always go our way, we are sometimes asked to live with and implement decisions we personally would not have made, our best laid plans often go awry, and “you know what” just happens. Because… Read More ›
HOW WELL AM I DOING MY JOB?
I frequently ask managers how they evaluate, or attempt to know, how they are doing in their jobs. What never ceases to surprise me is the number of respondents that are unable to provide anything but a rather vague “OK”… Read More ›
SPAN OF CONTROL
What is the best way to raise a child? What is the best investment strategy for long-term growth in the current economy? What car is the best choice for a young family of four? How much life insurance is enough?… Read More ›
What Best Mnagers Know & Do 