In my management workshops, we often discuss the challenges associated with leading organizational change. Usually the discussion involves some specific process, HR practice, or habitual management behaviors deeply embedded in their organization’s or company’s culture. Inevitably, there are always a… Read More ›
Managing & Leading
EVERYBODY NEEDS A BREAK: PART II
In my last blog entry — “Everybody Needs A Break” — I focused on the impact of stress in the workplace, especially its effect on our emotions, thought processes, judgment and performance. My emphasis was on the important role of… Read More ›
EVERYBODY NEEDS A BREAK
With the nation’s recession-related unemployment numbers in the double-digit range and many employers holding off on adding new staff, many of those men and women fortunate enough to have jobs are working harder and longer hours to help sustain their… Read More ›
THE STAFF MEETING
One of the things all managers generally get to do is summon their subordinates for a meeting. This represents real authority because most of your subordinates will feel obligated to attend. It also represents a significant responsibility on your part… Read More ›
WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?
One of the most difficult decisions for any manager is deciding that something has gone as far as it should and that definitive action of some kind is now in order. In my Workshops, I refer to this as answering… Read More ›
THE MIND SET OF A MANAGER
I have long believed that the real secret to one’s success as a manager begins in his or her head. That is, in understanding what your job as a manager is, and what it is not. Most of us ascended… Read More ›
RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE
“How could you possibly have missed this? “Where were you when this was going on”? No manager likes to have these questions put to them because there is simply no right response. You are the boss, you are in charge,… Read More ›
MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN
Almost all managers will at some time tell their subordinates that “my door is always open and you should feel free to tell me exactly what is on your mind”. But we all know that this commitment applies to only certain… Read More ›
LETTING THEM KNOW WHO’S BOSS
One of the fallacies that seems to obsess many managers is the notion that it is important to regularly let their subordinates know who’s boss. I ask, do they really think their subordinates are so stupid that they need reminding?… Read More ›
FACING A DIFFICULT CONVERSATION: LISTEN FIRST
My wife was a practicing nurse in a physician’s office for many years. We often talked about how many doctors just didn’t seem to appreciate how nervous most of us get sitting as patients in a waiting room wondering if… Read More ›