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 or oversight at all. All we would need to do is to… Read More ›
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 diminishing? Do you… Read More ›
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 to anything, or stick with something we… Read More ›
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 more. Yet over the years, I have rarely heard them… Read More ›
One aspect 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 make things happen…. Read More ›
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 bar that evening. Ted’s was busy…. Read More ›
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 actions and cultural attitudes sent some confusing and contradictory… Read More ›
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 no managers… Read More ›
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 things gone wrong and the development… Read More ›
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 ›
Insights on Managing and Leading 