At some point during a career, most people have the misfortune of drawing the proverbial short straw. Perhaps you were passed over for an assignment or promotion you absolutely believe should have been yours. Or perhaps you were laid off through… Read More ›
advice for managers
GET MORE IDEAS OUT OF YOUR TEAM
Recently, I heard from a new subscriber who asked if I had any thoughts on “how to get more ideas out of a work team”. He also drew attention to a recent “BusinessWeek” article by Liz Ryan — Corporate Provocateur… Read More ›
SOLVE DON’T PASS ON YOUR PROBLEMS
I still vividly recall an early managerial faux pax of mine. I had reviewed a paper written by an esteemed colleague that I found flawed in several ways, yet I feared confronting him with my assessment because of the difference in… Read More ›
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR SUBORDINATES
Imagine that out of compassion, you hire an unemployed friend into a position directly under your management supervision. In short order, you discover that your friend is having difficulty getting along with your other subordinates, that there are some serious… Read More ›
DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BE A MANAGER?
The money and upward mobility may be better in your organization if you are a manager BUT DO YOU REALLY WANT TO MANAGE OTHER PEOPLE DOING THE ACTUAL SERVICE, PRODUCT, OR ANALYTIC WORK of your company, business, agency, department, etc?????? This… Read More ›
CHANGE AND A SENSE OF LOSS
A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by the current chairman emeritus and founder of the Levinson Institute — Psychologist Harry Levinson, Ph.D. — focused on the topic of organizational change. Early in my… Read More ›
CAN ALL OF US BE RIGHT?
In a discussion where the parties have strongly held views, can everybody be right? Of course not, many of you will quickly respond. There is only one right view on the matter at hand some will say, and if you… Read More ›
BAD MANAGEMENT REVISITED
Recently I posted an article entitled “The Price of Bad Management”. In it I focused on the impact bad management practices have on the productivity of an organization and on those who work for and must interact with a bad… Read More ›
THE PROFESSIONAL MID-LIFE CRISIS
Let’s say you’re 44 and have been in you profession for over a decade. You have risen to the management ranks and by most reasonable standards are a professional success. You and your partner have a family, a home, a… Read More ›
HEEDING CRITICAL FEEDBACK AND ADVICE
Throughout our professional careers, we are given plenty of casual advice by well-meaning colleagues, friends, and those we currently call our boss; “do this, don’t do that, consider this, I suggest that”. In most cases, the stakes involved in heeding… Read More ›