It surprises me that I have not turned to this subject sooner in this series of articles, since it is such an important topic. So much of value happens in a manager’s first year — both good and bad —… Read More ›
best managers
MEETINGS: THOSE THAT SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT BE HELD
It is almost impossible to imagine modern business, non-profit, or government work getting accomplished, without people gathering in a seemingly endless round of meetings. Meetings are so much a part of our everyday work life that we rarely question their… Read More ›
COMMUNICATING DECISIONS
A common criticism I hear about management, is that they often announce important decisions with little or no explanation, rationale, or indication of the precise results they hope to achieve. Moreover, these complaints often come from line managers who say… Read More ›
ARE YOU ABOUT TO LOSE YOUR JOB?
Right-sized, down-sized, cut lose, laid off , let go, declared excess, victimized by a company’s collapse, or fired, losing one’s job — for whatever reason — is just plain AWFUL and very painful in most cases. I was involuntarily let go… Read More ›
WHEN SUBORDINATES ARE DOING THE BOSS’S WORK
Delegate! Delegate! Delegate! It is almost impossible to take a management course or read a management book that does not drive home the importance of delegation, if a manager is to do their job properly and succeed. And when the… Read More ›
MINIMIZE THOSE SYMBOLS OF POWER
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS —- When one becomes a manager in many organizations, there are numerous symbols of power and authority that often accompany this newly acquired status. An office, for example, is generally construed as quite a status… Read More ›
DON’T PRESUME YOU KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR OTHERS
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS —- Back in the 1950’s, one of America’s most popular television shows was a program called “Father Knows Best”. Once I became a father myself and gained a little experience at the demanding fatherly… Read More ›
PITCHING IN
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS — The scene was the US Army’s 5th General Hospital in Stuttgart — what was then — West Germany. I was a First Lieutenant in the Army Medical Service Corps and was serving as Officer… Read More ›
THE POWER OF CLEAR POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS — In a previous blog I entitled “Being Smart”, I referred to Stanford Professor Carol Dweck’s remarkable study of over 400 New York City fifth graders in which she demonstrated that simply by creating the mind-set… Read More ›
MAINTAINING A SENSE OF HUMOR
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS — Freud considered humor one of the most sophisticated forms of psychological defense mechanisms. I have long considered it an indispensable asset for succeeding as a manager. To understand why, let’s look at the nature… Read More ›
Insights on Managing and Leading 