Leaving one management job for something else — within management or outside of the profession — generally happens in one of two ways: reassignment for some reason or you choose to change assignments or professions yourself. Both forms of departure involve… Read More ›
We have all heard the axiom “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. By extension of that logic, I suppose that means if it is broke, then fix it. Observing the behavior of many managers over the years, I believe… Read More ›
A colleague of mine — Jack O’Connor — frequently shares with his workshop participants the notion that there are many ways beyond money, to pay employees. Jack’s is a powerful notion — I call it psychic pay — that opens… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS — Ask any subordinate if he or she wants to work for a manager who really doesn’t want their job and the answer will usually be a resounding NO! From a subordinate’s point of view,… Read More ›
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS — One of the hardest things I needed to do when I first became a manager, was to learn how to listen. Yes, I realize we all learned the basics soon after birth but I… Read More ›
A LITTLE THING THAT MATTERS —- In two other articles in this series on the little things that matter — and which can make a big difference for a manager — I addressed the importance of acknowledging accomplishments big and… Read More ›
