Chapter four of Charles Duhigg’s fascinating and highly insightful book “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” is entitled“Keystone Habits or the Ballad of Paul O”Neill”. This chapter has drawn a lot of… Read More ›
executive leadership
DANGER SIGNS THAT SOMETHING IS GETTING THE BEST OF YOU
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 ›
AUTHORITY VS INFLUENCE
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 ›
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION AND TRAINING
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 ›
DO NOT WITHHOLD INFORMATION THAT CAN HELP OTHERS SUCCEED
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 ›
PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK: DO NOT BURY THE LEAD
In an interview conducted by the “Academy of Achievement” (p.4) the late author Nora Ephron recounted her oft told story of her first day in Mr. Charles Simms’ Journalism class at Beverly Hills High School. Mr. Simms, she says, began the class… Read More ›
ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR YOUR JOB?
Many of the managers I have worked with over the years have never asked themselves if they were the right person for their current job. Having been selected for the position, they naturally assume they were the right choice. Others, however,… Read More ›
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES AT WORK
The March 24, 2013 edition of Businessweek contained an article by Marina Khidekel entitled “The Misery of Mentoring Millennials” (Etc. Section). Among the article’s highlights that caught my eye were the following: “For a new generation of workers, the idea… Read More ›
ASKING QUESTIONS: PERHAPS YOUR MOST POWERFUL MANAGEMENT TOOL
“I keep six honest serving men they taught me all I knew, their names were what and where and when and how and why and who“ Rudyard Kipling In an earlier article in this series entitled “Untested Assumptions”,… Read More ›
THE BOSS WHO PLAYS FAVORITES: MANAGING POOR MANAGEMENT
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 ›
What Best Mnagers Know & Do 