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 ›
exercising authority
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT
Yesterday morning while having breakfast in one of my favorite business travel hotels, I could not help but overhear a conversation between the two individuals seated not more than three feet from me. The gist of the conversation involved workplace… Read More ›
EVALUATING SOMEBODY’S PERFORMANCE
I have touched on this subject at various times in this blog. But I continue to have rather serious discussions with both managers and non-managers about how to evaluate somebody effectively and how to avoid creating a victim of ham-handedness… Read More ›
THE MANAGEMENT-STAFF RELATIONSHIP
My motivation for writing this particular article comes from years of observing — and personally experiencing — both the good and the bad elements of the management-staff relationship. I begin with the players and note that the distinction between them… Read More ›
DECISION-MAKING: “THE STRATEGIC TRIANGLE” PART II
In part I of “The Strategic Triangle”©, I addressed the value of being clear on what pieces of any problem or issue confronting you are actually under your control or jurisdiction. Here in part II, I will address the remaining… Read More ›