By Jaimy Ford Last week, user-generated news source Reddit experienced a pretty big hullabaloo after firing beloved talent director Victoria Taylor. The online community essentially went dark as moderators of nearly 300 subreddits revolted in response to the news. Since, interim CEO Ellen Pao has issued a public apology, but that hasn't stopped angry users and moderators … [Read more...]
Focusing on the Positives of Moving into Management
By Jaimy Ford Much of the literature written for first time supervisors focuses on the negative aspects of taking over a team. And trust me, it can be difficult. You have tougher, more frequent decisions to make. You are responsible for hitting goals. You have to deal regularly with difficult situations and people. And usually, you have to increase the amount of work for … [Read more...]
[Infographic]: 5 Types of Toxic Employees and How to Deal With Them
One toxic employee has the power to kill productivity and morale on your team. Unfortunately, too many first-time managers don't have the confidence or skills to address bad behaviors, and they allow them to fester and wreak havoc on the team. Check out this awesome infographic from GetVoip, to learn how to recognize toxic employees and address their poor behavior. You can … [Read more...]
An Act of Meanness That Shaped My Management Style
By business writer, Jaimy Ford. It’s been years since it happened, but an event at a job early in my career helped to shape the type of manager I would eventually become. I hadn’t yet crossed my one-year anniversary at this particular job, but I’d been very careful to save up my vacation time in preparation for my first big trip over seas. I had the vacation time, I was … [Read more...]
Lessons from a Nightmare
This is a guest post by Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor. I have a recurring dream that I am back in high school, and I’ve completely forgotten where to go for my next class. In some cases, I wander the halls aimlessly until I wake up. In others, I just skip the class altogether and go to my next one. In one dream, it’s only the first day of school. In another, I … [Read more...]
Will You Let Employees Telecommute?
This is guest post by Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor. With bad weather right around the corner here on the east coast coupled with the still high cost of gas, I am reminded about the best perk of working from home: I don't have to drive to work. Before we moved and my husband also became a telecommuter, he worked roughly 16 miles from our home, spent close to $60 … [Read more...]
Management Lessons Learned While Serving My Community
This is a guest post by Jaimy Ford, business writer and editor. This year my husband and I started volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Our community is small, so most of the work involves fixing up homes for deserving people, rather than building new homes. The outcome is equally rewarding. For our first assignment, we spent two days working on the home of a man who … [Read more...]