More and more often I find that a centerpiece of leadership training we design for clients focuses on trust – understanding it and understanding how to build it. When thinking about trust, the following quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to mind: “Our distrust is very expensive.” I love that thought, but with all due respect to the late great Mr. Emerson, let’s make … [Read more...]
A Lesson from the Reddit Mess
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...]
5 Things a Smart Manager Does to Decrease Change Resistence
As a first-time leader, it is critical that you understand that you can't “make” a change happen. While you can initiate a change, and make it easier for employees to stomach and execute, you need them to do the work, change their behaviors, and, ultimately, make the change happen. If you want them to do all that, you need to follow these steps to lower their resistance and … [Read more...]
The ABC’s of Coaching Success
If you are a manager, you are also a coach. You just can't avoid that. You will need to evaluate your employees' performance, and offer them guidance and support for making necessary improvements. Otherwise, they won't reach their full potential. Gaining the confidence to coach your employees is a big challenge for first-time supervisors. However, just like the alphabet is … [Read more...]
4 Types of Bad Managers You Don’t Want to Become
As a new manager, you are still learning the ropes and coming into your own as a leader. Just make sure you aren't becoming one of these four types of really bad managers. Check out this infographic from Enmast. … [Read more...]
3 Types of Supervisory Problems, Part 3: “Won’t Do” Problem
This is three-part series by guest blogger William Dann. Read Part 1: 3 Types of Supervisory Problems: "Can't Do" Problems and Part 2: 3 Types of Supervisory Problems: "Confidence" Problems. As we discussed in the previous posts, Ken Blanchard has said that there are two categories of problems in supervision, a “Can’t Do” and a “Won’t Do” problem, and I add a third category … [Read more...]
3 Types of Supervisory Problems, Part 2: “Confidence” Problems
This is three-part series by guest blogger William Dann. Read 3 Types of Supervisory Problems, Part 1: "Can't Do" Problems As we discussed in the previous post, Ken Blanchard has said that there are two categories of problems in supervision, a “Can’t Do” and a “Won’t Do” problem. I add a third category, "Confidence" problems that falls somewhere in the middle. In the last … [Read more...]
Management Horror Stories
Halloween is nearly here, and it’s got me thinking about the most nightmarish problems a supervisor might face. Prepare to be spooked by the following three (completely true!) Halloween-worthy stories from real-life managers:The Werewolf. A manager at a tutoring company supervised a woman who had strong body odor and very hairy armpits, which were often on display during … [Read more...]
The Go-To Danger
This is a guest post by Amy Beth Miller, business writer and editor. As a new manager, knowing there are one or two outstanding team members you can rely on in a pinch is a great comfort. The problem comes when you go to that go-to person too often. I knew I had reached that point one day when I turned to ask Doug to handle another last-minute assignment and could see … [Read more...]
Traps New Managers Should Avoid Falling Into
This is a guest post by Georgina Stamp of Marble Hill Partners. So you’ve just reached that role you’ve been aiming for: You’re a manager, a person of authority with big plans for the company and all those that work in it, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There are a number of traps and problems that you can run into as a new manager. Here are some tips on how to avoid … [Read more...]