Workplace demographics have been undergoing dramatic change during the past several years and with the arrival of Gen Z, more and more organizations are looking for guidance on how to navigate those shifts. I wrote Clash of the Generations: Managing a New Workplace Reality in the hope that it would be a useful tool for […]
Motivating Employees: Look Beyond Money
When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute. —Simon Sinek When you’re a manager, no matter what size your department is and how far removed you are from the CEO’s office, part of your job is to define the mission and goals of your […]
Need more time for strategic thinking? Learn effective delegation!
Chinese philosopher Xun Kuang, 3rd century BCE: Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I learn. Effective delegation can be one of the most difficult skills for managers to learn. On the typical promotion path, an individual contributor does such a great job that he or she is […]
Managing Conflict in the Office – Part 2 (8 Steps to Resolve Conflict)
Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. ~ Ronald Reagan You come into work feeling rested and ready to hit it hard when lo and behold, you encounter one of every manager’s worst nightmares: infighting in your department. Or perhaps one of your employees is having […]
Managing Conflict in the Office – Part 1
Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the kind of people they are. —Stephen Moyer When two or more people spend time together, they’re bound to come into conflict, and when happens, conflict resolution is in order. But even though conflict is a universal inevitability in the workplace, many managers don’t know […]
How to Manage Employees without Killing Innovation
Great leaders often have assertive and confident personalities that heavily influence their interactions with others. Sometimes these “strong” personalities go hand in hand with similarly forceful management techniques that can squelch innovation and the effectiveness of your team, because when people are worried about disappointing (or even angering) a boss they see as very much […]
Being an Inclusive Manager, Part 2: How?
Lead by Example All employees want to be appreciated for their contributions and hard-earned knowledge. In multigenerational workplaces, such appreciation may be more difficult to achieve because of age-based stereotypes and misperceptions. It’s important to remember that younger employees have knowledge as well, for example—it’s just different from what those who have been in the […]
Being an Inclusive Manager – Part 1: Why?
Creating and managing a diverse workforce is a process, not a destination. –R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., Beyond Race and Gender The Benefits of Inclusion As part of my training practice, I lead a workshop entitled “Inspiring a Collaborative and Respectful Work Environment.” During class, I have participants split into groups and answer the following […]
Connecting Work Ethic to Company Mission
In last month’s blog post I explained why it’s important for managers to clearly define work ethic before discussing expectations with their direct reports. Today I’m building on that theme to discuss the importance of connecting work ethic to company mission. Connect the dots between individual roles and the goals of the organization. When people […]
Managing the Generations, Part 1: Appreciating the Contributions of Youth
During a recent training class I conducted for a client in Seattle, a Millennial employee vented to me that what she heard most often from older workers was “No, we can’t do it.” She was frustrated by their apparent lack of openness to new ideas, particularly in one situation in which her proposed solution to […]
Managing Four Generations in the Workplace
A great deal has been written on how companies need to prepare for the knowledge exodus as Baby Boomers retire in droves and for the great shift in the workplace population that will ensue. However, the reality is that Boomers aren’t retiring in the numbers originally expected. In recent years, the average retirement age has […]
Inspiring a Culture of Personal Accountability throughout your Organization
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” ―Theodore Roosevelt Sometimes the greatest challenges facing a business have nothing to do with its competitors or customers but instead arise from within the company itself. Certain behavioral or cultural patterns among management […]
99 Rewards That Won’t Break the Bank
In a previous post, I detailed nine low-cost to no-cost ideas for motivating employees, such as providing interesting work and increasing visibility and opportunity. Those are all great ideas (so be sure to review that post!), but they’re only a few of the many strategies and practices that can help increase employee motivation. Providing employee […]
Stop Whining and Go After Your Dreams
I’ve had numerous speaking engagements over the past two weeks, and after each one several audience members told me that they wanted to do more presentations. When people tell me that they want to start doing something outside their normal routine, my first thought is “What’s stopping you?” and when I ask that question, I […]
Succession Planning beyond the C-Suite
If you’re in the C-Suite, chances are you’ve participated in conversations to identify potential candidates to fill the most senior positions in your company in the event a key leader departs unexpectedly. As necessary as those conversations are, however, it’s equally critical to focus on succession planning for the junior ranks, too, because their leadership […]
4 Steps to Move from Tactical Thinking to Strategic Thinking
The inclination of every leader (indeed, of every employee) is to deal with what’s right in front of him or her—that is, what’s due today. And yes, sometimes you do have to take that “here and now” approach. But if you find hours or even days going by where you’re focused only on tactical issues, […]
Top 10 Tips for Defeating the Time Thief
I’ve been on the road for the past month conducting project management training for several different companies. Interestingly, I’ve heard the same question at all of four of those sites: “How can I fit it all in? That is, how can I manage multiple projects while also juggling my day-to-day job?” This is a tough […]
Nurturing your Entrepreneurial Spirit even in Corporate America
I recently had the honor of participating in an Indiana University Alumni Association signature event held at Automattic (the people behind WordPress) in San Francisco. Entitled “Disruptive Innovators, Entrepreneurs, and Thought Leaders,” this panel discussion featured four IU alumni: Tony Conrad (founder of about.me and partner in True Ventures), David Krane (managing partner at Google […]
How to Manage Employees to Achieve Kickass Results
Managing employees can be one of your most challenging—and also most rewarding—responsibilities as you move up within a company. When your management works and you see your employees surpass even their own expectations, it’s wildly exciting and incredibly fulfilling! Fortunately, you don’t need a big budget to inspire your employees. Your management style alone can […]
The Art of Giving Honest and Effective Feedback
Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person—not just an employee—are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability. —Anne M. Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox Corporation Sometimes the greatest challenges in business lie not within the actions ofrigh competitors or the needs […]
