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Leadership is a 24/7 Responsibility
After eight years as a productive employee, Matt James’ vice president said to him, “Matt, as you know, your boss is retiring in three months. We want you to replace him as the supervisor.” Matt was...
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The First Responsibility of a New Supervisor is to Learn the Boss’s Way of...
“I enjoy my job,” explained a new supervisor, “but my boss wants me to do everything his way. I wish he would grant me more freedom to do my job. He has been here a long time and he knows … Continue...
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Can You Confidently Execute Your Leader’s Decisions When You Disagree?
Assume that you are the quarterback. You are on the seven-yard line. It’s fourth down. You are three points behind. Your tight end shouts, “I’m beating my man badly. Throw me a slant pass. We win...
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Be Wary About Telling Staff to “Use Your Discretion
Amos realized that his crew was not going to finish repairing the cable by 5:00 p.m. “How much longer?” Amos asked his key technician. “I don’t know, responded the technician. “Could be half an hour,...
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Should Team Members Publicly “Call Out” Peers Who Behave Inappropriately?
The weekly departmental meeting had just ended. Alvin left very frustrated and said to a friend, “I don’t know why the manager puts up with Steve. He consistently comes in ill prepared and makes...
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When Stressed by Deadlines, Do You Bend Toward the Team? Toward the Mission?
Racine’s project team was struggling to complete its analysis by the deadline. A member said, “Too many stakeholders have added too many items to our project. At best we are just treading water....
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Good Leaders Are Hard on the Problem While Being Soft on the Person
Alfonso, a supervisor of 18 employees, expected prompt attendance. Marshall, a new transfer from another department, showed up late his second week at work. Alfonso said, “Marshall, I’m disappointed...
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Attempts to Keep Secrets Spawn Rumors and Unrest
“There are a lot of things we don’t tell our employees,” a manager said to me. “Can you give me an example?” “Yes. We will likely close three of our current sites. It may be two or three months...
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What To Do When You Are Caught In The Middle?
“During our annual planning,” a manager confided, “my team and I set an internal, efficiency metric of 285 per full time equivalent (FTE). Although we had averaged 270 for the last three years, we...
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First, Learn Your Boss’s Way of Doing Things
“I really enjoy my job” reported a newly-promoted office manager. But I’m frustrated with my boss. He wants me to use outdated tools. I have to collect and organize a lot of job data. The boss...
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Is Poor Performance Rewarding?
Nancy Bereman, Ph.D. The Monday morning status meeting was supposed to begin at 9:30 am. The work day started at 8:00, so that time should have allowed people to get to their work stations, gather...
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Try Improving Your Strengths as a New Year’s Resolution
The making of, and the failing in, New Year’s resolutions is a ritual that will not die. Two out of three of us, about this time every year, stoke up our determination and set personal goals for the...
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How Women Leaders Gain Respect of Traditional Male Work Groups
“I’m in a traditional male profession,” said Jessica Thompson, a newly promoted manager who happened to be female. “I have 18 employees in my department. Seventeen of them are men. I doubt if any of...
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Effective Leaders Value Input But Do Not Seek Consensus
Emma met with the fourteen employees in her department to get input on how they might deal with the recent spike in customer complaints. Suggestions quickly focused on two options—an expensive...
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How NOT to Respond to Rumors
A memo from a top manager to all supervisors read, “I’ve heard through the grapevine that some of you have told your employees that they will get off work early on Thursday before the Friday holiday....
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Ten Habits of Influential People
I have eight requests on my desk,” exclaimed a busy staff member. “All eight individuals want something from me now. None is aware that I have seven other requests; plus I have my regular work.” This...
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How Can I Get a Co-worker to be More Responsive?
A workshop participant said to me, “Periodically, I need to get information from Helen (a co-worker in another department) so I can complete my reports. I get frustrated because Helen is typically...
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Don’t Make Staff Figure Out Your Pecularities
Two employees were discussing their new boss during a coffee break. “Leon wants a status report from me every Monday. When I present my updates he gets as nervous as a cat. Most of the time, I don’t...
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Beware of the Unintended Consequences of 360-Degree Performance Appraisals
Performance appraisals based on 360-degree feedback require subordinates, peers and others to rate managers on standardized surveys. The intent is to use survey feedback to spotlight and correct...
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Focus on Strengths during Appraisal Interviews
(3rd of 5) After nine months in the job, Margie received her first, formal appraisal. The previous employee, as the supervisor put it, “had left things in a mess.” In a few months, Margie had cleaned...
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