Blog - ResourcefulManager

6 Positive Ways (Stolen from Top Salepeople) to Deal With Confrontation

by John Walston March 18, 2018

Some people are naturally confrontational. It’s just how they roll.

And most managers’ first thought is how to avoid them!

That’s impossible all the time. But we can adopt an approach that at least lessens the pain of engaging them – without turning into an argument.

Salespeople are probably the most adept at dealing with combative people. They’re the ones who hear the complaints about a product or service (whether it’s their fault or not), so they come to expect some level of confrontation with almost every encounter.

They’re prepared, so they know how to respond. So you might want to use these tips from seasoned salespeople the next time you face a confrontational person:

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Hiring

New Hires: Paying Top Dollar Doesn’t Mean You Have Top Talent

by Jeff Hyman March 11, 2018

When assembling your team, you want to hire winners – not mercenaries. No matter how great the performer, never hire someone who is in it just for the money. This is easier said than done.

The sports world is rife with athletes who ignited a bidding war for their services, selected the highest offer, and then rewarded their new team with poor performances. Contrast that with athletes who took less than market value or even agreed to pay cuts to give their organizations the financial flexibility to sign other top players and build a championship team (witness Kevin Durant or Tom Brady).

Ideally, you want a team of Rockstars who are inspired by the mission and culture of your organization and derive deep satisfaction from crushing their goals and driving the enterprise forward. Money is an important part of the equation, but if that’s an employee’s prime motivation, they will bail when a headhunter calls. (I know: that’s my job.)

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Hiring

Body Language: Are They Lying Or Just Tired? [Infographic]

by John Walston March 4, 2018

We’ve gotten a lot of inquiries about body language in the past year.

What is a person’s body saying when they are interviewing? Are they insecure? Confident? Are they lying? Or just tired?

So, I want to thank the folks at Custom Writing for letting us share their infographic on Body Language: From Common Signs to Spotting Lies. Plus, it pairs well with one our most popular posts, which is on lying.

It’s a biggie! It covers 30 situations, almost everything you’ll want to know.

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Leadership

Balancing Act: 6 Leadership Traits Needed to Become a Great One

by John Walston February 25, 2018

Most leaders rise to the top because they excel at their work. But the most successful leaders stay at the top – and set the bar for others – because they master certain roles that others struggle with.

“Great leadership is dynamic,” says author Travis Bradberry, who wrote Emotional Intelligence 2.0. “It melds a variety of unique skills into an integrated whole.”

Here are leadership traits and behaviors the top leaders balance to excel:

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Hiring

Wake-Up Call: Bad Hires Are a Lot More Expensive Than Good Ones

by John Walston February 11, 2018

Hiring is expensive, but hiring the wrong person costs a whole lot more.

How much more? Try an additional $14,900.

And the really bad news? Nearly three in four managers (74%) say they’ve hired the wrong man or woman for the job.

That’s the latest from the folks at CareerBuilder.

And it snowballs.

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Professional Development

Well, That Didn’t Work! 5 Proven Ways To Turn Failures Into Wins

by John Walston February 4, 2018

No matter how hard you try, sometimes you and your team fail.

Yep, mistakes happen.

And your immediate thought: We can’t let that ever happen again.

But sometimes it does.

It doesn’t have to. There’s a new way, backed by research, to recover from both team and individual setbacks.

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Professional Development

Even Techies Now Admit Soft Skills Are The Difference Maker

by John Walston January 28, 2018

Despite all the hoopla about how tech skills will drive the future, it turns out soft skills, like communicating and coaching, top the list when it comes to being a most valued employee.

Even the tech-types are now saying so.

Two recent Google studies suggest overlooking soft skills is to your detriment.

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Leadership

Uh-Oh. They Were Friends, Now You’re Their Boss – What To Do

by John Walston January 21, 2018

It’s a challenge for most managers: What to do when people who used to work with you now work for you, thanks to some reshuffling, etc.

Though they may come at you with handshakes and congratulations, inside they might be feeling a little skeptical — and a lot envious. You’re just like them, after all – what merits YOU to now be in charge?

New managers can succumb to early power-struggle mistakes when supervising former co-workers.

We either overstep our boundaries or under-enforce them. Or we fail to recognize common pitfalls we that could mess up team dynamics and one-to-one employee relationships.

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Employee Engagement

Turn Those Negatives Into Positive, Constructive Feedback

by John Walston January 14, 2018

Successful managers always seek to take advantage of those “teachable moments” when they present themselves.

But we’re afraid that what always seems to come out sounds like criticism.

Especially with new employees, you want to find a way to deliver necessary feedback without sounding like you think the employee can’t do anything right!

The key is to make negative feedback sound like constructive praise. Most managers start out with “You’re doing a great job, but … ,” which just tells the employee that despite the good things he or she does, it’s really the bad stuff that stands out.

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Employee Engagement

8 Ways to Get Real Feedback From Employees That Makes a Difference

by John Walston January 7, 2018

When’s the last time you asked your employees what they really think?

About anything – their jobs, the company’s prospects, the physical space, what they get stuck on most.

Forget “brainstorming” – that’s not what this is. It’s an effort to find out what’s been making them tick lately, and whether you’re missing any subtle messages they’re trying to send.

Soliciting feedback can be as simple as telling employees about upcoming projects and asking what they feel should be prioritized. Or discussing company efforts toward a goal, and asking what they’d do to get it done.

Even though your team might not make the big decisions, this practice does two things: It gives you insight into how your employees think regarding their jobs and, more importantly, lets your employees know they’re more than just a number.

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