Management & Leadership Articles from ResourcefulManager

Why ‘I’m A Flexible Boss’ Is Actually A Bad Thing

by Lisa McKale | April 16, 2017

Quick question: How fast does it usually take you to rally your troops when you’ve got a problem that needs immediate attention?

If you’re still doing the calculation in your head because you can’t remember, now might be the time to examine the amount of flexibility you give your team.

We often have things running so smoothly that we’re taken by surprise when work hits a snag – an emergency or crisis that needs all hands on deck.

It can come as a shock when you’ve got to get your team focused, but they’re so busy doing their own thing.

I know this may seem counter-intuitive, but you may have let your desire to be a “flexible boss” go too far.

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Leadership

13 Things Bad Bosses Do That Great Managers Never Would

by Renee Cocchi | April 9, 2017

Be honest, how many managers at your company are great? I mean really great at their jobs?

Go ahead and count yourself as one of them.

Is your list long or short?

If you’re 100% honest, it’s probably short. According to a Gallup report, “only 10% of working people possess the talent to be a great manager.”

Now make a list of managers who aren’t so good at their jobs.

You know the people I’m talking about. They yell a lot and strut around the office like they’re the best thing since sliced bread.

But there are a lot of other things that set bad managers apart from great ones. Here’s a list of 13 to get you started:

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Employee Engagement

85% Of Employees Say Managers Talk At Them, Don’t Listen

by Michele McGovern | April 2, 2017

Every good manager knows it’s essential to have genuine, meaningful and productive conversations with employees, right?

But most employees say that’s not working out so well.

In fact, The Right Management Global Career Conversation Study reports that 85% of employees say they do not connect with their bosses at all.

Rather, they say their managers talk at them and fail to listen well because the boss usually is:

distracted by technology and workload
not prepared to dig deep, and
unaware of the positive impact genuine conversations have on people and processes.

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Difficult Situations

Hate Difficult Conversations? 3 Role-Playing Approaches To Ease The Pain

by Lisa McKale | March 26, 2017

When you manage people, sooner or later you find yourself in a situation where you need to have a conversation you’d rather not have.

In fact, more than one-third of managers admit to shrinking away from giving bad feedback when they anticipate a negative reaction.

We’ve all been there. A project blows up and people are pointing fingers. There’s a conflict between two employees that’s getting destructively personal. One of your employees dropped the ball so badly even your boss noticed.

It’s definitely not the most enjoyable aspect of leadership, but difficult conversations are part of the job. So we can’t avoid them.

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Business Skills

Biz Writing Word Challenge: Can You Get 25 Of 25 Right?

by John Walston | March 19, 2017

Are you a word master? Take our word challenge and find out.

Writing is a critical business skill.

At the least, using the wrong word in a report, proposal or memo can be embarrassing. At its worst, misusing words can damage your credibility and even prove costly.

So, how good are you? Can you get 25 out of 25 right?

Good luck!

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Leadership

6 Ways To Zap Negativity Before It Infects Your Staff

by Lisa McKale | March 12, 2017

Negative energy can take over fast if we’re not paying attention. And once it has a grip, it’s that much harder to break.

It might not be outright bullying or shouting matches. But you can sense when misery hangs over your team like a dark cloud. You don’t know if or when the storm will hit, but you can definitely feel it in the air.

How’d it happen?

Good leaders should never assume things are “fine.” Entire departments – even whole companies – can become so bogged down with negative vibes that only an overhaul will turn it around.

If unchecked, negativity can spread like a plague through a team, says leadership coach Michael Hyatt. “[It kills] cooperation and slows down the work we do,” he says.

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Business Skills

Need Real Answers? You Gotta Ask The Right Questions

by Lisa McKale | March 5, 2017

“So, what have you got for me today?”

If you only had a dollar for every time you’ve heard that question from your boss. But admit it – on occasion you’ve lobbed one of those at someone yourself, right?

Resourceful managers always want answers – and the quicker and more specific, the better.

Problem is, we might not be asking the right questions to get those answers.

It’s not unusual to ask uninspired questions when we’re at our busiest and need to get things done fast.

But questions that are too vague elicit blank stares. And questions that are overly complicated sound like you’re fishing for a specific answer.

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New Managers

5 Ways To Get Off On The Right Foot When You’re The New Boss

by Lisa McKale | February 26, 2017

Everybody wants to start off on the right foot with a new boss.

Particularly if you’re that new boss.

First impressions count – but you’ve been up to your eyeballs figuring out your new job, meeting other higher-ups, and sorting through the mass of paperwork left by your predecessor.

So how do you make the most of those early introductions?

Here are 5 things you can do that will have a big impact – and, thankfully, they’re not hard to do.

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Business Skills