The workplace is changing as rapidly the technology that drives it.
Yet there are still a surprising number of stubborn beliefs about management that just won’t change, and frankly, just aren’t very true.
One reason these myths persist is people don’t understand what managers do (and, unfortunately, that includes a lot of managers.)
Here are seven management myths that you might want to reconsider:
Everybody hates buzzwords. Or at least they say they do.
But virtually everyone uses them.
Even me. And I wrote “The Buzzword Dictionary” back in 2006 to poke fun at them.
People use them for a variety of reasons:
The problem is, buzzwords or buzz phrases often don’t really mean what you think they do.
Here are 15 common buzzwords used in business today – and what they really mean when you dig beneath the surface:
You never saw it coming. Is that what you want us to believe?
You came to work one day and, in an instant, one of your very best people just quit on you.
They said they had something important to share, and you asked them to hang on a sec while you freshened your coffee.
Then they sat down in your office and looked you right in the eye to explain how they were moving on to another opportunity.
You nearly choked on your next sip.
You had been their manager, mentor and savior. You were so sure things were going great (which they probably were).
You asked them all the time how things were going, and they said nothing but positive stuff.
They’d never lie to you, would they?
Well, they just did (sort of).
There’s one course that every company should make mandatory for all its employees: How not to be annoying in a meeting!
We’ve all been in meetings with annoying and obnoxious people who seem oblivious to the niceties of meeting etiquette.
In fact, as soon as you read that sentence, I’m sure a number of people popped into your head.
But in case you’re patient as a saint and have no idea what I’m talking about, let me point out some of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to annoying business meeting behaviors:
Perhaps the one thing in the universe that travels faster than light … is bad news.
And the one thing that can be worse than hearing bad news is delivering bad news.
Every manager has to do it at some point.
And doing it badly not only reflects poorly on you and your role as a leader, but also your organization.
Having the right blend of genuine empathy and finesse transforms good managers into strong leaders.
No matter how many times you’ve done it, delivering bad news always takes some forethought and practice.
Here are five mistakes that are sure to make your message backfire.
The higher you go in an organization, the harder it is to see what life is like way down there on the front lines.
And heaven help you if you ask someone, because you never know who’s going to tell you the truth.
The longer you are at the top, the more likely you forgot what life is like lower down, if you ever really knew.
It’s a very different existence, even for the frontline folks who love their jobs.
You don’t think so?
Here are 8 reasons you might want to think again.
Some phrases really should be banned from the workplace.
You know them when you hear them.
They are the sorts of things that make people wonder how their boss ever got promoted in the first place.
And yet, they are the kinds of things we all hear, and maybe even say, all too often.
If any of these sound familiar, hopefully it’s because someone ELSE is saying them.
So steer clear.
Let’s get real, you can bet that even “Honest Abe” Lincoln told his fair share of little white lies.
Simply, no one is perfect.
Even the NFL believes the Patriots’ Tom Brady is lied about DeflateGate.
So are your employees, bosses, job applicants and customers always honest with you?
Not likely!
Their lies may not be as big as Richard Nixon’s, Bernie Madoff’s or Lance Armstrong’s, but more than likely you’re hearing a few tall tales.
“On any given day you may be lied to anywhere from 10 to 200 times,” says Pamela Meyer, author of “Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception.”
“And strangers lie three times in the first 10 minutes of meeting each other – remember that the next time you’re interviewing potential employees.”
There’s no use hiding the fact that I am a huge fan of TED Talks.
I love the way they strip away all the distractions and focus on the essence of one idea. And how that one idea can change things.
They’re a great source of information, wisdom and outside-the-box thinking. Even better: They’re short.
What follows are five TED Talks that I think every leader, executive and manager should watch.
These five challenge conventional thinking about leadership and management. And while I don’t expect you’ll run out and blindly do what they say, there’s a good chance you’ll be adopt some of their ideas and apply them.
I know I have.
Get ready to have your mind expanded.
How well do you sleep the night before you fire someone?
Some firings are no-brainers. For instance, an employee does something so unacceptable that dismissal was never a doubt.
But what about the other ones. You know, the employees who struggle mightily to make the cut? The ones you’ve been on the fence about for quite some time?
So you can lay your head on the pillow at night knowing you made the right decision, here are eight questions you absolutely need to ask yourself before you fire someone.
