by John Walston
One of the biggest productivity-killers managers face every day is interruptions.
And one of the most frequent interruptions is … employees with questions.
A Cal/Irvine study estimated that managers get interrupted four times an hour by staff, mostly to answer questions.
It’s a common problem-solving scenario that plays out like this:
by John Walston
I came upon this item today and it stopped me in my tracks.
It read: “Punch someone in the face, you go to jail. Be a bad manager who ruins employees’ lives for years and you face no consequences. Why is that?”
It was posted on the blog of Alexander Kjerulf, also known as The Chief Happiness Officer. You can go there and give your opinion, if you like.
But before you do, read this quick account of a friend who works at a crazy-busy pediatrics office. It is a textbook case of how one manager’s poor people skills can upset and deflate years of harmony and productivity.
by John Walston
Every organization seems to have (at least) one difficult person.
They come in all shapes and sizes: the know it all, the chronic complainer, the passive-aggressive who always buys into your plan, then sets off in his own direction.
Short of firing them (hmmmmm), what do you do?
by John Walston
One of the tougher challenges any manager can face is coaching problem employees.
It takes a real commitment of time and planning – and more than a little aggravation. But it’s what you have to do if you’re not going to let them go.
To boost your chance of success, it helps to develop an approach that takes the burden for change off the manager and puts it where it should be, on the employee.
It will mean reaching into your training bag for those age-old tools of every good manager:
by John Walston
Are you concerned about retaining good people in 2014? You should be.
And you might consider brushing up on these three keys: engagement, loyalty and satisfaction.
That’s according to Right Management, which published a poll last month claiming that 8 of 10 employees said they’d be actively looking for a new job in the coming year.
Another 9% said they’d at least be networking, if not actively pursuing a job.
Yep, just 5% said they intended to stay put.
It’s no wonder, really.
by Renee Cocchi
Few things are as frustrating for a manager as dealing with an employee who’s taking too much time off and using every angle of the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cling to his or her job.
If it’s your thankless task to manage and document the leave process as the Benefits administrator or Human Resources professional, you probably have managers breathing down your neck pleading for a speedy termination so they can fill the position with someone else and get the work done.
But you know that one misstep can cost the company dearly. You have to be the voice of caution, bending over backwards to give the employee the benefit of the doubt before you can pull the trigger.
by Rich Henson
It’s said that advice is a lot like Castor oil – easy to give, harder to take.
And since that is so true, it means managers have their work cut out for them when it comes to giving good advice.
We all admire the wisdom of those who come to us for advice (ha ha). But that just doesn’t happen often enough. And therein lies the problem.
Good managers must give sound advice on a daily basis, and they can’t always wait until someone comes seeking it out.
Instead, it’s often dished out cold, sort of ready-or-not-here-it-comes.
There is a lot of advice available on how to give good advice. But you can take my advice that a lot of it just doesn’t apply in the real world of work.
by John Walston
The effectiveness of a manager, front line supervisor or team leader makes all the difference between a motivated and focused workforce – and a disorganized and dispirited one.
So beware: Successful new managers don’t happen by accident.
In today’s competitive work environment, all good managers need a solid foundation so that they can contribute fully.
That’s why the development of a new manager can’t be left to chance.
