Management & Leadership Articles from ResourcefulManager

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

11 Productivity Hacks That Don’t Suck [Infographic]

by John Walston | February 19, 2017

OK, I get it!

You’re busy and pressed for time.

And there are not enough hours in the day to get it all done.

You need to become more productive. Right now!

So we don’t want to waste any of your time.

Here we go, in rapid-fire fashion: 11 productivity tips you can start using today.

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Leadership

The 3 Hardest Words You Can’t Bring Yourself To Say

by Lisa McKale | February 12, 2017

What are the three hardest words for a resourceful manager to say?

“I don’t know.”

Yep, you nailed it.

But “I don’t know” (and its cousin, “I’m not sure”) are actually three of the strongest words good leaders can use.

When said in the right manner, those words project both confidence and intelligence.

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Leadership

9 Ways To Manage People Who Get On Your Nerves

by Renee Cocchi | February 6, 2017

I’ve always said, “I don’t have to like you to work with you.” Over the years that evolved into, “I don’t have to like you to manage you.”

It’s not that I am antisocial. I’m just stating facts from experience.

Of course, it’s more pleasant and easier to manage people you like.

But some experts say that having a team in which everyone gets along extremely well also weakens it.

Reason: We gravitate toward people who are like us and have similar values. So there’s no one to challenge our thinking.

But not liking someone can lead to conflicts that often result in new insights and resolutions.

So what happens if you really dislike someone you manage, but they’re really good at their job?

Well, you could get another job, but a better option: Accept the fact you don’t have to like everyone you manage.

All it requires is that you respect them or something about them. Acknowledging that they’re good at their job is a sign of respect.

Need more help?

Here are additional suggestions for managing people who rub you the wrong way:

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Performance Management

Performance Reviews: 5 Things We’re Not Telling Employees

by Lisa McKale | January 29, 2017

Part of the problem with employee performance reviews is that they are frequently repetitive, bland, and time-consuming.

They’re seen as obligations, not employee development tools.

Yet we know that thoughtful reviews make a big difference when they focus on how an employee can improve in the coming year.

Sure, every review has to have the nuts and bolts – listing the employee’s duties and responsibilities and rating how well they did them.

But while the employee’s ability to do the job is essential, there are other valuable traits that generally don’t make it into reviews. And they’re just as important if the goal is to help your employee blossom.

So what have we been leaving out?

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