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CHANGING A MANAGEMENT CULTURE
Published on 2012-05-18 15:02:08
A common conversation I have with many of my senior, executive clients involves their desire to alter elements of their organization’s management culture and their frustration with how difficult they find that challenge. ”Why is this so hard, take so long, and demand so much, they ask?” The answers lie somewhere in understanding the WHAT [...] > read more
WINNING CONVERTS TO NEW IDEAS
Published on 2012-05-08 14:35:53
In the previous two articles in which I focused upon the phenomenon of change, I focused on the mind-set and approach best suited for the task of challenging those outdated models of practice we can find in almost any organization and on the qualities that characterize the true agents of change that manage to successfully [...] > read more
CHANGE Part II: AGENTS OF CHANGE
Published on 2012-05-01 16:04:47
Being called a “change agent” is a popular and coveted title among many managers. But over the years, I have observed that many who hold that title have, in fact, not changed very much at all. Many of the true movers and shakers in today’s organizations operate behind the scenes and under the raider, getting minimal notice [...] > read more
CHANGE Part I: BREAKING THE MOLD
Published on 2012-04-24 13:21:45
Why is change within an organization so hard? To begin with, it rarely happens quickly; that is, it’s rarely one way today and totally different tomorrow. Change is usually incremental and evolutionary. Secondly, as I have written elsewhere in this forum, the cases for change is usually made in highly logical terms. The process of [...] > read more
MANAGING YOUR EMAIL
Published on 2012-04-19 17:56:35
I can not recall a single manager of my acquaintance who at some time has not complained about the avalanche of email they confront at work almost daily. As a manager you can not simply ignore email entirely. Nor can you allow email to occupy an unreasonable amount of your time. I have struggled with [...] > read more
WHY A MANAGER’S DEMEANOR MATTERS
Published on 2012-04-13 09:46:27
You are on an airplane, 35,000 feet above the ground, flying from the East Coast to the West. Summer thunder storms have stirred up the atmosphere and the ride has been choppy for some time. The Pilot’s first “seat belts please” message included the statement that this moderate turbulence would last for some time. Moderate you’re [...] > read more
THE ART OF MOVING ON
Published on 2012-04-06 15:36:02
Leaving one management job for something else — within management or outside of the profession — generally happens in one of two ways: reassignment for some reason or you choose to change assignments or professions yourself. Both forms of departure involve their own special personal challenges you must navigate successfully if you are to fully take hold of [...] > read more
WATCH THAT “FIX IT” MODE
Published on 2012-03-30 13:57:25
We have all heard the axiom “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. By extension of that logic, I suppose that means if it is broke, then fix it. Observing the behavior of many managers over the years, I believe many of them possess a powerful urge to do just that: FIX THINGS. In fact, many [...] > read more
THE POWER OF PSYCHIC PAY
Published on 2012-03-10 09:47:46
A colleague of mine — Jack O’Connor — frequently shares with his workshop participants the notion that there are many ways beyond money, to pay employees. Jack’s is a powerful notion — I call it psychic pay — that opens up many possibilities for managers who are often constrained by tight pay budgets and restricted [...] > read more
A MANAGER’S FIRST YEAR
Published on 2012-02-21 12:25:07
It surprises me that I have not turned to this subject sooner in this series of articles, since it is such an important topic. So much of value happens in a manager’s first year — both good and bad — that most of us who have managed for many years, still maintain quite vivid memories [...] > read more
MEETINGS: THOSE THAT SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT BE HELD
Published on 2012-02-07 14:56:48
It is almost impossible to imagine modern business, non-profit, or government work getting accomplished, without people gathering in a seemingly endless round of meetings every day. Meetings are so much a part of our everyday work life that we rarely ever question their necessity, although we complain about their number incessantly. The only thing that [...] > read more
COMMUNICATING DECISIONS
Published on 2012-02-02 16:28:26
A common criticism I hear about management, is that they often announce important decisions with little or no explanation, rationale, or indication of the precise results they hope to achieve. Moreover, these complaints often come from line managers who say they are often required to explain senior management decisions to their workforce, with only the [...] > read more
ARE YOU ABOUT TO LOSE YOUR JOB?
Published on 2012-01-19 10:11:53
Right-sized, down-sized, cut lose, laid off , let go, declared excess, victimized by a company’s collapse, or fired, losing one’s job — for whatever reason — is just plain AWFUL and very painful in most cases. I was involuntarily let go once. I was 19 years old and a busboy at a resort hotel in Florida. [...] > read more
WHEN SUBORDINATES ARE DOING THE BOSS’S WORK
Published on 2012-01-11 19:26:38
Delegate! Delegate! Delegate! It is almost impossible to take a management course or read a management book that does not drive home the importance of delegation, if a manager is to do her or his job properly and succeed. And when the discussion turns to managers who have delegation difficulties, these discussions tend to focus [...] > read more
LITTLE THINGS MATTER: # 10
Published on 2011-12-20 11:26:52
MINIMIZE THOSE SYMBOLS OF POWER —– When one becomes a manager in many organizations, there are numerous symbols of power and authority that often accompany this newly acquired status. An office, for example, is generally construed as quite a status improvement over a cubicle in the bullpen. Perhaps the office comes with a window to [...] > read more
LITTLE THINGS MATTER: # 9
Published on 2011-12-15 16:09:44
NOT PRESUMING YOU KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR OTHERS —– Back in the 1950′s, one of America’s most popular television shows was a program called “Father Knows Best”. Once I became a father myself and gained a little experience at the demanding fatherly task, I began to seriously doubt that was always the case. And [...] > read more
LITTLE THINGS MATTER: # 8
Published on 2011-12-11 11:32:47
PITCHING IN —– The scene was the US Army’s 5th General Hospital in Stuttgart — what was then — West Germany. I was a First Lieutenant in the Army Medical Service Corps and was serving as Officer of the Day, occupying, as usual, a small corner of a very crowded Emergency Room. It was a [...] > read more
LITTLE THINGS MATTER: # 7
Published on 2011-12-08 17:03:01
CLEAR POSITIVE EXPECTATIONS —– In a previous blog I entitled “Being Smart”, I referred to Stanford Professor Carol Dweck’s remarkable study of over 400 New York City fifth graders in which she demonstrated that simply by creating the mind-set and expectation that one group of the study’s participants were hard workers, she was able to encourage [...] > read more
LITTLE THINGS MATTER: # 6
Published on 2011-11-30 13:42:50
SENSE OF HUMOR —– Freud considered humor one of the most sophisticated forms of psychological defense mechanisms. I have long considered it an indispensable asset for succeeding as a manager. To understand why, let’s look at the nature of work. Some time ago, I took an evening walk with a colleague of mine after [...] > read more
LITTLE THINGS MATTER: # 5
Published on 2011-11-25 13:47:20
BEING IN THE PRESENT —– Ask any subordinate if he or she wants to work for a manager who really doesn’t want their job and the answer will usually be a resounding NO! From a subordinate’s point of view, their immediate manager serves several vital functions they must depend upon for their own success. Subordinates [...] > read more
THE PROFESSIONAL MID-LIFE CRISIS
Published on 2011-07-05 14:12:19
Let’s say your 44 and have been in you profession for over a decade. You have risen to the management ranks and by most reasonable standards are a professional success. You and your partner have a family, a home, a mortgage, car payments, > read more
HEEDING CRITICAL FEEDBACK AND ADVICE
Published on 2011-06-29 19:05:23
Throughout our professional careers, we are given plenty of casual advice by well-meaning colleagues, friends, and those we currently call our boss; “do this, don’t do that, consider this, I suggest that”. In most cases, the stake > read more
A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT
Published on 2011-06-23 12:19:18
Yesterday morning while having breakfast in one of my favorite business travel hotels, I could not help but overhear a conversation between the two individuals seated not more than three feet from me. The gist of the conversation involved workplace > read more
EVALUATING SOMEBODY’S PERFORMANCE
Published on 2011-06-19 13:39:18
I have touched on this subject at various times in this blog. But I continue to have rather serious discussions with both managers and non-managers about how to evaluate somebody effectively and how to avoid creating a victim of ham-handedness at t > read more
THE MANAGEMENT-STAFF RELATIONSHIP
Published on 2011-06-03 13:31:06
My motivation for writing this particular article comes from years of observing — and personally experiencing — both the good and the bad elements of the management-staff relationship. I begin with the players and note that the distinct > read more
HOW WELL DO YOU WRITE?
Published on 2011-05-30 22:12:53
On many occasions in this series of articles, I have addressed the topic of verbal communication. Since almost everything you do as a manager involves some type of communication with somebody else, your ability to convey a clear, accurate message i > read more
THE PRICE OF BAD MANAGEMENT
Published on 2011-05-13 22:00:24
There are quite a few professions where the consequences of mistakes, bad professional practices, or serious errors in judgment are quite easy for us to imagine. Air line pilots, surgeons, dentists, criminal lawyers, structural engineers, cruise li > read more
DECISION-MAKING: “THE STRATEGIC TRIANGLE” PART II
Published on 2011-05-06 14:27:03
In part I of “The Strategic Triangle”©, I addressed the value of being clear on what pieces of any problem or issue confronting you are actually under your control or jurisdiction. Here in part II, I will address the remaining two el > read more
DECISION-MAKING: “THE STRATEGIC TRIANGLE” PART I
Published on 2011-05-03 13:39:23
In my management workshops, we spend considerable time focusing on decision-making. The sheer number of decisions most managers make in a week is staggering, many of them on the fly, with little time for contemplation. We also focus a lot of atte > read more
SET UP TO FAIL
Published on 2011-04-27 18:13:07
Making personnel moves is a routine part of most manager’s jobs. It is also one of the most critical elements of a manager’s responsibilities, whether looked at from the organization’s or the individual assignee’s perspectiv > read more
MISSION, VISION, & VALUES
Published on 2011-04-23 09:26:05
Over the years, as a manager and consultant, I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous Mission, Vision and Values exercises, involving both large and small organizations. Many have been fun, some just OK, and some downright tedious. > read more
THE FAIRNESS-EQUITY DILEMMA
Published on 2011-04-20 14:45:26
Ask any manager if she or he strives to be fair and equitable in her or his dealings with subordinates and you will rarely get a negative response. By the time we reach adulthood, these two concepts are well ingrained in most of us and we fully gra > read more
THE THREE LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT
Published on 2011-04-08 15:22:54
In any organization of size, there are usually three distinct levels of management. No matter how many managers there are, or layered the levels, there are still only three. Each layer has a critical strategic function to perform and in successfu > read more
THE FINE ART OF HIRING
Published on 2011-03-30 19:26:35
Most managers who have logged a few years of experience hiring employees will tell you that it is harder than you might think. If lucky, a few of those hires have been spectacular successes. Most hopefully have turned out OK. It’s the hir > read more
THE APPROPRIATE FOCUS OF MANAGEMENT CONTROL
Published on 2011-03-27 20:45:18
Most of us at some time have experienced the downsides of over-controlling management. Micromanagement discourages subordinate initiative, damages organizational morale, and inexorably leads to less than optimal subordinate performance. Managers > read more
MOTIVATING A SUBORDINATE
Published on 2011-03-24 16:52:17
Samuel Culbert who writes for the New York Times recently had an article listed as one of the weeks best in “The Week” (p. 48 March 18, 2011) entitled “Time to Shred The Annual Review”. Regular readers of this blog already k > read more
THE WORK CONTRACT
Published on 2011-02-28 19:18:43
More than a few times during my years as a practicing manager, I felt compelled to explain the WORK CONTRACT to an underperforming subordinate. In simple English the work contract is as follows: YOU WORK, WE PAY; YOU DON’T WORK, WE DON’T > read more
YOUR HALLWAY FILE
Published on 2011-02-16 17:19:48
If you work for an organization of some size, chances are you have an official personnel file stored away in some administrative entity. This file contains all sorts of official documentation relating to you, including copies of any documented perf > read more
MANAGING AN END RUN
Published on 2011-02-11 12:35:42
An END RUN, as referred to in management circles, constitutes the behavior of a subordinate who surreptitiously goes around his or her boss to raise an issue with the boss’s superior. Perhaps the issue is a complaint about the boss’s > read more
THE PERSON THAT GETS UNDER YOUR SKIN
Published on 2011-02-09 11:02:26
At some point in everyone’s work life we encounter that person — boss, peer, senior manager, or subordinate that simply “gets under our skin”. There is something about them — their style, voice, mannerisms, daily beh > read more
THE LETTING IT ROLL OFF YOUR BACK FALACY
Published on 2011-02-02 18:21:25
At times of stress, it is always valuable for a manager to keep her or his “COOL”. Subordinates are watching and there is something reassuring about a boss who is able to stay calm, unflappable, and able to handle the stress of the mana > read more
PROCRASTINATION: A TRUE ORGANIZATION KILLER
Published on 2011-01-26 13:58:35
Over a decade ago, authors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton published a splendid book about organizational procrastination entitled “The Knowing Doing Gap”. Although some of its corporate examples are a little dated, its central message > read more
MANAGING WITHOUT “MANAGING”
Published on 2011-01-18 18:51:12
Recently a good friend and former boss of mine and I were exchanging emails. The subject of management came up and he suggested that I write a blog about managing without “managing”. As I read on in his email I realized he was referring > read more
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 5. BANKRUPTING YOUR WORD
Published on 2011-01-12 17:53:01
“You have my word”. Throughout written history — Western history at least — the phrase “you have my word” has carried significant symbolic meaning. It is often paired with the concept of honor and invariably com > read more
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 4. PADDING YOUR RESUME
Published on 2011-01-06 14:28:21
My last cardinal sin for managers post — takeing credit for the accomplishments, ideas, and successes of others — involves misrepresenting yourself as the author of real things. Cardinal sin number 4 for managers, involves creating f > read more
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 3. TAKING CREDIT FOR THE WORK OF OTHERS
Published on 2011-01-05 10:30:42
As I write this series of articles I entitled the Cardinal Sins of Management, I find myself unable to decide which of them is more irritating, infuriating, frustrating, or just plain unacceptable from the standpoint of a subordinate. Suffice to sa > read more
2010 in review
Published on 2011-01-02 12:04:13
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!. Crunchy numbers A helper monkey made this > read more
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 2. ABANDONING SHIP
Published on 2010-12-22 19:13:30
Cardinal Sin number two – Abandoning Ship — is a close relative of rejecting blame but is, in my experience, sufficiently different in its dynamics and insidiousness to warrant a separate discussion. Picture a lively meeting between a ma > read more
THE CARDINAL SINS OF MANAGEMENT: 1. REJECTING BLAME
Published on 2010-12-18 19:15:08
Mistakes come with the job of management. You make a lot of them and most are minor, easily correctable, acknowledged without much embarrassment, and do little harm to you, your subordinates, or the organization. But there are a few mistakes that > read more
DEMEANING SUBORDINATES IS NEVER OK
Published on 2010-12-16 14:30:01
If you have ever received a highly personal verbal attack from a boss, you know how embarrassing, demoralizing, emotionally traumatic, and infuriating that can be. It’s even worse if it was done in public If you have spent any time talking > read more