Leaders & Managers
From the nitty gritty of daily management to addressing your aspirations of leadership, this section for leaders & managers tells you how to make strong leadership decisions, build effective teams, delegate and stay above the everyday management muddle.
Get tips, strategies, tool and advice on: performance reviews, preventing workplace violence, best-practices leadership, team building, leadership skills, people management and management training.
Engage others and orchestrate a lively dialogue by blending four types of questions.
Almost all U.S. tire dealers offer wheel alignments as an additional service. But not Discount Tire Company. Bruce Halle, its 82-year-old chairman, insists that by keeping his business simple—it just sells tires and wheels—he can maximize value for customers and establish a more distinctive brand.
How did a young man from Cocoa Beach, Fla.—a place not known as a surfing haven—become the greatest surfer of all time? Luck? No, unbelievable drive and determination.
Research shows that employees’ “best days” occur when they make progress on projects viewed as “meaningful” to their employer’s mission. If they feel that they are contributing to bottom-line success, they become more driven to excel.
Leaders need to pay close attention to their management income statement, or “natural P&L,” the cornerstone for managing any organization. Every organization is unique, so every statement needs to vary slightly, but what all good management reports have in common are characteristics that make them useful.
All growth is good. Bigger is better. All businesses must either “grow or die.” Small business owners have heard these mantras for years. But, “at best those beliefs are half-truths and at worst they’re pure fiction,” argues business professor Ed Hess.
New leaders often assume they must make a big splash from the outset. So on their first day, they enact dramatic changes or issue bold announcements. Levelheaded leaders, by contrast, resist the urge to rush.
Strong leaders muscle their way forward. But strength alone isn’t enough. You need to know when to push and when to pull to win over followers. Here’s how.
Ah, the “halo effect”—the practice of inflating an employee’s annual review to increase morale and avoid the unpleasantness of pointing out underperformers’ weaknesses. Too bad the halo strategy sparks legal risks.
Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, frequently borrows a phrase from legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who likes to say “next play” after every sequence on the basketball court. It’s a way to focus players on what they need to do to succeed.
