Leaders & Managers

Your software is sluggish; your gadgets are glitchy. Here are seven easy updates that will improve your technological life. For starters, get a smartphone—having instant access to your e-mail, calendars, address book, GPS and anything on the Internet will make your life easier.

Bad managers are not consciously aware that they’re bad managers. And if they are aware of it, they’re probably not willing to admit it to anyone. Nobody wants to think they might be the problem. Here are a few clues:

If you decide to pay new hires more than employees with similar or better qualifications, be prepared to prove why you needed to sweeten the pot. Otherwise, you could be risking an Equal Pay Act lawsuit if an incumbent belongs to a protected class.

A reader writes: “We have tasks assigned to us via e-mail, the phone, in-person, in passing, etc. I carry my notebook and keep it on my desk to jot down assignments and then transfer some tasks to Outlook, but I’m wondering if there is a better, more efficient way to keep track of everything. What are your secrets to staying organized and on top of all your assignments?”

Proclaiming he’s “not a car guy,” Daniel Akerson is the outsider who became CEO of General Motors Co. in 2010. And an outsider’s approach is what’s needed, say many, in running a company scarred by financial trauma and too attached to old ways. Here’s how the veteran of Nextel, MCI and Carlyle Group is turning his newcomer’s perspective into an advantage:

Smaller organizations often have little or no budget to train their management teams. But no budget doesn’t have to mean no training. Here is a list of some of the best free online training for managers and HR professionals offered by colleges and reputable organizations ...

To cultivate ideas, some leaders first create “hot” emotions to stir up attention, motivation, even anger. Then leaders provide rational, “cool” solutions that allow people to act.

Time is finite. All the more reason to give special attention to managing time blocks on your schedule and the boss’s schedule. Here are two tactics, taken from two executives who use time management to boost their productivity:

Experts say many leaders are clueless about how they come across to employees. Five signs you may be one of them: 1. You send one-word e-mails. 2. You rarely talk face-to-face with employees. 3. Your employees are out sick. A lot. 4. Your team works overtime but still misses deadlines. 5. You yell.

An old employee-relations idea has found new purpose in today’s tumultuous business environment: Employee resource groups (ERGs)—also known as affinity groups or employee networks—are on the rise in companies large and small.