Convey displeasure, not disgust

• November 01, 2001

Neil Patterson lost it. Fed up with his employees’ poor effort, the CEO of Cerner Corp. wrote an e-mail to senior managers that read, in part, “Hell will...

Promise discretion, not confidentiality

• November 01, 2001

An employee wants to confess wrongdoing or alert you to sensitive personnel or safety matters. But before opening up, the worker asks, “Can you keep this...

Tame an intrusive boss

• September 01, 2001

I’m a good manager—when I’m left alone. But I have a new boss who’s always contradicting me in front of my employees and generally butting in.

Think through decisions

• September 01, 2001

Recent research has found that your status influences your decisions.

Manager’s insubordination wins protection

• August 01, 2001

Jane Foster had a tough decision: Follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or follow her boss's orders. She went with the ADA and got fired. But a court has...

Splitting hairs: When is a no-beard policy illegal?

• August 01, 2001

Two recent court cases help draw the boundaries on how far you can go with a razor. Federal Express recently settled a lawsuit involving its no-beard policy and a Muslim...

Speed up slow employees

• June 01, 2001

When you hire people, it’s almost impossible to tell how quickly they work.

Rethink your nepotism policy

• June 01, 2001

If you have a policy that bans hiring employees' spouses, consider dropping it, or at least rewriting it. Reason: 14 percent of dual-income married couples now work in...

Turn nitpickers into pushovers

• April 01, 2001

Some people love to pick apart whatever you say. Rather than cooperate, they raise objections or challenges.

Submerge your disdain for co-workers

• April 01, 2001

We all have to work with people we don’t like. While some of us grin and bear it, others implode, seethe or turn caustic.

Secrets of motivating laggards

• March 01, 2001

Turning slugs into gung-ho workers often calls for a less-is-more strategy.

Addiction isn’t a license for unacceptable behavior.

• March 01, 2001

The city of Chicago fired Daniel Pernice after he was arrested off duty for disorderly conduct and possessing cocaine. He argued that his addiction was a disability and...

Manage a loud talker

• February 01, 2001

Some otherwise great workers have a big drawback: They’re incredibly loud.

Refusing to follow orders doesn’t always equal insubordination

• February 01, 2001

The new fire alarm system at Seattle's Key Arena automatically cuts off the public address system so that emergency personnel can issue instructions. When the feature...

See through smooth talkers

• September 01, 2000

New managers often regard the most talkative, confident employees as the most intelligent members of the team. That can be a faulty assumption.

Show real empathy, not fake concern

• July 01, 2000

Most employees see through a boss who communicates like an actor playing a role. If you seem canned, you’ll lose chances to build rapport and credibility

Handle moody employees

• July 01, 2000

Everyone has bad days. But a moody person may brood so much that it brings the whole team down.

Use ‘expectations list’ when you delegate

• July 01, 2000

When dishing out assignments, don’t just explain the job and walk away.

You don’t have to wear blinders to an applicant’s known disability

• June 01, 2000

Sheet-metal worker Roosevelt Harris received his jobs through a union hiring hall. During one assignment, he complained to the union that the company failed to...

Strike the nurturer-disciplinarian balance

• May 01, 2000

It’s not easy straddling the line between disciplining employees and nurturing them.