7 ‘sins’ that can blacken your image

• January 01, 2004

You may think of them as “merely vices,” but succumbing to even one of the seven deadly sins can cripple your ability to lead.

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...

Speed up slow employees

• June 01, 2001

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

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.

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.

Use ‘expectations list’ when you delegate

• July 01, 2000

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

Create a feedback loop

• June 01, 1999

One of the most important but vastly overlooked aspects of good management is telling employees how they’re doing. Many workers operate in the dark, wondering...

Menopause falls outside ADA

• March 01, 1999

A federal district court in Minnesota recently decided that menopause is not a disability covered under ADA.

Rephrase objections as polite questions

• November 01, 1998

If an employee refuses to do work or argues with you, resist the urge to fight back by declaring “that’s unacceptable” or “you better...

Managing the subversive subordinate

• October 01, 1998

Sometimes the most seemingly harmless, pliant employees can surprise you. You may think you can rely on them to mean what they say. Then you get burned.

When your boss procrastinates

• September 01, 1998

If your boss’s favorite phrases are “let me mull that over,” “this isn’t the best time for that” and “I’ll get to that...

How to nag without nagging

• June 01, 1998

No one likes having to nag their employees. But if you have justifiable reasons to doubt whether your instructions will be followed, then silently hoping your employees...

The gentle art of nagging

• January 01, 1998

Here’s one question we often hear from readers: How do I get my employees to follow instructions without having to keep nagging them?

Managing a ‘Nervous Nellie’

• August 01, 1997

Trying to encourage your staff to do their best gets harder if one of them is always expecting the worst.