I was recently talking with an employee who told me that their boss was fond of reminding them that their work efforts were costing the boss money. This phrase was really irritating them. Was their irritation appropriate? Absolutely in my view. While on the surface this phrase may seem rather innocuous and in the abstract […]
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PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK: DO NOT BURY THE LEAD
June 4, 2013 
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In an interview conducted by the “Academy of Achievement” (p.4) the late author Nora Ephron recounted her oft told story of her first day in Mr. Charles Simms’ Journalism class at Beverly Hills High School. Mr. Simms, she says, began the class at the blackboard writing “who, what, where, why, when and how”, the classic six things […]
Read moreANONYMOUS FEEDBACK IS A COP-OUT
May 30, 2013 0 Comments
Imagine being called into your boss’s office and hearing one of the following statements: “I have some negative feedback for you and everybody feels the same way”; or “a number of your colleagues have told me that ……….”; or “I have been hearing from others that………..”. WOW! Don’t you just feel you are being “ganged […]
Read moreWHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND FAST
May 19, 2013 0 Comments
In September 2011, the American-based media provider Netflix announced that it planned to raise prices for its services and separate into two companies: a DVD mail order service it would call “Qwikster” and an internet streaming service that would retain the name Netflix. Customer response was almost immediate and extremely negative. Netflix estimates it lost […]
Read moreTHE “OPPRESSIVE” BOSS: MANAGING POOR MANAGEMENT
May 7, 2013 2 Comments
Almost all of us who have managed others over the years, have had to deal with a boss whose own management style and set of management skills left something to be desired. Managing up — as it is called — is relatively easy when one’s boss has a skill set, style, and personality similar to […]
Read moreRIGHT PEOPLE, ATTITUDE AND FOCUS = POSITIVE RESULTS
May 3, 2013 0 Comments
In 1995, Hollywood released its movie homage — “Apollo 13″ — to the US Space Program’s most daring space rescue. One scene in particular has remained with me ever since I first experienced it in the theater. As the crippled spacecraft’s crew battled long survival odds 205,000 miles above the earth, it suddenly became apparent […]
Read moreARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR YOUR JOB?
April 23, 2013 0 Comments
Many of the managers I have worked with over the years have never asked themselves if they were the right person for their current job. Having been selected for the position, they naturally assume they were the right choice. Others, however, perhaps less self-confident and self-assured, have let the “right person” thought enter their consciousness and […]
Read moreGENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES AT WORK
March 29, 2013 0 Comments
The March 24, 2013 edition of Businessweek contained an article by Marina Khidekel entitled “The Misery of Mentoring Millennials” (Etc. Section). Among the article’s highlights that caught my eye were the following: “For a new generation of workers, the idea of seeking out a single career confidant is as old-fashioned as a three-martini lunch.” “According […]
Read moreTAKING ADVANTAGE OF EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEYS
March 23, 2013 0 Comments
The March 15, 2013 edition of the magazine The Week contained the following item from The Wall Street Journal on its Business news at a glance page: “A study by the American Psychological Association found that women report higher levels of work stress than men, “as well as a gnawing sense that they are under appreciated […]
Read moreASKING QUESTIONS: PERHAPS YOUR MOST POWERFUL MANAGEMENT TOOL
March 8, 2013 3 Comments
“I keep six honest serving men they taught me all I knew, their names were what and where and when and how and why and who“ Rudyard Kipling In an earlier article in this series entitled “Untested Assumptions”, I described such assumptions as one of a manager’s worst enemies. Acting on untested assumptions […]
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