It surprises me that I have not turned to this subject sooner in this series of articles, since it is such an important topic. So much of value happens in a manager’s first year — both good and bad — that most of us who have managed for many years, still maintain quite vivid memories [...]
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COMMUNICATING DECISIONS
February 2, 2012
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A common criticism I hear about management, is that they often announce important decisions with little or no explanation, rationale, or indication of the precise results they hope to achieve. Moreover, these complaints often come from line managers who say they are often required to explain senior management decisions to their workforce, with only the [...]
Read morePERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR SUBORDINATES
August 17, 2011
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Imagine that out of compassion, you hire an unemployed friend into a position directly under your management supervision. In short order, you discover that your friend is having difficulty getting along with your other subordinates, that there are some serious performance problems, and that your friend is having difficulty getting to work on time. You [...]
Read moreCHANGE AND A SENSE OF LOSS
August 2, 2011
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A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by the current chairman emeritus and founder of the Levinson Institute — Psychologist Harry Levinson, Ph.D. — focused on the topic of organizational change. Early in my management career, the insights of Dr. Levinson contained in his monthly “Levinson Newsletter” were part [...]
Read moreCAN ALL OF US BE RIGHT?
July 21, 2011
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In a discussion where the parties have strongly held views, can everybody be right? Of course not, many of you will quickly respond. There is only one right view on the matter at hand some will say, and if you do not agree with it, then you are wrong. But what if the real problem [...]
Read moreBAD MANAGEMENT REVISITED
July 6, 2011
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Recently I posted an article entitled “The Price of Bad Management”. In it I focused on the impact bad management practices have on the productivity of an organization and on those who work for and must interact with a bad manager. The July 4-10 issue of “Bloomberg Businessweek” added a sense of scale to this [...]
Read moreTHE MANAGEMENT-STAFF RELATIONSHIP
June 3, 2011
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My motivation for writing this particular article comes from years of observing — and personally experiencing — both the good and the bad elements of the management-staff relationship. I begin with the players and note that the distinction between them is important. Managers are those in an organization who carry titles that distinguish them as [...]
Read moreTHE PRICE OF BAD MANAGEMENT
May 13, 2011
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There are quite a few professions where the consequences of mistakes, bad professional practices, or serious errors in judgment are quite easy for us to imagine. Air line pilots, surgeons, dentists, criminal lawyers, structural engineers, cruise line captains, and school bus drivers readily come to mind. Most of these professions require some form of insurance [...]
Read moreDECISION-MAKING: “THE STRATEGIC TRIANGLE” PART II
May 6, 2011
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In part I of “The Strategic Triangle”©, I addressed the value of being clear on what pieces of any problem or issue confronting you are actually under your control or jurisdiction. Here in part II, I will address the remaining two elements of what I call wise strategic forethought before you act. CI During my [...]
Read moreDECISION-MAKING: “THE STRATEGIC TRIANGLE” PART I
May 3, 2011
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In my management workshops, we spend considerable time focusing on decision-making. The sheer number of decisions most managers make in a week is staggering, many of them on the fly, with little time for contemplation. We also focus a lot of attention on the “acts of faith” embodied in most management decisions — only time [...]
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