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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Tag Archives: motovational managers
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 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 moreWANT A SENSE OF REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT? CHAMPION A FEW BIG GOALS
February 6, 2013 2 Comments
So many managers I talk with tell me that one great source of their frustration with the job, is obtaining a sense of accomplishment day-to-day. This is an experience I well remember and it never ceased being a challenge. The management job itself — with its never-ending onslaught of little, often unrelated matters confronting you – easily […]
Read morePOSSIBILITIES TO LIVE INTO
October 8, 2012 0 Comments
Benjamin Zander’s web site describes him as a conductor, teacher, and dynamic world-traveling speaker on management and leadership issues. While I have never had the pleasure of attending in person one of Mr. Zander’s leadership talks, I have had the opportunity of hearing his often unique and provocative views on film and on-line; most recently a […]
Read moreA SIMPLE ASSESSMENT OF YOUR ORGANIZATION’S HEALTH: THE HUMAN DIMENSION
September 27, 2012 0 Comments
Anything quantifiable – that is, reducible to numbers — is obviously a potential measure of how well an organization is doing. So profits and/or productive output, for example, are usually one valid measure of organizational performance. But numbers do not give one an accurate picture of the underlying human dimensions that drive those numbers and can […]
Read moreSURROUND YOURSELF WITH DIVERSITY
September 4, 2012 0 Comments
I feel obliged to begin this article with a disclaimer. I am certainly not an expert on the behavioral differences between the genders, nor am I a leading authority on the many topics that comprise “diversity” issues. What I do have is almost three decades of practical experience working as a manager, consultant, and workshop […]
Read moreHOW WELL AM I DOING MY JOB?
July 25, 2012 0 Comments
I frequently ask managers how they evaluate, or attempt to know, how they are doing in their jobs. What never ceases to surprise me is the number of respondents that are unable to provide anything but a rather vague “OK” or “pretty well I think”. When I ask such respondents what criteria they are using […]
Read moreTHE “TOUCHY FEELY” THING
June 17, 2012 0 Comments
For many years, I have heard the phrase “TOUCHY FEELY” used by managers of both genders, to describe a variety of things and behaviors in the workplace. “Oh, you mean that touchy feely stuff’” or “I don’t do that touchy feely thing”, or “this isn’t going to involve that touchy feely business is it?” are […]
Read moreWATCH THAT “FIX IT” MODE
March 30, 2012 0 Comments
We have all heard the axiom “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. By extension of that logic, I suppose that means if it is broke, then fix it. Observing the behavior of many managers over the years, I believe many of them possess a powerful urge to do just that: FIX THINGS. In fact, many […]
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