Management Is Not a Popularity Contest
This article is no longer available. You can view the original article on the author's website at: Alison Green “On Careers”
5 Ways to Speed Through Bureaucracy at Work
We all have been through it at work. Some process or change you are driving requires a sign-off from what seems like every manager in your company.
The Boss Who Gives Lots of Praise
Boss A is reserved, rarely gives praise, and will tell you in words of one syllable if there is a problem with your performance. Boss B is friendly, and has comfortable expectations. For whom would you rather work?
Stop Working on Urgent Problems
Take a look at how you currently divide your time. Do you get the little, unimportant things completed first because they are easy and their completion makes you feel good?
Multitasking Doesn't Work
Multitasking was once heralded as the best way to accomplish more in a day. Then people started realizing that speed and accuracy (and sanity) suffered. Try a new strategy known as “chunking.”
Stress Awareness
While each person is different, there are some issues that almost universally affect people. These are the stressors you most want to understand and take measures to prevent.
Getting Your Point Across
When we're trying to get a point across to someone else we often think long and hard about what we want to say. That is the wrong way to go about it. Instead of focusing on what you want to say to get your point across, you should focus on what you want the other person to hear.
Lead the Team: How to be the Person Others Follow
Leaders are hard to find. They exhibit a unique blend of charisma, vision, and character traits that attract people to follow them. To follow, people must feel confidence in the direction in which the leader is headed.
Preventing Predictable Decision Making Errors
Predictable errors are preventable errors. And a few simple techniques, like those below, can help you steer clear of the most common wrong turns.
21 Management Lessons from Successful Politicians
What can managers learn from elected officials? Well, there are a few straight-forward and time-tested techniques that work in politics and that can be used in a business setting. Just like a good campaign slogan, these 21 lessons are seemingly simple but convey a big message.
The 10 Essentials of Delegating
You will not be an effective manager unless you learn how to delegate. The question, "Should I be handling this?" must be asked frequently if you are to develop your associates, build a strong team, and avoid being swamped.
How to Raise Your Visibility at Work
Used to flying below the radar at work? Think not being noticed will keep your job safe? Not anymore. The best strategy now is to figure out how you can raise your visibility at work—in positive ways.
A Practical Guide for Developing Leaders
Here's a practical guide for developing leaders. While not an inclusive list of everything a leader needs to learn, it does offer ideas for developing people before and during new leadership assignments.
What Great Managers Do Differently
Great managers break every rule perceived as "conventional wisdom" when dealing with the selection, motivation, and development of staff.
Uncertainty Can Be More Stressful Than Clear Negative Feedback
Some individuals would rather receive clear negative information than deal with ambiguity or uncertainty, according to new research out of the University of Toronto.
8 Tips to Encourage Meaningful Work Conflict
Healthy conflict allows the best ideas to surface in the workplace through brainstorming and debate. Here's how to encourage positive conflict without letting it get out of hand.
Lead Through Listening
As a business leader, you have to listen, get the facts, determine the problem, and help resolve the situation.
The Two Most Important Management Secrets: Secret #2
Your expectations of people and their expectations of themselves are the key factors in how well people perform at work. Part 2: The Galatea Effect—The Power of Self-Expectations
The Two Most Important Management Secrets: Secret #1
Your expectations of people and their expectations of themselves are the key factors in how well people perform at work. Part 1: The Pygmalion Effect—The Power of the Supervisor's Expectations
Learning on a Time Budget
If finding the time to read an entire management book is a problem or if you think that most business and management books fill pages with lengthy explanations and really only have a few core ideas, cliff notes for managers might be the answer.
Read Any Good Management Books Lately?
After reading a good book on business or self-improvement, if you simply put it down and say "that was a good read," you may as well have read a novel. Reading a book is one thing. But to incorporate what you've read into your life, you'll need to take it a step further and actually study the material.
Screening a Candidate by Phone
Susan M. Heathfield of About.com says, “The telephone interview or candidate screen allows the employer to determine if the candidate's qualifications, experience, workplace preferences, and salary needs are congruent with the position and organization. The telephone interview saves managerial time and eliminates unlikely candidates.
Mistakes New Managers Make: Mistake #4: Failing to Seek Help
By avoiding these four common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way toward becoming an excellent manager. This week—Mistake #4: Failing to Seek Help
Mistakes New Managers Make: Mistake #3: Becoming Too Authoritarian
By avoiding these four common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way toward becoming an excellent manager. This week—Mistake #3: Becoming Too Authoritarian.
Mistakes New Managers Make: Mistake #2: Doing It All
By avoiding these four common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way toward becoming an excellent manager. This week—Mistake #2: Doing It All
