Empowerment is a great thing, especially during times of change, upheaval and disruption. Empowered employees show greater commitment, stay more engaged, and create better results. Empowered employees take more initiative and get more done than employees who work in a fear-based, command-and-control environment. As a new supervisor, you hear and read about these … [Read more...]
How to Talk to an Angry Person
Emotions are running high, and people seemingly get angry for no reason. If you’re like most of the people, you managing someone's emotional outburst is the last thing you one to do. While some people seem to have a knack for helping others “back off the edge,” most people feel at least a little bit nervous or apprehensive about such situations, especially new managers who have … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Recognize Remote Employees
It's not groundbreaking news that employees want to be recognized for their hard work. Nor is it surprising that employees' performance, attitude and job loyalty tend to improve when they feel valued at work. Be honest: How well are you performing at recognizing your employees' efforts in recent weeks? Most of our lives have been turned, at least a little, upside down … [Read more...]
How to Step Up and Lead Strong in Uncertain Times
This is a guest post by Tamara Ghandour, keynote speaker and adviser. Recent events around COVID-19 have turned most of our worlds upside down. The situation is rapidly evolving, leaving most people with a sense of uncertainty around how everything will play out, in the short and long-term. That uncertainty leads to stress, decreasing productivity, and quality of … [Read more...]
Tired of Being Ignored? Be Heard and Understood With This Advice
Do you ever feel like no one is listening to you at work? Maybe employees don't follow instructions or your boss doesn't quite get onboard with what you're saying? Joe McCormack, author of NOISE: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus believes there is probably a very good reason employees are tuning you out, specifically: You've forgotten to answer WIIFM? (What's in … [Read more...]
Don’t “Should” on People
Do you ever find yourself frustrated because people … Did not do things they should have done? Did not know what they should have known? Did what they should not have done? Said something they should not have said? Did not speak up when they should have? I’m guessing that your answer is “Yes” to each of the above. If you have not yet experienced these … [Read more...]
The Key to Making Better Decisions
You work in the real world, a messy place filled with exceptions, complications and people. When you are making decisions in real-world organizations, you must factor the following into your decision-making process, if you want to make the best decisions: The relative urgency of the decision. How fast must it be made? When the urgency level is high and you need to get on … [Read more...]
A Lesson I Learned the Hard Way: Data Tells and Stories Sell
Early in my career, I worked in the plastics industry as a process and product development engineer. At the time, I had a degree in chemical engineering, and I had just completed service as a nuclear engineering officer in the U.S. Navy. I had a pretty good technical background, and I knew almost nothing about polymers. This lack of knowledge created a bit of a problem for … [Read more...]
Being Thankful for Criticism
Thanksgiving is Thursday, and today I am asking you to choose to be grateful for something that you may have never said "Thanks" for: criticism. Especially criticism that comes from your employees. When you are a new leader, I know it's hard to hear that you aren't doing well or that your ideas are flawed. Hearing that from people who report to you can be infuriating. … [Read more...]
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before a Tough Conversation
For leaders, new and experienced, having difficult conversations with employees is one of the most challenging aspects of the job. It's both hard to control your own emotions and respond appropriately to employees, when they become emotional. The key to keeping the conversation on track and constructive starts with going into it with the right state of mind. To do so, … [Read more...]