For many managers (and their employees), this time of year brings end-of-the-year and holiday stress, more over-indulgences of unhealthy foods and beverages, and less physical activity. Being healthy is the key to feeling good, remaining productive, avoiding the deluge of illnesses already hitting the workplace, and managing stress. To keep yourself feeling tip-top and your … [Read more...]
The Secret to Success? Focusing on What You CAN Do
As I travel around the country to lead workshops, I often hear frustrations with or objections to some of the supervisory/leadership techniques and approaches that I advocate and teach. I seldom hear an outright disagreement with the general approach. Instead, people express their frustration or objection like this: “That sounds great, but … “I work in the … [Read more...]
4 Really Great Reasons to Write Positive Feedback Down
Every leader has been told that offering positive feedback is one of the most valuable things you can do. You've heard of all the benefits. You may have heard that you don’t do it enough. If you’ve been reading this blog, you've likely learned the basics of giving positive feedback successfully, such as: Make it timely Make it meaningful. Make it about the behavior, … [Read more...]
You Can’t Control Everything, So Focus More on This
There is a difference between what we can control and what we can merely influence. Sometimes we get the two mixed up, and it leads to major headaches. For example, in several states (California, Montana, Alabama, Iowa, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota) there is a big primary election today. If you live in one of those states and vote (and you … [Read more...]
Stop Letting Procrastination Hold You Back
We all procrastinate sometimes. Some people make it a way of life. Either they put off tasks they dread or they simply thrive when producing work at the last minute. Many people, however, wish they procrastinated less. They scold themselves for creating unnecessary stress or regret their time management when they produce less-than-stellar work. Of all the comments I’ve … [Read more...]
If You Want to Succeed, Adopt These 6 Habits
It's a dog eat dog world out there, and if you want to survive (and thrive) you need to perform at a higher level, produce quicker, better results, instantly recover from missteps, and garner the confidence to thrive in times of uncertainty, says successful businessman and author Paul G. Krasnow. In his new book, The Success Code: A Guide for Achieving Your Personal Best in … [Read more...]
Disengagement is a Huge Problem, But YOU Can Fix It
The most recent Gallup "State of the Global Workforce" report tells us that 85% of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged at work, and it's costing $7 trillion in lost productivity. Is it possible that only 15% percent of your employees are engaged at work? If that's the case, how much is it costing you? As a manager, you have so much control over employee … [Read more...]
7 Tips to Celebrate Your Team’s Progress
Celebration is often a challenging topic for leaders. They wonder if they should celebrate and when it's appropriate to do so. You tend to see two extremes: Those who don't celebrate anything because employees "already know they are succeeding so why waste time celebrating?" and those who celebrate every-single-thing along the way. The best solution (as is the often the … [Read more...]
Are You the Reason for Low Employee Engagement?
We talk about motivation and engagement a great deal here on the Bud to Boss blog because it is critically important. Employee disengagement leads to low productivity and poor performance, and can seriously hurt the bottom line. As this Quill infographic shows, disengaged employees cost the U.S. $450-550 billion dollars annually, according to Gallup. Take a look at the data, … [Read more...]
10 Employee Needs You Must Meet to Succeed
When employees needs are not met, they find it difficult — if not impossible — to focus on anything else. As their leader, you play a pivotal role in ensuring that those needs are met. If you put in the time and effort, employees will perform at a higher level, will be more loyal and will be much more likely to hit their goals. So what do employees want from their leaders? … [Read more...]