Happy Holidays from the Bud to Boss gang! As 2018 draws to an end and we all prepare to welcome the New Year, we’d like to offer you these words of advice. May they serve you well in 2019. Quit sweating the small stuff Nitpicking over the smallest details or micromanaging every aspect on every project will only lead to stress and—eventually—burnout. Keep things in … [Read more...]
Should You Buy Gifts for Your Employees?
Maybe this is your first winter in a supervisory position. In addition to worrying about meeting year-end goals, you might have the added stress of figuring out what—if anything—to give your employees for the holidays. Some people will tell you that you don’t need to buy your employees gifts (or that you shouldn’t), and while I do think that’s your prerogative, I’m a big fan … [Read more...]
[Infographic] Top Tips to Remain Healthy at Work
![[Infographic] Top Tips to Remain Healthy at Work](/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Healthy-at-work-348x180.jpg)
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...]
What Does “Professional” Really Mean?
"Professional." I hear leaders talk about that word often. They say “I want my team to be professionals” or “Why can’t they be more professional?” When I ask “What do you mean by 'professional'?” I typically receive stumbling answers that aren’t very clear or helpful. It is understandable that you want your team members to be professional. What isn’t OK, however, is … [Read more...]
Your Role as Mentor is Critically Important
Whether you’re an official mentor or not, the way you treat your employees can play a large part in shaping their careers. Are you building their confidence and helping them learn from their mistakes? Or are you doing the opposite? While this is probably most pertinent to your youngest workers, the way you respond to all employees can affect their future success or lack … [Read more...]
The Most Important Thing You Can Do This Weekend
As a new manager, do you find it hard to stop thinking about work, even when you go to bed? Do you struggle to fall asleep because you worry about how your team will handle work the next day, how you will deal with a poor performer or what you must do to retain your top staff members? You aren't alone. Many new managers lose sleep over the stress of the job, especially managers … [Read more...]
Combatting Back-to-School Stress in the Workplace
Many kids have already started back to school. Others will be heading back in the coming weeks. From all the online videos and memes, you'd think parents are feeling nothing but joy. That's not always the case, though. Many employees with children experience stress during the back-to-school season. For some, there's the financial stress of it all, especially for those employees … [Read more...]
Are You Spending Too Much Time in the Conference Room?
Meetings can be a complete waste of time (and drain the life from your employees). But even when meetings are useful and necessary, spending hours in the same conference room week after week can make you and your staff a little stir-crazy. Consider these alternatives to shake things up: Chat with employees. You can discover a lot by simply talking with your team members in … [Read more...]
Train Employees to Do More Than Just Offer Ideas
I love hearing people’s ideas. I love outside-of-the-box thinking, and I regularly—my teammates might think too regularly—ask for people’s input. So just to be clear, I want people to offer ideas. That said, I’m less than excited when people send ideas—and nothing more. They don’t offer any insight into how an idea will be executed. They don’t consider obstacles. In some … [Read more...]
To Terminate or Not to Terminate That Employee?
I don’t think firing employees comes naturally to anyone. Many new leaders avoid making this tough call. But keeping a poor performer on staff is detrimental to your bottom line as well as your team’s productivity and morale. Your staff knows when a teammate isn’t pulling his or her own weight, and that can lead to laziness (“If she can get away with that, why am I working … [Read more...]