Tips for Managers

Pull the plug on the rumor mill

November 11, 2015
When leaders aren’t sharing information, especially during tumultuous times, gossip spreads like wildfire, and it’s usually very negative. With each uninformed whisper or speculation, morale and productivity take a hit. Follow this advice to keep gossip from taking hold of your organization.

3 musts when outsourcing your work

November 10, 2015
Are you toying with the idea of outsourcing a key team function to another person or company? If so, you need to assess the communication skills of the people with whom you will be working to ensure a successful partnership.

Breaking bad news in writing

November 5, 2015
Follow these science-backed tips to take the sting out of a written message that brings bad news.

In praise of praise

October 25, 2015
New leaders tend to get tripped up on praise because they worry that it will seem unprofessional or that people will get overconfident and complacent. It isn’t … and they won’t.

Keep the troops motivated

October 23, 2015
Motivating employees goes way beyond throwing more money at them. Follow these tips to keep their spirits, morale and motivation high.

Manage passive-resistance staff

October 20, 2015

You know the type: those employees who accept assignments without comment, but then don’t complete the work as you specified. They drag their feet, do a bad job, ask for extensions at the last minute or convince another co-worker to do the work. Use these tips to put an end to passive-resistance behavior.

3 mistakes new supervisors make

October 19, 2015

Stepping into a management role is exciting and scary all at the same time. While leading others is extremely rewarding, it’s also challenging—especially if you make these rookie mistakes.

5 surefire ways to annoy employees

October 15, 2015
When your actions frustrate employees, it lowers their productivity, morale and motivation. That ultimately hurts the bottom line, so you should do everything in your power to avoid annoying them. Here are five things you should stop doing now.

What do employees want? Probably not picnic tables

October 14, 2015

If you don’t read the results of a staff engagement survey correctly, you might be doomed to the same fate as the clueless manager in this true story.

Be a great boss when you’re swamped

October 14, 2015
When you are overwhelmed with work, you may unknowingly take your stress out on your employees. You become more demanding, curt or rude. However, no matter how stressed out, frazzled or overwhelmingly busy you are, you still have to be a great boss. Follow these tips to do just that.