Tips for Managers

A better way to ask questions

September 23, 2020
When you ask employees questions, the way you ask influences not only the answers they give, but also your relationship with the employees afterward. It’s easy for a simple question to appear like an aggressive one to employees. Here are some examples.

Tactfully help grieving employees

September 23, 2020
When an employee suffers a personal crisis, such as the death of a loved one, it can be difficult to know how to respond. Of course, you want to express sympathy, but you may feel the need to balance your roles as both manager and acquaintance or friend. Here’s what you can do.

Plan layoff meeting carefully

September 23, 2020
Laying off an employee is never easy, but not thinking about it won’t help. It’s better to plan your meeting with the employee in detail, including the steps you should take before the meeting. These tips should help.

Get staff to own your plan

August 26, 2020
You’ve probably found yourself in this predicament: You have what you think is a good plan to achieve a goal or solve a problem. How can you cross the ownership gap between “the boss’s idea” and “our plan”?

Yes, ask staff for feedback

August 26, 2020
Good managers give feedback. Smart managers ask for it. Here’s how to encourage your employees to give you feedback about your performance that you can learn from.

Give credit for laughs, too

August 26, 2020
You’d never take improper credit for employees’ bright ideas or hard work, but what about their jokes?

The anatomy of a bad decision

August 24, 2020
I often say “You don’t know what you don’t know.” This may seem obvious, but multimillion-dollar organizations make decisions every day based solely on the information they’re looking at, discounting factors that may not be addressed by the research being conducted.

Restart a stalled employee

July 24, 2020
When an employee says, “I can’t do my assignment,” you’re likely to be upset. That’s a legitimate reaction, but don’t let it hinder getting the job done and restoring the employee’s motivation. Ask these four questions.

Feedback for new hires

July 22, 2020
New hires typically want lots of information about how they’re doing during their first few weeks and months on the job. Providing good feedback will get them engaged in their work and committed to your organization for the long term. Here’s how to give them the support they need.

Share your priorities with your employees

July 22, 2020
Building a workforce of focused, efficient employees is obviously to your benefit. It doesn’t happen overnight, though. Employees can work better (and get ahead) by understanding your needs and preferences.