Micromanaging is a classic leadership mistake. You were hired to manage the team because you were an excellent individual performer. And now you want everyone to perform at the same high level. So you are constantly looking over their shoulders. You don’t want to micromanage, but you need to know what is going on – and that things are being done properly. What do you … [Read more...] about Manage Without Micromanaging
Teamwork
Leading Your Inherited Team
We all do a lot of work in teams, which is why I consistently recommend Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, to people. A recent article in Harvard Business Review focuses on a special situation for leaders – inheriting a team. This has happened to many of us in our careers and it definitely requires careful navigation. It is interesting that the … [Read more...] about Leading Your Inherited Team
Your Leadership Presence
Imagine you are meeting with your boss in their office. While you are talking they are glancing at their computer screen to the left and then looking down at their phone. They ask a question about something you just explained pretty clearly. When you are in a meeting with someone who is not present, you might as well not be there at all. Yet – this happens all the … [Read more...] about Your Leadership Presence
Improve Your Job Interviewing
Using interviews to select job candidates is one of the most common practices in hiring – and they are often done poorly. Good news – you can fix this! Following are suggestions for conducting effective job interviews, based on a recent article in Harvard Business Review. Before the Interview: 1 - Prep the Job Description. Include the outcomes the person in the job … [Read more...] about Improve Your Job Interviewing
Shape Your Workplace Culture
Tons of research demonstrates that a healthy culture is important for high performance in a team and an organization. Following are ideas you can use to influence your team or organization culture to make it more productive. These are based on a recent article in Harvard Business Review. When we talk about the “culture” of your team, we are talking about “the way we do … [Read more...] about Shape Your Workplace Culture