Do you really need to meet regularly with each of your direct reports? Yes! Supervisors are very busy people and many try to short-cut the need for these meetings, but research shows that they are critical to maximizing the performance of your team. Here are some ideas on how to run productive one-on-one meetings: *Lay the groundwork. Explain the purpose of the … [Read more...] about Improving Your One-on-One Meetings
leadership
Leaders Set the Thermostat
If we learned anything from Covid, it’s that we can expect Change & Challenges. Sometimes BIG Changes & Challenges!!! When these arrive at our organization’s doorstep, leaders need to step up. Following are three suggestions on how you can be a leader that serves as your team’s “thermostat” – helping to influence the “temperature” of your team’s response to a … [Read more...] about Leaders Set the Thermostat
Coaching Your Team to Success
Some people – like Dilbert’s Boss – think “managing” is all about telling people what to do. Others of us think of it more like “coaching.” Here are some great ideas on “managing like a coach” from a recent Harvard Business Review article that uses a COACH acronym: Care, Organize, Align, Challenge, Help. Care: Build Understanding and Trust. Trust is fundamental in … [Read more...] about Coaching Your Team to Success
How You Can Stop Micromanaging
You don’t have the time to follow-up with everyone and also do your own work. Maybe you are micromanaging. People with high standards often fall into the micromanaging trap. If this is you or if you have a “friend” who may be doing this, here are some solid suggestions: *Focus on Outcomes. Identifying the outcomes that you want each of your direct reports to produce … [Read more...] about How You Can Stop Micromanaging
Improve Your Critical Thinking
Surveys of Chief Human Resource Officers list Critical Thinking Skills as #1 attribute they are looking for in new hires. We can all make improvements in this area. Here are three excellent suggestions from an HBR article on how we can improve our Critical Thinking. 1. Question Assumptions. This can be difficult since – by definition – our assumptions are in the … [Read more...] about Improve Your Critical Thinking