Covid uncovered a number of management problems which supervisors were unaware of. Pre-Covid, many managers judged the performance of people on their team by how busy they looked in the office. It was “management by activity.” During Covid, many managers freaked out – “How do I know my people are working?” Most of them just got used to not knowing and were happy that … [Read more...] about Set Outcomes, Reward Performance
performance
Taming Your To Do List
“Welcome to the Land of Magical Thinking.” That’s my favorite quote from a recent article from Harvard Business Review about To Do lists. And I am definitely guilty of this! An out of control To Do list can create a lot of problems – including missed deadlines, doing low quality work, and tiring ourselves out from overwork. If you want to tame your To Do list, here … [Read more...] about Taming Your To Do List
Culture is Key to Embracing Diversity
While “embracing diversity” is being promoted broadly as a sound business practice, authors of a recent article in Harvard Business Review point out that it takes more than “add diversity and stir.” Simply employing a more diverse work force is not enough to leverage business results. They suggest that organizations need to develop a “learning-and-effectiveness paradigm” … [Read more...] about Culture is Key to Embracing Diversity
When Less Really is Better
Most leaders I talk with describe their days as a constant frenzy of meetings, emails, and urgent deliverables. How can we reorganize ourselves so that we are using our time to be as productive as possible? Here is a Productivity Exercise suggested by Kate Northrup in a recent article* in Harvard Business Review. First, pick an area of your life where you want to improve … [Read more...] about When Less Really is Better
Better Than an Energy Drink
Admittedly, I know I am a bit unusual in that I have never tried the 5-Hour Energy drink – or other competitors. And I even gave up caffeine ten years ago (I used to have a two venti per morning habit). But, according to the book, The Power of Full Engagement, there is another source of energy we can tap into. The book, and a related HBR article*, suggests that we can … [Read more...] about Better Than an Energy Drink