Feb 21 2013

3 Ways to Make Your Year-End Assessments Like the Oscars

My friends know that I’m a tad obsessed about all things entertainment.  I subscribe to the quasi-legitimate People and Us, and the very legitimate Entertainment Weekly. So come Academy Award time, like this weekend, I’m in my element.  It got me thinking, why don’t managers assess and reward people like the Oscars do?

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Jan 21 2013

4 Challenges to Managing Both Volunteers and Employees

Guest Post By Sarah Clare, writer at Project Management Software

Volunteers are a great way to meet the needs of your organization and expand your mission without having to increase your budget. However, when you have a blended staff that includes both volunteers and paid employees.... 

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Oct 11 2012

4 Ways to Improve Employee Engagement

My father use to always say,” You’re lucky if 20% of the managers you work for are good at what they do”.  Turns out, he overshot it.  According to a recent Orion Partners study found in Management Today, less than 5% of employees have faith in their bosses’ leadership. Is it any wonder employee engagement is at record lows?

 

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Sep 13 2012

Making Your Workplace Meaningful

My friend Scott recently left a job in the retail industry after over 25 years. He now works for the Humane Society finding homes for abused, neglected and abandoned animals. He feels his life has meaning now and loves his job.  But do you have to abandon your life in the world of corporate profit making to find meaning in you job?

 

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Aug 02 2012

Is Winning at Any Cost the Right Message?

Dominique Moceanu was part of the U.S. Women’s gymnastic team that won the gold medal in 1996.  Her recent memoir, Off Balance, talks about the cost of training as an elite athlete.  The reality is that it’s not just in the Olympics that we can take winning a bit to far.

 

 

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May 29 2012

Can You Manage Up and Still be a Great Manager?

How many times have you heard someone say, “I can’t believe xxx got promoted. I couldn’t stand working for him. He spent all his time managing up”.   Is it possible to be a great boss and still shine in the eyes of the powers that be?

 

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May 17 2012

5 Ways to Tell if You’re Playing Favorites

Managers are only human, despite what you’re employees may say. So it’s not surprising that in a recent Georgetown University study , 92% of senior business executives said they’ve seen favoritism play out in promotions.  Oddly, only 23% of those same executives admit to practicing favoritism themselves. So how can you tell if you’re one of the clueless ones?

 

 

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