January 2012

Jan 31 2012

Using Psychological Assessments In Your Business

We recently spoke with Lynne Kirsner, the CEO of Fitch Co. about why and how she uses psychological assessments in her company.  Lynne is such an advocate for the use of these assessments that she became certified in several and consults with other companies on how to use them for their businesses.  You can reach Lynne at lkirsner@fitchco.com.          

 

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Jan 27 2012

Want to Delegate-But Just Don't have the Time?

For most managers, this is an extremely busy time of the year. You’ve likely got goal setting, performance reviews, bonus discussions and strategic planning. Did we forget to mention you also have the day-to-day responsibility of managing your team? Drinking from a fire hose doesn’t even cover it.   You really want to delegate some of your work but lets face it…

 

 

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Jan 25 2012

Conference Calls- Do Them Right or Not at All

Conference calls are the Rodney Dangerfield of meetings.  They get no respect. Let’s face it, meetings are bad enough, but without the ability to socialize a little, they can turn into nothing more than background music.  Since more and more people are working remotely or from home, the conference call is quickly becoming the preferred method for conducting a meeting.  To avoid having your attendees put you on mute and play words with friends, make sure you…..

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Jan 20 2012

Is Fear A Good Motivator?

There have been a lot of articles recently about stress in the workplace. Obviously one of the biggest causes of that stress is fear. Fear that the boss’s expectations won't be met, fear of losing a job in a down economy, and sometimes just the irrational, unpredictable behavior of a coworker can make you afraid to walk in the door in the morning. The question is, does this fear actually cause an employee to do anything productive?

 

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Jan 18 2012

Is Everyone Coachable?

Before I became a manager, I thought having a poor performer would be my biggest challenge.  I was wrong. The toughest challenge is trying to manage someone whose opinion of themselves is light years away from yours and everyone else’s. Providing coaching and feedback is beyond frustrating. Larry was my initiation to the clueless employee and it didn't end well.

 

 

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Jan 16 2012

How To Build A Diverse Team

One of the great things about people is that they are all different. It is also one of the best things for your workplace. As we have said before, studies show that diverse workplaces have higher revenues and earnings than non-diverse workplaces. People with different backgrounds and life experience bring a variety of thought processes and knowledge to the group that expands the abilities of the team exponentially...

 

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Jan 11 2012

Motivating the Unmotivated

A while ago, a friend asked me how she should motivate her very unmotivated employee.  Her employee did just enough to get by, made it clear he was counting the days and was a downer to be around.  Firing was not an option. For you Office fans out there, think Stanley Hudson.  I wrote a blog on How to Motivate Your Team, which I think is helpful for the average worker, but to be honest, while many of these tips will help, you need to bring out the big guns when dealing with the Stanley Hudson’s of the world.  Here are some “big gun” ideas:

 

 

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