Using structure to accomplish more

Structure is a word that scares some people, much like the evil commitment.  But having an organized structure in your daily routine is likely to make for a successful and accomplished work day.

Everyone has tedious and repetitive tasks to accomplish day in and day out.  Such are the things that we all just love to do and look forward to tackling over and over again.  Breaking up these tedious tasks makes for a better flow to your workday and prevents you from getting bored with the same routine.

A best practice is to mix in some work tasks between those tedious paperwork tasks to get your blood flowing and clear up your mind.  Doing too many administrative tasks for too long without a physical and mental break can lead to a cloudy mind, and an unproductive day.

Taking a few minutes to map out your day, week, or permanent routine will also pay off in that it will allow you to think about the best order in which you can accomplish tasks.  This will cut down on wasted time, like if you go to mail an envelope without first putting the letter inside that you want to mail (really, I’m sure someone out there has done this before).

Another benefit to creating structure in your daily tasks is that it allows you to create habits.  And habits are good for productivity, because after you do things many times in the same order you become much faster at completing said tasks. 

Use these tips to streamline your day, accomplish more, and help in your goal of becoming a more organized and productive worker.  All without having to suffer through another boring and tiresome routine.

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Working Efficiently

So much attention is placed on completing tasks, overall performance, and results in the workplace.  But why is it that many professionals seem to accomplish more than others?  What is it that separates the low level management from the CEO?

The key to success is in how efficient you work, and how efficiently your employees work.  Lots and lots of people in the workplace seem to work hard every day but seemingly never accomplish anything.  Those types of people lack organizational skills, and do not work efficiently.

Planning out your day can go a long way towards becoming efficient.  You want to establish short, intermediate, and long term goals.  Always set out to accomplish the most important tasks first, and leave those that can wait until later.

The effective leader is always looking for ways to make his/her operation more efficient.  From planning out what you need to accomplish to tweaking the details.  Albert Einstein said that doing things over and over again the same way while expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

There is always a better way to do everything.  Keep an open mind and listen to the feedback you get from your team.  Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you always have the best idea or method of doing something.  Check your ego at the door.

It’s always a good practice to reflect on a project upon completion, and think of what steps you could improve on.  What makes great leaders great is that they consistently look to get better at what they do, and come up with methods or ideas that can make themselves and their team more efficient.

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Follow up

So you’ve done everything right.  You teach, you train, you develop.  You have a great plan in place.  Everything is going smoothly, and then, your project doesn’t get completed.

The likely cause is that you never followed up.  No, you were too busy daydreaming about that big promotion and what you were going to do with your new raise.  In the meantime, complications happened and your plan fell apart.

Follow up is such a crucial part of managing a business, but many often forget about it.  What you don’t realize is that there are complications and bumps in the road that are going to happen, no matter how genius your plan may be.

And that’s when your associates look for some guidance.  And this is a best case scenario, because sometimes they just don’t think that you are going to follow up, so they take advantage and slack off.

Either way, you want your presence to be known.  Make is known that you are going to see the project through to completion.  Let your associates know that you care, and that you care if the project gets completed at all.

The same holds true for another type of follow up: with your customers.  If you are in sales, give them that courtesy call to thank them for their business.  If you have a complaint, follow up and make sure that each customer is satisfied.

It’s too easy in the world today to get caught up in the action around you.  Don’t forget to take that crucial extra step.

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Doing it right the first time

Is there anything more annoying than having to do work over and over?  The pains of inefficiency and monotony are enough to make you crazy, and your employees don’t feel any different.

But how do you avoid having to do the same work over and over again?  The answer lies in between good training and concise direction. 

Training is something we talk about a lot, and it can certainly be key.  But part of the training process is allowing your associates to learn by making mistakes.  Oftentimes people have to experience a failure to learn.

Patience is important when allowing your folks to have creative freedom.  You want to foster all the great ideas and talent that they have, but there are going to be bumps along the road to total success.

The next piece is using great communication and clear and concise direction.  Before the project is started, ask your employees questions to gauge their knowledge.  There is no better way to learn than to ask questions.

Once you are confident that he/she understands what the desired end result will be, let them decide how they want to do it.  Not every method or path to completing a project will be the same.  Maybe they will have a better idea than you do.  Not to mention everyone loves a challenge.

Overall make sure that everyone involved is on the same page.  It’s certainly worth the effort to meet and discuss what you want to accomplish before the project is started, to avoid doing dreaded double work later.

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Training someone to take your place

Sound preposterous?  Of course it does.  Why would you want to train someone to take your job?  Aren’t you just helping your boss out by making yourself expendable?

Calm down, Mr.. Paranoid.  The best leaders do, in fact, prepare those below them to take their place.  In fact, go ahead and teach everyone that reports to you to do everything that you do.

I know it sound crazy.  But think of it this way, wouldn’t you rather go to work everyday (or in fact, take a day off) knowing that your entire team of associates is just as capable as you are?  Wouldn’t you rather have a team that can take care of the many little problems that you have to deal with now?

Of course you would.  Who wouldn’t want a team of super associates who could ease your workload and feel wanted because you took the time to teach them important things?

If you caught that last sentence, you’ll realize that this isn’t just about making your job easier.  It’s about making your associates happier and giving them a shot at promotion.  Even if you have people that don’t want to move up, they feel more wanted when you give them responsibility.

And chances are, if you have some folks that have put in a great deal of time in their current position, a little bit of change will do them good.  People in this position tend to get comfortable with what they do, and comfort is not good at work.

So switch it up a little.  Invest a little time to teach and train your people.  Let go of those tasks that you micromanage because “no one can do this as well as me.”  Let go of your paranoia, your preconceived notions.  You might just be amazed what happens next.

Technorati Tags: teaching,training,promotion,hiring,management,leadership,workplace,business management

How to manage one level up

Managing one level up is a fairly simple concept.  No matter where you stand on the corporate ladder, act like you a a level higher.  After all, that’s your short term goal, right? 

Forward thinking will get you everywhere.  If you put yourself in the mentality that you want to achieve, then eventually you will.  Certainly you will still have to do your job as well, but make the eventual transition easier on yourself by practicing now.

Start to analyze what your boss or supervisor does.  Gather all the information you can about their job, whether it be from observation of what they actually do to the job responsibilities that the position carries with it.

Oftentimes what they do isn’t too much different from what you do.  In my line of work, the higher up the ladder you go the less you do.  But at the same time, you have more responsibility should something not be right and less direct control over what happens.

The best thing to do is to ask them to mentor you.  Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible in this hectic corporate world where layoffs are the norm and the people left over assume more responsibilities to make up for the cost cutting measures.

But if you have previously taken our advice of teaching, training, and developing people to do your job then it shouldn’t be a problem :).  After all, you have to cut through the mundane daily work and focus on

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what’s really important: your development and your future.

I first heard of managing one level up around two or three years ago.  I think it’s a brilliant suggestion and one that I’ve embraced to the fullest, and I can at least partially credit my last promotion to it.  Try it, you won’t be disappointed.

Some tips for creating a reputation

Your reputation certainly does precede you.  But is yours a good reputation or a bad one?  It’s not like most people are going to come out and have the gall to really tell you the truth.

Whether you realize it or not, you form a reputation based on your actions, or inactions, on a daily basis.  When you forgot to say hi to Sally at the water cooler today, you may have just altered your reputation.  Winning big on your latest project could do the same thing.

Over time people will all form their own opinions of you.  The hard part of being a leader is that you can’t always make everyone happy, but you want to at least be respected.  And in order to be respected and have a positive reputation, you have to be consistent.

The best way to form a good reputation is indeed consistently.  Whether it’s the fact that you always speak to everyone you come in contact with, always are in a good mood, or always produce excellent results, you have to be consistent every day.

People don’t like a loose cannon in charge of things.  Human beings are creatures of ritual, and they like to be able to know what to expect every day.  So with you being their leader, they want to know that every day you are the same approachable, decision making rock that you always are.

The key here is to not start off on the wrong foot.  No matter how funny you think that your jokes are or how great a personality you think you have, it’s best to test the waters before you go and insult anyone unintentionally.  Sort of ease into things by being friendly and asking a lot of questions.

If you are stuck and already have a bad reputation, have no fear.  These sort of things can be fixed, it’s just not easy.  People have to see that you have changed for the better, and you just have to convince them.  A little patience will certainly pay off, as it takes much longer to change your reputation than to create one.

Technorati Tags: reputation,leadership,business management,opinions

Servant leadership

Some of those who are leaders in the world fancy themselves a little too much.  I have run across a lot of people in my life who become drunk with power.  And that type of situation is to be expected, I suppose, as it’s just human nature to abuse authority.

Abusing power will ultimately fail.  If you want some examples, look to the many leaders of various impoverished countries who let the power and control get to them.  The story never ends well, and the ride is often short.

Servant leadership is sort of the anti-power hungry philosophy of management.  The servant leader is one who listens to those who work for them, and make themselves available whenever needed for whatever reason.

I like the idea of this philosophy and have integrated it into my leadership style over the years.  The biggest thing that I like to take away from it is to give my associates what they need to succeed.

I believe that if you give people the tools, time, and training, then they will need nothing else to be successful.  It is our job as leaders to do that much for our employees. 

Tools can be anything that they need, from a computer to write on to a book to study.  Anything physical or non-physical, such as the knowledge or advice to complete a project.

Time is needed for them to communicate to you what tools or training they need.  Oftentimes people are just seeking acceptance from their superiors, and already know what they need to do to be successful.  Give them the time so that they can establish that confidence in themselves.

Training is provided so that your employees know exactly what to do and how to do it.  I like to go beyond simply telling people what to do.  Challenge them to figure out the best way to accomplish a task on their own, for not every method works for every person.  If their way isn’t as efficient, give them feedback on how to improve.

Servant leadership isn’t about relinquishing power, it’s about doing what you can as a leader to support and grow your talent.

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What to do when you workload suddenly increases

Life is full of the unexpected.  Just when everything seems to be going fine, here comes that curveball to throw you off your little track of comfort.  Business is an ever changing dynamic, and being a leader is all about embracing and implementing change, but how do you prepare for the totally unexpected.

Time and experience will certainly help you cope, as your reactions will become more and more automatic as you become more experienced in dealing with change.  There is certainly no substitute for experience.

But sometimes the change that comes can be something harder to prepare for, like the loss of a colleague.  Whether by retirement, termination, or another reason, you can expect your workload to almost double if something like this occurs.

I recently had to deal with this very issue.  Luckily I was prepared, as I sensed that my colleague longed for retirement and was tiring of the day to day grind.  I went into the situation with the mentality that I would have to take care of everything from day one, and continued to build on that philosophy.

My thinking worked like a charm.  When my colleague did decide to call it a career, the only loss that I seemingly suffered what not having an extra set of eyes around when I needed them.  Of course we lost a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience when he left, but the transition could have been a lot tougher.

Keeping an open mind and learning every side of the business will do nothing but help your career in the long run.  If you want to impress your superiors, learn every single facet of your business.  You can never know too much, so learn something every day.  The benefits aren’t just building blocks for your career, but can help to avert crisis should the unexpected occur.

Setting the example

It’s tough being a leader.  You have all the pressure, all the responsibility.  Not to mention you have all eyes fixated on you, and your associates watch every move you make.

If you are the type that worries about what others think about you, don’t even bother with this type of career choice.  People will form their opinions of you, whether good or bad.  Oftentimes you may not even realize you did something to warrant their opinion.

It is for this reason that you have to be cautious about what you do and say.  But you shouldn’t necessarily worry about it constantly.  All you have to remember is that others will follow your lead, whether good or bad.

Forget about being consistently late to work, or playing hooky.  Don’t think that you’ll get away with surfing the internet on your computer all day and expect your employees to not do the same.

You have to set the example that you want others to follow.  You are, after all, the rock of the workplace.  Think of how you want your employees to act, and that is how you should act.

Personally, I believe in being strong and consistent in my ways, but flexible enough to accept that my way isn’t always the best answer.  You pay people to think of better ways to run the business, why not hear them out and give them credit where it is due?

I don’t miss work.  Period.  I haven’t missed a day of work since I started with my current employer.  I show up to work 15-30 minutes early every day.

Is that a bit much to expect from yourself?  Not really.  If you think about it, once you set your mind to something you can do it.  If you say to yourself tomorrow, “I cannot miss work for any reason,” it can happen.  Sure, there are always exceptions, but they are few and far between.

So get out there and think about what your routine says to your employees.  Do you set a good example for them to follow?

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Branching out for success

Even if you’re a lone wolf, self starter type, you’ll eventually come to a point where you will be beat out by someone who has a larger network than you.  It’s just inevitable in business that somebody has to like you.

This of course doesn’t mean that you have to brown nose to get where you want to be.  Besides, we all hate that guy (or gal) anyway.  No, it’s all about job performance and having others take note of your performance.

So don’t be afraid to brag on yourself a little.  Notice I said a little.  Because no one likes that co worker who walks around all day rubbing his/her accomplishments in your face either.

But most people fall on the other end of the spectrum, those who do great things every day but don’t ever take credit for them.  You at least need to be polishing up your resume if nothing else.

The best of the bosses will notice and compliment good work.  But too often these types of good deeds go unnoticed.  If you consistently find yourself flying under the radar, maybe it’s time to change your approach.

Find out what your boss wants to make happen the most.  What is his/her focus right now?  Find out and make an impact that they will be forced to see.

The other way to get noticed is to simply be nice and respectful to everyone you come in contact with.  In the crazy world of business, you never know who you will be working for one day, or who will be working for you.

You don’t have to like them, hang out with them, or know their life story (unless they just have to tell you, in which case at least act interested).  No, you just have to treat them like human beings. 

I always make it a point to say good morning or hello to everyone, no matter who they are or where they work.  People love to be noticed.  Leaders who ignore even the lowest worker on the totem pole end up paying for it one day.

So there you have it.  No frills, no sucking up, no buying the teacher an apple.  No, it’s just about getting recognized and being respectful.  How’s that for old school thinking?

Technorati Tags: getting noticed,promotion,leadership,business,branching out,moving up,respect

Finding a balance between respect and loathing

Let’s face it, being a leader puts you in a precarious position.  Some people are going to like you, some will hate you, and others will pretend to like you but secretly hate you.  There just is no other alternative.

Being in a position where you have to evaluate people and reprimand them, they won’t always agree with what you have to do or say.  Sometimes their reaction can be downright hateful.

But that’s just part of the territory.  Being a leader isn’t all fun and games and telling people what to do.  You’re not going to be everyone’s friend.  And if you are, you won’t last long.

Ultimately tough decisions are going to come.  And you have to be as personally detached when making them as possible.  You certainly can’t mix your personal feelings with business decisions.

I run into situations all of the time where I am forced to reprimand or fire someone who may not even really deserve it, or maybe they ran into a little bad luck.  While I have personal feelings about the situation, I keep that completely separate when making the final decision.

Unfortunately some of those who work under me don’t always follow this philosophy.  I am certain that there are those who feel like I’m a heartless shell of a man, who only cares about the bottom dollar.

But the bright side to all of this is that those who do their jobs, and do them well, respect you more when you make the tough decisions.  After all, not everyone wants to be in a position where they have to face a lot of pressure and confrontation.

But in the end you have to be consistent in order to maintain that respect.  And the fact of the matter is that everyone handles being reprimanded different from others.  Some take it in stride and make a vow to improve, others threaten you or slam the door and throw some expletives your way.

Bottom line is, not matter how they react, just keep plugging along.  In the end your workforce will be better for it.

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Teaching your employees financial responsibility

The economy is in pretty rough shape, and people everywhere are losing their jobs and their homes.  Most personal finance experts are holding out hope that Americans will learn from their current mistakes and emerge from this recession with new and improved spending and saving habits.

And those that played it smart and went against the grain of spending more than you earn and buying more house than they could afford haven’t really felt the effects.  It’s a fact of life that what goes up must come down, and what goes down will eventually come back up.

The key to surviving the financial roller coaster is to prepare for the worst even when things are going great and you can’t possible see anything going wrong.  Those who were prepared barely felt a ripple the last couple of years.

Those of us lucky to have such foresight and to be employed with a company that has survived the current crisis have to feel pretty good about ourselves.  After all, we resisted group thinking and passed on a lot of the temptations around us.

I learned from an old pro that I used to work with the value of saving and investing wisely.  With his help I learned how to maneuver the money that I had invested in my 401K around so that I could better realize gains.  Sure, my portfolio has experienced a 40% drop the last two years, but if you’re twenty years out of retirement like I am then there is no reason to worry.

As a matter of fact, I am enjoying the current market.  I actually increased my contributions since I view my situation as an opportunity to buy stocks on sale that I may never realize again. 

But the important thing here is that someone more experienced than myself took the time to teach me the in’s and out’s of managing my money when I was new to the game of management.

Back then I was pretty young and had never made the kind of money that was starting to roll in.  Through college my attitude was to spend what I made, sometimes more.  Having someone who had been there and done that helped me move away from that stage of my life.

To this day I make it a point to help my team form the same type of good decisions, new or old.  Besides the young who tend to leave their money all in one company’s stock, I find a lot of older folks who still have their money in stocks even though they plan on retiring in two to five years.  Imagine the shock they experienced when they are looking at that 40% loss and realize that they may have to keep working indefinitely.

Most companies don’t offer any kind of financial training, and that’s a shame.  Situations like this could really stand to benefit a lot of employees, and make for some happy workers.  But that doesn’t mean that you can’t take what you’ve learned and share it with them.  Who knows, maybe they’ll appreciate it and gain a little more respect for you since you’re helping them out!

Technorati Tags: personal finance,management,leadership,teaching,training,financial responsibility,employees,associates

Automating your job

Ever feel like you have entirely too much to do?  Are people knocking down your door with problems and complaints, taking up all of your precious time?  When you’re in a position of leadership, there is a simple process to rectify all of this.

You have to start off by teaching and training those who work for you.  Prepare them to have the capability to perform your job.  The best people to start with are those that express a desire to be promoted or are top performers, then you can move on to everyone else.

Create a level of leadership beneath you.  Groom those who directly report to you to be able to handle day to day tasks and issues that you currently deal with yourself.  Not only will it help to develop them but it will create a layered structure of management so that you don’t have to *gasp* micromanage.

Communicate both in the short and long term.  You have to have structure.  Let it be known what you want to accomplish today and in the long run.  Stay focused and keep your people focused.  Show them progress and results, and let them buy into what you are selling.

Develop a team of associates work in an atmosphere of self reliance.  Encourage employees to make decisions.  When someone asks you for your advice on how to do something, in turn ask them how they would do it!  You’ll be surprised to find out that they already have an opinion, they’re just looking for your acceptance.

Teach your employees the philosophy of just doing it.  After all, it’s a lot easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.  If they fail, take the failure and turn it into a learning experience, not a negative one.

Always give your employees more to do than they possibly can accomplish.  This way you continually raise the bar and get the most productivity.  The human mind won’t acknowledge it’s true capabilities until it discovers them.  Everyone has doubt.  Erase that doubt and show people that they are capable of doing anything.

Be relentless.  Don’t give up on anything, and don’t let your associates give up.  Repeat yourself often, and be consistent.  Have clear goals in mind and make sure everyone knows them. 

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Rinse and repeat.  You may grow weary of the process, but success is just around the corner.

Coping with underperforming peers

There is simply nothing more frustrating that having to work with peers that underperform.  You may find yourself having to shoulder much of the workload while they kick back and surf the web all day in their cubicle.

Your blood pressure rises daily because of their poor work habits, and your workload increases.  All the while your boss isn’t doing anything about it, for whatever reason.  Maybe it’s because they hang out outside of work, who knows?

As maddening as this scenario can be, you have to find peace within it.  Getting mad only leads to bad things happening, and you don’t want to lose what you have built over someone else’s poor decisions.  And since they are your peer, you can’t very well hold them accountable.

One way to accomplish this is to think of having an underperforming peer as an opportunity.  It only makes you look like more of a superstar when you accomplish so much and your peers accomplish so little.  Don’t be afraid to increase the gap.

You could also

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take advantage of opportunities to make well placed comments.  Not talking about how crappy your peer is, but slight boasts about how well you are doing personally.  For example, say something like “I generated twelve new accounts this month, how many did you get?”  Sometimes this gets your point across without having to blow up the situation.

Unfortunately, most of life’s slackers are slacking for a reason: they have no further ambition.  Climbing the ladder isn’t for everyone, and lots of people may be just happy and content where they are.  The problem is that comfort eventually sets in, and comfort leads to decreased productivity and an employee who cares less by the day.

You basically have two ways of dealing with this.  You can blow up and prove a point (at the possible expense of your own career), or you can accept it as a fact of life and move on.  Either way, don’t let it stress you too bad.  No matter where you work or what you do, you will run into underperformers.

My mission for personal responsibility

Personal responsibility is a big thing in my opinion.  You hear a lot about it these days in regards to adjustable rate mortgages and the people who weren’t able to afford them.  I like to relate it to the business side of things, and the workplace.

To me, companies have policies and rules for a reason.  And it is up to us as individuals to follow them.  If your workplace has a dress code, then it is your personal responsibility to follow it.  Should a manager really have to address something so basic?

I tailor my management style along the same philosophy.  I see many managers running around trying to get their employees to do basic things such as follow a dress code and do their basic job duties on a daily basis.  To me, those are basic expectations that I hold people accountable for not completing.

To me there is no sense in allowing such things to happen.  When you are hired, trained, or promoted, you are given job responsibilities.  How can you expect to be allowed to continue to work and not at least meet those responsibilities?

The positive side of a bad thing like our current recession is that it creates a more competitive job market.  This is beneficial to those who are seeking high performance individuals.  Now is the time to weed out your non performers and replace them with good folks who may have lost out not because of their individual job performance, but the short sightedness of the companies that they formally worked for.

Somewhere along the way we lost the pride and competitive advantage that we had in this country.  And a lot of it spawned from people who developed the ideal that someone would take care of them.  It’s time that we shift personal responsibility back into the workplace, as well as our personal lives and take advantage of a rare opportunity.

Technorati Tags: recession,employment,job performance,personal responsibility,policies,procedures,rules

Finding the right person for promotion

Discovering talent is often a lot like searching for a needle in a haystack.  Just how can you see potential?  Oftentimes our opinions can be skewed for a variety of reasons, like how well a person talks or your personal opinions of them.

Real leaders look beyond these petty nuisances.  What you really should be looking for is a burning desire to succeed.  All the knowledge and talk in the world can’t replace desire.  Not to mention that someone who wants to succeed often will, at any cost.

I have been in many situations where I’ve had both types of candidates to choose from.  You will always have someone who looks to be very qualified for your position, and they talk the talk.  But anyone with half a brain can talk their way into a job.  What really matters is results.

On the other hand, you may have someone who doesn’t know the job they are interviewing for, but they have the desire to do it.  Oftentimes these are the types of people who step up and produce results consistently, they just may not have a shiny degree or lots of qualifications.

I always prefer the latter.  I’ve been down the road where I picked the person with the knowledge and experience and it never worked out too well.  Not to say that the experienced person isn’t always going to lack desire, it’s just hard in the world today to find people who have both of these attributes.

If you do find someone with experience AND desire, by all means give them the job.  The problem I’ve seen, however, is that oftentimes those who have been there and done that tend to be a little less motivated than the hungry person who is out to prove them self.

The added benefit of it all is that you will look that much better when you promote the underdog who no one believed in but you, and they turn out to exceed expectations.  There’s nothing better than a little homegrown talent!

Technorati Tags: promotion,promoting,leadership,management,moving up,experience,interview

Holding your employees accountable

Accountability is a powerful thing.  The act of holding someone accountable is normally an unpleasant experience that most people generally like to avoid.  Confrontation is something that most normal people don’t feel comfortable dealing with.

But when you are in a leadership position, confrontation and accountability are just part of the job.  Unfortunately you are going to have employees who make mistakes and sometimes do the wrong thing and it is up to you to make the right decision on how to handle it.

Most companies have guidelines and rules or policies that are pretty easy and clear cut.  Miss work too much, make a decision that is detrimental to the company, or poor performance will more than likely end up with some type of reprimand.

Your role in this process is critical.  Do you think that Joe, who is always calling out sick, will magically change his ways and start showing up every day unless you take action?  Doubtful.  Attendance is an easy and straightforward issue to deal with.

Knowing where to draw the line on performance can be a little more tricky.  Normally you will want to keep good records and documentation of a poor performer if you want your actions to stick.  There is nothing that will make a good accountability session blow up in your face than if you don’t have good documentation of the action they took (or didn’t take).

A bad judgment call can also be hard to reprimand someone for.  I usually look at it in terms of what it cost the company.  If the associate made a decision that was poor in judgment and cost the company money, I’ll pull the trigger nine times out of ten.  Again, just make sure you have the documentation that supports your decision.

Typically as long as you follow the guidelines and policies set forth by your company and treat the employee with respect throughout the process, you don’t have to worry about your superior overturning your decision.  Don’t make it personal, and remember that it’s only business.

One of my favorite things to tell people is to never mix business and personal, only state the facts.  Not only will your associates respect you more, you will have a better chance of keeping this already difficult situation calm and under control.  Not to mention that the outcome of your actions will (hopefully) result in an improvement in the associate’s behavior.

Technorati Tags: accountability,job performance,management,manager,leadership,leader,documentation,reprimand,poor performance

Hiring the right person for the job

Hiring in general can be a dubious task.  It’s simply amazing how great a person can seem during the interview process, yet they can very well turn out to be a dud just as easily as they could turn into an all star.

While there is no secret formula for success in hiring the right person, there are methods you can use to increase your success rate.  It is very beneficial to hit the mark when hiring, as the whole process is time consuming not to mention costly.

The first thing that I look for is a solid work history.  While there are exceptions in some career fields, I prefer a short employment history with a decent length of time spent at each job.  A “job hopper” who has worked at twenty different places and was employed at them on average three months or less is a sign that the person lacks loyalty.

Next I examine the types of jobs they have had.  Some people tend to make dramatic career jumps, and this can be a sign that the individual still hasn’t decided what they want to be when they grow up.  I recently interviewed someone who owns their own business, and has past job titles including accountant, marketing, prison guard, and store manager in retail.  Needless to say, I did not hire the person.

Another important thing to look at is why they left their previous job(s).  I’ve seen some legitimate reasons over the years, and I’ve seen some pretty hilarious ones.  I once saw “left job to drive across the country in my van” listed as a reason for terminating employment.  It’s a telling sign when someone has a consistent history of getting fired or quitting for various reasons.

You may be surprised at what I don’t consider important when reviewing an application.  One factor I don’t worry about is what type of salary the person is looking for.  I wait until after the interview to discuss money.  Oftentimes I find that if they really want the job, they are open to negotiation anyway. 

As you can see, hiring people is sort of like a mind game.  The interviewer is trying to see the person for who they really are and what type of employee they would be, and the interviewee is trying to sell themself either as the type of employee that they are, or what they are trying to be.  It’s a high stakes situation, so do your homework before the interview and pay attention to how they speak and their body language during the interview.

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Coping with the loss of an employee

The hardest thing one can face in a workplace is the loss of an employee, whether it be by accident or if it is expected.  This can be an emotionally hard time for your coworkers and employees, and you have to take the right steps to allow everyone to grieve.

I have been in this situation a few times.  The hardest situation I have dealt with was the death of an associate by accident.  This is especially hard since no one saw it coming and it was especially tough to deal with since the person was very young.

As a leader, you don’t just manage everyone on a professional level, you manage them on a personal level.  As a human being yourself, it can be hard to maintain composure during such a difficult time, let alone provide support for others.

Most companies provide some sort of service to help cope with a tragic situation.  At the very least some provide counseling over the phone, and some companies even go so far as to have a team of trained folks come in the workplace to help.

As with every other situation at work, it’s important that you maintain your composure and let others come to you for support.  It can be a very confusing and challenging time, and you have to show compassion and be prepared to help everyone move on.

You will more than likely have a group of people who were especially close to the associate who may need some extra time away to deal with things.  You have to let them take the time necessary and allow them certain concessions under these circumstances.

I also make it a point to personally contact the family and offer any assistance that I can, whether it be with getting things done for them or even arranging a fundraiser if they may have difficulty paying the bills.

I also make sure to attend the viewing and the funeral if possible and allowed by the family, because it means a lot to them and your other associates to show that you are there for them, and so is your company.

Taking on additional responsibility

Want to get promoted and keep moving up the ladder of success?  Well I’ve got news for you.  You’re not going to do it by just doing a great job at your normal expected job responsibilities.  Your superiors are looking for someone to push upward, not maintain what they already do well.

The common misconception most people have is that if they do a great job, they will get a promotion (or a good evaluation).  The truth is, your boss expects you to do your job well.  That’s just basic elementary stuff, the simplest of expectations.

If you want to move on to the next level, you have to start showing that you can do your job well and take on additional tasks and responsibilities.  You have to make your basic job expectations look like they require no effort on your part at all.  You have to create an environment where you present a lot of value to the company, but that you really aren’t needed in your current position anymore.

What kind of sense does that make?  Well, if you are so good at what you do and you have the people that work for you to the point where they are so good they can basically do your job, it does nothing but make you look good.

When you reach this point, your boss has little reason not to promote you.  You have created a demand for your abilities, and shown that you can evolve and are ready to take on the next challenge in your career.  You have demonstrated that you are a key leader in your establishment.

Skills like public speaking and computer abilities are great to have, but there is one constant in the world of business.  Your ability to deal with people and develop them.  Without it you will never succeed in anything that you do.

Your people can make you or break you.  You don’t necessarily want them to like you or dislike you, you just want them to respect you as their leader.

So start performing the job that you WANT to have now.  And show your boss that you can do it with ease and minimal effort.  Then they have no choice but to give you what you want.

Getting along with your boss

If you’re lucky, your boss can be someone who you work seamlessly with. The two of you could form a formidable team and enjoy a lot of success together. Then again, you could also have the stereotypical nightmare of a boss that tests your sanity and disagrees with you at every turn.

I myself have experienced both sides of the spectrum, and a few in between. I have worked for a complete tyrant who took joy in punishing her management team and a desire to micromanage, and I have also worked for a few bosses who were a joy to work with.

Even if you are stuck in the worst case scenario, all is not lost. Many professionals quit their companies after such an experience. But I stuck through mine, mostly due to my stubbornness and refusal to lose at anything I do in life.

You may not have the type of patience and desire to prove someone wrong that I possess, however. And that’s perfectly ok. There are things you can do from day one or starting tomorrow that can affect how your working experience goes from here on out.

The first thing to remember is to always respect their opinion. Your boss got to their position for a reason. Whether it was a good reason or not (maybe they are just friends with someone up the ladder), you can’t change the fact that they are there. Well, unless you have something really good on them.

The second thing is to show an interest in what they do and say. Pay the ultimate respect. Everyone has a good idea sometimes, so give them credit for it. Not to say that you should brown nose, but just give credit where credit is due.

Next, show an interest in them as a human being. Don’t let your hatred for them make you ignore the fact that they have good times and bad times just like anyone else. At least show a little remorse when they have a problem, and even offer to help them.

Finally, just do your job and do it well. There is no secret remedy for anything in the business world, tough boss included. The best solution for any problem you have is to just be the best darn leader you can be. That way even if your boss doesn’t like you, they have to respect what you bring to the table. And maybe your lack of job performance is why they don’t like you to begin with!

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The decline of customer service

Technorati Tags: customer service,retail,customer,management,leader,leadership

Customer service, especially in the retail sector, is the key component of a successful business. Then why, with the poor current state of the economy, is good customer service on the decline?

Everywhere you go, it’s evident. It takes too long to get your food. Your bill is wrong. The person waiting on you is just plain rude and seems to care less if you spend your money at their establishment. Poor customer service is spreading like a bad disease.

And the causes of it are not at all surprising. Good help is hard to find, and those businesses that don’t pay much more than minimum wage are finding out the hard way. Take a good hard look at any fast food establishment, and you’ll see very few who work there that actually care.

And can we blame them? If you were forced to serve rude customers in a hot and uncomfortable environment for a few bucks an hour, how long would it take for you to stop caring?

Now that we’re done playing devil’s advocate, let’s examine the issue from the other side. If you want to make it in this world, you have to put in work. You have to prove to your employer that you are willing to do what it takes to get where you want to be.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the fast food business. A lot of very successful business owners and high level executives have worked in one. And everyone has had an entry level job of some sort in their lifetime.

The problem with American society today is that everyone thinks that they are owed something. Like it’s their American right to be handed a high paying job, a house, and a big TV. The harsh reality of it all is that you have to develop your skills and market yourself to get a good job. And you have to start somewhere.

I personally started at the bottom of the food chain, working in high school. I worked my way around and up to a good paying position. Then I lost it all when the company I worked for went out of business in the last recession. I quickly found out that amongst a shrinking job market, I would have to start over.

I had to put aside my pride and what I thought I was owed with my experience and job record and start over in an entry level position with another company. And I did it without complaining, and provided excellent customer service.

It didn’t take long for my selfless attitude to win over my superiors and several promotions later, I’m back up where I wanted to be.

The key takeaway from all of this is that I had to suck it up and live on a much lower wage than I was used to. I had to drastically alter my lifestyle and attitude towards life in general. And I did it while not taking it out on my customers.

Today, customer service is a huge factor for me in deciding whether to continue spending my money somewhere or whether I take it somewhere else. I won’t hesitate to leave a place and go somewhere else, even if it means spending more money, if I have a poor experience.

It makes you wonder how some businesses survive in the wake of the current economy with the terrible customer service they exhibit.

I leave you with a real life example (one of many I could provide, maybe enough to fill a book). Sears is a company long known for it’s poor customer service, so much so that it’s amazing that they remain in business today.

Recently my girlfriend took her company car to a Sears to get the oil changed. I normally recommend not spending any money at Sears, but her company has very few approved places that they are allowed to use for oil changes.

A basic oil change ended up turning into a two and a half hour experience. We got there right when they opened, and hers was the first car in. And to add insult to injury, there were oily handprints on the hood and door, and a grease stain on the driver’s side seat.

Not one to take this sort of thing lightly, my enraged girlfriend proceeded to call Sear’s 1-800 “customer service” number. She told the gentleman who answered the phone what had transpired, and basically told him that she would never go to Sears again and would attempt to get her company to stop using their services.

The guy on the phone proceeds to apologize, and then tells her that someone would contact her within 24 hours. Absolutely amazing. To top it all off, no one ever called her back.

My girlfriend is in the process of trying to do exactly what she said she would do, by getting her company to stop using Sear’s automotive services. And I’m rooting for them, because nothing would be better than causing this atrocity of a company to lose tens of thousands of dollars a year in business because of their poor excuse of a customer service representative.

Using evaluations for success

Evaluation time can be stressful or rewarding, depending on what you do throughout the course of the evaluation period and what type of person you are.  Some people are confident in their abilities and are obviously star performers in their workplace, while others either have no faith in themselves or their poor performance has them doomed for a bad evaluation.

No matter what category you or the subject of an evaluation you are giving falls into, it is important to remember that evaluations are a big key in self development.

I see far too often when managers rush through an evaluation and don’t put a whole lot of thought into it.  Normally there is a deadline in most workplaces, and oftentimes there are penalties for not getting them done in time.  And being as we live in a fast paced world and tend to let things run until the last minute, this is not surprising.

But when you write an evaluation, think of how you feel when you receive your own.  You scrutinize every detail, and there are going to be some eye opening things that come to light when it is covered with you.  After all, this is the review of your performance over a period of time, and oftentimes holds the key to your future success or failure.

It is for this reason that you must take the necessary time to make a thorough, detailed, and fair evaluation of all your employees.  If you rush through it and don’t take your time covering what you have written, you run the risk of telling that person inadvertently that you don’t care about them or value their work.

It is imperative that you also take your time when covering the evaluation and allow the associate time to talk and ask questions.  Make sure that they understand the information you are presenting, and give them solutions and best practices so that they can make things better.

It is also imperative that you use proper grammar and spelling.  How insulting is it to someone if you don’t take the time to use spell check?  And really, how long does it take?

When used properly, an evaluation is a powerful tool.  Sometimes people don’t get the message you are trying to deliver to them in everyday situations.  Oftentimes they may not realize the counter productive habits they have formed.

But when you have it in writing, using something so powerful that it affects your monetary situation or your future in a particular job, the message is loud and clear.

Take full advantage of this great opportunity.

Dealing with a difficult employee

In a perfect world, everyone that works for you would be a model employee. They would come to work every day, on time, and be productive from the start of their shift to the end. Unfortunately, the world just doesn’t work like that.

Even in the current economic status of the country, there are still those who choose to be difficult for lack of a better term. Some are just consistently late and call out sick. Others ride the gossip train and cause dangerous internal issues by spreading rumors and generally lowering associate morale.

Your approach will make the difference in how these types of things are dealt with, and the ultimate outcome and course of your career as a leader. Dealing with tardiness and call outs is simple, just follow your companies policy regarding the matter. Most have pretty strict conditions that warrant disciplinary action in the event that an employee is consistently late or misses work.

Dealing with those who spread ire amongst their fellow workers can be a little more difficult to deal with. If they are merely social bees you can generally deal with the problem by monitoring their productivity (or lack thereof) and holding them accountable for it.

If the associate doesn’t have a productivity issue, most companies have policies regarding respect in the workplace. If you ask enough questions and make your presence known around your work area, you will typically stumble upon some sort of policy violation.

I have witnessed quite a few examples of this. Some have ranged from simple rumor spreading to outright disrespect and sometimes even harassment. The degree of the behavior will go a long way in determining the outcome and level of accountability.

The most important thing to take home from all of this is to get yourself out in the midst of your employees. Ask questions, and not just work related ones. If you go out of your way to show your employees that you care about how they feel, it will go a long way in determining your success as a leader.

The wonders of a spreadsheet

Chances are that if you are in the business of management, you have seen at least one spreadsheet in your life. But something that I’ve noticed in my years is that the majority of long time managers don’t possess good computer skills, let alone the ability to create spreadsheets.

Obviously this is due to a generation gap more than anything else. I was fortunate enough to still be fairly young when the computer age was dawning, and I have taught myself to use virtually any program you can think of.

But it pains me to see a lot of skilled and intelligent people in the business world stumble their way around a computer. Businesses are becoming more and more technical in today’s world, and having more than basic skills is vital to your growth.

Spreadsheets are a wonderful tool. I create them constantly. The great thing about them is that they can be used for virtually anything, but I prefer using them to track sales, expenses, and budgeting. The best thing about a spreadsheet is that it does the math and calculations for you, quickly and instantly.

If you are struggling with simple tasks such as checking your email, don’t continue to let it bring you down or worsen your productivity, do something about it. Most colleges offer classes on virtually anything, not to mention the myriad of choices available to you online.

For those who have basic computer skills already, taking a class in Excel or Powerpoint is a must. The ability to create and manipulate spreadsheets and presentations will pay in dividends in your current and future career.

Preparing yourself for the next level

No matter what position you may hold within your company, you always have to be preparing yourself for the next step. There are a couple of things that are important in doing this. First of all, you have to manage one level up. Secondly, you have to allow yourself the time necessary to gain the knowledge you need to climb the ladder.

Managing one level up is a relatively simple concept. If you are an assistant store manager, then act like a store manager. This also involves treating those who you directly supervise like they are assistant managers.

This is beneficial in several ways. For one, you entrust your associates to do your job. They get a feeling of empowerment which spawns loyalty and a stronger drive to succeed. It shows them that you trust them with important tasks, and may even inspire those that haven’t been performing up to par.

Secondly, it frees you up to learn what you need to learn to make that next step. You must use effective time management as well as delegation to have the time necessary to do this. If you want to be the boss, then act like him.

Taking the time to learn things that go past your current position shows your superiors that you are serious about helping yourself and the company to succeed. It also inspires those around you to put more effort into what they do every day.

Another benefit that comes from learning new things is that when you do get that promotion, you will already possess the knowledge that you need to do the job, making your transition go smoothly. It will then take less time to start learning what you need to know to make yet another step up the ladder.

These two concepts, when executed properly, will result in nothing but a positive outcome for you, your associates, and your employer.

Aligning yourself with company goals

Human beings are in general very unique. No two people are the same, nor do they think the same or have the same opinions on everything. It is this quality that makes us all individual, but it can also be a disadvantage.

The hardest part of being a manager is getting every one of your fellow employees on the same page. It’s natural for everyone to have their own opinion on different matters. It’s also safe to assume that those opinions are not always going to be positive.

The old school way of thinking is to resist change and new ideas. This is quite natural, especially for some employees who may have been with your company for a long period of time. If things went so well in the past, then why are we changing them now? The answer is that in business, change is necessary to survive.

A good approach to this type of rejection is to have a meeting, starting at the top and working your way down the ranks, establishing an expectation of how to handle changes. Let your peers and subordinates know that your job is to embrace change, not question it.

After all, we are leaders. If your company spends the time and money to roll out a new program, it expects you to make it work as quickly and efficiently as possible. Make sure everyone understands that you fully intend to support it and give honest feedback, not negative responses.

It’s not our position to simply refuse to do something. This is the kind of action that will lead to you standing in the unemployment line instead of climbing the ladder. Changing your employee’s philosophy on this is certainly not an easy task, but it’s necessary.

Set your expectations and follow through on them. It may take some time for everyone to know that you mean business, but in the end it’s a hurdle worth making.

Negativity in the workplace

There is perhaps nothing more destructive to a working environment than negativity. It is a phenomenon that can start with one or a few people and quickly spread like a bad rash. How does negativity start, and what can you as a leader do to prevent it?
One of the most common ways that negativity starts in a workplace is through bad working conditions, or a management team that doesn’t listen to their associates.

Bad working conditions can include a dirty work area, bad coffee in the break area, or even a dirty or broken microwave that maybe you haven’t bothered to replace. It could also mean not having the supplies or resources necessary to do the job. These are the physical examples of what can spawn negativity.

Another cause can result from your action or inaction on problems that your workers encounter. Typically a leader has to deal with numerous problems that are brought to their attention every day, and oftentimes they can be overwhelming. These can vary from problematic customers to issues that employees are having with other employees.

These are a little more troubling than simple physical problems. These sometimes require you to dig deep and spend a vast amount of time doing research or investigations. All companies have their own policies and methods of dealing with these types of issues, typically they are very time consuming.

It is imperative that you take the time to give due diligence to these problems. These are the type that can come back to haunt you, especially if it is something that can turn into a legal matter if it is not properly handled. And nowadays, that can be most anything.

A good way to prevent these types of things from happening is to spend a quality amount of time each day walking through your workplace. Don’t confine yourself to your office for too long at a time. Breaking up the monotony of paperwork is good for your mind and body as well.

Make your rounds and observe what people are doing and talking about. Pay attention to their physical reactions and the tone of their voice. You don’t have to be a psychic to tell when someone has an underlying problem.

If you can bring these problems to light and solve them before they become a large issue, you are saving yourself a lot of time and potential headache. Not to mention catching up with everyone and showing them that you care.

Accountability

No matter what term your company uses, the process of accountability can often be a stressful and daunting task. Many people are by nature afraid of confrontation, so most avoid it. But avoiding confrontation is not a quality you want to exhibit as a leader.

This would seem to be obvious to most, but a surprisingly large number of leaders in the business world today are indeed afraid of confrontation. This can create a multitude of problems as one can imagine.

If you study today’s workplace, you will notice that a growing number of people in this country lose interest in their jobs as time goes by. It’s not a surprise that as the years go by, people become bored with their jobs and complacent. That’s just human nature.

Now the dangerous part of this is that some people, over time, try and get by doing the least amount of work they can without losing their job. And this downward spiral will continue, and their behavior will become less and less productive.

Unfortunately, some people will resist your efforts to restore their job performance more than others. Some will change if you just simply acknowledge their declining performance. Others may require a stern talking to, or a bad performance review. Others will change only if you write them up. A few will just simply not change, and you may be forced to terminate them.

The important thing to take home from all of this is to just take action. If you take no action, then there will be no improvement. And in today’s workplace, companies cannot continue to be successful and profitable with less than average employees.

This is where accountability comes in to play. You have to send a message that you will hold everyone accountable for their actions, or lack thereof. There has to be a general knowledge that if an employee doesn’t fulfill their responsibilities, then they will face reprimand.

Now this doesn’t mean that you should become a loose cannon and write everyone up. It just means that you have to follow a few simple steps:

-Hold meetings and communicate your expectations from everyone. Ask questions and make sure everyone understands. You may even want to have them sign a copy of the topics that you cover as documentation in case they claim to have no knowledge of what was expected of them.

-Communicate your expectations daily. Observe your employees work and study the numbers and the paperwork. Let them know that you are following up on them.

-Finally, after you are comfortable knowing that everyone is aware and trained on your expectations, you start making moves. By now a great number of employees are doing as they should since the good ones are going to do what is necessary to get the job done. Now you can start dealing with the ones that still don’t take you seriously.

And there will be some that don’t take you seriously. By giving them reprimand, you are effectively taking action that is backing up your words. This will oftentimes help to change the associate’s behavior, and sometimes others that see that you mean business.

Unfortunately, sometimes there are people who will not respond even after action has been taken. These are typically disgruntled employees who just cannot be saved. But in terminating them you are doing everyone a favor. Some people are just afraid to make a life change as big as quitting their job.

I have terminated quite a lot of people over the years. Some have continued to dislike me because of it. Some have moved on to bigger and better things and thank me for my actions, as it was a veritable wake up call for them.

The biggest impact you will receive from taking this course of action is that your remaining employees will often respect you more. No one hates anything at work more than a disgruntled employee who brings everyone down and spreads negativity. It is much like a disease that spread through the workplace, crippling your efforts to move up the ladder. Making yourself and your associates accountable for all actions and non actions is the key to solving this type of workplace problem.

Preparing yourself for the next level

No matter what position you may hold within your company, you always have to be preparing yourself for the next step. There are a couple of things that are important in doing this. First of all, you have to manage one level up. Secondly, you have to allow yourself the time necessary to gain the knowledge you need to climb the ladder.

Managing one level up is a relatively simple concept. If you are an assistant store manager, then act like a store manager. This also involves treating those who you directly supervise like they are assistant managers.

This is beneficial in several ways. For one, you entrust your associates to do your job. They get a feeling of empowerment which spawns loyalty and a stronger drive to succeed. It shows them that you trust them with important tasks, and may even inspire those that haven’t been performing up to par.

Secondly, it frees you up to learn what you need to learn to make that next step. You must use effective time management as well as delegation to have the time necessary to do this. If you want to be the boss, then act like him.

Taking the time to learn things that go past your current position shows your superiors that you are serious about helping yourself and the company to succeed. It also inspires those around you to put more effort into what they do every day.

Another benefit that comes from learning new things is that when you do get that promotion, you will already possess the knowledge that you need to do the job, making your transition go smoothly. It will then take less time to start learning what you need to know to make yet another step up the ladder.

These two concepts, when executed properly, will result in nothing but a positive outcome for you, your associates, and your employer.

Showing urgency while having patience

One of my personal favorite sayings is “you have to slow down to speed up.” There is a lot of truth to that statement. A common mistake that many professionals make is to try and accomplish as many things as possible in a given day, often in a hurried frenzy.

The problem that this approach presents is that when you are in a constant hurry, you miss the details. The minute things that make a difference between quality work and rushed work. Which brings up another saying: “quality not quantity.” But who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?

But your employer expects you to show a sense of urgency, so where is the middle ground? The first step to accomplishing the ability to slow down is training. Trained associates will know what is acceptable work and what is unacceptable. This will prevent many problems from occurring in the first place.

Trained employees will be easier to delegate to. When you use the power of delegation you can accomplish things without actually having to do them yourself, freeing you up to do more important things, and giving your employees a sense of importance at the same time.

These steps will help you prevent having to put out “fires” and spend more time being proactive and anticipating problems before them happen. After all, who is more likely to escape a burning building, someone who is rushing around panicking or someone who is calm and level headed?

The best image you can portray to your superiors is that of a calm, rock-like persona. You are never thrown off course by anything that happens. No bump in the road can steer you off course. You have a backup plan for your backup plan.
Another benefit of this approach is that you will generate a virtual idea factory amongst your employees. Then the solution to a problem or a key planning idea is only a conversation away.

Taking this approach will instill a sense of urgency in your employees, so that you can go back to doing what you do best – managing your business and furthering your career.

Effective Time Management

Ahh, time management. Two words that are so scary to some people, and unachievable to many. Most people in our profession have way too many things to do and never enough time. Sound familiar? If so, your first move is to slow down. You have to slow down to speed up!

It sounds a little crazy, I know. I have worked with countless managers who run around like beheaded chickens. They’re sweating up their nice shirts and ties, seemingly working very hard, but never seem to accomplish all of their tasks in a given day.

Not me, however. I never break a sweat. How is this possible? Effective time management. Sure, I know things get overwhelming. You have a plan to start your day, and you’ve got it all figured out. Then things start to go awry. The projects you delegated take longer than usual. Your associates run into problems with their projects and come to you for advice. Half your crew calls out sick. Your plan is falling apart.

How do we solve this dilemma? First of all, you have to stay calm under all circumstances. No matter what happens, you are the leader and set the example. If there is a bomb threat and you start running around screaming and flailing your arms around, what do you think everyone else is going to do?

Instill an environment of calm into your work environment. Calm minds think rationally, excited minds think irrationally. Let your people know that you will not be deterred from your ultimate goals. Get them in the mindset that problems present exciting challenges to be overcome.

Make a list of priorities. Tackle the most important things first. Delegate everything you can, because you need to be free to help solve problems when they arise. Plan ahead and think of any problems you might face in every task. Communicate these potential problems with your associates before they happen, and have a plan in case they do happen.

Set aside time for your planning stages. No matter what is going on, you must be proactive. Reactive managers fail miserably. You can’s spend all of your time putting out fires. This is where good managers go down with the ship.

Stay organized. Ever seen the desk of a disorganized person? What if you need a certain document out of that pile of mess? You’ve just wasted time that you could have saved if you were organized. I keep a 52 week file, and that’s it. Everything I need is in one file cabinet. Don’t be a pack rat, only keep what is essential. Sort your emails by folder for easy reference.

Until you get organized and get yourself in the right frame of mind, you will not succeed. If you are running around all day, you won’t see the ever important details of what is going on. Good managers have time to stay informed, so they have all the answers. That’s what being a leader is all about.

Communicate, both with those above you and below you. You are the catalyst. It is imperative that everyone in your organization knows what your goals are. You must all be working for the same reason. Taking the time to communicate effectively eliminates a lot of potential problems down the road.

I have the same reaction every time someone asks me how I get so much done by doing so little. You have to slow down to speed up. It’s not a new philosophy, it’s an ancient one. Look at the greatest minds of the greatest leaders. From war generals to sports coaches, it’s all about the planning. Planning overcomes raw talent. And effective time management is the key to success.

The art of delegation

Delegation is not just a philosophy, it’s an art form. Ask anyone who manages people for a living, and they will tell you that it is the heart and soul of what they do. The ability to ask people to do things for you and get satisfactory results is a powerful tool.

But you first must establish somewhat of a report with your employees. They must trust your leadership. This is accomplished both through getting to know them and listening to their concerns.

Oftentimes people just need to air out their frustrations. It is important to take the time to listen to them if nothing else. Even if you cannot solve their problem, listen to what they have to say and provide honest feedback. If you tell them you will need some time to solve their problem, then follow up with them.

The next step is to train them. Provide them with the tools they need to do their job effectively. Once they accomplish this, provide them with the tools they need to do your job effectively. You can never over train someone.

Then you have to challenge them. Providing a person with a challenge is the best way to motivate them. Once they have the tools to succeed, provide them with a task that makes them think and be innovative. Sometimes the results may not be up to your expectation. But sometimes they may exceed your expectation.

The important thing is to provide feedback after the task is completed. Once you go through this process numerous times, the results will improve each time. This is all part of the developmental process for your associates.

If you follow these steps, delegation will be a powerful tool for you. Not only will you get things accomplished with minimal effort, you will provide your associates with invaluable work skills that will help you, your associates, and your company.

Why micro managing is not the answer

There is nothing in the world that gets my blood boiling quite like the fine art of micro management. I learned the hard way early in my career that micro managing is a bad thing in more ways than one. You see, I worked for the ultimate micro manager, and it stunted my career for years.

A micro manager, by definition of the Webster’s dictionary, is "to manage with great or excessive control.” Oftentimes those who micro manage don’t realize that they are doing so, or realize how destructive their style of management has become.

In contrast to giving general instructions on smaller tasks while supervising larger concerns, the micromanager monitors and assesses every step, and avoids delegation of decisions. Micromanagement is often easily recognized by employees, but micromanagers rarely view themselves as such. Micromanagers will also refute such claims by citing their management style as "Structured or Organizational", this is part of the denial process.

So what’s the big deal, you ask? The notion of micromanagement can be extended to any social context where one person takes an inappropriate level of control and influence over the members of a group. Continued micromanagement can result in disengagement. A disengaged employee puts in time but little else, and their apathy affects not only their own productivity but that of his/her colleagues. Because a consistent pattern of micromanagement tells an employee you don’t trust their work or judgment, it is a major factor in triggering disengagement.

Extreme cases represent dangerous management pathology. The latter is characterized by an obsessive style of management and is closely related to workplace bullies, narcissists and other management pathologies. Micromanagers like many addicts are the last person to recognize that their addiction is in controlling others.

Micromanagement may arise from internal sources, such as concern for details, incompetence or insecurity. While the main drivers are internal and are related to the personality of the manager it also can be partially attributed to external pressures such as organizational culture, severe time pressure, increased performance pressure, instability of manager position, etc. Severe forms of micromanagement may be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. In other cases of excessive micromanagement, the manager may feel that by implementing processes and procedures to execute orders and instructions, this enables the manager to feel and be able to demonstrate his or her usefulness and a valuable role in the overall business activity. This type of manager may actually lack the competencies and creative capabilities necessary for the job, and therefore 'creates' the environment by which to demonstrate self-worth.

Less frequently perhaps, it can also be seen as a tactic used by managers to eliminate unwanted employees, either by creating standards employees cannot meet leading to termination, or by creating a stressful workplace causing the employee to leave. Regardless of the motivation the effect can create resentment, damage trust, and usually inhibits efficient teamwork.

Micromanagement can also be distinguished from the tendency of the manager to perform duties assigned to the subordinate. Benign forms arise when the manager can perform a worker's job with more efficiency. In severe forms, the manager does not have the required competencies of efficiency but still tries to dictate to the subordinate not only what to do, but how to do a particular task; he delegates responsibility, but not authority. It is also connected with requests for unnecessary and too detailed reports ("reportomania").

Typical examples include but are not limited to the area of performance feedback. A micromanager tends to require constant and detailed feedback and tends to be excessively focused on procedural trivia rather than on overall performance, quality and results. Frequently, a micromanager would accept much more detailed and trivial information from employees than he can actually process. At the same time, decisions may be delayed, overall goals and objectives are often not clear, information flow between employees may be restricted, and the direction of a project may be changed several times in opposed directions; the outcome of a project might be less important than retaining a feeling of control.

Micromanagers are usually irritated when a subordinate makes decisions without consulting them, even if the decisions are totally within the subordinate's level of authority.

Severe forms of micromanagement usually completely eliminate trust and can provoke anti-social behavior. They often rely on inducing fear in the employees to achieve more control and can severely affect self-esteem of employees as well as their mental and physical health. Because manager-employee relationships usually include a difference in power and age, psychological structures in micromanagement relationships can replicate issues in parent-child relationships, such as double binds, or having critical parents which inhibit development of adequate self-esteem. Micromanagement makes it extremely difficult for employees to develop their skills and to grow and learn. In many cases it may be the best option for them to change their employment as soon as possible.

I dealt with a micromanager for several years, and I can be the first to tell you how destructive it can be to the workplace. Associates work in fear, always looking over their shoulder. Fear is not a desired emotion to have in the workplace. What you want are happy and productive employees with a sense of social responsibility. Show them that you trust their abilities and let them grow!

Generating Ideas and Building Value in yourself

One of the best ways you can get noticed in today’s business world is to develop ideas that will be beneficial to your company. When done right, good ideas can generate sales and profit, not to mention your career as well. Every company in the world wants employees, particularly managers, that raise the bar, cut costs, and generate revenue.

The problem is that not everyone is a natural idea generator. Oftentimes you can find yourself in a slump, especially when you have been doing the same job for a number of years. But the charge to be innovative is what drives capitalism and adds value to you as a person in your organization. Being unique and innovative in a sea of thousands of professionals is tough work.

Nothing boosts your resume quite like a few innovative ideas or projects that you are credited for developing. So how do you continue to generate ideas even when you are stumped?

I utilize my greatest resource: people. The best ideas come from those who are in the trenches every day. Your associates are in touch with what your customers want and what they need. What better way to get some fuel for your latest project?
The best thing about using your associates for ideas is that you win in more ways than one when you use this method. Not only do you get great ideas that will further your career and help your company be more profitable, but you help to become more engaged with your associates.

The folks that work for you are dying for attention. Most managers don’t realize this, but the people that work for you are watching your every move. You are the one they look up to, whether they have good intentions or bad. When you step off of your pedestal and recognize them, it boosts their confidence and their desire to do well in their respective position.

So the next time you walk by Bob, ask him how things are going. Ask him specific questions about what customers have been asking for. Step back and take a look at the big picture, instead of worrying about every little detail.

Most would say that they don’t have time to talk to Bob about the football game last night. But that is exactly how you reveal your human side to your associates. No one wants to work for a boss that walks around spitting out orders all day. You have to earn their respect, and the best way to do that is find out what they are interested in and remember personal things about them. They don’t want you to be their friend, they just want you to be their boss.

If your employees know that you care about their opinion, they will eventually come to you with ideas. You won’t even have to ask. That’s the kind of advice that is priceless.