Work, success and meaning at every stage of your career
“I’m afraid being a jerk isn’t against the law, even if we wish it could be.” That’s a quote from yours truly when I worked as an executive for a regional nonprofit organization. I sometimes heard from employees outside my division, asking for advice on whether they should file a formal grievance about their boss. … Continue reading Being a Jerk is Not Against the Law (even if we think it should be)
JobSage, an online platform that brings insight to jobseeker issues, including inclusive workplaces, opportunities for growth, a sense of purpose, meaningful feedback, and flexibility, surveyed 1,000 U.S. employers about “quiet firing.” If you haven’t heard the term before, it’s the management equivalent of “quiet quitting.” Quiet quitting has been in the news for months as … Continue reading Managers Admit to “Quiet Firing”
You don’t have to be a leader to lead. If you’ve been wondering how to get noticed for your skills and hard work, here’s an opportunity that’s right under your nose: gray zone problems. Gray zone problems are in every workplace. Executive coach Art Petty says gray zones are “the areas between functions where process, … Continue reading Gray Zone Problem Solving
A new study by Olivet Nazarene University set out to identify trends in boss-employee relationships to see what the new “normal” is. The university surveyed 3,000 Americans about different barometers of closeness.
Managers and leaders are both essential to a company, but they play very different roles.
The title says it all; everything you think you know about rewards is wrong. What Kohn calls “pop behaviorism” is ruining performance at home, in school, and at the office.
Managers are continually wondering how to motivate workers. Brown and Fenske would argue that the best employees, the winners, motivate themselves. The write that “motivation is the fuel that keeps your Effort Accelerator going and keeps you…trained on the things that are important.”
Geisler cites an example: suppose you’re a manager who believes in rolling up your sleeves and working alongside the staff. You happily pitch in on a project and give helpful feedback along the way. You see this as an egalitarian ‘Boss of the Year’ moment; your staff sees micromanaging interference. I’ve seen it myself; a boss who thinks he’s being deliberate and judicious in his decision making is perceived as dithering and indecisive by his staff. What’s a leader to do?
Choosing a gift can be complicated if you don’t know the recipient well. Your choice of gift will speak volumes about what you’ve been paying attention to over the course of the relationship (guys – I’m talking to you.) Yes, your gift choice matters, so don’t delegate the task to someone who is not familiar with the person you’re giving to. Be sure that she’s a football fan before giving tickets to the game; be sure he eats meat before gifting a steak house certificate. It’s almost always a good idea to make the gift substantial enough for two, even if the recipient isn’t married. No one likes to lunch or dine alone, and there’s no guarantee that her friends can afford to go with her.
Quality time people plan activities that bring the team together: supervisors who organize pot luck lunches or take the team out for coffee after the conference are showing their appreciation is this tangible way. If you have a team member or manager who tends to connect by dropping by for a chat, pay attention to this signal; it’s easy to get it wrong. Some managers tend to view requests for quality time as intrusive, or as asking for “friendship” instead of affirmation. Likewise, some workers don’t necessarily want to spend face to face time with their managers; they’d rather focus on getting work done.
Your Work, Your Way 