THE MANAGER’S

Sample

INTELLIGENCE REPORT
An insider’s fast track to better management

Pay special attention when Quick tips

recession’s victims join your staff
Point employees
New hires who had been unemployed for early successes will boost their confi-
a long time might be happy to land a job dence.
toward success
but nervous about their ability to keep it. • Ease into the culture. Tell new One good way to keep your work-
Their faith and confidence shaken, they employees as much as you can about the force engaged and focused on
can have a hard time getting up to speed. atmosphere and history of your priorities is to clearly identify your
Here are some suggestions for helping workplace so they know what to expect. organization’s “Key Performance
them with the adjustment: Introduce them to the people they’ll be Indicators” (KPIs). These track the
• Review career achievements. Encour- working with so they don’t feel isolated most important activities that
age new employees to talk about what or different. employees are responsible for and
they’ve accomplished in previous • Don’t add to the stress. Some new which directly support your bottom
positions. They’ll relive the feelings of employees try to prove themselves as line—products sold per week or
pride they experienced and will get quickly as they can. This can create month, for example, or defective
comfortable discussing their earlier additional stress while they’re still products returned.
employment in a new setting. coping with all the changes in their Make these KPIs visible to your
• Set goals for the new job. Work with lives. Support them in pursuing workforce. Post charts in your break
employees on objectives for their first meaningful goals, but let them know room or other areas where employees
100 days with your organization, goals you don’t expect miracles from them congregate, and change them often so
that are realistic and significant to the right away. people recognize their importance.
employee and your organization. A few —Adapted from The Wall Street Journal Discuss the numbers in staff meet-
ings. You want your people to be
thinking about the same success
factors that you and other top
managers are concentrating on.
Take action before violence —Adapted from the Business Resource
Centre website
strikes your workplace
The prospect of violence in your work- • P repare for emergencies. Work with
place may seem remote, but you should employees, your attorney, and local law
Reward yourself
have a prevention plan that goes beyond enforcement on possible responses to for to-do list success
advising your employees to dial 911 at the threats or actual violence. Build a If, like many managers, you find it
first sign of trouble. Here are some steps relationship with the authorities ahead hard to get through your to-do list,
to take that can keep your workforce safe: of time. try linking each item with a reward.
• Make a statement. Start with a written • Train your employees. Go through Fill up your list this way:
policy advising employees that violence your policies regarding behavior and To do/reward
will not be tolerated in your workplace violence during orientation for new Write report/get a latté
and that your organization will disci- employees, and repeat the training once Agenda for meeting/take a walk
pline and prosecute any violent a year or so to keep it fresh in workers’ outside
behavior. minds. Performance reviews/make weekend
• Prohibit weapons. Your employee • Look for security loopholes. Periodi- plans
manual should ban any kind of cally audit your workplace for areas This takes some of the emphasis
weapons at your organization’s offices where security might be loose. Can off the chores by reminding you of
or property. outsiders wander in through a side something positive once you’ve
• Designate a “critical incident coordi- door? Are stairwells and parking areas completed the task.
nator.” You or another manager should well lit and secure? —Adapted from the I Need Motivation
be prepared to act as a leader in the —Adapted from the National Association of website
event of any emergency or threat. Counties website
2 The Manager’s Intelligence Report

Cross-training your workforce can head off a crisis

What happens when the one employee • Analyze your needs. Identify  est people. At some point, ask
• T
who knows how to fix paper jams in the potential gaps in your workforce— people to switch jobs or tasks and
photocopier goes on vacation? tasks that only one or two people can evaluate how well they can perform
It may be a facetious example, but perform adequately. Also, determine the skill they’ve been cross-trained in.
it’s a real risk: When only one employee what level of training you want: Do If necessary, ask for a second round of
knows how to do something, you could you need employees to become training to get the new skill firmly
face real problems if he or she is expert, or just good enough to fill in established.
unavailable for any reason. temporarily? • Reward people. Express your
Cross-training your workforce can • Initiate training. Once you know appreciation both to trainers and to
prevent catastrophe. Follow these what knowledge and skills need to be learners. If you plan any kind of
guidelines: shared, work up a schedule so bonus or tangible reward, be sure
• M  ake the case. Employees may think employees can get started. Make sure they’re equal in value so neither side
you don’t trust them or you want to your employees are following feels less important to the cross-train-
replace them. Explain the reasons through; talk to trainers and trainees ing effort.
behind the need for cross-training so separately and cut through problems —Adapted from the Fistful of Talent blog
they see how it benefits everyone. and communication issues.

Techniques for managing better,

‘Boss, I want a raise’— one unique worker at a time
how to respond One secret of being an effective manager is to respect your
employees’ individual uniqueness. Some people work best on a
and decide yes or no team, others by themselves; some want feedback and encour-
agement, whereas others function at their best when they’re
Money isn’t the only factor in employee retention and autonomous.
engagement, but it’s high on the list. When an employ- Meet individually with your employees when they start
ee asks for a raise, what should you do? Whether it’s a working for you or when you take over a department. Ask
reasonable request or not, follow this advice: them what they hope to gain from working for your organiza-
 on’t respond immediately. Whatever your initial
• D tion, and how they believe they can contribute best. Observe
opinion on the matter, take some time to consider them to be sure they’re being honest, then do your best to give
the request seriously. You don’t want to appear them what they need.
impulsive to your employees. Remember that simply meeting with them and listening
 ook at the marketplace. Are your salaries competi-
• L to them will show your commitment to helping them do their
tive? If not, you’ll have a harder time retaining top best work.
performers, although intangibles like culture and —Adapted from the Denver Business Journal
career opportunities can help close the gap.
• C
 onsider your organization’s compensation
strategy. Do you give raises based on merit, seniority, Career enhancement:
hitting specific targets, or some other criteria? Your
decision needs to take precedent into account, Three quick methods
although that doesn’t necessarily mean following Career development doesn’t have to take a lot of time. If you
precedent as if it’s carved into stone. think only a lengthy training workshop will enhance your
 ook at your financial situation. Can you afford a
• L opportunities (or those of your employees), try these quick
raise? Don’t put your bottom line at risk, even if development tips:
you’re trying to retain a top performer. Consider non- • Ask someone from another department to explain his or
cash alternatives like recognition, extra vacation, or a her job to you. This will increase your overall knowledge of
flexible schedule. how your organization works.
 e honest. If the answer is no, explain why. If
• B • Go to lunch with your boss. Don’t talk about yourself—ask
performance is an issue, talk about what the employ- questions about how he or she sets priorities, solves prob-
ee needs to do in order to merit an increase. If lems, and handles the pressures of the job.
finances are the problem, tell the employee you’ll • Build a portfolio of your achievements. Highlight your
consider the request when circumstances improve. successful projects and key accomplishments. This can be a
—Adapted from the SFGate website useful tool for enhancing your career prospects.
—Adapted from the Berks & Beyond website
 The Manager’s Intelligence Report 3

Improve productivity:
Marginal performers? key factors to watch
Follow this action plan Certain workplace factors can have a
direct effect on employee performance
In Garrison Keillor’s fictional Lake Wobegone, all the children are above and productivity. Pay more attention to
average. But in the real-life workplace, you’re going to confront at least a few these areas, and you’ll have a workforce
employees who are consistently below average in their work performance. of effective, efficient employees:
What should you do? Don’t act in haste. Follow this strategy: • Expectations. What do you want
• Diagnose the problem. Review the employee’s background. Check his or employees to achieve? Be specific in
her job description, workload, training, and so forth. Has the employee terms of quality, quantity, timeliness,
advanced in his or her career up to this point? What external factors might and cost. Set up a system to measure
be affecting his or her performance? results and standards.
• Discuss expectations. Don’t attack the employee. Sit down for a calm • Policies and procedures. How is
conversation about his or her job and career. Explain what you’ve observed work organized in your department?
without criticism or judgment, and listen attentively to the employee’s Does the workflow system make
response. Look for solutions together. If training or coaching is needed, sense? Do employees have the tools
provide it. Set a timeline for improvement, and be clear about the benefits needed to succeed? What is the
of improvement and the consequences of failure. environment like? Are co-workers
• Document the discussion. Write up a report on your meeting and ask the supportive of one another?
employee to review and sign it. This protects both of you from confusion • Feedback. As manager, your job is to
and misunderstandings later. deliver timely feedback on whether
• Follow up. Employees want to know whether you’re serious about employees are meeting expectations.
improvement. The best way to show them is to check back on a regular Otherwise, employees have no sense
basis to review their progress. Be sure you have objective criteria to of how they’re performing.
evaluate: “Do a better job of ensuring quality” isn’t as effective as “Reduce • Incentives. Whatever rewards you
defects by 10 percent of their present level every week.” offer for good performance should be
• Reevaluate. If the employee improves, great. Maintain your level of consistent and tied to company
attention until you’re confident the problem won’t reappear. If not, you objectives. Try to offer frequent awards
may have to let the employee go. Be sure the employee knows that this is a and acts of recognition. These are
possibility, and keep him or her informed so dismissal doesn’t come as a much more effective than larger, but
surprise. more distant, ones (e.g., annual
—Adapted from the Apsley Recruitment website reviews).
—Adapted from Bottom Line/Business

CONNECTIONS
The No. 1 reason people leave an organization isn’t inadequate pay or benefits.
It’s the day-to-day relationship with their immediate superior.
John Putzier, founder of FirStep

Five habits to become a more effective leader

If you want to have a positive impact on • F ocus on income. Your organization industry and in the broader world.
your organization and your people, you can’t sustain itself for very long Keep in touch as frequently as you
can’t limit your daily activities to without revenue. When setting can: Meet for lunch or coffee, chat on
paperwork and meetings. Build your priorities and making decisions, the phone, or get together for a
leadership skills by practicing these concentrate on what’s most likely to brainstorming session whenever your
“exercises” every day on the job: benefit the bottom line. schedule permits.
• Visualize your goals. To achieve your • Cultivate personal development. • Believe in yourself. You can’t be an
objectives, you’ve got to keep them at Make learning a part of your day: effective leader unless you feel like
the front of your mind, not scribbled Talk to as many people as you can, one. That doesn’t mean adopting an
on a Post-it somewhere. Review your read widely, ask questions, and open arrogant persona, but don’t let doubts
goals every day. Look at them in three your mind to new perspectives. Go and worries get in the way of making
dimensions: short-term (what can you beyond what you already know, and decisions. Focus on what you’ve
do right now?); mid-term (where do expose yourself to new ideas. achieved, and maintain a healthy level
you want to be in three to six • Network with successful leaders. of self-confidence in order to keep
months?); and long-term (what’s the Cultivate relationships with people moving forward.
ultimate result you’re aiming for?). you can learn from, both inside your —Adapted from the Impact Factory website
4 The Manager’s Intelligence Report

Ask 6 crucial questions before launching change

Managing change is one of your most the rest of the organization to follow • Can you persuade people? You can’t
important and difficult tasks. The key is you. implement change all by yourself.
to be sure it’s necessary so you can • Do you have a plan? An idea isn’t a Sure, you can change a rule, but you
explain it persuasively to your work- plan. Before launching a change need your workforce to understand
force. Before rushing into anything, initiative, or even announcing it, and accept it in order to get results.
answer these critical questions: work up a detailed strategy for Be ready to offer evidence and stand
• Why change? Analyze the status quo getting to where you want to be. This up to objections, and work on your
thoroughly. Look beyond the will inspire confidence in the people communication skills so you can
symptoms to determine the root whose support you’ll need. bring people around to your side.
cause of the problem you want to • What might get in the way? • Do you have the resources? Employ-
address before deciding on a solution. Consider all the obstacles you might ees may need to be trained. You may
• Who agrees with the need to confront. You may not be able to need to purchase new equipment or
change? Look for evidence and anticipate everything, but you’ll be supplies. And everyone will take some
support from experts and other better prepared to deal with unex- time to adjust. Can you afford all
organizations. If you’re the only pected roadblocks if you’ve already this? Draw up a budget and timeline
person who sees the need for change, thought through your response to that make sense.
you’ll have a tough time persuading predictable problems. —Adapted from the Entrepreneur website

LEADERSHIP
Leadership—like motivation—is quicksilver and ephemeral.
It’s hard to define precisely but easy to recognize when you encounter it.
—Frank McNair, author of Golden Rules for Managers

Alignment: Ask employees to track their work

To set better goals, Want to stay on top of what your employees are doing? Need to make sure their
activities are aligned with your organization’s goals? Try asking them for a monthly
begin at the end progress report.
Like a road map, a well-defined Don’t make it a lengthy requirement, just a short document reviewing what
goal tells you where to go and how projects and tasks they’re working on, what they’ve accomplished since the
to get there. But without a specific previous work, and any training they’ve received—or they think need.
endpoint, a map is just a piece of Meet one on one to discuss the report and make adjustments as necessary.
paper that can send you anywhere. You’ll come away with a clearer view of your employees’ efforts and workload, and
Setting a goal is like unfolding a they’ll get a better sense of your priorities.
map—it’s a beginning, not a —Adapted from the True You Marketing website
destination.
Before you set any goals in your
workplace, clarify your organiza- What message is your body language sending?
tion’s strategic objectives. What does You can send a strong message to employees without uttering a single word. And it
your company want to accomplish may be the wrong message.
in the long term? Build your goals Make sure your body language doesn’t tell employees you’re not interested in
around these big-picture achieve- them. Three quick tips:
ments. • Look employees in the face. Even a slight turn when people are speaking can
Goals that support strategic indicate a lack of interest in what they’re saying.
objectives will make more sense to • Remove physical barriers. Any obstacle between you and the other person—a
your employees, leading to greater desk, a cubicle wall, etc.—can create a feeling of distance that interferes with
commitment and effort as everyone your rapport.
moves forward. • Lean forward. This expresses interest in what the other person is saying—as
—Adapted from the Birmingham long as you don’t invade his or her personal space. In most workplace situations,
Business Journal you’re best standing about 2-3 feet away.
—Adapted from the Dallas Business Journal
 The Manager’s Intelligence Report 5

Address poor performance with hard questions

The answer to employee performance • D oes the worker know how success • Do they have the proper training?
problems isn’t always complicated. is measured? Letting employees You can’t expect employees to success-
Sometimes it’s a matter of asking the know how results will be evaluated fully complete tasks they don’t know
right question. Here are some common allows them to monitor and adjust how to carry out. Ask them how they
reasons for poor performance: their efforts. plan to do the job, and provide
• Does the employee know what to • Have you explained the rules? adequate training on equipment and
do? This is basic, but vital. Explain Employees must understand proper procedures before they begin.
the requirements of the job or task procedures and restrictions, as well as • Do you show your appreciation? A
clearly so people know what’s why following them is important. paycheck isn’t sufficient if you want
expected. • Do they understand the conse- to earn an employee’s full commit-
• Do employees know why their tasks quences? Tell your workers how their ment. Be sure to thank employees for
are important? Tell them what their performance will affect them doing their jobs. They’ll remember
action is supposed to accomplish and personally. Clarify any incentives for your words when you assign new
how it affects customers, co-workers, success, and the possible penalties for tasks.
and your bottom line. poor performance. —Adapted from the Open Loops blog

How to keep your cool Walking the talk effectively:

How to practice MBWA
in moments of conflict Your management duties shouldn’t prevent you from
Many managers are understandably afraid of conflict at getting away from your desk and talking to your employees as
work. Although it can’t be eliminated, you can take steps to much as possible.
prevent it from spiraling out of control. “Management By Walking Around” can enhance your
Here are some tips for managing conflict so it doesn’t overall efforts to communicate and engage with your work-
become destructive: force.
• Identify your hot buttons. Often we overreact to conflict Just remember these caveats:
because of other factors: lack of sleep, frustration with • You may not agree with everything you hear. Don’t
technology, personal problems, etc. The more people punish people or get angry when they disagree with you, as
know what’s likely to trigger an outburst, the better they long as they do so respectfully.
can control and respond to stressful situations. • You’ve got to stay focused. One-on-one conversations
• Take responsibility. Don’t fall into the “he made me get show people you take them seriously. Don’t try to include
mad” game. Learn to assume responsibility for your own everyone in your informal talks.
responses to conflict. By controlling yourself, you’ll set an • Business isn’t everything. Don’t limit yourself to what’s
example for the people around you. going on around the office. Ask about families, activities,
• Focus on solutions. Instead of blaming other people or and anything else to show your interest in employees as
factors outside your control, start fixing the problem that’s individuals.
making you and other people upset. You’ll quickly forget —Adapted from the Washington Business Journal
your anger if you’re engaged in constructive action.
• Listen to others. Often we shut out other people when
we get angry. Teach yourself to take a deep breath and Deal with these concerns
consider what your employee, colleague, or boss is trying
to tell you. You’ll de-escalate the tension and move into a
on an employee’s first day
better mindset for solving the problem. When employees show up at your workplace on their first
• Watch your language. In the heat of the moment, we all day, they have a lot of questions. Three of the most important
say things we regret later. Don’t make problems for questions you have to address are:
yourself down the line. Avoid name-calling and foul • “Is my boss competent?”
language that can poison your relationships with people • “Can I trust this organization?”
whose cooperation you need. • “Do people here care about me?”
• Pace yourself. You may need a few moments to calm You may not be able to conclusively answer these
down. Ask for a break or offer to discuss the problem at questions on the employee’s first day, but you can address
a later time if you sense that you might lose control of them from the beginning and start winning the employee’s
your emotions. confidence and engagement.
—Adapted from the Memphis Business Journal —Adapted from the Cube Rules website
6 The Manager’s Intelligence Report

Mavericks at work: How to keep them in line

You’ve got a star performer who’s during feedback sessions. This trating on what they can get away
difficult to control. The advantages of eliminates excuses and may help with.
his or her high performance may be them set priorities better. • Introduce them to top manage-
obvious, but you can’t let even your best • Give them some freedom. Set ment. Mavericks may feel isolated
people ignore rules and do whatever reasonable boundaries, but don’t because they’re so focused on their
they want. micro-manage your mavericks. Give own success. Bring them into contact
Here are some suggestions for them as much autonomy as you can with upper-level managers and other
reining your mavericks in: in how they do their work—flexible key stakeholders so they better
• F eed their motivation. Discover scheduling, for example—as long as understand how their performance
what drives them, what they want to they adhere to the rules. reflects on the organization as a
accomplish in their careers. Offer • Help them grow. Often your best whole.
incentives that address their goals and people are the most ambitious, and • Give honest feedback. Top perform-
values to motivate positive behavior. they’ll grow bored and resentful if ers need feedback as much as any
• S et explicit expectations. Top they feel stuck in one role. Talk to other employee. Tell them what
performers may be so busy getting them about career opportunities and they’re doing well, but don’t neglect
things done that they’re not paying steer them toward conferences and areas that might be limiting them in
attention to what they should be seminars that will stimulate their their careers. They can’t change if
doing. Emphasize what’s required imagination so they’re not concen- nobody tells them why they should.

THE EDGE
So how do you gain advantage and truly stand out from the crowd?
The key is to forget about keeping up and set a new standard for yourself and your company.
—Daniel Burrus, technology forecaster

Ask these questions

Get more value from your day before finalizing
through thoughtful planning that promotion
Some people see moving up into
The secret of using your time efficiently is to be sure that every action you
management as the only way to
take supports your goals and job requirements. But this is usually easier said
advance in their careers.
than done. Instead of checking things off a to-do list, make sure each item on
But not everyone is cut out to be
your list is tied to one of your main goals. Follow these guidelines:
a manager.
1. Review your goals regularly. Each week, review your goals and link them
Before promoting a talented
to your activities for the week. This will help you stay on target.
employee to a management role, ask
2. Prioritize your efforts. Ask yourself whether each activity takes you closer
the person these questions and watch
to your goals. Prioritize tasks that contribute to those objectives.
his or her responses carefully:
3. Set deadlines for all critical activities. Then, do what’s necessary to meet
• “What do you enjoy about your job?
them. This will boost your self-esteem and establish your credibility.
Would you be disappointed if you
4. Plan your day in advance. Each day, plan your schedule for tomorrow to
weren’t doing that any more?”
support your goals. Remember to allow some flexibility to handle emergen-
• “You’ve seen what managers do every
cies and leave room to respond to last-minute changes. If you schedule
day—would you like to do those
your day too rigidly, you will create unnecessary additional stress when
things? Could you do them better?”
things go wrong and you have to juggle your plans.
• “Do you want to mentor and coach
5. Schedule creative or challenging activities for your peak hours. For
people?”
example, if you are a morning person, schedule a negotiation at 8 a.m. and
• “Can you hold people accountable?
return all your calls at 3 p.m.
Are you willing to fire or discipline
6. Do less. Spend your time doing those things that only you can do. Use
an employee?”
delegation to develop employees and help them grow so they can take on
Honest answers will tell you a lot
more responsibility. When you delegate, don’t follow the person around.
about the employee’s readiness for a
Define parameters, guidelines, and expectations, and then let the person
management position.
handle the task as he or she sees fit.
—Adapted from The New York Times
 The Manager’s Intelligence Report 7

Eliminate the roots

Don’t dither: A step-by-step of employee turnover
problem-solving formula Staff retention is always a concern for
managers. Even if you’ve got a healthy
In order to solve problems effectively, it’s important that your teams have a pipeline of recruits, interviewing and
formal system in place. hiring take time and energy. If you
Use the following process to solve problems, generate creative solutions, realize your organization is having
and evaluate whether those solutions are working: trouble retaining good people, examine
1. Identify the problem. What exactly is the problem you are trying to solve? these issues:
How does each member of the team see the problem? What is causing the • Are you hiring the right people?
problem? How would things change if the problem were solved? Look beyond the superficial. A
2. Generate alternative solutions. Tell your team to pretend that there are candidate may have gone to an Ivy
no constraints. What kind of solutions can you generate? List as many League school, or have worked for a
solutions as you can; at this point, there are no bad ideas. Fortune 50 firm, and still not be a
3. Establish objective criteria. What do you want the solution to accom- good fit for your culture.
plish? How will you measure whether it’s a success? • Are you describing the position
4. Decide on the solution that best fits the criteria. Take each alternative accurately? Analyze job descriptions
through the criteria, and figure out which one stands the best chance of and compare them with what
succeeding. Ask yourself whether this is the best solution possible. employees actually do, so new hires
5. Put the decision in place. What needs to be done in order for the don’t experience unwelcome surprises.
solution to happen? Who needs to do what? Assign tasks to people, and • Are you keeping your promises?
make them responsible for putting the solution in place. Don’t over-promise and under-deliver
6. Evaluate the solution. After a while, go back and examine the solution. Did it when it comes to things like advance-
solve the problem? Did it do everything it was supposed to do? Did it meet ment and salary reviews. Employees
each of the measurable criteria you laid out in the problem-solving meeting? who feel they’ve been misled won’t
stick around for more.
—Adapted from How to Lead Work Teams, by Fran Rees (Jossey-Bass)
—Adapted from the Small Business Online
Community website

For productive meetings, start with the conclusion

One reason many meetings fail to and outline expectations. It usually assignments to everyone as a follow-up.
accomplish their objectives is that takes about five to seven minutes to • Finish on time. In addition to
managers don’t know how to conclude conclude a one-hour meeting winning the respect and gratitude of
them. As a result, the meeting drags on effectively. everyone who attends, closing the
for too long, key points are forgotten, • Repeat key items. Even the best meeting on time forces everyone to
and no decisions are made and acted meetings are wasted if everyone leaves be sharp and stay focused on the
upon. For a big finale to your next with different ideas about what was agenda. The most unproductive
meeting, follow these guidelines: decided and who needs to do what by meetings are those that drag on and
• Leave enough time for review. If when. During the conclusion, write on, long after anything worthwhile
you are working from an agenda, down every action that needs to be has been accomplished.
build in time to review what has been taken as a result of the meeting; assign —Adapted from We’ve Got to Start Meeting
talked about, reiterate the action that each action to a person, with a specific Like This, by Roger K. Mosvick and Robert
needs to be taken, answer questions, deadline; and distribute copies of these B. Nelson (Park Avenue)

THE MANAGER’S
INTELLIGENCE REPORT
An insider’s fast track to better management

Published 12 times a year by Mark Ragan, CEO © 2010 Ragan Management Resources, a division
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8 The Manager’s Intelligence Report

Be an assertive manager—not an aggressive one

Successful managers are assertive. That the message that you don’t care about instructions, deadlines, and param-
doesn’t mean you have to be hostile or results and can reduce motivation in eters. Invite questions and schedule
authoritarian with your employees. You people who want to do a good job. progress reports so you stay on top of
just need to be firm about what you • Acknowledge good performance. how the employee is doing.
expect. Tell people when they’ve done a good • Connect employees with company
Here’s how to be assertive and job. This may seem obvious, but it’s objectives. You take your employer’s
effective: easy to forget in the rush to get things goals seriously; you should work to
• E stablish your role up front. Don’t done and move onto the next task. ensure that your employees do the
be afraid to tell employees what you Behavior that’s praised and rewarded same. Tell them how their work
need from them. They’re looking to tends to get repeated. affects their co-workers, customers,
you for direction, so give them a clear • Delegate with direction. You’ll need and the organization’s bottom line.
idea of your expectations as manager. to assign tasks to employees for two Let them know why their perfor-
• H old employees accountable. When reasons: to free up your own time and mance is important, and they’ll
you set expectations for your people, to help them develop important job understand your priorities better.
stick to them. Backing off will send skills. When you delegate, give clear —Adapted from the Articles Base website

ABUNDANCE
I believe people have tried to amputate the humanness from business.
When we’re abundant, make magic, and are real, we can still produce amazing results.
—Jill Blashack Strahan, founder of Tastefully Simple

Check—and confirm—expectations at work

Are your expectations clear to your employees—and vice versa? Try this exercise:
For each employee, list five major expectations you have. Then list what you
Motivate yourself
believe to be the five most important expectations they have of you. Ask each one in minutes a day
of your employees to do the same thing. One at a time, sit down with your Motivation doesn’t have to take a
employees and compare lists. You may be surprised by the discrepancies—and the lot of time. Try using some short
similarities. Dig deep to be sure you understand each other. For example, if your motivation exercises to stay
employee expects you to support him or her, ask what “support” means. focused on your goals. Here’s
At the end, you should have a better idea of what you expect from each other. how to do it:
—Adapted from the Larry Johnson Web site Every morning, spend two
minutes reviewing your goals and
going over what you can do that
How to ask employees to work overtime day to meet them.
Your employees already work hard. How are they likely to respond when you ask Every afternoon, spend
them to work overtime? another two minutes reviewing
You’ll get a better reaction if you keep them informed. Tell them what’s going what problems you have already
on before you request overtime. If they understand that a customer has just placed solved, which goals you have
a massive order, or a key employee is out sick, they’ll be more ready to pitch in. achieved, and what else you should
Show your appreciation for their extra effort, and be willing to join in and do before the end of the day.
help out to show you’re not above doing “real” work with them when necessary. Finally, spend two minutes
—Adapted from the Gaebler.com website at the end of every day reviewing
the goals you have achieved, and
setting up tomorrow’s goals.
Set time limits for better brainstorming sessions Done right, this may be the
A brainstorming meeting can generate lots of good ideas. You know the drill: Focus most productive six minutes you
on a single question, record every idea, quash criticism, and so on. spend all day.
One useful point to remember: Don’t go on too long. Most groups will run —Adapted from 1,001 Ways to Inspire
out of steam—and ideas—in about 15 minutes, and letting the meeting drag on Your Organization, Your Team, and
Yourself, by David E. Rye (Career
past that point won’t produce the good ideas you need. Press)
Call a halt and start evaluating ideas while people still have energy.
—Adapted from the Business First website