Blog
Guidelines for Managing People Remotely
In the midst of COVID-19, a lot of managers are now asking themselves: “How do I manage people working remotely?” First, don’t allow yourself to become so overwhelmed and distracted by the uncertainties—what you don’t know—that you lose sight of what you do know, and what you can control. Don’t become distracted and unavailable when…
Managing Through the Uncertainty of COVID-19
Simply put: all heck is breaking loose. We are all grappling with keeping our businesses and careers, not to mention ourselves, together through the uncertainty of this emerging COVID-19 Pandemic. How are you supposed to deal with such profound uncertainty, especially with so many people now quarantining in place, social distancing, and working so remotely…
When an Employee Has Personal Issues at Home, Focus on the Work
When it comes to managing attitude or personalities at work, the advice I always give is not to let it be a personal matter. Rather, make it all about the work and your working relationship. But what about when it really is a personal matter that’s causing the problem? When an employee has personal issues…
There Are Seven Myths Holding Managers Back
Managers today are under more pressure than ever. It keeps getting harder to manage people, retain the best talent, and develop new leaders. There are key areas of leadership with which many managers are struggling. Yet, the biggest thing getting in the way of most managers is their mindset. Common myths about leadership and management…
Why Is This Generation Gap Different?
With any new generational shift, there is always the hope that the new young upstarts will eventually wise up, settle down and, basically, conform. Anxieties arise as new generations come along with new attitudes and expectations. The current generational shift, however, is about more than the new butting up against the old. Let me put…
Be a Problem Solver, Not a Complainer
Problems are a part of everyday reality in every workplace. That’s true no matter where you work or who your colleagues are. Most of the time, you are probably dealing with problems someone else started. Are you going to be a problem solver, or a complainer? Often when I talk about being a problem solver,…
No, Your Superstars Don’t Want to Manage Themselves
How much of my management time should I spend on each member of my team? It’s a question many managers have asked themselves at some point. Should they spend more time with the low performers? The average performers? Should they split their time equally among everyone, regardless of performance? (The short answer to that last…
Empowered Alignment: The Leadership Wisdom of Anisa Telwar Kaicker
Speaking with Anisa Telwar Kaicker, one thing is immediately evident: she’s not comfortable with complacency. As Founder and CEO of Anisa International she has faced the challenges of both a growing business and an evolving leadership position. “I was always President of my company. It was many years later when I felt the comfort and…
How to Manage Performance for Creative Work
If performance management is all about driving continuous improvement in productivity and quality—and helping employees strike a balance toggling back and forth between speed and mindfulness—where does creative work fit into the puzzle? We know that creative work can be extremely valuable. But how can you possibly performance-manage creativity? How long should it take to…
Soft Skills: Teaching Personal Responsibility
When it comes to teaching personal responsibility, the key is shifting someone’s focus to the factors that are within their own control. Most often, when an employee struggles with personal responsibility, it is because they are unable to see beyond the factors that are outside their control. Of course, those outside factors will always be…