August 2011

Aug 30 2011

Layoffs are Coming- Are You Prepared to Manage Through Them?

 

The economy is still in the tank, the unemployment rate isn’t improving, companies from Borders to Bank of America are laying off by the thousands. And this is the good news.

The bad news is that if you’re one of the managers that survive, you may have the job of telling someone they are no longer needed.  And since your company most likely chose not to outsource this task ala “Up in the Air”, what do you do?

 

comment
Aug 26 2011

Ready for Anything?

As I looked at my appointment calendar this week, I didn't have an earthquake and a hurricane on my to-do list, but I certainly had to deal with the aftermath, or shock, of one and the preparations for the other. Mother Nature is just one of the business disruptions that life throws at you. How do you keep your employees focused when a major event occurs?

comment
Aug 24 2011

Hiring the Right Person- How Many People Does it Really Take?

Hiring the right person may be the most important job you have as a manager. So you need to get it right.  That’s why so many companies spend so much money and use tools like Situational Interviews, Personality Tests, and even IQ tests.

But in my experience, nothing replaces your gut.  Here’s what happened the one time I failed to listen to it.

 

comment
Aug 22 2011

Vacations aren't Optional: 5 Reasons You Should Force Your Employees to Take Time Off.

Let's face it, its already August, vacation time is running out and you’ve still got someone who hasn’t taken a day off since  Christmas. What ‘s wrong with that you ask? Let me tell you what happened to Susan. Susan went over  a year taking only a Friday off here and there. The end result:

comment
Aug 19 2011

Can you Over Communicate in Tough Times?

A recent Wall Street Journal article, Memo to Staff - Don't Panic by Joe Light, cited examples of how some  CEOs are communicating to their staff in these tough economic times.  As I read, I reflected on my experiences managing teams through five mergers and three recessions.  Though those weren’t good times, I learned some valuable lessons.

 

comment
Aug 17 2011

Lessons from the Management Trenches

In this interview Co-Founder of Manage Fearlessly, Cindy Flanders, shares some brief lessons learned from her first foray into management.

Do you know someone that has a management lesson to share?  Perhaps they have managed in unusual or extreme situations, or have the reputation as the person to work for?  Drop us a line with your suggestions at cindyandlaura@managefearlessly.com.  As always, we love to hear from you!

Interview with Cindy

comment
Aug 15 2011

Five Management Lessons from Reality TV

I know there are TV snobs out there that refuse to watch Reality TV.  I’m not one of them. Although I do draw the line at shows like the Jersey Shore or Real Housewives, I can see some great lessons for managers from shows like Amazing Race, Survivor or even Big Brother. Here goes...

 

 

 

 

comment

randomness