Ways to boost employee morale

• March 31, 2006

Question: First of all, let me thank all of those who have given me advice in the past. My frustrations have finally been solved. All this time, I thought no one cared...

5 warning signs of performance-review problems

• March 01, 2005

Job reviews shouldn’t be paper-moving programs that return zero value. Here are five symptoms that warn of trouble in a supervisor’s appraisal process,...

Promise discretion, not confidentiality

• November 01, 2001

An employee wants to confess wrongdoing or alert you to sensitive personnel or safety matters. But before opening up, the worker asks, “Can you keep this...

Speed up slow employees

• June 01, 2001

When you hire people, it’s almost impossible to tell how quickly they work.

Submerge your disdain for co-workers

• April 01, 2001

We all have to work with people we don’t like. While some of us grin and bear it, others implode, seethe or turn caustic.

Secrets of motivating laggards

• March 01, 2001

Turning slugs into gung-ho workers often calls for a less-is-more strategy.

See through smooth talkers

• September 01, 2000

New managers often regard the most talkative, confident employees as the most intelligent members of the team. That can be a faulty assumption.

Use ‘expectations list’ when you delegate

• July 01, 2000

When dishing out assignments, don’t just explain the job and walk away.

Rephrase objections as polite questions

• November 01, 1998

If an employee refuses to do work or argues with you, resist the urge to fight back by declaring “that’s unacceptable” or “you better...

Managing the subversive subordinate

• October 01, 1998

Sometimes the most seemingly harmless, pliant employees can surprise you. You may think you can rely on them to mean what they say. Then you get burned.

How to nag without nagging

• June 01, 1998

No one likes having to nag their employees. But if you have justifiable reasons to doubt whether your instructions will be followed, then silently hoping your employees...

Managing a ‘Nervous Nellie’

• August 01, 1997

Trying to encourage your staff to do their best gets harder if one of them is always expecting the worst.