Stop Managing People, Step 2. Reconsider Those 1:1 Meetings

Private conversations are useful in the workplace for some things, like hiring or re-positioning someone. But performance conversations – agreements for what people will deliver – are best done by the group. It builds teams, increases integrity, and improves “delivery performance”.

Stop Managing People, Step 1

People pay attention to people – and make lots of assessments and judgments. That’s natural. But it maybe not the best way for a manager to support high performance or reach an organization’s goals.

This Middle Manager is Between a Rock and a Hard Place

When your Boss is not paying attention to what you need, and you are managing a group of people who want to become a team, what do you do? Claire paved the way.

Emotional Intelligence and Workplace Performance (Two Very Different Things)

Workplace performance sometimes needs to be addressed more specifically, to clarify what you really want people to produce. Separating performance from personality might create the space for greater understanding of what performance means in your particular workplace.

Why Executives are Cautious about Implementing Change

We wonder why executives don’t leap at the chance to make “changes for the better” in their organizations. Here’s a thought: you’re not changing one thing – you’re changing a network. Put on the kid gloves.

Even if We Aren’t “Managers”, Most of Us Need to Manage THIS

Chuck, a maintenance guy, did some work for us the other day and we got talking about how he scheduled his job appointments. Since he was both friendly and skilled at his work, he had a few spare minutes to let me know the secrets of managing a contractor’s calendar. “It’s all about how I keep […]

Is Management a Soft Skill?

Beth, the head of Human Resources in a law firm, was talking with me about the problem of management in an organization full of lawyers. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to criticize her attorney co-workers. “They know the law”, Beth said, “but do they know how to be a manager?” Good question. This is […]

Productive Communication Works!

A woman who had been waiting for an executive in another department to make a budget decision finally stopped waiting and… communicated productively. Good work, Kelly!

Talking About “Performance” – But Which Kind of Performance?

Don’t just assume your Boss(es) want one kind of work from you. Three kinds of performance – Doing, Done, and Delivered – deserve to be clarified.

Is Resistance a Useful Response to Change? Yes and No.

Resistance to change – or to anything – is only effective if you focus on producing a specific intended result + talk about it with people who can alter the path toward accomplishing it. Otherwise, take a deep breath and let it go.