People Skills
Question: I just got handed the job of temporary admin team supervisor while they hire someone new—which will take several months. How do you step into a boss’s role knowing your authority is so wafer-thin and temporary?
“Here’s the dirty little secret about motivation you need to know,” writes Alain Hunkins in Cracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders. “You can’t really motivate anyone else.”
It truly is a special skill to support and partner with an executive. It is not an easy role, and it is not for the faint hearted. It takes grit, resiliency, street smarts, tenacity and agility.
Do you consider yourself an extrovert? An introvert? Do you think that an introvert can be a successful leader? The assumption is usually that leaders are more often extroverts—at least the successful ones. Recent research has suggested that introverts, with their higher capacity for empathy and thoughtfulness, actually make better leaders.
If a decision is important and risky, it should be controversial. Every organization needs a healthy atmosphere for dissent if it wants innovation and commitment.
Confrontations can be stressful, and the workplace is one place where they’re sure to crop up. If you find yourself in a position to address an issue with a co-worker, keep these strategies in mind to maximize the chances of successful communication.
Leading change is difficult, and it calls for a specific set of strengths and skills from a manager. Focus on these key tasks to make substantive change happen.
Managers have a lot on their plates, which can prevent them from getting back to you about your project in a timely manner. Here are C+A+O, the three elements to any decision you should remember when writing emails to your boss.
Coaching is a cooperative process. You and the employee work together, but you take the lead in helping the employee learn how to improve and grow. Here are three strategies to remember.
A negotiation isn’t an argument—or it shouldn’t be. Whether you’re trying to hammer out a deal with a job candidate, a customer, or your own boss, try using these simple strategies to clarify what you both want so you can come to a mutually satisfying agreement.
Office conflicts don’t have to be destructive. For example, imagine that two employees disagree over the best way to complete a task or solve a problem, can’t resolve their quarrel, and dump it in your lap. To help these two get back to work quickly, try this approach.
Hiring the right person is a time-consuming process, and you don’t want to waste an interview on a candidate who’s not going to be a good fit for the job, or your organization. Bad hires aren’t always obvious, though. Here are some danger signs to watch out for as you consider candidates before and during the interview.
Question: I was recently promoted over some teammates who are also quite good at their jobs. In my new position, I have to work alongside these individuals on a variety of projects. Two of them are clearly envious of me, and as a result, they’re not very cooperative. What can I do to ensure their cooperation?
