Supervising

Heading a committee or leading a project team is quite a job to begin with. When the group’s work gets heavy or complicated enough that you have to appoint subcommittees to handle specific areas or tasks, your job can become even tougher. These four tactics should help.

Running a department or business is a serious endeavor. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a sense of humor.

Yes, you can order your employees to do what you want, but you’ll get better results by persuading them that you know what you’re talking about. Persuasion is a skill that can be developed with practice. Here are four tips.

Even the best leaders make mistakes from time to time. What makes them stand apart is a willingness to face up to their flaws and correct them. Take a good look at your performance, and guard against these shortsighted errors.

One of your employees has done something wrong. Before you call him or her on the carpet, ask yourself these questions.

Most managers don’t spend a lot of time on discipline, so it’s no wonder that many of them aren’t very good at it. Correcting mistakes and misbehavior is part of the job, though. Learn to avoid these pitfalls.

It’s not simply what you offer in the way of money and position that affects your hiring success rate. How you behave as an interviewer also carries great weight. Take note of these interviewer behaviors that applicants are very aware of—and don’t like.

Conflicts at work may be inevitable, but they don’t have to be destructive. Remember this advice for keeping disagreements between employees from spiraling out of control.

Empowerment isn’t about “giving” power to employees, but removing obstacles that prevent them from using the power and skills they already possess. As a leader, remember that empowerment works best when you eliminate these barriers to success.

We usually judge employees’ work by the traditional standards—quality of work and amount done. However, since no employee works in a vacuum, add these factors to your evaluations to create a more accurate picture of a worker’s contribution to your group.

Your younger workers will sometimes offer ideas that really aren’t that good. But you should never shoot down the employees who bring them. Their willingness to take risks is priceless.

Management is about getting results through people’s efforts. That means effective communication is essential. Here’s what to do.