Supervising

Keep a remote team on the same page

June 11, 2013 Categorized in: SupervisingTeamwork

If your team isn’t sitting in the same office or even the same state, you may need some new management prac­­tices to keep things running smoothly. Try these tips from Travefy co-founder David Donner Chait.
If your job squares with the Pareto Principle, 80 percent of the results come from 20 percent of your work. So, you’re probably investing much of your time on assignments that yield little return.

Is your team ideal?

March 20, 2013 Categorized in: Featured ArticleSupervisingTeamwork

More is definitely not merrier when it comes to the ideal team. That’s according to researchers who study well-functioning ones.

Leadership is a mindset

February 8, 2013 Categorized in: Personal DevelopmentSupervising

Mastering leadership is about learning to be your true self and living that way all the time. So how can you cultivate leadership habits into your job and personal life, and make them important?
It’s hard to be a boss for the first time, but Dan McCarthy, the director of Executive Development Pro­­grams at the University of New Hamp­­shire, has some tips to help you out.

First-time manager: Start by learning

November 9, 2012 Categorized in: Supervising

When you start your first job as a manager, don’t rush in and begin changing everything. Instead, get in learning mode, writes Dorothy Tannahill-Moran.

Learn to delegate more effectively

October 5, 2012 Categorized in: SupervisingTeamwork

It can be hard to give up control of a project and trust that your team members will get the work done and do a great job. But you can’t do it all, and if you try, you probably won’t do very well and will likely alienate your people in the process. Tips to delegate effectively:

Motivate with the right phrase

June 29, 2012 Categorized in: Supervising

Your word choice influences whether people warm up to you, put up a fight or ignore you. Notice the difference between the following lively phrases and their uninspiring counterparts.

Follow this Rx to ease the trauma

April 3, 2012 Categorized in: Supervising

When you have to deliver bad news to someone, follow this protocol that medical doctors use to tell patients about dire prognoses:

Everybody learns every way

March 19, 2012 Categorized in: Supervising

Forget the theory about “learning styles.” Instead, mix things up when you teach or coach.
From time to time, people who report to you will bring you problems created by a decision that you made. They may appear exasperated by the pickle you put them in. Your response, in all cases, should be a good-natured invitation for the two of you to go have a look. Use these exact words: “Let’s go see!”
If you’re in a supervisory position, don’t wait until it’s time for a formal performance review to dish out the positive words. Here are six guidelines for effective praising, from Bob Nelson, author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees:
Should you really have to say something twice to get someone to follow through? The most effective managers repeat themselves at least once, ­according to Harvard researchers. Some even send three or four redundant communications.