The 2011 World Series clearly presented the differences between good and great managers. For every move Tony LaRussa made, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington had no answer. The stark differences in management skills between good and great managers are also readily apparent in the workplace. Legendary leadership guru Peter Drucker created several theories based on observation that defined great management skills. The Drucker Way on How to Be a Great Manager Drucker passed away in 2005, but his legacy endures in defining how to be a great manager. He maintained throughout his career and within the voluminous books that he wrote that leadership comprises only one-albeit, and important one-component of great management skills. Drucker never over-analyzed what made great managers. He predicted his theories on the axiom that successful managers demonstrated the professional skills to do things the right way. … [Read more...] about How to Be a Great Manager
Career Advice
A Guide on Self Assertion at Work
Self Assertion-the act of expressing or defending your rights, claims, or opinions in a confident or forceful way. Merriam-Webster has defined pretty much anything under the sun, including the sun. Self-assertion represents a recent entry into the venerable dictionary's ever growing list of words and terms that keep us not only informed, but also on the good side of diction. Yet, the definition of self-assertion by Merriam Webster doesn’t give us a road map on how to "self-assert" ourselves in the workplace. Outside of the bedroom, no other place has more importance for self-assertion than what takes place at work. Hence, we offer a guide on self-assertion at work. … [Read more...] about A Guide on Self Assertion at Work
How to Tell if a Coworker Likes You
The first time that we discovered that someone liked us took place within the walls of grammar school. As we dozed off during another trite lecture about American history, one of our classmates woke us up by shooting a spit wad directly into the middle of our forehead. The urge to retaliate immediately waned when we discovered that the reason for the spit wad was that the surly classmate wanted to pass us a note from a secret admirer. By the time we matured into our professional lives, we discovered countless other ways that secret admirers profess their interest in us that mean more than simply asking us out for a beer during happy hour. We now have like buttons on social media pages to remind us of our immense popularity. … [Read more...] about How to Tell if a Coworker Likes You
HOW TO HANDLE A HOT COWORKER
Employee handbooks provide the blueprint for learning how to handle virtually every type of situation that arises in the workplace. You learn how to confront sexual harassment, as well as the proper way to file employee grievances. Pay periods, work schedules, and workplace grooming also comprise part of the comprehensive employee handbook. You even learn how to move up in the company by reading the employee handbook. For all of its information, employee handbooks leave out one crucial topic: How to handle a hot coworker. Avoid Embarrassing Yourself Outside of a drool cup, there really isn't anything physical that helps you learn how to deal with a hot coworker. Science has not yet developed a tool that prevents your eyes from bugging out like one of Hanna Barbara's cartoon characters. Yet, you can take steps to avoid embarrassing your self around a hot coworker. First, when you notice the hot coworker strolling through the office, keep your head down and count to 10. No, … [Read more...] about HOW TO HANDLE A HOT COWORKER
How to Under Promise and Over Deliver
Under promise over deliver is the mantra of many a wise worker. Your boss storms into your small cubicle holding a large stack of paperwork. You know he's not making a trip to the recycling center, so you wait for the inevitable question. "Smith, I need these documents thoroughly researched. When do you think you can finish the job?" You have hit the moment of truth in the workplace, although the truth is not really what you're after. Your goal is to master an unspoken edict in the workplace, something so mysterious than Tony Robbins has never addressed the issue. Heck, Tony Robbins probably discourages how to under promise and over deliver. Well, at least we save money by not buying his motivational tapes. … [Read more...] about How to Under Promise and Over Deliver
Personal Management Skills
You spent another day motivating the troops to perform the same mundane tasks that they performed yesterday, and the yesterday before yesterday. In fact, you've perfected the art of managing your team to perform the same mundane tasks every day of the working year. Yet, something is missing from your management skills repertoire. You always seem to finish a project within minutes the deadline. Many of your co-workers think your communication skills go about as far as your email address. You organize your day about as well as Donald Trump organizes his hair. The bottom line at the end of the cliché-ridden day is that you successfully manage other people, but your personal management skills need marked improvement. … [Read more...] about Personal Management Skills
What Salary Should I Ask For?
The third and final interview excruciatingly winds down to the final question. You've survived mind numbing questions such as "Where do you plan to be in five years" and "Tell me about a boss that you enjoyed working for." First, in five years, I want to be the one asking the dumb questions. Second, you would call me a liar, if I made up a boss that I enjoyed working for. So, let's cut to the chase and ask the last question of the interview. What salary should I ask for? You can flawlessly answer every interview question and still screw up because of the all-important what salary should I ask for question. Like Goldilocks and the porridge, ask for too much money and find the exit door. Ask for too less than what the job pays and the hiring manager might view you as someone that's less than confident. You need to be proactive and follow four simple steps to ensure you get the final question right. … [Read more...] about What Salary Should I Ask For?
How Much Sleep Do Adults Need?
"I'll sleep when I'm dead." How many times have we heard this declaration of invincibility from a co-worker, friend, family member, or even the sleep-deprived demons that live restlessly in our heads? We live in a culture that celebrates the walking dead, the adults wandering around aimlessly throughout the day barely functioning on a few hours sleep. Regardless for the reasons that motivate people to eschew sleep, the fact remains that sleep represents just as much of a contributor to living a healthy life as diet and exercise. For our health, we need to ponder the answer to the question, "How much sleep do adults need." How Much Sleep is Enough for Adults? According to the highly respected National Institute of Health (NIH), the answer to "How much sleep do adults need" does not vary much among the adult population. You've heard co-workers justify two to three hours of sleep per night by exclaiming, "My body knows how much sleep it needs." Hectic work schedules and immense family … [Read more...] about How Much Sleep Do Adults Need?
Welcome to the Workforce, Generation Z
What is Generation Z, you may ask? Good question. Just know that the answer is still way up in the air. It is an enigma, wrapped in a puzzle, launched on an app, seen on an Apple Watch and eventually will be livestreamed directly into an Oculus Rift. Is that enough buzzwords for you? Well, the modern office is going to be looking at you, Generation Z members, to make sense of all these concepts and integrate them smoothly into our economy. Basically, if you were born from the late 90s , you could be looking at membership in Generation Z. Late Millenialish, but the constant immersion into online life and the explosion of tech since your birth means that you have very little experience with the analog world that used to exist. What can you expect from the workplace? Oh, nothin’ much, just all your bosses and their bosses looking to you for salvation. Someone needs to come up with the innovations that will make the Internet of Things work, create new streams of revenue that rival what … [Read more...] about Welcome to the Workforce, Generation Z
Learn Everything About Text Etiquette At Work in 2015
Put that phone down and read these rules of text etiquette at work! With the lines between personal life and work blurring all the time, chances are you are using your smartphone at your desk. In fact, chances are you are texting your buddies about meeting up for drinks at happy hour. But you need to know how to handle texting relationships with your boss, colleagues and others in your professional orbit. This is not your group text with your buddies from college. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, keep your romantic texting as far away from this environment as possible. In fact, keep all your romantic aspirations out of the workplace. Now, onto the new normal of texting. … [Read more...] about Learn Everything About Text Etiquette At Work in 2015