We are currently looking for an Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to "Management Skills". If you have expertise in Management Skills and your own website and/or product for this topic, please review this form for complete details. The Official Guide Position is part of our Premium Placement Package
Have you ever noticed how the question of "What is a strategy?" rarely comes up in the context of strategic planning? The word strategy is frequently used with the assumption that anyone involved in developing strategies knows exactly what a strategy is. It has been my experience that such an ... Views: 1839
8 Questions to Motivate Your Team to Reach the Next Level
by Paul Cherry
Her name was Cindy, but around the office, she was better known as "Solitaire Cindy." Whenever I walked by her desk, the Solitaire screen on her PC was running. Frankly, it bugged me. Why should Solitaire Cindy game ... Views: 1837
There are three mistakes that an organization should avoid in relation to the strategic planning process. This article describes what these three mistakes are and what you should do in order to ensure you will avoid them.
The first mistake to avoid in relation to strategic planning is not ... Views: 1834
Our 24×7 world has a rash … a rash of ASAP. It’s highly contagious and seems to strike from the top of the organizational chart and move down. Everyone has been afflicted by this rash and most have inflicted it on others.
By Any Other Name
Identifying the ASAP rash is not hard. Here is a ... Views: 1833
* This is a true story and names have been changed
Jason was the manager of a multi-million dollar hot tub business. In one of our VIP days we talked about him prioritizing his time in the morning so he could focus on the #1 priority for the business, which involved assembling some ... Views: 1821
Are you a master of doing it all, juggling priorities, constant meetings and email overload?
When I ask leaders what change they could make to become more effective, one of the most common responses is that they need to delegate more. They recognize the need to delegate most of what comes ... Views: 1819
Often, as leaders within an organization, you are asked to lead a team of people in a certain direction and you do so to the best of your abilities. But then, you get a call from the powers that be requesting that you change the direction your team is headed and to do it quickly. This can be a ... Views: 1808
We all have attended presentations. I’m sure you will agree most were terrible – boring, redundant, and/or visually offensive. I am guilty of giving a few myself. You too? To improve my knowledge base and skills, I started studying the product launches of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc. I then ... Views: 1792
Change is inevitable, but not many managers handle it well. One framework that is recommended for managing change is the "Bridges Transition Model."
It suggests that change and transition are two different things.
Change is a situation in which something transforms. Transition, in ... Views: 1791
If you run an office with a small (or large) support staff, you appreciate the value of good employee training. New employees may frequently ask questions, interrupting you or experienced coworkers, or worse yet they may waste time trying to figure out how to complete crucial tasks on their own. ... Views: 1790
Feedback is perhaps the single most powerful tool a leader has at his or her disposal to bring about significant improvement in levels of employee engagement and performance. Ken Blanchard wisely noted that "Feedback is the breakfast of champions."
The positive outcomes of giving effective ... Views: 1779
My friend Ted sells marine forklifts. He and his boss recently went to a marina to close a large transaction. Ted looked around the marina and said to the customer “I’m not going to sell you this lift.” Both Ted’s boss and his customer were stunned. He followed up with “You would really grow ... Views: 1776
Employees want to succeed in their work and you as their manager can guide them. To be successful as a manager, I would suggest that you focus more on the employee’s strengths than their weaknesses.
Since we tend to get more frustrated by what an employee is not doing, potentially we may ... Views: 1775
Let’s face it. Business school wasn’t the best preparation for managing a business unit.
For most of us, learning how to effectively lead a team comes from on-the-job training.
Whether you manage two assistants or a large department, coaching your team is a powerful path to success. When a ... Views: 1767
Achievement of any channel partner marketing program depends exclusively on the effectiveness as well as devotion of channel partners. You might be undertaking everything suitable for your business however if your channel partners are not that inspired you might still be lacking achieving ... Views: 1761
In business most ideas that never make it to completion die in the execution phase. Often this is because a simple plan was not in place from the beginning to insure that the pace of the project stays on track with the projected purpose and milestones. Below are six concrete steps that will ... Views: 1758
Introduction
What is a Constellation?
A constellation is an innovative way of diagnosing and resolving troubling issues. It draws on emotional intelligence and intuition as well as logical thought. A constellation provides insight and foresight by uncovering the hidden dynamics of a ... Views: 1756
It's critical in today's uncertain business climate to make no mistakes in interviewing and hiring new sales representatives for your company. Hiring managers are under more pressure than ever before to make the right decision the first time. Beyond the basics of conducting a great interview and ... Views: 1750
Employees are now judged by the way they multi-task. Does this means the more skills I have the better? Or should I focus on sharpening my skills rather than learning too many skills?
Multi-Tasking
Today's employers seek people with experience in diversified fields and skills in many areas. ... Views: 1749
Each week I travel the country speaking to groups of leaders at meetings and conferences. No matter where I go I’m asked the same question time and again by leaders ranging from frontline managers to CEOs , “How can I motivate my employees?” I’ve heard this question repeated thousands of times. ... Views: 1745
Anyone out there got the guts to do it? I mean, is anyone "brave" enough to create and lead a team of like-minded people towards the kind of exceptional business success that one only sees, if one is lucky, once in a career?
I've spent the last couple of weeks talking to and working with ... Views: 1743
Running a stress-free business seems to be something of a fantasy on the surface, but if you really delve into the idea, you will find out that it is completely possible to run a stress-free home business. A lot of this has to do with your own personality, needs, habits, and reactions to ... Views: 1742
According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, approximately 15 million people have learning disabilities in the United States. Specific Learning Disabilities has been defined as disorders that affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical ... Views: 1737
High-performing teams and organizations balance the discipline of systems, processes, and technology management on a base of effective people leadership. Here are some keys of the key distinctions between the two:
The Management-Leadership ... Views: 1730
Succeeding online
Although it might seem that running your business online is easier and there are less problems than in the traditional lines of business, this is often far from true. You will have to deal with many issues, and you need to make sure that you provide excellent service, ... Views: 1727
When I was in the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Power Program, I oversaw numerous High-Reliability Organizations. High-Reliability Organizations (HRO) are organizations which routinely operate and execute in high risk, dangerous environments, yet have very few safety incidents or mishaps. In my ... Views: 1726
Have you recently observed the steam coming out of the ears of a few women over forty? Not sure what’s up and what started it all? Let me clue you in. It’s a reaction to a just published McKinsey & Company report in conjunction (some would say cahoots) with The Wall Street Journal. In the spirit ... Views: 1723
If you want to stay out of debt, all you need to do is to practice some financial management skills. The bottom line of managing your finances is to help you live within your means. Given the debts being acquired left and right, this is a necessary lifestyle to have. But the question is, what ... Views: 1723
Women today continue to push to the forefront of small business. In fact, according to an article shown on AllBusiness.com, women-owned businesses make up one of the most dynamic sectors of the new national economy, with the majority of them growing at nearly twice the rate as other companies. ... Views: 1720
There are two universal truths about conflict: 1) everyone experiences it, and 2) no one really likes it. Conflict, at best, is a disagreement; at worst it can be intensely destructive. But can conflict also be a positive experience? I believe it can be a constructive – or even welcome – ... Views: 1718
Financial freedom is attained if you can implement proper financial management. In relation to that, proper management can be done through effective budgeting. So if you want to achieve financial freedom, you need to make sure that your budget works.
Unfortunately, not everyone is successful ... Views: 1714
5 Areas of Leadership
One day after the terrible bridge collapse in Minneapolis in the summer of 2007 I found myself traveling in a cab across a bridge in Seattle . While on the bridge, I noticed an adjoining LRT (Light Rapid Transit) bridge under construction. The cab driver mentioned that ... Views: 1713
Goals are clearly the targets of success. You, for sure, have your own goals, which may have already been achieved, are in the process of being achieved, or are still to be achieved.
But how about if you set goals for your kids, especially if they are already teenagers? Surely, teens would ... Views: 1710
Why Structured Tools and Procedures Give You Better Results
Supervisors require more than technical know-how to help employees perform better on the job. It’s rare for supervisors to be given the right tools to fix what’s broken. Then why is top management so surprised when so many employees ... Views: 1709
Many people work wildly, seeking to grow their networks. Besides the largest sites of LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, you can find many more that are dedicated to the subject, whether they are a smaller social networking site, a blog devoted to the topic, or simple product website that "helps" ... Views: 1707
Problems, Problems, Problems – Wouldn’t life be grand if we never had any problems. Everything would work perfectly, everyone would always get along and be happy, everything would be wonderful for everyone everywhere, and things would only get better as we live happily ever ... Views: 1705
First let me correct my title — I would prefer the phrasing, “Are you the boss people want to work with?” because “with” sends a message of partnership and collaboration rather the servitude. Let’s hope we’re past the later.
I’ve spent most of my career(s), be it in a corporate environment, ... Views: 1703
Successful organizations create projects that produce desired results in established time frames with assigned resources. As a result, businesses are increasingly driven to find individuals who can excel in a project-oriented environment.
A project is a temporary undertaking performed to ... Views: 1703
“A Sales manager’s job is to move sales people to do what works.” This is Part III of the key elements – “Move” (I), “Do” (II), and “What Works” (III)
A very wise sales guru once told me, “If a sales person is unruly, not conforming to policy, etc., but really selling well, keep him (or her) ... Views: 1703
There are many aspects to leadership that parallel the philosophies, concepts, and perspectives of Zen Buddhism. I don't profess to have a great depth of knowledge regarding Zen Buddhism, but from the insights I do have, I can see the application with respect to effective leadership.
The ... Views: 1702
Organisations depend on both management and their staff to become successful. Happy workers who enjoy their jobs and are rewarded for their efforts are most beneficial to the company, wanting to go that extra mile and work harder.
Happy, satisfied staff work better and are more attentive to ... Views: 1701
Relationships in differing contexts of our lives; love them, dread them, crave them, nurture them, run from them..... whatever you think of them, you relate!
Relationships are fundamental human interactions that exist on a daily basis, the results of which impact hugely upon how we feel about ... Views: 1700
A good measurement system always has key performance indicators or KPIs. And it follows that these KPIs are the main features of performance evaluation systems. This demonstrates how balanced scorecard systems and strategy maps rely on key performance indicators. And these indicators are often ... Views: 1699
Non-verbal communication, or body language, is an important part of presentation skills and how you gesture is an essential component of that body language. At the very least, your gestures should match your words and not distract the audience. And with a little practice, they can help you ... Views: 1698
Organizations must possess both formal and informal learning structures to adapt and thrive, and safety debriefing skills learned from a qualified consulting firm is just such a structure that is a necessity in any rapidly changing environment. Anyone who has not recognized the need for ... Views: 1697
Everywhere you turn today there are businesses, schools and even churches looking seriously at their “mission” in their chosen fields and the vision of success they foresee. People are also inundated in some form with the mission statements of new products, services, entrepreneurs and ... Views: 1696
We meet so many different people in the course of our work and our busy lives these days that it probably isn't surprising that it can be a struggle to remember them all.
Yet a sharp memory is a powerful tool in the workplace, and in our interactions with others we will often be judged by how ... Views: 1691
Six points have been recognized as the essence of good management. Keep these techniques in mind while developing a stronger working relationship with your employees.
1. An effective boss builds an atmosphere of open communication. Open communication is a major factor in employee satisfaction. ... Views: 1690
After working for the same software company for several years, a young professional moved 90 minutes away from the organization.
Instead of resigning or dealing with a grueling commute, she proposed that she could come into the office just one day a week, and work the rest of the time from ... Views: 1686
Cleaning business has long been around and there continually will probably be a demand for quality and professional cleaning services. People and businesses are ready to pay for cleaning service. The demand for your service is out there and what you need is a successful cleaning service business ... Views: 1682