Archive for the Leadership Category
5 Ways to Recognize and Utilize Talent
Editor’s note: This is a guest post Mike King of Learn This.
Talent is an interesting topic and one that is SO critical in the workforce. Talent makes the difference between the top performers poor performers. It can be cultivated and enhanced. Unfortunately the biggest problem is that talent is not always recognized by those who can see a use for it and individuals do not always see or even know how they can use it. Luckily sometimes talents are obvious and people do utilize them in their life and work, but more often than not, talent is lost because it is difficult to recognize. Here are 5 specific ways to recognize and utilize talent!
Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments »
A Letter that You Wish Your Boss Would Write
Editor’s note: This is a guest from Lisa H. (aka RunningBear) of Getting to Zen
What makes my boss so great is that he treats his employees like human beings and not like resources that are there just to help him achieve his goals. Although he is my manager, everything that I do for him feels collaborative (even my performance reviews).
As I was scouring the internet to increase my understanding of boss-employee relationships, I came across a hypothetical note a boss wrote to his employees. What I liked most about note was that it provided great insight on how to establish a good relationship with your boss from a boss’s perspective. I liked the idea so much that I decided to write one of my own.
Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments »
How to Improve Traditional Management Training
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Phil LeNir of CoachingOurselves.com. As many of you noticed I’ve been writing more from a personal view of careers and personal development. I published this piece on organizational development because anyone can apply these concepts to their business and life.
There are a lot of management development training programs out there. They help managers and employees to improve their skill sets and become better at what they do.
But what if there was a way to apply self-help concepts to the corporate world? What if managers could train each other, learn through discussions, and be inspired by stimulating material?
Keep reading to find out how we found ourselves doing exactly that.
Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment »
Performance Evaluations from Hell – and how to survive them
Almost Everything I Know about Performance Evaluations I learned in the School of Life
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Susan C.
Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, performance evaluations seem to be a fact of working life for employees of most companies or organizations. I don’t think I’ve ever actually met anyone who claims to love performance evaluations. I would guess that most people, including myself, have mixed feelings about the ordeal—an observation that seems to be borne out in the research literature on the subject. I have a friend who seems to loathe them and is convinced that not only are performance evaluations a waste of time, but they actually train people to be less–rather than more–creative, innovative, independent and productive. He’s not alone in his thinking. An increasing number of HR specialists are beginning to reach a similar conclusion. They argue that in its current format, the practice is more destructive than constructive, and is a holdover from earlier paternalistic ideologies about the relationship between employer and employee.
Read the rest of this entry »
14 Comments »
Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Evita of Evolving Beings
It seems that as technology expands forward, it is allowing more and more people the freedom to not be tied to a desk at their office any longer.
More and more people are either being approached by their company with an option to work remotely, such as from home, or are themselves suggesting the option to their company.
Read the rest of this entry »
19 Comments »
Freedom – Rehumanize Business Part 3
When a business stops trying to control their employees, the employees begin to feel free at work. This freedom will allow them to feel more comfortable and happy.
Let’s say you have 50 employees who each have 100 Facebook and 100 Twitter friends. That’s 10,000 people that your employees are interacting with. They are talking about you to their friends.
What are they really saying?
Employee Outreach
You should be encouraging your employees to talk about their company, but never force them to use social media. Your employees will share the company’s story with their friends when you treat your employees like the superstars that they are.
This is where freedom comes in. If your people feel that they are free to do what is best for them and the company, they will use this freedom to make both themselves and the company happy.
Read the rest of this entry »
8 Comments »
Unleash Employees’ Inner Creative Marketing Talents – Rehumanize Business Part 2
You may have read that title and thought, “What does my company’s marketing have to do with work happiness?”
A lot.
70% of business is transacted because your friend told you about a product or service. You probably own an iPod because your friends wouldn’t stop raving about their iPod. You trust your friends to recommend good stuff.
Zappos let’s their employees Twitter on the job. They trust their people to connect with the customer.
I love Zappos, not because they have every kind of shoe on the planet, but because they ship for free, have a 360 day return policy and pay for shipping back to the company if you want to return a purchase. Now that’s worth spreading.
People want to share stuff that makes them happy. It’s up to companies to encourage their people to share their story.
Read the rest of this entry »
6 Comments »
Rehumanize Business – Part 1
Too many businesses are worried about playing it safe. They don’t want to uncover the bad stuff that is happening in their business, so they look the other way instead. Human Resources is there to protect the company. Upper management only wants to know about positive sales figures.
Who can most employees turn to?
They don’t turn to anyone; they just leave.
I want to rehumanize (I borrowed the word from Chris Brogan) business so that people feel free to speak up. The only way business is going to become faster, more enjoyable and more profitable is if you have every person in your company and even your customers become a part of your marketing department. That means they tell their friends, family and their internet buddies that your products/services are awesome.
Read the rest of this entry »
20 Comments »
Why France Telecom Suicides Never Should Have Happened
You may have heard about the 24 employees at France Telecom who committed suicide because work was too stressful. I’ve been thinking a lot about this problem.
Many employees are afraid to speak up for fear of being fired or looked down upon by their peers.
France Telecom is going through a restructuring in order to stand out competitive communication industry. They are trying to trim the fat and fix the problems. This isn’t easy in France where demand for employee rights is very strong.
I was thinking about the times in the past when I was depressed and worn down by work. That’s why I quit that old job.
I really think people should quit instead of putting their lives at risk.
Read the rest of this entry »
4 Techniques to Help You Deal With a Difficult Boss
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Adrienne Carlson.
If life could be split into two general parts, work would take up one compartment and personal life the other. While we tend to put our personal relationships on a higher rung, work too is significant in the larger scheme of things because it puts food on our table and provides us with the money we need to lead a comfortable life.
So when your work life is not satisfactory, your personal life suffers too, because as much as we may try to keep the two like parallel lines that never meet, the fact is that they are like train tracks that tend to cross over and merge once in a while. So if you have the misfortune of working with a boss who is difficult, your work tensions may spill over into and ruin your personal life, which is why you must know how to deal with superiors who make your work life a heavy cross to bear.
A few ways to deal with a difficult boss are to:
Read the rest of this entry »
12 Comments »