By Marcia Zidle on April 3, 2012
Research shows that most employees want feedback – they want to know how they’re doing – but many managers are doing a poor job of giving it to them. Why is that? Here are some reasons why managers avoid providing performance feedback: 1. Lack of know-how. Providing employees with honest and useful performance feedback is [...]
By Marcia Zidle on March 27, 2012
The saying that “people do not leave their jobs, they leave their bosses” is overused, but true. In employee exit surveys, the most frequent employee complaint is about their former supervisor’s communications skills—too little, too much, too ineffective. Poor communication does account for a multitude of workplace woes — including interpersonal conflict, wasted money and [...]
By Marcia Zidle on March 13, 2012
Are you aware of Tootsie Roll Pop Strategy of employee retention? Inside a tootsie roll pop is the chocolate core- that is, the wages and benefits. Yes, a competitive compensation package is important. But that gets people to show up for work but not necessarily to give their 100%. However, there is also the outer [...]
By Marcia Zidle on March 6, 2012
How much of money do you spend on hiring the right people and then waste by pouring cold water on their enthusiasm on that very first day? Almost all companies do an orientation for new hires but few pay much attention to them. Often workers come to work excited about the prospects of a new [...]
By Marcia Zidle on February 21, 2012
Our company is going through some hard times because of the economic uncertainty. We are tightening our belt and trying not to lay off our folks, but we may be forced to. How do we make the best of a bad time for our business? It is easier to be open with employees when the [...]
By Marcia Zidle on February 14, 2012
“I find myself trying to avoid those annual appraisals with my people. Much as I try to keep the meeting focused, we always seem to get side tracked and involved in personal stuff.” – Health Care Manager During a recent training on performance reviews, I asked managers when they experienced problems. Many said it was [...]
By Marcia Zidle on February 7, 2012
“I’ve taken over a project team and there are several problem employees. One spends more time socializing than doing her job. Another is making too many mistakes that slow down the team. How should I handle these problems as the new leader?” One of a leader’s toughest jobs is dealing with problem employees. The best course [...]
By Marcia Zidle on January 17, 2012
“Managers who coach their people become known as good managers to work for, developers of talent, and achievers of business results. They also become better leaders in the process.” Jack Welch, Former CEO General Electric Why Is Coaching Important? Good managers regularly keep their people and team informed about work performance so that they can [...]
By Marcia Zidle on December 13, 2011
As a manager, it is your job to ensure that the work gets done right, on time and on budget. If not, then you must correct the situation first coaching and then with discipline. That may seem to you a time-consuming, unpleasant task but it’s part of your responsibility as a manager. If you don’t, it [...]
By Marcia Zidle on December 6, 2011
“We thought we were doing a good job in communicating with our employees. However, a recent survey indicated that over 50% felt frustrated because they were not receiving the information they needed to do their job well.” When there is a communication gap between management and employees, it is usually due to: 1. Ineffective supervision. [...]