By Marcia Zidle on May 15, 2012
Rather, the team or project leader functions like a coach who recognizes special talents in people and, at the same time, gets them to work together toward a common goal. The following steps will help you select a cohesive team and set it in the right direction. 1. Evaluate team candidates. You may be called [...]
By Marcia Zidle on May 8, 2012
Teams, teams, teams. Whether you love-em or loathe-em, you’ll have to learn to live, not only with them, but within them. You leadership will depend on it. Here are five strategies for building and nurturing a winning team on the football field and in the workplace. 1. Manage by adultery. It’s a term coined by Chaparrel Steel to [...]
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 November 15, 2011
“I’ve fallen into this trap too many times. In my mind, I tell myself if I’m busy, I’m adding value. The reality is that we can be busy about the wrong things. And, if we don’t discipline our lives, we’ll find ourselves investing a lot of our time with little impact.” Some leaders have this [...]
By Marcia Zidle on November 1, 2011
“I hate meetings…they are a waste of time. We just talk, talk, talk…nothings gets done!” Are you in charge of leading meetings? If so, what are your meetings like? Does real work gets done or is it just talk, talk, talk? Here are the top three questions that I’m frequently asked by team and project [...]
By Marcia Zidle on October 18, 2011
Winning teams aren’t created by accident. Rather, the team leaders or manager functions like a coach who recognizes special talents in people and gets them to work together toward a common goal. The following three steps will help you build a winning team and set it in the right direction. 1. Select the right team members. You may be called upon to [...]
By Marcia Zidle on July 26, 2011
How do you supervise people who are more experienced than you? Many years ago I coached Kevin, a young manager who had just taken the reins of the facilities department of a major university. At his first staff meeting, with his much senior supervisors, he said: “As your manager, I’m here to help you be successful. [...]
By Marcia Zidle on July 5, 2011
Have you made decisions that seemed right at the time, but did not turn out the way you expected? In a coaching session with a manager, who was dealing with a setback, I asked what did she learn? She answered honestly and with some regret: “I wanted it to happen so badly that I didn’t [...]
By Marcia Zidle on April 26, 2011
Do you put off dealing with employee performance problems? Many managers struggle with their reluctance to deal with an employee regarding poor performance or inappropriate behavior. Here are some concerns I’ve heard: “I don’t want to rock the boat, especially when the employee is performing the function even if not up to expectations.” “Correcting an [...]
By Carter McNamara on April 23, 2011
Everyone in management has gone through the transition from individual contributor to manager. Each person finds his/her own way to “survive.” The following guidelines will help you to keep your perspective and your health. 1. Monitor your work hours. The first visible, undeniable sign that things are out of hand is that you are working [...]