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Training Through Delegating
It’s generally easier to do something yourself than to hand it off to someone else to do – particularly if you’ve been doing the task well for a long time and you’re a Type A personality. But if you don’t learn to delegate, Cheryl Gray says, the people under you won’t grow.
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Tapping Into Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivators – such as pay and benefits – can motivate people for a short while. But over the long haul, shares Stephen Harding, it’s the intrinsic motivators that keep employees engaged, growing, and productive.
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Managing by Walking Behind Them
The best managers are those who create opportunities for those under them to succeed, says Stephen Harding. Here he explains how managers function most effectively.
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The Role of Ambition
Great managers have high ambitions, perseverance, high purpose, are wary of hubris, and know when it’s time to leave.
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Becoming A More Effective Delegator
You don't get better by delegating more—you get better by delegating more effectively. That means talking with employees about their responsibilities and yours.
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Treat Mistakes as Opportunities to Increase Loyalty
When managers handle mistakes by putting others' interests before their own, they create opportunities to build customer and employee loyalty.
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What Makes Great Performers Great
All the world’s great performers engage in “deliberate practice."
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Assessing the Value of Your Employees
Employee value equals current performance plus future potential minus emotional expensiveness. Weigh emotional expensiveness three times.
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Do You have Any Questions?
Typically, when you tell someone to do something, you end by asking, “Do you have any questions?” and they say “No.” Instead, ask, “What are you going to do first?” or, “What am I expecting?” Also, break long assignments into pieces with short deadlines.
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Establishing Personal Connections Remotely
Most senior executives don’t know the personal agendas of key stakeholders. You won’t learn those agendas by asking. To open up a personal agenda you must invest time in a long-term relationship. It works both ways; you must share your own personal agenda.
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First-Time Managers
Becoming a manager for the first time is a major developmental change in your career and your personal life.
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Managing Uncertainty
Everyone manages in uncertainty, and the best weapon of defense is the ability to adapt.
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Delegating
Delegate to team members according to their capabilities, with checkpoints and milestones. Define what needs to be done, but not how. Depending on his or her experience, let the team member bring you a recommendation, options, or baseline information.
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Managing a Virtual or Matrix Team
Managing a virtual or matrix team is becoming more common, but the basic principles still apply.
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When People Will Change
People will change behavior when they are offered new information that resonates with them—helps them connect the dots— AND they perceive a 51 percent chance that change will more them forward AND they feel supported or prepared to make the change.
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Delegation: Use the Wince Conversation
When you delegate, ask the person to explain back what they will do, and how they want you to be if they go off track and you need to step in. Then repeat what they say. This makes it easier for you to confront people when they do go off track. You wince and remind them.
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Performance Reviews: Focus on the Future
Reviewers and people reviewed both dread performance reviews. Focus on the future, not the past. Describe the results you want to see on the next review that will make you look good to your boss, and hence encourage you to reward the employee.
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Engaging Virtual Employees
Ensure that there is two-way feedback in real time. Encourage others to say what they’re thinking. Be sure you’re getting input from people who work with the employee. Have frequent check-ins. Hold two-way video meetings if you can’t meet face to face.
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Get the Right Talent in the Right Job
A promotion isn’t a reward if it doesn’t allow a person to succeed. Finding the right talent for the right job, explains Vivek Badrinath, can lead to some difficult decisions.
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From Me to We
An important lesson as an emerging leader was his move from team member, where he was responsible only for himself, to manager, where he could no longer do it all himself. He remembers exactly when and where his boss explained the importance of enabling others.
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How to Identify Fixed and Growth Mindsets
Does the person talk about who’s smart? Who’s passionate? Does he or she worry about mistakes? Is the person defensive about suggestions for improvement, or eager to improve? Answers indicate whether he or she has a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.
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The Importance of Pushing For Introverts
Jennifer Kahnweiler tells of an introvert who pushed outside his comfort zone by signing up for an online course on public speaking. Any step, however small, an introvert takes to live in the world of extroverts is a good step.
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The Happiness Advantage
Happiness and success are correlated better than smoking and cancer. To provide connections and happiness in virtual teams, use visits, videoconferences and phone calls; find something outside work that connects the team; and link members to a larger goal.
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Delegation Equals Freedom
Because women are taught that they can do everything themselves, they often don't want to delegate. What they may not realize, however, is that delegation gives them the support they need.
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Uncovering Bias in Your Management Style
Detjen explains the four types of biases in management that can hold women back professionally.
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How to Delegate
Managers need to learn to delegate, otherwise they never have time to think strategically.
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Accountability in Management
Managers are ultimately responsible for the performance and results of their units.
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The Leader in the Locker Room
The leader in the locker room is the person promoted to a management position who still thinks he or she must do all the work. Instead, managers must learn to select, coach, and develop the team. These are different skills. Then prepare for the next higher level.
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How to Increase Productivity in Virtual Teams
Research shows that it’s important for virtual teams to have initial face-to-face contact. That builds “transactive memory systems.”
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To Help Others, Start with Yourself
Marshall Goldsmith explains the importance of modeling key behaviors.
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Leading Effectively in a Virtual Environment
First, be aware of how you come across. What’s your virtual personality? Second, choose media that make it easy to work collaboratively. Third, make sure everyone understands the purpose and principles, and what success looks like. Have them explain it back to you.
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Common Mistakes of Nontechnical Stakeholders
Build a genuine relationship with engineering teams by understanding three common errors nontechnical stakeholders are guilty of when interacting with agile software teams.
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Delegate Responsibility In Order To Move With Speed
Robert Herbold shares how to effectively delegate responsibility in order to achieve aggressive goals and become a market leader, a lesson he learned at Microsoft.
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Admit That You’re a Micromanager and Kick the Habit
Micromanaging might feel good, but letting go yields stronger, smarter employees and better results.
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Raising Performance and Collaboration in Virtual Teams
Virtual teams are more likely to be successful if they have a great task, and can meet face-to-face or through video technology from time to time.
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Managing According to the Platinum Rule
When it comes to managing, trade in the golden rule for the platinum rule.
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Managing for People Who Hate Managing
The one rule of good management is to be true to who you are. If you are a thinker, lead with your head; if you are a feeler, lead with your heart.
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Delegate: Give the What and the Why
Effective delegation requires not only delegating to the best person for the work but also ensuring that person understands the importance of the work and your expectations.
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Performance Management Requires Clear Expectations
Management of poor performance starts with respect, honesty, and clear expectations.
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Managing Virtual Teams
Getting to know individuals better, following up on promises, and structuring conference calls are the necessities of managing virtual teams.
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Building Teams in a Virtual or Matrixed World
To work effectively across cities, continents, or dotted lines, build cohesiveness and trust when we're together, pay attention on conference calls, and be realistic about what can be accomplished.
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Advice to New Managers Moving Up in the Organization
Do your own job well, but also understand what other people around you do.
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Face-to-Face Versus Virtual Management
Leaders who switch from face-to-face meetings to virtual meetings can’t see the behaviors that indicate people are disengaged, such as the sound of someone typing on their laptop. Leaders should discuss with their team the rules that apply during meetings.
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Working In Virtual Teams
Allan Cohen discusses ways to work on virtual teams.
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Focus on the Positive: Let Go of Fixing Problems and Embrace Opportunities
When mistakes are made, cut your losses, focus on the positive, and move on.
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Goal Attainment: Getting to Performance
Everyone should agree on a goal at the beginning of the year, track individual performance toward that goal every week or so during the year, and conduct fact-based discussions at the end of the year about why or why not the goal was met.
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On Becoming a New Manager
Being elevated into a management position is great, but it can also be challenging and a bit scary. Anne Riches explains some of the keys to making a successful transition into management.
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Advice for New Managers
New managers face a huge task in leading their team and overcoming myriad challenges. Mike Jossi shares what has worked well for him over the years in his management positions.
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Leading a Virtual Collaborative Team
Collaboration is based on trust. Invest time for team members to get to know each other virtually or, better, in person.
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Managing Former Peers
Individuals who are promoted into a role over their former peers have specific challenges to address.
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The Role of a New Manager
As a manager, your job is to give your team what it needs to succeed. Alisa Cohn explains where to put your focus.
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Remember ASKART before Assigning People
If you know a person’s Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge (ASK), you know what Activities, Roles, and Tasks (ART) you can assign to that person where he or she can succeed.
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How to Delegate Tasks and Empower Others
Do you really understand how to empower your team? Liz Wiseman explains how to relinquish control and let others take over.
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When Employees Don't Meet Expectations
“Redirecting feedback” is painful, but part of a leader’s job and best for both parties. Signal that the situation is serious. Describe the effect of their performance on the organization. Ask for their perspective. Agree on the current reality and how to resolve it.
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Delegating As Development
Ask your colleagues if they would like to do some of the things you’re doing. For every project you pick up, ask if you really need to it, or whether someone at the next level could benefit from the opportunity. Think of delegation as a development process.
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Ditch 'Sticky Fingers' to Stretch Your Talent
Some managers insist on doing most of the work themselves, because they like doing it or don’t trust their team or can do it faster themselves. Managers who do too much may lose high-potential talent on their team. Develop your people. Take some risks. Let go.
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The Hunt for Pink Elephants
A pink elephant is an issue that blocks team progress. Examples include members who don’t get along privately, reluctance to challenge a leader because they are emotionally attached to an idea, and failure to confront a member who acts up negatively with bad behaviors in public. On high performance team, pink elephants are named and addressed. Clarify the issue, prioritize it, and take action.
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Keys to Effective Delegation
Delegate results, not methods or tasks. Explain the context and what the outcome should be, but not how to get there. Agree on resources and a general approach. Then ask how they feel about it. Agree on how and how often you will be informed of progress.
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Leveraging Subordinates' Strengths
Look first for the employee’s strengths. Then match what she does really well with what the organization needs. Leverage her strengths to the point where her weaknesses are irrelevant. Similarly, managers should work to make their own B+ strengths into A’s.
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Leadership Tips for New Managers
Linda Hill offers several suggestions for new managers.
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Enabling Potential: Going from Ordinary to Extraordinary Performance
When Bob Chapman found employees excited about filling out brackets for an NCAA basketball tournament but not about going to work, he changed work into a game. That changed the culture, made work fun, and resulted in high performance.
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Great Management is About the Relationship
According to Curt Coffman, great managers do three things. They start with the right people in the right job, then the right focus, and the right relationship.
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Great Managers Help People Hone Their Strengths
Managers only have one thing to invest in their people, that being time. Because of this, the challenge for managers is how to get the best return on investment for your time?
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Great Managers Set High Expectations
The relationship between manager and employee drives growth and it’s when the employee is challenged that growth takes place.
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Managing Conflict in High Performance Teams
In high performance teams it’s okay to confront or let it go, but not to go underground. The parties to a conflict are accountable for reaching closure. If they can’t, there is a protocol for who to bring in as a mediator/coach. Conflict is usually a symptom of misalignment.
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Are You an Energizing Boss?
An energizing boss demonstrates care for people and helps them succeed.
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Better Delegation
Better delegation starts with overcoming the primary reason you avoid it in the first and then reframing what delegation is all about.
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Leading More Effectively Remotely
Leading remote teams starts with becoming a great leader and includes using and modeling the right technologies at the right time.
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Conversations That Move Teams Forward
Conversations have the power to influence performance. Will your team flourish or fail?
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Managing Managers
It’s harder to manage other managers than to manage people directly.
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Work Arrangements and Trust
Arrangements where workers are not physically present are based on trust. A balance is needed, but trust is the key piece.
