3 Things to Assess Before
You Back Down
Leaders who take on huge challenges and win are lauded. But recognizing when a challenge is too daunting or risky is equally heroic. Here are three ways to evaluate whether you should step up or back down:
1. Assess the odds. You need to know what you are up against and be realistic about your chances of success. Weigh the costs against the benefits (recognizing that failure has benefits too). Don't undercount the costs.
2. Know your team. Even the best people have limits to their capabilities. Ask yourself whether your team truly has the skills to overcome the challenge.
3. Know yourself. This takes a huge dose of confidence. Be honest with yourself if you're facing something beyond your abilities.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Know When to Back Down From a Challenge" by John Baldoni.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
3 Ways to Keep Good Employees in a Bad Economy
3 Ways to Keep Good Employees in a Bad Economy
High performers are in high demand these days; all companies want to keep their best people while facing the intimidating task of recovery. Here are three ways to retain your competent and committed people no matter what the economy is doing:
1. Create a thriving environment. High performers want to be in a high-performance culture. Give people the opportunity — and the space — to learn and continually develop their skills.
2. Give feedback. This needs to be more than an annual or semi-annual occurrence. Give feedback often. Tell your high performers what they are doing well and how they can improve.
3. Ask for input. Companies that ask their employees for input on how to increase effectiveness not only build buy-in and commitment, they get great ideas for organizational improvements.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Keep Good Employees in a Bad Economy" by Marshall Goldsmith.
High performers are in high demand these days; all companies want to keep their best people while facing the intimidating task of recovery. Here are three ways to retain your competent and committed people no matter what the economy is doing:
1. Create a thriving environment. High performers want to be in a high-performance culture. Give people the opportunity — and the space — to learn and continually develop their skills.
2. Give feedback. This needs to be more than an annual or semi-annual occurrence. Give feedback often. Tell your high performers what they are doing well and how they can improve.
3. Ask for input. Companies that ask their employees for input on how to increase effectiveness not only build buy-in and commitment, they get great ideas for organizational improvements.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Keep Good Employees in a Bad Economy" by Marshall Goldsmith.
Enjoy Trying on the Way to Achieving
Enjoy Trying on the Way to Achieving
Trying something new can be daunting, especially if you fall short at first. Before you get frustrated and give up, remember that practice really does make perfect. To achieve perfection, stop focusing on it. Instead, try to enjoy the process of trying. If you want to be a great manager, you need to enjoy being a poor one long enough to get good at it. If you want to be a stellar salesperson, you need to spend time being a clumsy one first. You can achieve anything as long as you are willing to enjoy striving for it along the way.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How Not Achieving Something Is the Key to Achieving It" by Peter Bregman.
Trying something new can be daunting, especially if you fall short at first. Before you get frustrated and give up, remember that practice really does make perfect. To achieve perfection, stop focusing on it. Instead, try to enjoy the process of trying. If you want to be a great manager, you need to enjoy being a poor one long enough to get good at it. If you want to be a stellar salesperson, you need to spend time being a clumsy one first. You can achieve anything as long as you are willing to enjoy striving for it along the way.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How Not Achieving Something Is the Key to Achieving It" by Peter Bregman.
3 minute rule to better understand your customers
Use the Three-Minute Rule to Better Understand Your Customers
Surveys and focus groups can tell you a lot about your customers. But there are indirect analyses that can be equally revealing. Try using the three-minute rule to better understand the broader context in which your customers use and interact with your products and services. Ask what your customer is doing in the three minutes immediately before and after using your product. By doing this, you may discover an unnecessary complexity they have to overcome. Or you may identify a cross-selling opportunity if they interact with another product or service right before interacting with yours. This rule is a great way to see the big picture and identify adjacent opportunities.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "The Three-Minute Rule" by Anthony Tjan.
Surveys and focus groups can tell you a lot about your customers. But there are indirect analyses that can be equally revealing. Try using the three-minute rule to better understand the broader context in which your customers use and interact with your products and services. Ask what your customer is doing in the three minutes immediately before and after using your product. By doing this, you may discover an unnecessary complexity they have to overcome. Or you may identify a cross-selling opportunity if they interact with another product or service right before interacting with yours. This rule is a great way to see the big picture and identify adjacent opportunities.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "The Three-Minute Rule" by Anthony Tjan.
Ask for immediate Feedback
Ask for Immediate Feedback
Much of the feedback we get at annual, semi-annual, or even quarterly reviews can feel stale and outdated. Feedback is most useful when it is frequent, fair, and quickly follows the task or occasion you're curious about. Twitter's format — immediate, short, and to-the-point — is one way to give on-the-spot feedback. After a presentation, ask your audience to send feedback to your Twitter handle. Or ask your team to tweet you the answer to a question such as "What's the one thing I could do to make your job easier?" Remember that Twitter is public, so if you don't want the rest of the world in on your messages, consider a private microblogging tool such as Yammer or Rypple.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Use Twitter to Collect Micro-Feedback" by Jeanne C Meister and Karie Willyerd.
Much of the feedback we get at annual, semi-annual, or even quarterly reviews can feel stale and outdated. Feedback is most useful when it is frequent, fair, and quickly follows the task or occasion you're curious about. Twitter's format — immediate, short, and to-the-point — is one way to give on-the-spot feedback. After a presentation, ask your audience to send feedback to your Twitter handle. Or ask your team to tweet you the answer to a question such as "What's the one thing I could do to make your job easier?" Remember that Twitter is public, so if you don't want the rest of the world in on your messages, consider a private microblogging tool such as Yammer or Rypple.
Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Use Twitter to Collect Micro-Feedback" by Jeanne C Meister and Karie Willyerd.
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