Tag: Bad Management
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The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back
Deconstructing American sayings is admittedly one of my favorite past times. Our Americanized English offers some very colorful sayings which give our dialect a lot of historically referenced character. Often, the more interesting American sayings can also have deep roots in prehistoric Americana. Today’s saying is one that goes back more than 5,000 years. Here… Read more
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Employee Morale: It’s not your problem
Many managers think that low employee morale is a problem, or even worse they think it’s their problem. That’s NOT just wrong thinking, it is wrong leadership. Low morale is not a problem, it’s a gift; and a gift that should be shared amongst the entire team. Low morale may actually be the greatest gift… Read more
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Valuing Employees
How do you best tell an employee that they have value? As a manager that may be the single most important question you can ask, but fortunately the answer is easy: reward them! While the how is easy, the what is not obvious. Just walking up and saying “good job” isn’t enough in today’s world.… Read more
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Managerial Stacking
Where can you find the best-of-the-best in America today? In the ivory towers of Corporate America? Not anymore. They’re at the gym, of course. And at the gym, it only takes a few seconds to find the best-of-the best-of-the-best within this already elite group. These are the men and women with seemingly super-natural physiques and… Read more
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Employee Development: A Hammer and Chisel
Michelangelo said “The sculpture is already complete within the marble. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.” As a manager, you are the artist and your employees are the stone, just waiting for the superfluous material to be chipped away by your deft hands. The people reporting directly to… Read more
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Hopethetical
Distilled down to its glorious pudding-skin equivalent, a manager’s singular job is to focus his employees on the task at hand. Although illegal now, adderall and methamphetamine were commonly used to help pull an employee’s attention out of the daydreaming darkness and into the light with dilated pupils. Olde time managers often refer to these as… Read more
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Bigfoot is Real
People frequently speak about “the elephant in the room”. A metaphor for issues that everyone knows exist, but refuse to acknowledge. Collective denial allows people to work around the elephant; ignoring the ear shattering trumpet calls, happily stepping in enormous piles of elephant dung, and eagerly inhaling the tangy aroma of vast pools of urine.… Read more
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Proof of Life
The hardest lessons to learn are often the most important. In business, apathy comes easily and often. True leadership is hard, as are the lessons which separate the managerial wheat from the chaff. Managers who have come this far are no doubt adequate. Maybe even good. But…as a manager:Are you willing to take that extra step… Read more
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Employee Retention
Thanks to the Triangle Shirtwaist fire employee retention has moved beyond just chaining the emergency exists closed. Plus, chains and padlocks cost money. Why waste precious capital when there are so many free strategies available. Read on to discover how you can get your employees to chain themselves to their desks for almost nothing but… Read more
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Inspiration!
Famed baseball coach Yogi Berra once said “100% of inspiration is 90% perspiration.” Yogi Berra didn’t actually say that, but it sure sounds like something he would say. And you can too. Confused? Of course you are. That’s because everything you’ve ever learned about inspiring people is wrong. Your team looks up to you, not… Read more