No Bull Business Blog

When to give negative feedback

Excerpted from the Executive Report: 47 Ways to Deliver Effective Feedback.

Negative feedback - for obvious reasons - can be tricky. If you learn of a situation and realize you have to reprimand an employee, the key is to wait until you're ready. That means: Get your emotions under control and carefully plan what you're going to say.

You don't want to wait too long from the time the event occurred. Just like positive feedback, you want the situation fresh in everyone's mind. But sometimes it's best for everyone if you wait a few hours - or even until the following day - to deliver negative feedback.

Ask yourself, "Am I able to deliver this feedback in a calm and objective manner?"

If the answer is "yes," go for it.

DIGGING DEEPER
One of the keys to being a successful manager is giving feedback to employees. For additional help, read the Executive Report: 47 Ways to Deliver Effective Feedback.

 

Interviewing job candidates: Picking up on cues

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Interviewing - Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits

If interviews were just about questions and answers, we could just write down the questions and ask job candidates to respond in writing.

Of course interviews are about much more than just questions and answers. A lot of what you get from candidates lies in how they answer - their language, mannerisms and expressions, for instance. Or in what you might call the parenthetical statements they make.

Let's not make the mistake of believing we can use mannerisms as a crystal ball to tell, for instance, if a candidate is lying. We can't. Still, we can study some typical traits and what they generally reveal about a candidate. For example:

• Complaints about current job or boss.  That's a sign the candidate thinks "it's everyone else's fault," and an indicator of questionable loyalty.
• Speaking quickly before processing a question, or cutting off your question. If the answer's on-target, maybe that's fine. You might have a quick thinker in front of you. Otherwise, though, the person may be a careless worker who lacks preparation.
• Pretending to know all about your organization. Someone who studies the company beforehand is a candidate worth considering. But you'll know when the person crosses the line and professes to know more than you do. That's a danger sign of conceit.
• Criticizing, lacking respect for or poking fun at junior staff, support people or others in lesser positions. You're probably dealing with an inconsiderate bully.
• Showing poor manners. Smart candidates pick up the expected manners and culture of a prospective employer. Ignoring the manners and culture is a sign that someone's oblivious to what's appropriate and what's inappropriate.

DIGGING DEEPER
The interview is full of opportunities for misinterpretation, misunderstanding and just plain missing the mark. How can you be sure your next interviews lead to a successful hire? Read the executive report: Interviewing - Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits

Employee discipline: Too little, too late

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Disciplining Employees - The Right Way to Do It

Managers tend to be focused on one thing: Productivity.

They don't want to deal with disciplinary problems any more than an employee wants to be disciplined.

It's easy to let small things slide because bringing up minor problems sometimes seems like more trouble than it's worth. You pick your battles.

And who wants to stir the pot, and maybe make an enemy, when it's already hard enough to meet monthly goals?

The last thing a manager wants is for a disciplinary action to create a wider staff morale problem.

It's an understandable rationale ... but it's flawed. Those small issues rarely go away by themselves - indeed, they almost always get worse.

And by not taking action, managers send employees the message that undesirable behavior will be accepted, or - even worse - hasn't even been noticed.

Delay has another adverse impact on the manager. As the problem worsens, it's common for managers to build up resentment against the employee - and that can warp the supervisor's perspective in a way that makes it difficult to eventually deal with the person in an objective and positive way.

DIGGING DEEPER
Poor performance and unacceptable behavior are inevitable. And too often the dread of disciplining employees stops managers from taking immediate action to resolve the issues. Find out what managers need to do by reading the Executive Report: Disciplining Employees - The Right Way to Do It.

Gossip takes up 65 hours a year

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Managing Gossip: What You Need to Know to Keep the Rumor Mill in Check.

The Human Resources Department at Randstad USA reports that out of a survey of 1,540 U.S. employees, 60% revealed their biggest pet peeve in the workplace was employees who gossiped.

Beyond this, the American Society for Training and Development report on business ethics found 21% of workers admitted to frequently participating in gossip, and 64% reported gossiping sometimes.

The business communications company Equisys researched office gossip in 2002 and found 65 hours a year per employee are wasted gossiping about the workplace.

Multiply 65 by the number of your employees and the grapevine can suddenly look like an enormous money pit for your organization.

DIGGING DEEPER
Office gossip is a fact of life, but you can keep it from getting out of control. Find out more in the Executive Report: Managing Gossip: What You Need to Know to Keep the Rumor Mill in Check.

Gossip: Treat it as a viral infection

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Managing Gossip: What You Need to Know to Keep the Rumor Mill in Check.

Gossip and rumors spread much like any sort of disease - from one person to another.

But just like a viral or bacterial infection, some people are more susceptible to the invading germs, and others are more active in spreading them. It's important for managers to identify these individuals so the spread of gossip and rumors can be contained.

An experienced manager will be able to spot a gossipmonger or rumor mill feeder more easily than  will a new boss. But any manager can learn to identify the telltale traits of these folks.

To prevent or stop office gossip, a manager must first understand the personality profile of an employee who spreads information about others.

Very often, the person who is a gossip monger is also a person with an unsatisfied ego. The need to feel important or the need for power, coupled with a weak value system, can add up to the kind of person who uses gossip as a way to ingratiate himself or herself with others. By offering up valuable information, this person feels needed, valuable and indispensible to others.

Most gossipers are flat-out attention seekers. They want to draw attention to themselves to feel connected and powerful within an organization.

If knowledge is power, displaying that knowledge will demonstrate the gossiper's powerful profile.

DIGGING DEEPER
You can't keep employees from gossiping, but you can keep it from getting out of control and even use it to benefit your organization. Find out more in the Executive Report: Managing Gossip: What You Need to Know to Keep the Rumor Mill in Check.

Management and leadership are not the same thing

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Taking Leadership to the Next Level.

Leadership and management go hand in hand, but they aren't the same.

Warren Bennis, one of the nation's foremost authorities on leadership, described the difference between management and leadership best with the following definitions:

• "To manage means to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct."
  
• "Leading is influencing, guiding in a direction, course, action, opinion. The distinction is crucial."
  

Yes, managers have some leadership qualities, and leaders need management skills. But leaders see the big picture and keep an eye on the horizon. Managers focus on what needs to get done at that time with an eye on the bottom line.

Stephen Covey, who has published extensively on leadership, used a ladder scenario to demonstrate the difference between leadership and management in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

"Management is concerned with getting up a ladder in the most effective and most efficient manner. Leadership is making certain the ladder is on the right wall."

To be successful, management and leadership must go hand in hand.

DIGGING DEEPER
Leadership makes the difference in every successful organization. The myth says leaders are born. That's simply not true. Find out more about what it takes to be a great leader in the Executive Report: Taking Leadership to the Next Level.  

Making the best of a difficult boss

Excerpted from the executive report: Stopping Difficult People from Sucking the Life Out of Your Organization

It won’t always be an underling whose behavior you’re trying to change. In real life, the people who manage us can be difficult, too. If handled with tact, these techniques can be used successfully to address problematic behavior with superiors.

Your approach, how a problem is presented, becomes especially important and can have a big impact on success. A positive approach is almost always the way to go.

Let’s say you have a manager who is throwing you assignments at the last minute and leaving you in the lurch. If it happens all the time, it’s a problem. Your performance will eventually suffer because of it.

Be positive and firm: “Jim, when I get an assignment at the last minute it really puts me in a situation where I have to give up something else or I can’t do as good of a job as I normally would do. Is there some way we can work this out that I can sort of anticipate better when these kinds of assignments are coming?”

Remember, what you’re saying in reverse is: “Hey Jim, you’re an awful planner. Do you know that?” So of course, approach these with caution.

Sometimes the nature of your business won’t allow for better planning, for instance if you work for an emergency ambulance service. But at least, having had the discussion, everyone’s on the same page and there is a better understanding as to why assignments arise at the last minute.

Remember, you can’t fix everything. If you’ve thoroughly examined your own situation and you’ve come to the conclusion that your manager is just a jerk, that’s a lot more difficult. Your first question should be: Is the behavior really causing me a problem?

If it is, then you may be at the point where you have to either ask for a change of assignment or decide maybe this is not where you want to be.

DIGGING DEEPER
Whether it is a superior or a subordinate, dealing with difficult people takes a lot of you - and hurts morale and productivity. This Executive Report can help: Stopping Difficult People from Sucking the Life Out of Your Organization.

Don’t give in to OSHA nitpickers

Excepted from the Executive Report: Surviving an OSHA Inspection – Key Steps Before, During and After

OSHA inspectors have a well-deserved reputation for being the ultimate nitpickers. Once they show up at your door, they’re going to try to find something wrong and nail you for a violation. In recent years, OSHA has worked a little on its nitpicking image. They now say they won’t fine you for picayune violations like failing to display the required OSHA poster – they’ll just go to the car and get one for you – but there’s little else that will escape their attention and their sharp pencils.

OSHA regulations can be incredibly complicated and specific, and it’s not that hard to run afoul of one of the agency’s regulations, for example on the exact distance a machine guard has to be separated from a nip point by a matter of a fraction of an inch.

Companies are often tempted to agree to a minor, non-serious violation, pay a small fine of a few hundred dollars, and write it off as the cost of doing business. You promise not to do it again or fix any deficiency, and hopefully you can get on with life. However, most attorneys will advise their corporate clients not to “plead guilty” too fast and explore all opportunities for contesting even minor violations.

The problem with agreeing to and accepting a citation and a fine is that it’s often not the end of something bad, but merely the beginning. Once OSHA has inspected you at least one time and found something wrong, the agency may well be your pen pal for life. It’ll surely check up on you to see if you’re corrected what it found wrong. And if it’s still not satisfied, it can level repeat or failure-to-abate violations against you with significantly higher fines that will sting a lot more.

Moreover, if an employee ever gets hurt on your premises and finds a lawyer to sue your company for gross negligence or willful disregard for safety, seeking a big payout over and above workers’ compensation insurance benefits, the plaintiff’s lawyer will surely use the fact of your previous safety violation as evidence of your supposed blatant disregard for worker safety. You don’t want to give them a record to build their case on.

DIGGING DEEPER
Even the best companies get inspected by OSHA. The key is to be prepared. Find out what you need to do by reading the Executive Report: Surviving an OSHA Inspection – Key Steps Before, During and Afte

Do you recognize this great leader?

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Taking Leadership to the Next Level

Leadership is a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and improved upon. But improving leadership skills takes time. It's not something that can be done overnight as this real-life example shows.

At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home. The boy had to work to support his family. At the age of nine, his mother passed away. When he grew up, the young man was keen to go to law school, but had no prior formal education.

At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. At 23, he ran for state legislature and lost. That same year he went into business. It failed, leaving him with a debt that took him 17 years to repay. At 27, he had a nervous breakdown.

Two years later, he ran for speaker in his state legislature. He lost. At 31, he was defeated in his attempt to become an elector. By 35, he had been defeated twice while running for Congress. Finally, he did manage to secure a brief term in Congress, but at 39 he lost his re-election bid.

At 41, his four-year-old son died. At 42, he was rejected as a prospective land officer. At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. Two years later, he lost the vice presidential nomination. At 49, he ran for Senate and lost again.

At 51, he was elected the President of the United States of America.

Thus was the life of Abraham Lincoln.

DIGGING DEEPER
Most managers can become great leaders, but they have to work at it. Find out how in the Executive Report: Taking Leadership to the Next Level

Dealing with bullies in the workplace

Excerpted from the Executive Report The Manager's Guide to Handling Conflict at Work

Immediacy is important when handling workplace bullies. When people complain, or managers see or suspect bullying, they need to act fast. Some keys to a one-on-one conversation:

• Be direct, non-confrontational and specific. For instance, say, "You told someone to shut up," instead of, "You're not being nice." Another example: "You said you did all the work on this project, and I know Judith researched and created the charts," instead of, "You took all the credit, and you didn't deserve it."
  
• Bring emotions to life. Be prepared for some bullies to blame others and  some bullies to get angry in an attempt to shift the focus off of their actions. Keep them focused on their behavior by reminding them of how their actions affect other people's feelings. Examples: "Would you want your daughter to be treated that way?" or, "Would you want a co-worker talking to your husband like that?"
  
• Focus on behavior, not people. You can't ask people to change. Instead tell them that their behavior must stop.
  
• Document the situation and let bullies know the consequences (from reprimands to firing).
  
• Set a clear action plan. Demanding that a certain behavior stop may be enough of a plan if it's a first offense. If not, supervisors may need to set up counseling and get bullies involved in a behavior improvement plan.

DIGGING DEEPER
Conflict in the workplace can disrupt productivity and destroy morale. For more help, read the Executive Report The Manager's Guide to Handling Conflict at Work.

New hires: The No. 1 red flag

Excerpted from the Executive report: Turn New Hires Into Great Employees - The Challenge of Those First 90 Days.

Some new hires are bad fits. Some exaggerate their experience and qualifications. Some just don't like the new position or the organization.

Mistakes happen. Spotting mistakes early saves time and money.

What's the No. 1 red flag?

When a new hire doesn't ask questions. Not asking questions when he or she should be asking questions can mean the new hire:

• doesn't understand the job
• doesn't know who to ask
• may not care if the task is done well
• fears asking a question some might perceive as "dumb"
• doesn't communicate well
• prefers to solve problems alone, or
• thinks his or her way is better than the established way.

New hires should be encouraged to ask lots of questions during those first 90 days. Some days the new hire may be buried in training and won't have the opportunity to ask questions. But by and large, a supervisor should expect, welcome and encourage regular questions.

Asking questions means a new hire:

• is thinking about the job or a specific task
  
• wants to do things right
  
• respects the supervisor's knowledge base
  
• is naturally inquisitive, or
  
• wants to increase confidence in his or her own judgment.  
  

DIGGING DEEPER
The first 90 days on the job are key for the success of a new hire. Do it wrong and you'll likely be sifting through resumes in short order. To guide you through that period, read the Executive report: Turn New Hires Into Great Employees - The Challenge of Those First 90 Days.

A quick look at Healthcare Reform

Infographic by HealthInsuranceProviders.com

DIGGING DEEPER
To find out more about the Obama Health Reform Plan, read the Executive Report: The New Healthcare Law: What Every Business Must Know - and Do Now

Coaching: Leading them to the right choices

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Coaching Skills for Managers and Supervisors

One of the better coaching techniques is to let people make their own choices, rather than dictating choices to them.

Still, even if you encourage people to make choices, there are ways to lead them to make the right choices.

One approach is known as "Simplicity sells."

It's based on research from Stanford University indicating that the more choices you give people, the less likely it is they'll make good choices.

When faced with a wide range of choices, people tend to shut down and make no choice at all, or just say, "Oh, anything's fine."

The fix: Limit the choices to a low number - that is, emphasize quality over quantity.

Then, let people choose from that manageable number. It's sure to get better results.

DIGGING DEEPER
Coaching employees to be more effective, productive and motivated is challenging for even the most experienced managers, but it can be done. For help, read the Executive Report: Coaching Skills for Managers and Supervisors

Nine worst words to use at work

You’ll lose credibility using these words in this story. So edit yourself and take them out. See the list of 9.

What employers don't want to see on Facebook

Excerpted from the Executive Report: The HR Guide to Recruiting with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Even though most job seekers are warned to clean up their social networking profiles so they'll make an attractive impression, many don't - or just don't seem to care.

So what do hiring managers find that reflects badly on a candidate?

A CareerBuilder study found that 35% of managers reported finding content that turned them off. The top examples cited:

• Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information - 53%
  
• Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs - 44%
  
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients - 35%
  
• Candidate showed poor communication skills - 29%
  
• Candidate made discriminatory comments - 26%
  
• Candidate lied about qualifications - 24%
• Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer - 20%
  

Just using a "smiley face" or emoticon prompted some managers (14% at least) to disqualify a candidate. Another 16% dismissed a candidate for using text language such as GR8 (great) in an e-mail or job application.  

DIGGING DEEPER
Social media has made a lot of information available about job candidates. But what can an potential employer do with it? Find out in the Executive Report: The HR Guide to Recruiting with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter