Monthly Archive for March, 2009

  • How Can I Make Sure I Hire the Right Person?

  • If managers are filling an entry-level position, they should talk to the candidate about his or her accomplishments at school. Ask candidates, "What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment." Then ask questions to determine how really significant the accomplishment was. Need someone with lots of energy? Ask him or her about handling [...]

  • How Can I Skip Meetings to Get Work Done Without Getting Flack From the Meeting Leader?

  • The simplest way is to send a representative in your place. Ask in advance. Tell the meeting chair that you would like to attend but have some work that must be done immediately. In your place, you would like to send someone who will represent you and therefore your department at the meeting. If you [...]

  • What Can I do to Get Members to Follow Through After a Meeting?

  • It may seem simple but the most effective way is to end meetings with a summary of agreed-upon actions, including who is to do what and when. This information should also be recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Since commitments made after a meeting can slip participants’ minds, you might want to send an [...]

  • How Can I Work With a Group to Reach Consensus on an Issue?

  • The group’s chair or leader has to have the facilitating skills to allow members to tear apart and put back together each and every idea on the flipchart. With each idea, the group needs to try to achieve consensus. When doubts aren’t voiced, the facilitator should be observant enough to see nonverbal cues that suggest [...]

  • How Can I Counter Groupthink?

  • Groupthink is a process of rationalization that sets in when members of a group begin to think alike. It can be fostered by managers who discourage dissent, or it can develop under leaders who offer an employee’s idea so much praise that pretty soon everyone is behind the idea. Most of the time, groupthink pops [...]

  • How Can I Stimulate Creative Ideas?

  • There are numerous ways to stimulate creativity including: brainstorming, brainwriting, and using analogies or metaphors. Before you begin these techniques, try restating the problem. For instance, complaints have been received due to delays in shipments from the warehouse. We could state the problem as "identifying ways to minimize customer complaints," but we might also come [...]

  • What Can I do to Improve Decision Making at a Meeting?

  • There is no perfect approach to decision making. However, you can improve the final decision by Ensuring all facts have been identified. Clearly defining problems or issues. Inviting outside viewpoints as well as hearing out member viewpoints. Identifying alternatives so team members know what they are voting for. Tell Me More It may help to [...]

  • What Can I do to Get People to Meetings on Time?

  • If you have told participants that a meeting will start at a specific time, then proceed accordingly. If you start on time—no matter who is missing—you won’t be reinforcing tardiness. To make that message clearer, close the door of the meeting room when the session begins. This will draw greater attention to latecomers. In writing [...]

  • How Can I Encourage All to Participate at a Meeting?

  • You want to get participation from all, which means building the confidence of quieter members. You want to draw them out, but you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable in the process. So you might wait until the person ventures an opinion, then provide positive reinforcement. Next time, ask the person to comment on [...]

  • How Can I Keep Someone From Dominating a Team Session?

  • When someone is monopolizing the discussion, you need to step in to draw out contributions from the rest of the group. Give the individual time to have his say, then interrupt and ask for others’ opinions. While you don’t want to put any one member on the spot, you might want to ask Jack or [...]

  • What is the Best Way of Keeping a Meeting From Wandering Off Course?

  • The secret is twofold: a clearly defined mission and a well-organized agenda. Clarification of the meeting’s purpose at the time you invite members is critical. Attendees need to know why they will be meeting. If the group has a project to complete—the reason for its existence—that should be put in writing, although you may also [...]

  • As an Attendee at a Meeting, What Can I do to Make the Meeting More Productive?

  • It may not be your meeting, but as a participant you have specific responsibilities as well. You need to: Get there on time. Sit opposite the leader if possible. Respect the leader. Come prepared. Don’t create subconscious, nonverbal barriers to communication. Participate. Stick to the agenda. Be optimistic about the group. Criticize ideas, not people. [...]

  • What Are my Responsibilities as Group Leader?

  • Besides facilitating group discussions, as a group leader, you are also responsible for: Preparing a written agenda. Make sure each member receives it before the meeting. Bring extra copies to the meeting for those who forget them. Making sure the room is comfortable. Ensure adequate seating, lighting, temperature control, and ventilation. Providing all the necessary [...]

  • How do I keep control of a meeting?

  • A strong leader knows that when one of the meeting members makes an inappropriate comment such as, "Howard, you are so naive and this idea of yours is really stupid," he or she needs to immediately exert control over the group: "Hey, Peter, that remark was uncalled for. Let’s keep this meeting on a professional [...]

  • When Should I Hold Meetings?

  • A meeting is a management tool. Like any tool, it needs to be used when it can be most effective. Meetings are best used in the following situations: You need a new approach to a problem. By bringing together a group of your employees or colleagues, you hope a creative idea will be generated that [...]

  • Why do Meetings Start Late, Drag on Forever, and Fail to Accomplish Anything?

  • Successful meetings are brief, focused, and productive. They happen by design, not by inadvertence. When meetings are run efficiently and effectively, they can begin on time, accomplish the goals for which they are being held, and end on time—and maximize human effort. How can you maximize the benefits of meetings? By setting ground rules when [...]

  • How Can I Recognize my Hot Buttons?

  • Since shouting matches take two, you need to be alert to the hot buttons that can anger you—that can make you a party to a shouting match. What situations or individuals trigger feelings of vulnerability or helplessness, or the desire to defend yourself against them and others? What individuals or situations ruin your day, add [...]

  • Is it Always Wrong to Express my own Anger?

  • No. Sometimes, controlled anger can make clear how important an issue is. I know a manager who doesn’t get angry at any of his employees when they make a mistake. Rather, she focuses on the situation itself, shouting about the problem the mistake has caused, demonstrating how important the error is and thereby encouraging more [...]

  • How do I Cope with Someone who Becomes Angry with me and Loses his or her Temper Before Others?

  • Don’t get angry yourself. This may be difficult to do but it is absolutely essential if you’re going to calm the other person down. Don’t interrupt. Let the individual vent his or her feelings. Once the individual has his or her say, the person may be more prepared to listen to you and your side [...]

  • What Should I do if I am Caught in a Personality Conflict?

  • Here are some suggestions: Be self-introspective. Accentuate the positive. Talk to the individual. Keep communication channels open. Treat everyone alike. Agree to disagree. Tell Me More Be self-introspective. Step outside of yourself to see what is the root cause of the personality conflict. As a manager, you aren’t immune from errors, so you may have [...]

  • How Can I Tell the Difference Between Personality Conflicts and Conflicts Due to Misunderstandings and True Work-Related Problems?

  • Conflicts can arise from misunderstandings or from different view-points on how to resolve a real operating problem. Conflicts from communication gaffes can be put to an end when the confusion with the message is clarified. Work-related differences tend to disappear when the problem disappears. While one or the other party may still think he or [...]

  • How do I Handle my Boss if She is a Bully?

  • There will be occasions when you and your boss won’t agree. The key to surviving these situations is not to let them "get to you" personally. Your goal should be to maintain a harmonious working relationship with your manager, even in moments of high stress or confusion about your authority. What if your boss is [...]

  • When Should I Seek Help in Resolving Conflicts Between my Employees?

  • There are some circumstances in which you really should seek help. For example, if there is a threat of violence, if you’ve tried to mediate and failed, or if a major corporate issue is involved. Tell Me More If you are to resolve conflicts between your employees, you need to have the trust of the [...]

  • When I Hear Rumors That an Employee is Angry with Me, How do I Deal with Him?

  • Seek out the person and ask him or her about the rumor. If the individual denies the rumor, there is nothing more you can do. On the other hand, if the person acknowledges that he or she is angry with something you said or did, then you need to get the person to elucidate. You [...]

  • How Can I Resolve Conflicts with in my Team?

  • Team members must be able to work together effectively. Working effectively, however, means seeking the best solution to a problem under discussion. This can trigger disagreements. As a good manager, you don’t want disagreements to escalate into unpleasant conflicts. On the other hand, you don’t want your team’s members to fail to pursue different solutions [...]

  • What Can I do to Address Conflicts with Other Managers with in my Organization?

  • Your first goal should be to avoid such conflicts. But should differences arise, your second objective should be to resolve the problem before it escalates and impairs your ability to work together. The problems usually fall into four categories: communications, turf and territory, professionalism, and interpersonal issues. Conflicts can arise between you and another manager [...]

  • How do I Prevent Disagreements From Escalating Into Violent Incidents?

  • If an individual has a predisposition to aggressiveness and perceives the workplace as a hostile environment, experiencing stress from a disagreement can trigger violent behavior. Become sensitive to the levels of stress your employees are under, recognize danger signs, and address issues of stress and anxiety before they become dangerous to you and coworkers. Intervene [...]

  • How Can I Get Things Back on Track After I Have an Argument with an Employee?

  • Conflicts don’t arise without cause, and they usually don’t disappear until that cause is addressed. If the conflict isn’t resolved, or at least its effects aren’t tempered, then the conflict can return and even escalate. Consequently, to get things back on track, you have to attempt to put the conflict behind you, which means putting [...]

  • How do I Go About Mediating a Dispute?

  • You have to step in as a mediator when the confrontation not only keeps the two parties from working well together but also creates disruption in your department. Mediation is a five-step process: Identify the source of the conflict. Look beyond the incident. Look for solutions. Identify answers that both parties can support. Reach agreement. [...]

  • How Can I Help Employees With a Personality Conflict Get Along Better?

  • So long as the individuals collaborate or cooperate with one another, there is no reason to intervene. If you must step in during the early stage of a disagreement, your intent may be only to remind the two parties how their behavior can easily escalate into angry words that will make it more difficult for [...]

  • Is There Such a Thing as "Good" Conflict and How Can I Take Advantage of it?

  • Conflict is a natural consequence of human interaction. Put two or more people in a room for any amount of time, and disputes are likely. When individuals clash, combatants can become so concerned with defending their turf that they cease communicating. Mutual distrust can build and working relationships may be irreparably damaged. However, managers can [...]