Management Skills

Finish projects with a thorough debriefing

November 13, 2020
Many projects end without a detailed debriefing that summarizes accomplishments and studies errors, allowing vital information to slip away. To capture these insights, take these steps.

Elect civility: Keep your workplace politically neutral

December 13, 2019
Don’t let your workplace turn nasty in the upcoming rough-and-tumble election year.

Self-help tips for the newbies

December 13, 2019
With an already hectic schedule, it can be difficult to keep up with a new employee. As a result, new hires can flounder, getting behind or making errors. One way to prevent this problem is to help new employees monitor themselves.

Tactfully reject workers’ ideas

December 13, 2019
Smart managers create an environment in the workplace that breeds ideas. However, not all ideas are good or practical. Use these tactics to safely deliver negative feedback.

Delegating? Avoid these 5 blunders

July 26, 2019
Delegating tasks is an essential part of being an effective manager. Ensure that when you delegate it’s a help and not a hassle—for you and the people to whom you give assignments. Don’t make these errors.

Field personal questions without being rude

June 14, 2019
Q. What should I say when I’m asked a personal question by one of my employees? I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t want to answer it.

Plan better one-on-one meetings

May 22, 2019
To ensure that your one-on-one meetings are meaningful, follow the three Ps.

Boost your ‘fairness’ level

May 22, 2019
Ask employees what they want in a great boss, and they’ll emphasize fairness. Take these steps to upgrade your “fairness quotient.”

Handling the subversive worker

May 10, 2019
Subversive subordinates operate in three ways. They speak ill of you behind your back, misrepresent your comments to others and feed you incorrect or distorted facts so you draw the wrong conclusions. Here’s what to do.

5 mental traps of decision-making

May 9, 2019
Heuristics are defined as mental shortcuts, or unconscious routines, to help us deal with the complexities of decision-making. Most of the time, these shortcuts serve us well—but they can undermine our objectivity. Here are five psychological traps, or biases, that often derail business decisions.