The Savvy Manager

6 things that will doom a manager

March 2, 2015
It doesn’t take much to lose the boss job you thought you could do. Here are six common things managers do that will put an end to their careers.

50 shades of a dysfunctional workplace

February 23, 2015
If your organization has some of these characteristics of a dysfunctional workplace, it’s time to reevaluate how your office operates and make some changes.

Every firing paints a brutal picture

February 17, 2015
Jeff’s phone rings on his desk and the name “Stacey” appears in the little LED window. His boss is brief. “Can you come to my office please?” All his mistakes, shortcomings and Stacey’s warnings swirl in his head. “This is it,” Jeff thinks. His heart lunges, his jaw tightens and the objects in his office that once gave him a sense of purpose and comfort are now surreal and insignificant …

Top 5 anti-boss songs … and guess who’s listening

January 23, 2015

Isn’t it hard enough gaining respect from your employees without a bunch of recording artists egging them on to disrespect you and the jobs you’ve given them? Next to helping their listeners navigate the choppy waters of love, loneliness and drug usage, these pop stars seem to want them to hate their jobs along with the person supervising them. That would be you. Here are the top 5 songs that put you, dear boss, on your employees’ dart boards.

7 things employees say that you should not forget come evaluation time

January 16, 2015
A boss’s job is not complete without hearing gripes, thoughts and ideas from the rank-and-file. But weigh carefully what you hear.

5 signs you’re not cut out to be a boss

January 8, 2015
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Why your office coffee sucks

December 23, 2014

Does your breakroom coffee taste like it came out of a lumberjack’s Thermos? In case you haven’t tried it lately, ask yourself this: How many employees come to work with their hand wrapped around a $6 Caramel Macchiato—venti? Probably a lot more than the few employees who, with the taste buds of a house fly, emerge from your Café de Kitchenette wiggling a wooden stirrer in a 6-ounce white styro cup. The truth is, your coffee is bad for a lot of little reasons, all of which can be fixed.

Homer Simpson’s work-life wisdom?! Yep. Learn from it

December 17, 2014

What manager wouldn’t want a loveable, huggable, truth-spewing, bumbling, incompetent, lazy employee like Homer Simpson? In reality, Homer is in your cubicles, on your shop floor, driving your delivery trucks, waiting on customers, and yes, in the interview room. Want him or not. Homer’s a composite of the personalities of your workforce, and his words are often your employees’ thoughts.

Are workers working or just foolin’ you?

December 10, 2014

Employees do the darnedest things to impress you. Most times, they do real work. Other times it’s feigned. The trick is to know the difference. Hey, it’s competitive out on that office floor, and workers are looking for promotions and raises, and trying to avoid more work dumped on them. Here are several tactics workers tell me they use to make their bosses and their co-workers believe they’re packed with Evereadys.

Naughty or nice? A 4-point checklist for your employees

December 1, 2014
OK, all you boss types. Christmas is closing in and it’s time to play Santa Claus. The gifts to your workers are optional, but what’s involved here is the book. The book with all the names of your employees and all that they’ve done all year. You know, who was naughty and who was nice. If you haven’t been making a list and checking it twice, no worries. Here is your guide to making a last-minute register of things employees do (or should do and don’t) and whether it passes muster.