Employee Relations
Why Choose a Human Resources Career?
On May 17, 2013 | 0 Comments

Human Resources is a tough profession, at best… I’ve been in this line of work for many years, and I can speak directly to its challenges. Most recently, I was invited to speak to a class of MBA students about human resources. The instructor’s guidelines were, “Just let them know what you do and how […]

Read more
Delegation as Motivation – Part 2
On May 13, 2013 | 0 Comments

…because if you do it right, effective delegating will be the best motivating tool you will ever have.   If you took the assessment in Part I of this blog, and you’re back reading this, you probably know you need to learn to delegate work. I was going to write a spiffy blog to tell […]

Read more
Delegation Assessment – Do you need to delegate more? – Part 1
On May 8, 2013 | 0 Comments

The ability to effectively delegate tasks and projects can serve as one of the best motivating tools you’ll ever have. Delegation requires a complex set of skills, and it does require some up-front time and attention. Among other things, the supervisor needs to know how to assess the strengths and challenges of each employee, she […]

Read more
The New Employee
On May 3, 2013 | 0 Comments

Sadly, many new employees do not have the best day on their first day at work. It’s pretty easy to blame human resources. Maybe you work for a company where the new employee program is boring, confusing, detached or (worse) absent. This will not be a good start for the enthusiastic new employee. However, because, […]

Read more
Effective Supervision can start with a “Hello”
On May 2, 2013 | 0 Comments

Sometimes effective supervision starts with a “Hello” – Here’s a story I thought I’d share with you today. At least, just say, “Hi.” One of my clients, Greta, began our first session seeking help with a “difficult” employee. Greta was a delightful person. She was warm and friendly, beloved by all. She had a loyal […]

Read more
Managing Up – Part II
On April 30, 2013 | 0 Comments

Actionable Tips to help Supervisors Manage Up   Get to know your manager. How does she work with her employees? What is important to her at work? What are her strengths and challenges as you see them? How does she work best? Who does she work best with? What is her work style? How does […]

Read more
Difference between Managers and Micromanagers
On April 25, 2013 | 0 Comments

Are you an effective leader or an activities director? Dave Crenshaw does an excellent job outlining the different management styles of effective leaders and not so effective supervisors, who he calls ‘activities directors.’ What an excellent way to describe a micromanager – an activity director     What will be particularly helpful for the untrained […]

Read more
Predicting if the New Supervisor will be Effective
On April 24, 2013 | 0 Comments

I received an email yesterday that posed one question: “Tell me one thing that helps you predict whether or not a person will be an effective supervisor“ Here was my reply. In my view the most important predictor of whether a person will be an effective supervisor is determined by how the supervisor views the […]

Read more
Micromanagement – Top Questions for Supervisors to Consider
On April 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

What’s the most common complaint you hear from employees, Jeanne?   “Micromanagement! My supervisor micromanages every aspect of my work. I feel like quitting. “     Before I started writing The Supervisor’s Companion, I asked people in various work environments, including restaurant servers, bank tellers, supervisors, managers, blue collar and white color, what they […]

Read more