Management Practices

Consistent contributors = good team

February 12, 2010

Whether a group is dividing a restaurant bill or working on a shared budget, the more cooperative the group is, the more likely it can rise above a challenge. It helps a leader to understand, then, why some groups cooperate more than others.

Ways to lighten their load

February 12, 2010

With fewer people doing more work, here are three ways to ease the workload: 1. Give people more choices. 2. Help them prioritize. 3. Don’t overload star performers …

From crayons to water guns: Liven up boring meetings

February 12, 2010

In the downturn, productivity is everything. Small business owners are turning to creative solutions for making conference-room time productive. Here are three examples from “Boring Meetings? Get Out the Water Guns”:

The 5 habits of successful CEOs

January 11, 2010

“If you think you can learn what works in the real world from anyone but someone who actually succeeded in the real world, well, let’s just say you might want to rethink your management potential,” says Steve Tobak, corporate problem-solver and “The Corner Office” blogger. Here are Tobak’s five ways to behave like a CEO:

3 secrets behind drive

January 11, 2010

Daniel Pink, author of Free Agent Nation, explores three things you can do to keep your staff motivated and productive:

Why Casey Stengel didn’t rely on stars

January 11, 2010

He didn’t invent the practice of “platooning” players in baseball, but Casey Stengel honed it to the point that, under his 12-year leadership, the New York Yankees won 10 American League championships and seven World Series. Before Stengel took over the Yankees in 1949, most managers played a set lineup day in and day out.

10 warning signs of low morale

January 11, 2010

Without you realizing it, low morale can creep into your organization. Check every day to make sure people stay in tune. Here are 10 sour notes to listen for:

People clamming up? Create ‘open space’

February 1, 2008
Open space allows an important conversation to take place. Developed by Harrison Owen and fully explained in his book, Open Space Technology: A Users Guide, this technique lets people deal with issues constructively and fast.

Manager’s Checkup: The right message on diversity

January 1, 2006
Building respect for diversity on your team is both the right thing to do and essential for optimum performance. Are you sending your team the right message on diversity?

The secret of leadership: no secrets

April 1, 2005
Jack Stack doesn’t believe in keeping employees in the dark. Stack worked for International Harvester (IH), where he’d been put in charge of acquiring parts. He started going to management meetings and hearing company secrets. One of them: The Russians had hired IH to make tractors, and the company was way behind on the order. The managers told Stack to keep mum and focus on getting parts.