People Management

Push millennials to learn and grow

December 13, 2017

Q: I’m 56 and I recently hired a 28-year-old. He was about to send out a press release, but I happened to see it first and fixed a sloppy mistake. All he said was, “Good catch.” No apology, no acknowledgement of his error. Overall, he’s a good worker. But if he’s unwilling to take responsibility for his work, how can I supervise him effectively?

‘So … why am I doing this for you exactly?’

December 8, 2017

Your team will perform best when you trust its members to perform on their own. Don’t just hand people a project. Make sure they can positively answer these questions.

Restore peace with the right words

November 9, 2017

To get past conflict, pick your words carefully. Even with good intentions, you can go astray by adopting an arrogant or hectoring tone.

Good ideas to cope with bad people

November 9, 2017

Just as a virus spreads from its host, rudeness at work starts with one “carrier” who acts inappropriately. As co-workers react to a single nasty comment or incident, they are more likely to respond in kind.

Place your flaws front and center

November 6, 2017
Horst Abraham, 94, coaches top athletes. From his experience as a ski instructor, he has noticed that champions focus on their flaws rather than deny them.

Give introvert a chance to shine

November 2, 2017
An executive at a healthcare company, Adam Rosenfeld found himself supervising a skilled but unhappy staffer, Joan. Despite his efforts, Joan continued to struggle during meetings. An introvert, she often remained too quiet as participants monopolized the floor and derailed the agenda.

Invest enough time to pick winners

October 30, 2017
Hiring managers need to recruit with care. But when you’re running a startup with global ambitions, every hiring decision can make or break the company.

Would you work for this guy?

October 19, 2017
When tough-as-nails Hunter Harrison became CEO of railway company CSX Corp. in March 2017, the stock soared. That’s because Harrison, 72, has a track record of impressive turnarounds—taking underperforming railroad com­panies and boosting their profits.

If it works, get rid of it

October 13, 2017
Employers of all sizes have increasingly allowed staffers to work from home on a full- or part-time basis. But now some big corporations are changing their mind.

Dissect errors without finger-pointing

September 26, 2017
For years, Sheryl Sandberg handled employees’ mistakes by following standard procedure: Identify the key participants, meet with them and assess to what extent they take responsibility for their error. While there’s nothing wrong with that strategy, it has its limits.