People Management

Remove 4 barriers for your people

June 10, 2020
Empowerment isn’t about “giving” power to employees, but removing obstacles that prevent them from using the power and skills they already possess. As a leader, remember that empowerment works best when you eliminate these barriers to success.

Which workers are potential leaders?

June 10, 2020
Employees become leaders when they combine passion for achievement and the confidence to motivate others. Loren Slocum, an author and motivational speaker, suggests that you help your employees build a leader’s passion and confidence. Urge them to ask themselves the following questions at the beginning of each task or project.

Make working from home work for everyone

May 14, 2020
Q: Before the coronavirus hit, our company had less than half of its employees working remotely. Now everyone is working off-site and many people have been struggling with it. What are your thoughts on a strategy to make this work for all involved?

Tell the truth, warts and all?

May 14, 2020
Q: Our company took a hit financially. So far, no layoffs, but I don’t know what the future will hold. Should I just be blunt with staff about our tenuous position and risk further damage to morale, or should I be silent and hope that we’ll pull through?

How to respond to crying

May 14, 2020
Employees’ tears are difficult to deal with, perhaps even more difficult than their anger. Yet both often derive from extreme frustration, and the way you counsel angry employees can be adapted to crying ones.

Keep group history alive

May 14, 2020
It can be awkward to talk about employees who have been laid off, but doing so can be a positive experience.

Made a decision? Good! How to announce it

May 14, 2020
When you announce a decision to your employees, you have two basic choices on how you present the information. Read on to learn how and when to use each.

6 phrases great leaders use often

May 14, 2020
As a leader, what you say matters. So as you go about each day, facing challenges, guiding your people and meeting your performance goals, make sure you are using the following phrases.

Help employees cope with the new stress of working from home

April 28, 2020
With everything company leaders are facing, they might not have given much thought to the emotional well-being of their employees. That’s a big mistake, in both the short and long terms. Here are some tips from Stacey Engle of Fierce Conversations to help line managers and HR pros lessen the stress that remote employees may be feeling.

She’s great! When should I tell her?

April 9, 2020
Q. One of my workers is a high-potential employee whom I am seriously considering grooming for a VP job. My question is, should I inform her now, or wait until she proves herself a bit more? If I tell her now then I probably owe it to her; if I wait, I’m liable to lose her to another employer. Your thoughts?