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Assessing Your Progress
I'm not a big fan of New Years resolutions. Sure I've made
dozens of them, all with good intentions and a bit of magical
thinking, believing this time the resolution will stick. Maybe a
few have, but generally these wishful self-promises end...
Education Needs to Emphasize Soft Skills that Translate into Hard Cold Cash
No Child Left Behind mandates have school systems scrambling to improve teaching, update curriculum, improve teacher quality and analyze data between different populations just to name a few of the many actions each school is facing. Yet, given...
Five Secrets to Becoming the Perfect Employee That Everyone Wants - Part One
With ever increasing deadlines, decreasing resources, and changing workplaces, sometimes it can be challenging to be a good employee, much less a perfect employee. The employee who can rise above the everyday problems and embrace challenges will be...
Goals for Undergraduates: What You Should Know When You Graduate.
I loved college. I majored in a subject which fascinated me, took the classes I wanted to, and got great grades. When I graduated, I thought I knew everything I needed to know to succeed in the big postgraduate world. I was wrong. Most of my...
Success at Work : Techniques : Get Ahead by Faking It
---------------------------------------------------------- Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are...
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Management By Walking Around
A long time ago, I learned something about being a manager that has proven to be one of the most valuable lessons I?ve ever heard.
You can?t manage people from inside your office. You have to be out and about, talking to your staff and co-workers, and seeing and hearing what?s going on out there. It?s called ?Management By Walking Around?, or MBWA.
Technology has been a huge asset to the workplace, but it?s also made us a little lazy and disconnected. How many times do you e-mail someone in the next office, or down the hall, instead of getting up and walking over there? Or you fax a document instead of carrying it to the person who needs it? People need personal contact and with e-mail and fax machines and cell phones and ATM?s and self check out lines in the supermarket, we?re getting less and less human contact every day. If you?re the boss, it?s even more important that you spend in-person time with your staff ? there?s no substitute for face-to-face contact.
If you?re new to MBWA, your staff won?t know how to react and you may get stiff, monosyllabic answers at first. Persevere and show genuine interest and you?ll get the results you?re looking for. No one wants the boss standing over them and watching what they do, so when you practice MBWA have some simple questions or comments in mind. For example,
1. What?s the most critical thing you?re working on right now? Is there anything I can do to make the project easier to complete?
2. How?s the Jones report coming along? Any problems with making the deadline?
3. I?m impressed with your latest proposal, Karen. I know this project is a lot of extra work and long hours and I
appreciate your commitment and flexibility.
4. Hey, Bob, I see you have some vacation time coming up. Do you have any special plans?
5. I saw that movie you recommended ? what great special effects! Thanks for the tip!
Remember, keep it simple, short, casual and positive. Save the negative comments for a more private time and place. If one of your staff members brings up an interesting subject that sounds like it will take a while, invite her or him for a cup of coffee and set aside some time to really give justice to the topic.
As a manager, it?s easy to get caught up in your administrative duties and project responsibilities but the time spent away from your office and interacting with your staff will yield far greater results. It takes time and effort to build and maintain a balanced, effective workforce; take the initiative and you?ll be rewarded with an atmosphere of trust and openness that will spell success for any organization.
When you talk to your staff, do you really listen to them? Try this. Every Friday afternoon write down three things you learned from your staff during the week. If you can?t list at least three things a week, you?re probably not listening carefully enough.
About the Author
Joan Schramm is a career, executive and personal coach with 20 years experience in management and coaching. Figure out what you want from your life and your career, and how to get there without a lot of detours.
For more info, go to http://www.achieve-momentum.com. Sign up for a free e-course, "Your Perfect Job -- 3 steps to jump start your search". Read her blog: http://www.blog.achieve-momentum.com.
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