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January, 2016
Ask a Manager
former cofounder is trash-talking our organization, new boss quit right before my new job starts, and more
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JANUARY 13, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Former cofounder is trash-talking our organization. The cofounder and initial executive director of our small nonprofit was fired a few months after we launched for gross failure to carry out responsibilities and in no small part because of the way she treated the staff and other board members. As we were just starting out, we didn’t have the paperwork or foresight to have her sign an NDA. Is there anything we can do? We’d also like to know how to handle inquiries should anyone contact us to check her credentials in the future.
a member of our professional group is making people feel excluded
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JANUARY 19, 2016
A reader writes: I belong to a group of mid- to upper-level professionals that meets several times a year for networking and a presentation (usually by one of the members) on a topic of interest in our field. Organizational duties rotate every couple of years; I’m currently in charge of organizing the meetings. There are usually 10-20 people at these gatherings. One of our members often arranges for a dinner out at a restaurant after our meetings, only inviting some people and often choosing an expensive restaurant. hate that! How can I approach this with him? Or should I not bring it up?
how can I ask my coworkers to stop talking about politics, interview shoes when it’s snowy, and more
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JANUARY 19, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. How can I ask my manager and coworkers to stop talking about politics at work? Do you have advice on how to suggest a rule of no talking about politics at work? My managers and coworkers have taken to discussing politics while we are in meetings, usually towards the end or while we’re waiting for other parties to enter a conference call. Some of them are HUGE fans of a certain politician who I find repellent. If makes me uncomfortable to hear them praise this person, but I’m not able to walk out of a meeting to avoid it.
how to build a culture of mentorship on your team
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JANUARY 7, 2016
There are huge advantages to establishing a learning culture on your team: When your team members all share a commitment to continuous improvement, you’re not only going to get better and better at what you do (individually and as a group), but you’ll also build a pipeline of people able to grow into higher level of responsibility. One way to do that is to build a team of mentors. At Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I talk about how to build that kind of dynamic. You can read it here. good management
Skill based learning – How it drives an organization’s performance
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Training and learning organizations today play an active role in contributing to the bottom line of any organization by aligning their objectives to the immediate business objectives. This provides a solid ground for cost justification and encourages businesses to place training groups right where they should be, at the heart of a growing, thriving, learning culture.
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my boss told me I won’t be considered for a promotion unless I get a “personal brand”
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JANUARY 14, 2016
A reader writes: I recently had my mid-year performance review, and my boss’s feedback was glowing until the end. She noted significant improvements since my first performance review a year ago and praised the number of performance benchmarks I’d met (more than anyone else of my organization’s 15 teapot coordinators). Aside from my own dislike of personal branding, I don’t understand why that’s not a great brand. She told me she spoke with a teapot director who agreed on this feedback. How do I go about creating a brand if my work culture requires it? workplace practices
my staff doesn’t like it that I use the Socratic method with them
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JANUARY 6, 2016
A reader writes: I’m a fairly new manager (two years) of a small team and recently received some feedback from an employee that I don’t know what to do about. previous employee had also given me the same feedback so I’m starting to see a pattern. When team members come to me with questions, I tend not to give the answer right away, but ask them questions back to stimulate their thinking. Most often they do know the answers but are just not making the connections or fully analyzing the situation. Our workloads are high and we are quite busy, so I can empathize there.
should we stop stocking the office kitchen if people won’t keep it clean?
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JANUARY 13, 2016
A reader writes: We have a smallish office of 10-12 employees. Our company provides groceries — as in pays for coffee, cereal, sandwich stuff, and snacks for the employees. We have a microwave, toaster oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher. think it is an excellent benefit to provide to employees, as I don’t know of many employers that provide food to their employees on a consistent basis. We developed a “kitchen duty” schedule that schedules someone to provide basic housekeeping for a week on a rotating basis. This includes trash removal, wiping counters, and loading/unloading the dishwasher.
8 tips for parents returning to the workforce
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JANUARY 18, 2016
If you’ve been a stay-at-home parent who’s now returning to the work force, you might feel intimidated. After all, you’re competing against candidates who didn’t step away from a professional track, your skills might feel rusty, and it might have been years since you interviewed. But with some effort and the right mindset, you can get yourself back to work. At U.S. You can read it here. tips for parents returning to the workforce was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager. job searching
Leaving performance reviews behind: Where to start [Guide]
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Is your company ready to move beyond the annual performance review? Where do you start? What are the keys to success? In this guide, you’ll gain an understanding of: the forces driving change, three foundations of success and take a deep dive into the skills gap many managers have that will sink your efforts before they start and how to address them.
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4 of the toughest work personalities — and how to deal with them
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JANUARY 12, 2016
Unless you work all on your own in a cave somewhere, you’ve probably had your share of difficult coworkers over the years – from the guy who thinks he knows everything to the person who sees work as an interruption to her day-long socializing. But there are ways to deal with difficult coworkers reasonably effectively, or at least to minimize the amount of aggravation they cause you. At Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I talk are four of the most common difficult personalities you might encounter at work, and how to neutralize them. advice about your coworkers
my manager doesn’t respect my personal space, telling applicants that a job is volunteer, and more
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JANUARY 25, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. How can I ask my manager to respect my personal space? started a new job as a trainee a few weeks ago. The room I’m in is me, two managers, and one of the partners in the firm. This is great because at least one person is always available for questions, and I work closely with all three of them. My problem is, one of the managers has no concept of personal space. If I have a question about some accounts, she’ll come over and basically stand on top of me to look at my papers. It makes me extremely uncomfortable. short answers
bad manager or deliberate saboteur?
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JANUARY 29, 2016
A reader writes: I thought you might find this old OSS/CIA manual from 1944 as interesting examples of bad management. The purpose of the manual was to instruct employees and citizens of enemy states to sabotage the enemy from within. Some of the sabotage tips sound quite familiar from some of the reader letters. The most relevant tips relevant to your blog can be found near the end of the manual and contain gems such as: Managers and Supervisors: To lower morale and production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions. Employees: Work slowly. work habits
don’t send condescending, over-the-top rejection letters
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JANUARY 27, 2016
A reader writes: I’ve been applying to a few jobs here and there and I recently received this rejection letter: Hi, OK, it’s that email you didn’t want to get, no beating around the bush, we are afraid that we won’t be taking your application to the next stage. We know rejection is tough and in the next few minutes you may well go through three stages of emotion: Disbelief: We know you may think that the role would have been perfect for you; however it is likely that we had a number of applications which demonstrated a better match when they applied. Also, so many comma splices !
Innovation Buster: How Losing Your Best Employees is Killing Innovation
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Employees at the front lines often have better ideas for innovation than others within the business, but when they walk out the door, they take those ideas with them. Want to innovate better and faster than the competition? You need to hold onto your best employees and the ideas they have. In this session we will explore how various pieces of the talent life cycle are related to retention and examine more than 20 strategies and ideas for improving retention outcomes for your business.
no, it’s not ever “impossible” to fire people
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JANUARY 5, 2016
Periodically I hear someone complain about a coworker or an employee and say “but it’s impossible to fire anyone here, so we’re stuck.” ” It’s not true. No sane organization truly forbids firing people. At worst, it usually means “we have lots of hoops to jump through in order to fire someone, but it can be done.”. Even in the federal government and even in unionized workplaces — both of which people are fond of saying make it impossible to fire people — you can fire people. And as a manager, you must be willing to put in the time. firing
are “pain letters” really worth it?
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JANUARY 7, 2016
A reader writes: I wanted to know what your take is on “pain letters.” I have been reading up on career advice, and I ran across an article by a Forbes contributor who says that we should junk cover letters and resumes for “pain letters.”. I’d advise against them. When I’ve received them, they’re generally cringingly off-base and sound like they were written by someone who will be all flash and no substance. The main problem she has that you need to speak to is “I need someone to perform this job well, and preferably excel at it.” It’s
why won’t my manager let me work extra hours?
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JANUARY 12, 2016
A reader writes: I graduated in May 2015 and accepted an internship position in December. work for a very large corporation and am part of a two-person team (me and my manager). After two weeks, our full-time, permanent recruitment coordinator (RC) gave her notice and officially left at the end of the year. My manager decided to just “give” me this role, while still expecting me to do my internship tasks. Of course I was excited about the opportunity. To clarify, my internship role and the RC role have completely different responsibilities – literally no overlap. Daily.
am I going overboard with praising my staff?
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JANUARY 18, 2016
A reader writes: After many years as an individual contributor and lead, I’ve been stretching into leadership for the last year and find I enjoy it. also find I seem to be doing very well in this arena (thanks to your blog, no doubt) and I’ve been asked to step up to a higher role. One of my struggles is with recognition – but oddly, not the usual problems of under-recognizing effort. I’m afraid I may occasionally get too effusive with my thanks for my team’s comfort, or thank someone one time too many. How would you suggest I broach this topic – if even bringing it up? good management
2016 Training Program Best Practices
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Can you hear the collective groan when you launch that new compliance course? Do you get complaints both public and private from trainees about the uselessness of the training courses you've launched? Is there anything that can be done about it?
I’m panicking that I might suck at my first professional job
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JANUARY 4, 2016
A reader writes: I graduated in May and started my first professional, full-time job in September. I’m a receptionist at a pet resort and, after working in retail (which I’d worked for over three years), I was really happy to work in a job that just seemed so much better. love the clients, I love my coworkers and, even with all of the strangeness that comes with the resort, I love my job. My coworkers and my supervisors have been amazing, but I just feel like I’m dragging everyone down and being more of a burden than a help. Well, first, mistakes are normal in a new job.
how to coach an employee on soft skills
Ask a Manager
JANUARY 14, 2016
People succeed or fail in the workplace based not just on core job skills but on softer skills too – how well they get along with others, how well they communicate with peers or other departments, how they listen, emotional intelligence, and other interpersonal skills that are crucial to performing well. But all too often, managers who are perfectly comfortable coaching an employee on how to improve her writing or her programming skills shy away from tackling soft skill deficits. Don’t let that manager be you! You can read it here. good management
employee’s husband hanging out in office, job searching from a work laptop, and more
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JANUARY 31, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Employee wants her husband to hang out in our office for hours every day. have a coworker who lives a good distance away from the office (a 1.5 hour commute), and as a result, she carpools with her husband to and from work each day. Her husband was recently laid off, but is still driving her to and from work each day. My coworker is now requesting that he be allowed to “hang out” in the office for a couple hours in the morning in order to allow time for traffic to die down, so his return trip home is not as difficult. Don’t do it.
my boss rewrote my resume and it’s terrible, my reference said that his skills are better than mine, and more
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JANUARY 18, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. My boss rewrote my resume — and it’s terrible. My boss is the type of person who is going to do his best to help you in your career; he’s not going to be annoyed or feel threatened that you want to leave. know this about him, so I asked him if he felt I was ready to apply for a certain position that unfortunately we don’t have at our office but is available at one or two others in our area. He said I definitely was, and offered to help with my resume. He knows the industry and he knows people where I’ll be applying.
Ditching the formal performance review? Kineo shares 3 Elements for Success
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Is your organization thinking about moving towards a performance development culture? What are the elements to succeeding and keeping managers and employees engaged? Download “A Road Map for Change” to find out and gain insight into making the transition as smooth as possible on your journey into this brave new world.
my exempt employees are confused about how to manage their own time
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JANUARY 19, 2016
A reader writes: I manage two groups of employees. The first are paid hourly, and personnel matters are governed by union contract. The others are salaried professional staff, who have individual contracts with our employer. This group is compensated and evaluated based on results, not how many hours they work. Our leadership is very clear that salaried employees should work about 40 hours a week, but results are what matters. It’s also very clear that there is no “comp time” for these positions. expect you’ll be here about 40 hours a week. Lay out the spirit of the policy.
I can’t get a former coworker to respond to me, job offers made by FedEx, and more
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JANUARY 4, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. I can’t get a former coworker to respond to me. left the organization I worked for several months ago. I did not part on good terms with this organization; a false allegation had been made against me, I wasn’t given a chance to tell my side, and I resigned. didn’t get to talk to anyone before my departure. There was someone who I wanted to stay in touch with there, and I have tried reaching out to them through email but do not get a response. Our boss never submits us for our employee recognition newsletter. Start a job search.
slow employee listening to podcasts, interviewing with a cold, and more
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JANUARY 3, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Slow employee is listening to podcasts while she works. We hired someone, Beth, a few months ago. She is doing usual entry-level work and is slow, with lots of mistakes. We hired another person, John, who’s doing the same work, but much better. So I know that it’s possible to do that work better as an entry-level worker. Beth listens to podcasts and stories during work. think that may be the cause of all the mistakes. How do I talk about this to her? We allow listening to music, but it feels like podcasts are different. ” 2.
can I ask my interviewer if they’re likely to want someone with more experience?
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JANUARY 28, 2016
A reader writes: I have a job interview in the next few days. But I’m at the end of my tether feeling like I gave it my all and did my research, only to be told they went with experience at the end of it. Side question: shouldn’t you figure this all out before you start interviewing people if indeed it is true?). wouldn’t ask it. It’s not going to help you show how you’d be a strong candidate for the job or help you figure out if the job is the right fit for you, and that’s really what the interview time is for — not getting info to manage your own expectations. interviewing
HR's Critical Role in Creating Productive and Meaningful Workplaces
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Today’s workplace is characterized by chaotic forces—low employee engagement and productivity levels, and declining employee well being. HR Leaders have a critical role in defining the vision and strategy to transform and create a more productive and happy workplace.
my new hire turned from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde
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JANUARY 27, 2016
A reader writes: I’m a manager at a large nonprofit. The budget is tight and I am short-staffed. finally was approved to open up a position with the understanding that it would be a 90-day trial period and at the end of that period the organization would evaluate how well it worked and then decide whether or not to make that person permanent, non-exempt. hired a guy who had great experience and great references and was amazing in the interview. Towards the end of the 90-day trial period, my hire started asking pretty frequently about being made permanent. Should you be mortified?
new managers says I’m young and untrustworthy, coworker is angry that I won’t cut my hours, and more
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JANUARY 20, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. New manager said I’m young and untrustworthy and can’t talk about wages. In the last few months, I’ve been having a lot of trouble with our new manager. When she first started working in our restaurant with no previous experience in food, she immediately tried to rearrange everything. understand her need to be in control, and I can deal with that. But within the first week, I asked my coworker if he had a phone cord as my phone was dying and I needed to call for a ride home. Am I allowed to file some sort of complaint about this?
resigning because of homesickness, job changed after I was hired, and more
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JANUARY 15, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. What to say if I’m going to resign because of homesickness. In May, I began my first full-time contract position in my field with a small organization whose mission I am passionate about. I get along well with my coworkers and I’m gaining experience I never would have dreamed of having right after graduating university. It’s a one-year contract that will almost certainly be renewed next year. The problem? Though I am generally fine now, my first few weeks at work I would cry when I was alone and had this feeling of a huge hole in my heart.
will I be judged for having a messy office?
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JANUARY 20, 2016
A reader writes: I wonder if you could say a few words about work offices/spaces. I’m the child of a hoarder and I fight the family DNA daily, but I usually have a messier office than most people. previous boss with a minimalist office told me that “a messy desk is the sign of a disorganized mind.” Still, I worry that other people will judge. If I’ve gotten behind, I’ll just laugh and say to someone who visits, “Can you tell I grew up with a hoarder?” ” I also worry that my boss will judge despite being messy herself. Please say yes! work habits
Learner motivation explained! Learn how to use an LMS to motivate your learners to upskill
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Training and development professionals often bemoan the lack of apparent initiative in their trainees. Learning professionals spend huge sums of money creating or acquiring skill aligned libraries of learning content, only to watch almost helplessly as learners refuse to engage with any training available that isn’t mandatory.
my favorite cover letter tips, and why you should volunteer if you’re unemployed
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JANUARY 18, 2016
Two miscellaneous things: 1. In this article in Self , I do a round-up of my favorite tips for writing good cover letters. 2. And a reader sent me this interesting news release from the Corporation for National & Community Service, which mentions research showing that unemployed people who volunteer over the next year have 27% higher odds of being employed at the end of the year than non-volunteers. Among rural volunteers and volunteers without a high school diploma, the likelihood increases by about double that. how to find a great volunteer job. what kind of volunteering is most helpful?
my employee sulks when his work is questioned
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JANUARY 15, 2016
A reader writes: I am a manager of several remote workers in states other than my own. have one worker who acts in a way I consider to be childish. Our work environment is fast-paced and can be stressful at times. When I or any of my supervisor staff calls to ask questions about his work, he gets so sensitive about the inquiries that he takes offense and doesn’t want to talk to anyone anymore and puts himself out on an island. He’s doing his assigned work but doesn’t return phone calls because his feelings are hurt by this and constantly needs to be handled with white gloves.
how to build a leadership pipeline on your team
Ask a Manager
JANUARY 28, 2016
If you don’t have a leadership pipeline in place to develop talent internally, you’ll probably need to spend a lot of time searching for good outside talent when vacancies open up on your team – and you may find yourself in a situation where you can’t easily take on new challenges yourself because there’s no one to take on your current responsibilities. At Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I talk about how to do it. how to build a leadership pipeline on your team was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager. good management
CEO’s son drives like a madman while I’m in the car, director follows up on emails in person, and more
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JANUARY 26, 2016
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. CEO’s son drives like a madman while I’m in the car. work for a company as a business director. The CEO’s son meets me out of town for a few store visits. He pulls up in a rented Camaro, and we do our visits of the stores in the city. During our travel that day, he proceeded to race between stores at extremely high rates of speed, regularly using the paddle shifter on the steering wheel. I’m 65 and he is 30. He must have assumed that I didn’t mind the totally incomprehensible speeding actions. We’re way over the speed limit.” short answers
The Performance Management Storm: Four Macro-Trends Driving the Change
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Needed: A shift from traditional performance management systems (organized as an annual review process) to newer performance development systems (organized around real-time dynamics). Download part one in a series to gain insight into why this shift must happen and why it needs to happening now
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