06th November 2009
The Big Secret
You won't find this statement in many texts or lecture notes. The basic human element in the workplace is the team not the individual. This reality has major implications in how you manage your people. You can't achieve much in business wi...
04th November 2009
Forget Forms.
There's a big danger with using a staff appraisal form. It's this: if you're not very careful, completing the form becomes more important than the performance it's supposed to be measuring. And it's unlikely that you need to be involved any...
03rd November 2009
A Valuable Resource.
What customers tell you about your business and employees is quite valuable. You can create a clear link between customer feedback and employee standards. But remember, no customer likes filling out forms. A structured telephone call...
01st October 2009
It's not common to find superior performers loaded with all sorts of difficult work. Contrary to their managers' expectations, these employees may feel that they're efforts aren't appreciated.
What's Performance Punishing? Performance punishing occurs ...
01st October 2009
Most managers simply don't do enough selection interviewing to become highly skilled at it. And they're usually under time pressures to conduct interviews quickly. You can offset your lack of practice by adopting these simple rules.
1.Interview As Few ...
01st October 2009
High visibility and high dependency are major issues facing managers in small-medium business. They interact daily with staff. Their moods, their reactions, their highs and lows are on show for all to see. Staff depend on them for their livelihood. If the...
30th September 2009
Training is no guarantee of improved performance. When we know our employees are well trained, more training is wasteful and counterproductive. If you can't quite seem to work out how to get constant improved performance from your people, these ideas may ...
30th September 2009
Summary. Do you advertise for staff in the local paper? Do you use a consultant or a notice board? Whatever you do to attract people to join you, bear this in mind. The on job success of the person you select will be largely determined by your position de...
16th September 2009
All the gurus emphasise the importance of setting clear, measurable goals. And that's good. But few mention performance standards that tell you how well you're progressing towards meeting these goals. Without performance standards neither you nor your emp...
16th September 2009
Just how important is past experience when evaluating the suitability of candidates for vacant jobs? After 40 years experience in staff selection, I believe that experience is overrated as an indicator of future success. At the very least, you shouldn't ...
02nd September 2009
Do your staff sometimes make you want to tear your hair out? Do they continue to make, no matter how hard they try, the same simple mistakes repeatedly? Do you feel that you might be part of the problem but aren't sure just what to do? Try these technique...
02nd September 2009
The power of expectation is often underestimated. In Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw said, "The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves. It's how she's treated." Lerner and Loewe based "My Fair Lady" around Shaw's concept. Maybe ...
25th August 2009
Consequences are a major key in unlocking superior employee performance. Yet managers often consider consequences as they see them. They forget that from the employee perspective, the consequences may be quite different.
1. Consequences For Whom? Like ...
24th August 2009
You can say all you like about the importance of on job performance. Words are cheap. Your employees won't take much notice if they aren't clear about what you mean in their terms. Performance standards will do this for you in at least ten ways.
1. Per...
15th August 2009
Summary �It isn't theirs!� That�s the reason your employees don�t commit to your business in the same way you do. You don�t stick up for other people�s children the way you do for your own. You don�t feel the same sense of outrage when someo...
