Even though my father was a Pastor, I never sang in the choir when I was young. Choir practice always seemed to conflict with basketball practice or work. So I had to wait until I was an adult to learn the lessons that choir singing has to teach. The fact is that pretty much anyone can sing in a church choir, regardless » Read More
Tag: Performance Management
Thoughts on Firing
“You’re fired!” Donald Trump makes it look easy and almost fun. It was never either of those things for me. Firing for me was always hard and it was never fun. I think that’s the way it should be. In more than four decades in business, I’ve fired a number of people. I don’t know how » Read More
Feedback without Fear
Feedback. New bosses dread it. Experienced bosses hate it. Participants in my programs have told me that for over twenty-five years. So I’m always on the lookout for helpful advice on how to do that critical job well. “Conquering Your Fears of Giving Feedback ” is the headline of an interview with » Read More
If you’re worried about confrontation
It was one of the worst moments of my working life. I was the assistant manager in a distribution center and I sat down one of our warehousemen for a chat about his behavior, which needed improvement. Things started out just fine. Then, without warning it seemed, he was standing over my desk, red-faced, shouting and » Read More
A Secret No One Tells New Managers
The Merriam-Webster dictionary lists two meanings for “confrontation.” There are “a face-to-face meeting” and “the clashing of forces or ideas.” Both are part of being a boss, but hardly anyone tells that to a new manager in advance. You could say that managing others is the art of » Read More