Joan Crawford screamed, “No more wire hangers!” I’m screaming “No more ‘run faster’ goals!” “Run faster” goals are the ones where you decide to “increase sales” or even “increase sales by 51.25396 percent” and the only change is that » Read More
Category: Performance Management
Boss’s Tip of the Week: Do they know how?
To analyze a performance problem, start with the question, “Do they know how?” Many performance “problems” happen because a team member doesn’t know how to do the job you want them to do, while you assume that they do. Don’t assume. And don’t just ask them if they know how » Read More
Boss’s Tip of the Week: Be Specific
Be specific when you walk to a team member about performance or behavior. Be specific about what they did so they know what you mean. Be specific about the impact so they know why it’s important. This is only one of 347 tips in my ebook, Become a Better Boss One Tip at a Time. Just promoted from individual » Read More
Boss’s Tip of the Week: Performance Solutions Checklist
In your career as a boss, you’ll deal with hundreds of performance problems. Each one will have a unique solution, but most of them will fall into one of four categories. Use the categories as a checklist. Learning solutions work when the problem is a lack of knowledge or adequate skills. Resource solutions work when » Read More
Leadership: Make Those Tough Conversations Easier
If you’ve been a boss for more than a couple of days, you’ve had at least one tough conversation. You know the ones I mean. They’re the conversations about performance and behavior. Most bosses dread them. Conversations about performance and behavior are at the core of your work as a leader. If leadership is your » Read More