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How am I Doing?
November 15, 2009 5:16 PM by Glen McDaniel

A few years ago I was consulted by a new manager who was frustrated because several of his employees refused to sign their annual performance evaluation. Some accused him of playing favorites and being unusually harsh and punitive. After speaking with Read More...

3 comments »     

"Historically, Nothing!"
October 4, 2009 4:50 PM by Glen McDaniel

Just about everyone knows someone in the workplace whose mantra is "that's the way we have always done it here." People like that are usually afraid of change and so cling desperately to the status quo long after it has outlived its usefulness. There Read More...

5 comments »     

You Are Paid What You Are Worth
August 28, 2009 8:24 PM by Glen McDaniel

I was speaking to a client the other day and he kept complaining about how underpaid he is. He resisted every exercise I suggested to list his strengths, competencies and value to his company. "I am very well qualified, I do a good job, I work very hard; Read More...

7 comments »     

What's Your Biggest Weakness?
August 21, 2009 8:07 PM by Glen McDaniel

What do you do when asked by an interviewer, or your boss during a performance evaluation, "What do you think is your greatest weakness?" That question stops most people in their tracks. President Bush asked by a reporter if he had made mistakes was so Read More...

2 comments »     

We Teach What We Need to Learn
July 30, 2009 8:21 PM by Glen McDaniel

A good friend of mine who is a life coach is fond of saying "We teach what we most need to learn." I have found that to be true not just in a metaphysical sense but also in leadership as well. I once had a boss who always brought every topic back to patient Read More...

3 comments »     

Social Networking and Work
July 5, 2009 4:09 PM by Glen McDaniel

Millions of people now practice social networking . In fact just about everyone I know has a profile on one or more sites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Twitter. Some networkers are more aggressive and dedicated than others and spend hours each week Read More...

7 comments »     

Because I Said So
June 20, 2009 3:55 PM by Glen McDaniel

Remember as kids, how your parents would explain a directive with a terse "Because I said so." Or simply "Because!." That response demonstrated a significant imbalance of power between the parent and child. Healthcare providers are familiar with superiors Read More...

2 comments »     

What Makes a Good Boss?
May 25, 2009 12:01 PM by Glen McDaniel

In the past 3 weeks I heard from 2 different individuals who I used to supervise a few years ago. They both made me proud by saying I was the best boss they ever had. These are phenomenal women in their own right who both were very easy to manage, in Read More...

1 comments »     

Jargonese Makes You Sound Pretentious
May 18, 2009 9:50 PM by Glen McDaniel

I was listening to a speaker the other day and just about dozed off in boredom. The topic she was discussing was very important and she was making some valid points. But for some reason she tried to impress everyone by overusing jargon and technical terms. Read More...

3 comments »     

Dealing With Negativity
May 12, 2009 3:52 PM by Glen McDaniel

We all know someone at work who walks around with a black cloud over his head. This person is usually a naysayer who always sees the glass as half empty and answers every suggestion with "Yes, but..." Interestingly a negative person rarely takes suggestions Read More...

3 comments »     

Are You a Micromanager?
January 26, 2009 9:11 AM by Glen McDaniel

There are two observations I have made about management styles. No one likes to be micromanaged, and supervisors who micromanage almost never know (or admit) that they do. They will very often explain their own behavior in terms such as "I am just a perfectionist," Read More...

2 comments »     

Ignoring Problems
July 7, 2008 3:30 PM by Glen McDaniel

Recently on a TV news show, real estate tycoon Donald Trump indicated the biggest mistake in the real estate foreclosure crisis is to ignore a request for payment from lenders. He cited anecdotal findings that many homeowners become so overwhelmed, they Read More...

3 comments »     

New Supervisor Marches to a Different Beat
June 27, 2008 11:04 AM by Glen McDaniel

The following scenario was presented to me in a client hospital recently. A new supervisor was hired and immediately rubbed several long-time employees the wrong way because of what was seen as his threatening tone and brusque manner. Employees were "ordered" Read More...

6 comments »     

Mission and Vision Should be More Than "Just Words"
March 20, 2008 10:09 AM by Glen McDaniel

Ever notice when you join an organization how much they push their mission and vision? Many companies even have these statements on employee badges, plaques and the like. Yet for every one employee who buys into the words, there are a hundred who roll Read More...

4 comments »     

The Boss From Hell
January 22, 2008 12:52 PM by Glen McDaniel

We have all at some time or the other had a "boss from hell." I for one have had my share. In one company I worked for executives who seemed to try to outdo each other for toughness and would even brag about, and recount how successful they were, at driving Read More...

10 comments »