Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Your managers are the keys to your employees’ productivity and engagement. How well are they doing? A consultant whose opinion we respect—Bill Lee of Lee Resources, at BillLeeOnline.com—recommends a book he thinks is the best manager-improvement product he’s come across. It is The Control Theory Manager, by William Glasser, M.D. (HarperBusiness, 1994), and it’s short […]
Early in my career, I worked for a boss who, every time he returned from vacation, measured the productivity of his staff by the number of reports and memos he had waiting from each person. It didn’t take long for his staff to realize if you wanted to impress upon him that you had worked hard […]
Again, we’ve turned to BLR’s newly-published Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012 for guidance. Identifying Key Positions and Skills A critical step in the process is to specifically identify the key positions that will be targeted in the succession plan. This usually includes management-level positions. It may also include highly specialized jobs […]
To get a better handle on what’s new in succession planning, we turned to BLR’s newly-published Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management for 2012. We’re dealing with an aging workforce. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over one-third of the civilian employees working for the federal government are eligible for retirement. […]
Successful mentoring relationships start with a clear agreement about goals, procedures, and limitations, says mentoring expert Lois Zachary. Too often mentors and mentees start off without doing enough preparation and end up with an unsatisfactory experience, she says. Zachary, author of The Mentor’s Guide and the recently published The Mentee’s Guide to Mentoring, provides guidelines […]
The new mentoring depends on a reciprocal learning relationship, she says. Zachary, author of The Mentor’s Guide and The Mentee’s Guide to Mentoring, presents seven elements of successful mentoring programs. 1. Reciprocity In the new mentoring, there is equal engagement of both parties. Both have responsibilities, both have roles to play, and both have something […]
A great man once said, “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” The man credited for uttering those words? Dr. Seuss. But how right was the author of those wonderful children’s books? In my estimation, he hit the nail on the head. I was on the phone the other day with a […]
One of the traits I think is important in a leader is consistency. It’s not always easy to assess in job candidates, but it certainly shows itself (or not) over time. Webster’s defines consistency this way: “steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.” A consistent leader has a steadfast adherence to the same […]
Last week, I had occasion to return to Chicago, which was my stomping grounds for nearly a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s. While I was there, I spent time with a former colleague, reminiscing about the good old days. We were both still in our 20s when we began working together nearly 20 […]
Warner, who is SPHR certified, is the founding partner of Moody and Warner PC in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her tips came at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exhibition. Train your managers with the following valuable information and practical warnings from Warner. High-Ranking Manager Is the Bad Actor “I like it when a high-ranking manager was […]