Some managers fall into the trap of stepping in and bailing out their lower performing employees. If certain staff members are not doing their jobs satisfactorily, a knee-jerk reaction is to jump in and do it yourself.
By Dr. Lisa Aldisert
Everyone is getting busier, which is great for business but perhaps more challenging in execution. This continues to be more complicated if you are working remotely or in a hybrid situation.
During the most intense periods of the pandemic, employees adapted and got the work done clumsily but effectively. What’s different now is the pace and higher levels of expectations. Business is returning to previous activity levels and leaders need to help their teams adjust to expectations.
So what’s a leader to do? These suggestions may seem obvious, but this is one of those times where it’s important to go back to basics.
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By Dr. Lisa Aliderst
A recent episode of The McKinsey Podcast focused on how a boss has a direct impact on health, happiness, and productivity. Now that’s quite a bit of influence when you think about it!
Tera Allas, McKinsey’s director of research and economics for its UK and Ireland office summarized the research. Happiness on the job is the second most important factor (after health and mental health) for overall life satisfaction. And an employee’s relationship with the boss is pivotal to job happiness.
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By Dr. Lisa Aldisert
The first quarter has come and gone and if you haven’t already done so, it’s a good time to take a snapshot of what’s going on in your business. After all, if you’re not paying attention, who knows what direction things will go for the rest of the year?
The end of the first quarter marked the end of a full year of operating under sub-standard conditions. Many companies have been in survival mode, with a focus on what can be done to keep the status quo.
Demand is returning, however, and it will be beneficial for the mindset to return to one of growth rather than maintenance. Although the pandemic is still having a meaningful impact on operations, evaluate the strengths that have emerged in the past year.
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By Dr. Lisa Aldisert
There’s no way around this: you need to work harder at listening when you’re not face to face. Generally, your people will tell you everything is fine….even when it isn’t.
For example, you may check in about progress towards a particular deadline and people will say that they’re on top of it.
Maybe they are. But maybe not.
Asking about progress may be fine for some people, but for others you may need to be much more specific. Based on the person’s response, you can continue to ask questions until you receive satisfactory answers.
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By Dr. Lisa Aldisert,
Many of us are a good ten months into managing a remote workforce. Although some have done well and even flourished, others are stumbling. This can be frustrating, especially if you felt successful when you were together with your team in the office.
Work will eventually return to an office environment, but it will not likely ever revert to the way it was a year ago. The managerial skills that make you brilliant in the office are different than the ones you need to succeed remotely. And whether you return to a conventional office environment or stay remote, the skills to successfully manage remotely will serve you well.
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Dr. Lisa Aldisert, Hr.com, September 2020
An opportunity for leaders to sharpen the saw and up their game.
Virtual leadership is now an essential skill as a result of living through the pandemic. Recent announcements by large tech companies such as Google and Salesforce.com that they expect their employees to work remotely until next summer are harbingers of what we can expect in the near term.Read More
By Dr. Lisa Aldisert,
The answer to this question requires action! Reflect on the conversations you’ve had recently with your clients or customers. Do you really know what’s on their minds, or are you making assumptions?
Often, we project our opinions onto our clients. If we are struggling with COVID related problem X, we assume that our clients are also struggling with the same problem.
Although we certainly share similar challenges, the degree to which we can more deeply understand our clients’ challenges will inform the types of solutions we provide for them now and in the future.
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A Case Study of The Brooks Group
By Dr. Lisa Aldisert,
Organizational culture is a topic that baffles many executives because culture seems like a soft and squishy topic. After all, you don’t go out and buy a how-to manual on creating corporate culture! Although the topic may seem soft, hard, tangible results can ensue when your people are aligned with your culture.
An organizational culture is a set of shared values and beliefs that are disseminated and understood at every level of a company. It’s an easy concept to understand, but not necessarily easy to implement. Everyone should be able to answer the question, “What is important to your company?”
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7 indications of a broken culture
By Lisa Aldisert
Culture is a common buzzword these days. Many articles tout the importance of a good culture. There are even awards that celebrate companies where employees love to work. Experts talk about defining, transforming, and fixing your culture. But how do you even know if your company’s culture needs help? Or what aspects to fix if it has some cracks?
It is possible for a culture to be mostly good and have only a few blemishes. In fact, that’s the way that most cultures are. Even idealized cultures you see showcased in the media, with inventive perks and fun break rooms, still have issues.
Every culture has its challenges. There is no Oz, nor any magic bullet. Because companies and people evolve, keeping a healthy culture in check requires constant maintenance before a variety of factors can throw it off.