Should You Buy Gifts for Your Employees?

Maybe this is your first winter in a supervisory position. In addition to worrying about meeting year-end goals, you might have the added stress of figuring out what—if anything—to give your employees for the holidays. Some people will tell you that you don’t need to buy your employees gifts (or that you shouldn’t), and while

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Three Things Your Remote Leaders Need to Plan for Next Year

Ready or not, here comes 2019. If there is a time of year that leaders have the most to do, this might be it. Perhaps this is even more true for remote leaders, trying to coordinate year-end tasks and calendars with those they don’t see in the office. If we want to be more effective

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Coaching and Feedback at a Distance

When we talk to leaders of teams, the one part of the job most feel they could do a better job of is coaching their people. This feeling of “not quite being as good as we could be” is heightened when we work remotely from the people we should be developing. On the surface this

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Using Your Remaining Training Budget Wisely

Whether you manage the training budget for yourself, your team, your department, or your entire organization, you are acutely aware that there are just two months left in the year. And chances are as you look at the ledger, you are thinking one of two things. How can I use the rest of my training

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[Infographic] Top Tips to Remain Healthy at Work

For many managers (and their employees), this time of year brings end-of-the-year and holiday stress, more over-indulgences of unhealthy foods and beverages, and less physical activity. Being healthy is the key to feeling good, remaining productive, avoiding the deluge of illnesses already hitting the workplace, and managing stress. To keep yourself feeling tip-top and your

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What Does “Professional” Really Mean?

“Professional.” I hear leaders talk about that word often. They say “I want my team to be professionals” or “Why can’t they be more professional?” When I ask “What do you mean by ‘professional’?” I typically receive stumbling answers that aren’t very clear or helpful. It is understandable that you want your team members to be professional.

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The Power of the One-on-One Meeting

Most all leaders will talk about the importance of the one-on-meeting; the chance to spend time with each of their team members individually. Few will do it regularly, and fewer still will get the full benefit from these meetings for themselves and their team members. The one-on-one meeting is valuable, whether you are leading a

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Your Role as Mentor is Critically Important

Whether you’re an official mentor or not, the way you treat your employees can play a large part in shaping their careers. Are you building their confidence and helping them learn from their mistakes? Or are you doing the opposite? While this is probably most pertinent to your youngest workers, the way you respond to

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Five Ways to Improve Your One-on-One Meetings

Leaders need to stay connected to and in sync with the members of their teams. Both parties have the need for updates and communication. And in my experience, many leaders and team members don’t believe that connection and communication is as effective as it could be. The solution is the one-on-one meeting. While this may

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The Most Important Thing You Can Do This Weekend

As a new manager, do you find it hard to stop thinking about work, even when you go to bed? Do you struggle to fall asleep because you worry about how your team will handle work the next day, how you will deal with a poor performer or what you must do to retain your

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