Practical Tips

It seems like ages ago, doesn't it, that business leaders could think about hiring new employees? A bruising economy left little room for adding head count and the budget dollars associated with a new employee.

Signs that the economy is beginning to thaw coincide with a new wave of college graduates are entering the job market. Keep in mind that today's college grad lives in a highly connected, tech savvy world that's different from even just five years ago. To prepare, leaders would benefit from a review of their expectations from an operational and communications standpoint.

 

Help them succeed from the get-go by using these tips.

Have you caught the CBS program “Undercover Boss”?

The show debuted immediately after the Super Bowl and each episode follows a different CEO’s journey from the executive suite to the trenches – undercover, of course.

Certainly the program makes for compelling television but does it pass a reality check? Unfortunately not, at least in our view.

The fact is, it takes more than a new outfit and camera crew to be a star executive; it takes authenticity and it takes courage. But that’s just the start.

In a recent interview, Nancy McKinstry, the C.E.O. and chairwoman of the executive board of Wolters Kluwer, a global information services and publishing company based in the Netherlands, shared one of her most profound management lessons gleaned from managing junior-level employees. 
 

In sports, no one likes a “ball hog,” someone who takes all the shots, gets all the glory. The workplace is no different.

Taking all the credit for successes or quickly pointing the finger of blame at someone else is an easy way to alienate your peers. Instead, share the credit or give the kudos to someone on your team. 

Workers today have lots on their mind: the economy, their job security and concerns on the home front. In the workplace there are plenty of distractions, too, many of them of the digital variety: phone calls, email, voicemail, text messages, IM, you name it. The good news is that managers break through this clutter and keep their teams focused.

It’s natural to wince at the term “employee feedback,” but for every complaint about the break room temperature, there could be two or three more suggestions that can help you improve how your organization performs and meets its goals.

Change how you view feedback and you’ll transform the value you get from it.

Podcasts – done right – can boost interest, inspire questions and cultivate ideas among team members. How can you make them a useful communication practice that triggers repeat listeners? Try these tips for pumping life into your existing podcast or when launching your program.

Shorter lines in the cafeteria, better parking spaces in the lot, and fewer Friday meetings on the calendar. Clear signs of summer. It seems that everyone’s on vacation—which may yield the gift of limited downtime to tackle some tasks you’ve placed on the backburner. Our advice: Take advantage of slower times to ramp-up team members’ professional skills. Most employees have development goals on their performance plans.