Management Archives

Strategic Goals of an Organization: Management Basics

What’s the main strategic goals of your organization? Are you clear about the direction in which you want to develop your company? According to Richard Rumelt, the author of Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, when it comes to setting big-picture strategic goals of an organization—no matter how large—it’s best to choose one or two narrow goals and abandon other goals that will only serve to spread your resources and focus. Further, don’t mistake growth as a goal: growth is a sign of a healthy company but it’s not a strategic goal in and of itself. Then, choose feasible objectives that you

The Value of Praise and Recognition in the Workplace

Why is it important to provide praise and recognition in the workplace? What are the most common excuses for not giving recognition? In his book Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work, Paul Marciano discusses why praise and recognition in the workplace are so important. When employees feel like their work is valued, they’re happier, they perform better, and the workplace becomes a more positive environment for everyone. Continue reading to learn the benefits of recognizing your employees’ work.

Transparency in the Workplace: Embrace the Auditors

How can you leverage transparency in the workplace to strengthen your organization? What if you created an atmosphere of embracing outside oversight? It can be tempting to handle organizational problems in house and keep them out of the view of auditors. David Marquet chose not to go that route. Instead, he embraced the inspectors, which necessitated transparency in the workplace. In this case, the workplace was a submarine. Read more to learn how transparency in the workplace can move your organization forward.

Organizational Weaknesses: Watch Out for Weak Links

Do you want to take your business to the next level? What are the main weaknesses your organization is facing? When running your business, you must not only focus on your strengths, but you must also be aware of your weaknesses. These weaknesses might be a weak link in your operations (a department that’s not functioning properly or a product that’s bleeding profits) or it may be the development of organizational inertia or entropy (stasis or disorganization). In this article, we’ll discuss common organizational weaknesses—inertia and entropy, and how to prevent them from compromising your business at its core.

Giving Employee Feedback: Tips for Managers

Looking for advice on giving employee feedback but don’t have a lot of time to spare? Why is giving supportive feedback so important? Many managers struggle to give good, constructive criticism to their employees outside of performance reviews. Paul Marciano, the author of Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work, says that managers should give feedback immediately rather than months later to improve employee performance. Here are some tips on how to give employee feedback that will help your team members grow.

The 3 Types of Feedback: Evaluate, Coach, Appreciate

What are the 3 types of feedback? Is it best to deliver different forms of feedback together or separately? In their book Thanks For the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen maintain that there are 3 types of feedback: 1) evaluation feedback, 2) coaching feedback, and 3) appreciation feedback. Further, they say that it’s best to separate these three strands when giving feedback because they can drown each other out when offered together. Keep reading to learn about the characteristics of the 3 types of feedback and some tips on how to best deliver them.

Building a Cohesive Workplace: Learn From the Bees

Are you part of a cohesive workplace? Is everyone truly working together? A key to creating a cohesive workplace is to think of it as a hive. Bees operate in the interest of the group rather than the self. You can tap into employees’ hiving tendencies to create a cohesive team. Read more to learn three ways to build a cohesive workplace.

12 Actionables for Cultivating Trust in the Workplace

What does it mean to have consideration and trust in the workplace? What actions can you take to be more considerate to your employees? The simple act of acknowledging an employee as an individual can go a long way in terms of their job performance. These acts of consideration can be as small as asking somebody how their day is going or trusting them with ownership of a project so they don’t just feel like a cog. Here are some steps you can take to make your employees feel like their job isn’t just a paycheck.

Setting Expectations at Work: Clarity Is Key

Why is it important to set clear goals and expectations at work? What should workplace goals look like and how do you set them? Employees don’t want to fail, and employers don’t want their employees to fail. So, the best way to set your employees up for success is to set clear expectations for their work. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of setting clear expectations and suggest some actionable pointers on how to approach expectation setting.

How to Make Your Workplace Meetings More Efficient

Do you often find yourself stuck in workplace meetings that feel like a waste of time? How can you organize your meetings so they cause traction rather than a distraction? A lot of the time, workplace meetings pull you away from your productive work and force you to listen to unproductive conversations. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Here is Nir Eyal’s advice on how to make workplace meetings more productive and efficient.