Management Archives

When to Fire an Employee Who Is Only “Good Enough”

How do you know when to fire an employee? Why should you fire employees who are “good” but not “great”? At Netflix, Reed Hastings’s policy is to fire an employee even if they haven’t done anything wrong. He treats his company like a sports team—you will be replaced if the company finds someone better. This may sound harsh, but it’s part of the reason why Netflix is such a successful company. Here’s why Netflix lets go of adequate employees and how to manage the potential pitfalls of this practice.

Surrounded by Idiots: Quotes by Thomas Erikson

Are you looking for Surrounded by Idiots quotes? How can understanding these quotes help you better understand Erikson’s message in the book? Erikson’s framework includes four personality types, and each has a unique way of thinking, behaving, and communicating. He shows you how to navigate conflicts, sharpen your communication, and improve your relationships with your boss and colleagues—all by recognizing their personality types as well as your own. Here are some top quotes from the book with explanations.

How to Satisfy Both Internal and External Customers

What’s the difference between internal and external customers? How can you figure out what each type of customer wants? Management experts Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles explain in their business fable Raving Fans that, in order to satisfy both your internal and external customers, you first need to find out what they want. That’s why feedback is so important to a business. Here’s how to satisfy both types of customers.

The 4 Personality Types and Their Stress Triggers

The 25 Cognitive Biases: Doubt Avoidance Tendency

How do the Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue personality types respond to stress? What can you do to help each color relieve their stress? Thomas Erikson, the author of Surrounded by Idiots, says that each of the four different personality colors has unique stress triggers, and so each one must be treated differently. Knowing what stresses out each type of person is especially helpful in the workplace. Continue reading to learn about personality types and stress.

How to Give Feedback to Different Kinds of Employees

How would you deliver negative feedback to an extroverted yet combative employee? How would that differ from the feedback you’d give to a meticulous and rules-oriented person? In his book Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson says that, when delivering negative feedback, it’s crucial to know the type of person you’re delivering it to. Someone with a Red personality will fight you on every point, while somebody with a Green personality might cry. Preparation is everything. Here’s how to give feedback to employees with different personality colors.

Productive Conflict: How to Agree to Disagree

What is productive conflict? How can you resolve conflict without resorting to an argument? According to Ray Dalio, productive conflict is the key to successful cooperation. The only trick is to engage in productive conflict without triggering emotional explosions. Your goal is not to prove that you’re right, but rather to find out which view is true and decide what to do about it. Dalio offers the following tactics for productively disagreeing with others.

The Benefits of Automated Decision-Making

The 3 Core Principles of Objective Decision Making

What is automated decision-making? What are the benefits of automated decision-making in business? Automated decision-making is the practice of making decisions based on predetermined criteria derived from past data. When you recognize a situation as “another one of those,” you can just refer to your rules as a shortcut to good decision-making. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of automated decision-making in a business context and consider some real examples of how it is executed in practice.

How to Work With a Yellow Personality Type

What traits would you expect from a yellow personality type? In what ways should you adapt your behavior when working with a yellow-dominant person? According to Thomas Erikson in Surrounded by Idiots, Yellow types have a charismatic personality and a bright outlook. Erikson says they see life as a smorgasbord of delights and are the first to try something new. Their driving forces in life are joy and laughter. Erikson writes that Hippocrates refers to this type as “sanguine,” which means “optimist.” Here’s how to work with yellow-dominant people.

How to Work With a Green Personality Type

What are the traits of a Green personality type? In what ways should you adapt your behavior when working with a Green-dominant person? According to Thomas Erikson in Surrounded by Idiots, the Green personality (which Hippocrates would call “phlegmatic”) is the most common. He labels Green types as the most balanced and describes them as a little bit of every color. Green personalities are even-tempered, kind, and empathetic—and they can go with the flow. Erikson says they can be perceived as shy or unsure of themselves. Keep reading for advice on how to work with a Green-dominant person.

Personality: The Secret Sauce of Effective Teamwork

How does personality influence teamwork? How can you make use of personality typing to build an effective team? Personality complementarity is a key aspect of effective teamwork. If you want to assemble a successful team, you should identify the personality types of the contenders and match them according to how well they work together. Here is how personality typing can make help you assemble an A-star team.