Management Mastery

New Managers often have a habit of talking too much.  A lot of this is due to feelings of insecurity in their new position.  They often feel they need to show they are “in charge” by dominating the conversation – especially with their staffs.  This is a mistake  In this episode we will explain why and how to use silence – that is, simply talking less.  We will also discuss the opposite problem: Wh...

Providing help to the members of your team can be tricky.  Since you’re the boss, staff members are aware that you supervise and evaluate them, and if you come in and say “I’m here to help” it may or may  not  be received well.  Those managers who come in too heavy-handed often receive a bad reputation.  In addition, staff members can have strong emotional or psychological reactions to unnecessary...

When surveyed, most managers say they give each of their team members equal attention, respect and consideration.  Yet the research over many years finds that bosses have “in-groups” with whom they have warmer, more personal relationships and “out-groups” where they act more transactionally.  In this episode we discuss why that can be bad for the manager and how to make an effort to change that dy...

There are a number of honest mistakes new managers often make.  In this episode, we discuss three of the most common and, often some of the hardest to totally avoid making.

While a promotion can be gratifying, exciting and rewarding, it often carries with it new or increased pressures and strains on both you and your family.  In this episode we talk about how to deal with some of those new burdens.

The best managers recognize that one-on-one meetings with staff members are key to building a cohesive, well-run team.  By one-on-one meetings we’re talking about status update meetings where you and your staff member discuss their progress on assignments as well as any other issues they or you may have.  Why? Because staff members are critical to your success, both as individuals and members of t...

A manager cannot be explicit or clear enough regarding guidelines.  One of the ways that you can provide clarity is by spelling out the way that your staff need to work together and interact with colleagues, clients and stakeholders.  A simple way to think about this is to ask, “what specific behaviors will enable us to succeed?”  In this episode, we’ll discuss what a set of ground rules might loo...

Far too often, Managers think that “customer service” refers only to services provided to the general public or others outside of the company.  As we have discussed in previous episodes, every department, in every company, serves customers. Whoever uses what your department provides is your customer and how well, or poorly, you service their needs will determine how your department – and you – are...

It is estimated that 30% to 50 % of any department staff are "introverts". They can be extremely talented members of your team, but can easily fade into the background and their potential contributions lost if not identified and handled correctly. In this episode, we talk about how to fully utilize the introverted members of your staff.

As manager, you’re the chief representative of your department – both inside and outside the company. In other words, you are the Chief Marketing Officer or CMO of your department. In this episode we will discuss with this means, why it’s important, and how successfully to market your department.

As a leader in the organization, you’re the Symbol of the Organization for your department and company in everything you do with people that you meet both inside and outside your company.  In this role, you may be called on to lead a team to represent the company for important external stakeholder meetings or presentations. We’ll discuss some of the challenges involved in being an effective compan...

Hook: Every business operates within an internal and an external context. The internal context is made up of the business objectives and priorities of the organization, including how it wants to be perceived by its clients and the general public. The external context is made up of the legal, regulatory and competitive environments in which the business functions. The purpose of policies and rules...

You don’t have to be the owner to act like the owner.  Acting like an owner means being fully accountable for production, commitments, responsibilities as well as building strong, positive relationships with staff.  But most of all, you need to be seen as the leader that people want to follow.  This episode will discussing Acting As An Owner by Showing Your Leadership

You don’t have to be the owner of the company to act like an owner.  Acting like an owner means taking responsibility of your role and function in the company as if you were the owner.  In this episode, we will explore what it means to be a symbol of the company as if your name were on the door.  In terms of representing your company, acting like an owner is not optional.  Depending on the situati...

The best managers must both build a cohesive team AND motivate the individuals on the team.  If the manager supports people and their daily progress in meaningful ways, it improves not only the work lives of the individuals, but enhances the long-term performance of the department and company.

Often, departments within the same company will have a competitive relationship with one or more other departments within that company.  In the end, this can actually negatively impact a department in multiple ways.  In this episode we discuss some of the benefits to a manager of encouraging cooperation with other departments in their firm.

Setting goals is a critical part of being a successful manager.  By setting goals for both their department as well as individual staff members, the manager ensures that the department meets or exceeds its corporate objectives.  There are two types of goals successful managers set for staff –Productivity goals – that is, meeting the relevant production or service objectives set for the department...

Setting goals is a critical part of being a successful manager.  By setting goals for both their department as well as individual staff members, the manager ensures that the department meets or exceeds its corporate objectives.  There are two types of goals successful managers set for staff –Productivity goals – that is, meeting the relevant production or service objectives set for the department...

This week on Management Mastery, we interview a guest: Jake Kilrain a former senior sales executive who talks with Fred and Rick about his experiences when he first became a manager.  He relates his experience of going from being a member of a department to being its head, and some of the problems related to going from being a peer to being the boss.

The ability to successfully delegate is critical to the success of any manager. Nevertheless, errors in delegating can lead to results that sometimes can be worse than not delegating at all. We’ll cover some of the more common mistakes and how to avoid making them in this episode.

Leaders often experience feelings of isolation at greater levels than other employees.  They have fewer peers, lots of scrutiny, a good deal of pressure, make decisions sometimes without much data, and have information that must be kept confidential.  In addition, they have to watch for feelings of isolation among their staffs.  In this episode we’ll discuss some of the challenges leaders face reg...

No manager likes to hear bad news.  But a good manager knows how important it is that their staff feel comfortable enough to give their manager bad news when it is important.  In this episode, we’ll talk about how to develop the level of trust needed to ensure your staff will tell you what you need to hear.

Asking yourself “Am I delegating the right amount?” is an important question for you as well as the members of your staff.  Delegating is entrusting a task to another person. Here we’re referring to an assignment given that is beyond one’s normal job description. This might be adding additional duties or handling a unique or special project. A key aspect of delegating is granting autonomy and trus...

We have discussed in previous episodes the importance of content and presentation in being an effective communicator.  In effective communication, how much you say – that is the quantity of your communication and when you say it – that is the timing of your communication – can, at times, be as, if not more important than the content of what you are trying to communicate.

In today’s corporate environment, the merging of two or more departments or functional areas is commonplace.  Such consolidations can be extremely disruptive and can negatively impact the performance of the departments involved.  In this episode, we discuss ways to avoid many of the mistakes a manager can make during such a merger.