Author: murika

If you don't have children, you may not get this, but managing employees is a lot like parenting. I'm not being condescending, but if you're a parent, you will understand the analogy. If you ask your kids to do something, do you assume they'll do it? No way. You have to follow up and make sure they do it right. You're going to have to manage your employee developmental process exactly the same way. It's never as simple as just saying, "Okay, David, you're hired. Do what I tell you, and things will be great." You have to refine your working relationship with your people as you go along. There is no blueprint for success. You have to find out how to communicate with and motivate each individual. You have to know when a certain employee needs encouragement versus a stern talking to. ...

A recent report from Harvard Business Review has shown the power of putting data analytics in the hands of workers in frontline jobs, but it also reveals that leaders must drive a culture change and shake up the decision-making hierarchy to make this strategy pay off. The report, commissioned by ThoughtSpot and released last month, concludes that putting data in the hands of frontline workers -- such as store managers, sales teams, sales clerks, nurses, and others -- can significantly improve both their productivity and quality of work. Of the 464 business executives surveyed, an overwhelming 87 percent said their organizations will be more successful when frontline workers have access to data and tools to help them make decisions in the moment. But only one-fifth of respondents said their workers are empowered to make those decisions today. The HBR report makes a strong case for democratizing access to data and describes the key steps executives believe are important for doing so successfully. Here are the five main takeaways from the report: ...

I’ve been in executive positions for about a decade now. Although it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience, I can’t say that it has always gone smoothly. I've made mistakes, including hiring someone who ended up stealing from my company. Leading a company is a trial by fire, and you simply have to reflect and learn from your mistakes as you go. That being said, creating a few general rules can help guide you through difficult decisions. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs over the past 10 years, and I’ve learned a great deal from both the highs and the lows. Here are the five rules I try to live by in an effort to be the most effective executive I can: ...

People don’t like being told what to do. There’s even a word for it: reactance. “Psychological reactance is a negative emotional state that we feel when we’re not in control of our behavior,” says Jonah Berger, author of The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind, and a marketing professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “We have a drive for freedom and autonomy. Anytime we feel like someone else is trying to persuade us, or shape our behavior or actions or attitudes, we essentially put up an anti-persuasion radar. You can almost think about it like an anti-missile defense system.” This can be useful in many ways. It’s the reason that advertisements don’t empty our bank accounts, and why we don’t (usually) fall for scams. ...

While parts of the U.S. economy are reopening after months of shutdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic, many office workers are entering their fourth month of working from home. Major companies, including Twitter and Facebook, have made game-changing announcements to allow employees to work from home permanently. And recent surveys indicate as many as 68% of those currently working from home would like to continue doing soto some extent in the future. ...