Archive for the ‘Managing Your Career’ Category
Survey: Boss Behavior Causes Rampant Worrying
15January 2010
Workplace Expert, Author, Provides Career Tips for 2010 and Beyond
SANTA MONICA (January 13, 2010) — According to a new survey released today by national workplace expert Lynn Taylor, author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant –TOT (John Wiley & Sons), U.S. employees spend 19.2 hours a week (13 hours during the work week and 6.2 hours on the weekend) worrying about “what a boss says or does.”
The national study was conducted by an independent global research firm and commissioned by Taylor’s firm, Lynn Taylor Consulting, which offers workshops on how to humanize the workplace for increased productivity and profitability.
Taylor said, “The study illustrates the tremendous drain that a manager’s words and actions can have on the minds and work product of its most valued asset – people – at a time when companies can least afford the loss. Particularly during this period of high unemployment, bad boss behavior can go into overdrive – distracting employees from the work at hand.”
“Conversely, the survey suggests that greater interpersonal sensitivity can significantly boost morale and help a company thrive,” Taylor said. She advises managers to go the extra mile by showing interest in the team’s well-being. “Employees’ careers are not on hold, even if major corporate initiatives are,” she added. Taylor said that spillover anxiety on weekends of 3.1 hours a day further underscores how critical the boss/employee dynamic truly is.
“Employees should take the initiative in 2010 to build their own human relations skills,” Taylor said. She added, “Tackle issues early on with diplomacy and deploy good ‘parenting skills’ in the office – without patronizing. Use positive and negative reinforcement; provide positive role modeling; humor; and set limits to unreasonable demands with tact, showing the benefits of an alternative compromise.”
The U.S. study was based on telephone interviews conducted with 1,000 respondents 18 years of age or older. For more information, visit www.LynnTaylorConsulting.com and www.TameYourTOT.com or call 1-800-454-0083.
About Lynn Taylor Consulting
Lynn Taylor is the founder of Lynn Taylor Consulting, which advises companies on how to humanize the workplace. A nationally recognized workplace expert, dynamic speaker and acclaimed author, Taylor is the author of the book, Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™(TOT); How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job (John Wiley & Sons, July 2009).
Is Your Management Career Poised for 2010 Success?
29December 2009
In Psychology Today.com, I talk about how it’s time to shore up your career and managerial skills for 2010. I’d like to address that here, and wish you much joy in your career and life in the coming year.
Many had to settle for a less-than-agreeable situation at work in 2009. But 2010 is upon us, and here’s a brief metaphor: 2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and the tiger is known for its strength and strategic skills in getting results. Without being a predator, you can be aggressive about achieving your career goals in the New Year.
First, decide what your heartfelt objectives are, then set your own rules. You do possess needed skills and company know-how. Your leadership skills are hard to replace. So if you like the job you’re currently in, but not the terms, now is the time to fine-tune them and dial up your satisfaction level.
Assess your weaknesses. Clarify what you want more, or less of. How can you better control office challenges by through reading, training and professional development? If fear has held you back, consider if it’s time to move on to the “great unknown.” Design your career objectives based on what would bring you the best long-term happiness. Then, pounce.
Regardless of your choice, the macro environment we’re in dictates a few requirements that will keep you at the top of your game:
• Make human relations skills your priority for 2010. Just because it’s a tech world on steroids doesn’t mean we must lose our humanity. In fact you can counter this trend by increasing yours. Even if those around you regress to virtual toddlers (Terrible Office Tyrants, or TOTs, as I call them) in the pressure cooker recession environment, ratchet up your “interpersonal intelligence” to set you apart from other managers in 2010. You will help “TOT Proof your company” in the process.
• Take the initiative. Like so many aspects of achieving success, maintaining an objective, healthy perspective and being a proactive problem solver can make all the difference. Learn how to role model calm, clear thinking, positive behavior with those around you - this is a transferable skill. The practice will be contagious to top management, too, and benefit those across the organization as well.
• Keep Your Eye on the Prize. Despite the prevalent “sky is falling” mood in corporate America, stay focused and positive on fulfilling your career dreams. When things are in flux, chances for advancement can unfold before you at any time - if you allow them to.
• Reach Out - With Precision. Regardless of whether you’re making job move, networking is essential to career success, and who you know does make a difference. However, choose your venues wisely; time is a non-renewable resource. Master social networking tools, such as LinkedIn groups, blogs and Twitter, as well as targeted trade groups in your area. Reach out to contacts who are helpful, but also be of value to others in return.
• What Are You Saying? With text messaging, e-mails and hurried memos, your writing skills can deteriorate into a terse, nonsensical mess. Recipients may spend needless time trying to decipher what you mean, or worse, take it the wrong way. Take classes in writing and public speaking so that you can better sell your ideas and put your best foot forward in business.
• The 2.0 You. No matter how much experience you have, you can always become more tech savvy. Now is the time to not only upgrade, but to learn skills outside your comfort zone. Jobs are becoming increasingly specialized over time, and so is software that supports those positions. The willingness to learn continually is an invaluable asset.
Make 2010 the year of bold decision-making that you may have been putting off. (Just be careful to sharpen your skills, not your claws, as you set your sights on your goal.
A sunny, helpful, open and positive disposition - combined with a thirst for knowledge - are the real “killer” skills that will last beyond 2010. They will last a lifetime.
Bad Boss Behavior Is Dragging Your Company Down
9October 2009
Many leading experts are emphasizing the importance of a psychologically healthy workplace for a company’s success. This may be more difficult to achieve now than it used to be.
National surveys commissioned by my company, Lynn Taylor Consulting, and conducted by an independent global research firm show that bad and childish boss behavior rose 50% in the period from 2004 to 2009.
This kind of behavior can increase stress in the workplace and lead to employees’ distraction, decreased motivation and even long-term health problems, the ultimate result being drop in productivity and profits. Readers’ conversation on my BusinessWeek blog shows it to be a matter of great concern among employees.
This study and other extensive research encouraged me to write a book, Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant™ (TOT); How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job (John Wiley & Sons, July 2009). The book offers tips on “parenting” unruly managers who resemble tots in their Terrible Twos. Even more importantly, the book advises CEOs on how to “humanize their workplace.” Senior management has the most power to implement change that would establish an employee-friendly corporate culture with management/employee relationship based on trust, understanding, and mutual respect, creating a better workplace climate and improving overall performance.
Rather then managing an assorted collection of people united just by material interest, CEOs could be leading a tight team united by a common purpose where everyone is motivated to contribute their maximum. TOT-proofing a company would be a major step towards achieving that goal.
Being a “Balanced” Manager
25May 2009
Everyone can have a bad day. It’s part of being human. The problem is when we’re charged with managing a team and being our best for the sake of others and something bigger than ourselves each day: the company. In a recent discussion with ABC News, I pointed out that even the best managers have trying days or times of the workday when they just aren’t their most diplomatic selves!
Being a manager and “getting the big bucks” as they say, comes with this price – being able to separate emotion from the business at hand so that others, including colleagues and those we manage, are motivated as often as possible – even through difficult challenges.
Building a great department and team is best achieved together. That doesn’t mean adopt a “misery loves company” management style, though! Unfortunately, in the absence of information, most employees assume that they’re at fault. An office is an eco-system or fabric of mood swings and energy cycles.
We spend most of our waking hours during the week at work. You might spend additional hours in the evenings on the weekend thinking about work. So it stands to reason that you’re emotionally invested in your professional life. The mettle of a manager is tested particularly during tough times, but when the angst is separated from this “emotional investment,” managers are the most effective leaders.
So, some simple steps to take are to allow that red flag to be seen internally when you’re about to deflect stress onto others:
Take a Breather, a Walk, Preoccupy Yourself with Work: Sometimes it pays to do anything but interact with others until you’ve had a chance to simmer. The “problem” may be one of perception – you may be blinded by the seemingly urgent nature of an unexpected event.
Type Up the Issues – for Yourself First: There may well be legitimate issues that you need to take care of, but you may think them through more clearly by writing them out and reviewing them. Notice I said “for yourself” – so you have time to evaluate how much of a problem this is, and the possible solutions. Rather than taking a knee-jerk approach with an instant e-mail or phone call, think things through. Talk to others if you have to and be armed with facts before you leap to conclusions about issues based on fear.
Avoid “False Highs”: The same reflective time applies to judgment about something you think is the answer to all the company’s problems! This seesaw dynamic can create an unpredictable environment for employees that engender anxiety and disappointment. If you change your mind frequently, dash hopes on earlier-approved projects, or compliment someone in the morning and then admonish them two hours later, it can hurt productivity – and employee loyalty.
Pause Before You Hit “Send”: When someone has let you down, it can be very tempting to “let them have it”. Just like the old adage, “count to 10 first,” dowse your fired up communications with a blanket of even-keeled energy before sending them out. You can rarely “recall” an e-mail, just as you can’t “recall” a verbal dialogue. But you can either in your “draft folder,” or else tone it down with more positive language.
Put Your Communications Through the Collaborative-Checker: Everyone has a “spell checker,” but create your own “collaborative checker” software – to ensure that your communications encourage cooperation, not defensiveness. No computer program offers this etiquette software (just yet), but you can help Humanize Your Workplace™ by creating your own customized version.
Find Lessons in Mistakes: If you do slip and someone is in the line of fire when you can’t handle a pressure cooker moment, you can always apologize. Employees are greatly appreciative of this and it doesn’t take away your power – it wins loyalty and dedication for you, as it does in life. It also helps you catch yourself next time in seeing those red flags in more brilliant red the next time around.
Being a “balanced manager” is a sound strategy for getting the best from your team. It’s an effective way to elevate your status as a thoughtful and prudent leader, which earns trust, respect and loyalty. P.S. Good luck with the new “software!”
