Manager Musings

A Side Trail

by Larry Poyner
Tuesday 5 September 2006 @ 10:32 pm

This evening, as I reflect upon my recent holiday weekend, I think I will take a diversion from the routine and post something a little personal.

This Labor Day weekend, I returned to the city where I have spent at least a dozen Labor Days. The subject city is New Orleans. Yes, a year after Katrina spoiled my last visit, I could wait no longer. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I decided I would forgo the usual stay with my pals who live in the French Quarter, and stay in a hotel. Contributing to the local economy seemed like the very least I could do.

It seems all my friends wanted a firsthand tale of what the city is like, post Katrina, without the media bias. I will provide a link here to my best friend’s blog where he tells of our entire trip. but here is a small taste of what we experienced.

As I flew into MSY,
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A Side Trail

No Small Post

by Larry Poyner
Friday 1 September 2006 @ 6:00 am

I found this on from Life 2.0 called: Have no small meetings And you can’t help but love the picture!!

For people to show up we need to make it safe to do so. We need to create a ‘container of acceptance and appreciation’ around our meetings so that everyone knows that what is thought and expressed is done so in a safe place without judgment or fear of exposure. As a pretty young woman once whispered in my ear on a foreign business trip, ‘what goes on tour stays on tour’. But that’s another story and I digress!

You owe it to yourself to go read the rest of the article. Besides, I am taking a long weekend, beginning now. Will be back Tuesday! Happy blogging!

Feedback Made Easy?

by Larry Poyner
Thursday 31 August 2006 @ 12:01 am

Sometimes, as managers we feel compelled to ‘warm up’ with an associate when it comes time to deliver performance feedback, when it is much less painful for the giver and receiver of a message to just get to the point.

I recently stumbled across an article by Johanna Rothman that provides a simple, yet poignant scenario of how to give some sensitive feedback. Johanna shows us it really is ‘kind to be firm.’ She also offers a useful recipe to deliver feedback that goes like this:

Create an opening to deliver feedback.
Describe the behavior or result in a way the person can hear.
State the impact using “I” language.
Make a request for changed behavior.

If an employees performance is generally satisfactory they should be aware of that. It is easier for employees to accept, and welcome, feedback for improvement if they know management is essentially pleased with their overall performance.There are some key ingredients that should be the foundation of any feedback plan:
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Feedback Made Easy?

What Does it Take?

by Larry Poyner
Monday 28 August 2006 @ 7:02 pm

What does it take to be a leader? Leadership is not about personality or knowing the goal in advance. A true leader has character, and is open to ideas from everyone. The American Management Association gives some good bullet points on leadership:
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What Does it Take?

Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace

by Larry Poyner
Sunday 27 August 2006 @ 9:02 am

Too often when we think of diversity the first thing that comes to mind is race. If we keep a narrow definition in our minds as what diversity is, we will never fully leverage its benefits.

When we see diversity simply as it relates to gender, nationality, and ethnicity, it is more of a superficial diversity. A deeper level of diversity will include differences in values, experiences, knowledge, age, as well as gender, orientation, ethnicity, and nationality. If we can leverage this deeper-level diversity
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Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace

“Our blog mission:To share best practices”

by Larry Poyner
Saturday 12 August 2006 @ 2:32 pm

The most effective employees are the ones who are able to render the company mission and values into the types of operational, strategic and tactical decisions made along the management chain. Managers, who characteristically translate ideas into action, can benefit from a common and clearer understanding of the correlation between decisions made at the top levels and the impact those decisions have down on the production levels.

Disseminating such information in a timely fashion with regard to the values and mission of the company is a vital tool toward building a shared culture. Inspiring middle managers with confidence to execute their jobs and direct their teams in the support of the goals of the organization is a primary key toward building this culture. This blog will try to provide useful insight to link managers more closely to those goals, in order to have the perspective to manage around them. When middle managers feel like they can truly impact the business, they recommit themselves to the goals of the organization. Sharing experiences and best practices in this format may be beneficial to us all. Remember what one author wrote when he stated “None of us is as smart as the sum of us.” –Larry