John's Management Blog January 2008 Archive

Today I finished the annnual performance reviews for my direct reports. It's required by the company, so I do it. But I think annual performance reviews are a waste of ... Read More

In a meeting this morning we were talking about silos - data silos, organizational silos, informational silos - and how they get in the way. They reduce teamwork, increase costs, ... Read More

According to Molly Selvin of the Los Angeles Times, billionaire Sam Zell has created an employee handbook that reflects his own personality more than the typical handbook. For example, the ... Read More

Have you ever wanted to tell someone to "shut up and listen"? Has anyone ever said that to you? All of us talk too much from time to time, but ... Read More

Toxic bosses. We all know them. The supervisor who constantly berates their people. The team leader who creates division within the group instead of harmony. The manager who condescends to ... Read More

I spent time recently learning more about disasters and emergencies. Disasters are large-scale events like floods and earthquakes where you may be on your own for awhile before help can ... Read More

Your company culture has to be adaptive and needs to be aligned to your strategic goals. Do you know what your current company culture really is? When your team is aligned ... Read More

You can't manage what you don't measure. It is an old management adage that is still accurate today. Unless you measure something you don't know if it is getting better ... Read More

You can improve as a manager by working every day to get better. Management is a skill that can be learned. If one of your resolutions for the new year ... Read More

We have already established that to start this year you have to have a vision and you have to have a tendency toward action, but how do you know where ... Read More

I just got my copy of the latest issue of the Kossoff Executive Advisory. In it, Management Consultant Leslie Kossoff, talking about Starbucks, says "If you’re among the management set ... Read More

As we begin this new year,there is nothing more important for you as a manager than to move your team forward toward its goals. Whether you manage a small team ... Read More

Somehow the start of a new year often gives us an incentive to clean up some of the clutter, to make our life more organized, to straighten up some of ... Read More

One of the wisest people I know is a gentleman named Tom Brown. Tom has a passion for managerial leadership. He has an amazing ability to ask the right question ... Read More

I hope 2008 will be a happy, peaceful, and prosperous new year for you. Managers will continue to face many challenges in the coming year and we'll be here to ... Read More