How to Manage Other Managers: Coaching Employees in Leadership Positions

how to mentor a manager

  Managing and Mentoring The Leaders that Work For You We recently posted an article about the art of mentoring, which primarily centered on coaching junior staff who are just beginning their careers.  We wanted to go further into the topic of mentoring, but focus on a different group.  As your career advances, your organization gets larger.  Eventually, you get to

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20 Rookie Manager Mistakes You Want to Avoid

management mistakes to avoid

  Every manager has that first day on the job.  And no matter how many years of work experience he or she may have, most first-time managers quickly realize they have a lot to take in.  (We’ve all been there!)  As we learn, we are bound to have our screw ups, it’s normal.  The good news is that we can always

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Your Leadership Style Defined in 9 Questions

what is leadership style

9 Ways to Evaluate Your Leadership Style   There’s a trendy phrase out there in the management world: ‘leadership style.’  But what is leadership style?  Well, for starters, your leadership style is the collective approach you take when looking across all aspects of being a manager of people.  Further, your style is your style; and it’s part personality, part skill set, part

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Managing Your Customer That Misbehaves in the B2B Space

dealing with bad customers

Isn’t the Customer Always Right? Actually, no, they aren’t!  In the B2B space, we often find ourselves working with clients and customers to develop and sell our products and services.  And yet, sometimes, things do not always go as planned.  I recently paid a visit to one customer who has started to change the rules as they go.  Despite the contractual commitments

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16 Tips for New Project Managers

Dealing with Challenging Projects

When I became a project manager, the first thing I did was print out a bunch of documents, the Statement of Work, some spreadsheets with basic financial information and put it all in a well-organized 3-ring binder.  Beyond that, I didn’t know what I was doing.  So I just got down to work.  That was 20 years ago and since that time, I’ve learned a

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8 Ways to Reduce and Avoid Office Tension

Managing Workplace Dispute

Remember when your Project Manager came in the conference room last month, his forehead pulsating, as if he were just itching for a fight of any kind?  We’ve all had those people in our office, reminding us of the great scene from Monty Python – “The Argument Clinic.” Maybe there is pressure from higher up to get results, or perhaps it

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Management Success Series Tip #2: Being Visible to Your People

Tip #1 of the Management Success Series described influence as a key ingredient in good managers.  You have to be able to maneuver and pull various levers to make things happen, while simultaneously pulling your team along with you.  Influence, like trust, is something that is built over time but easily lost.   A good means of establishing your influence and building trust is

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Management Success Series Tip #1 – Your First Day as Manager

  The Transition to Management   It’s a common experience.  You left work on Friday afternoon thinking about your weekend plans.  On Friday you were just a team member and part of the “crew.”  On Friday, you were given your tasks and were not responsible for what others did.  Sure, you were part of a team, but you were pretty much responsible for yourself.  Then, on Monday you start

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