Reasons Managers and Business Decision Makers MUST Understand Basics of Research Stop Bandwagon Jumping With These Eight Steps There's so much bad information, pseudo-science research and much of it is repeated endlessly in blogs and in social media. Don't get diverted from what works to what is a fad. In this article we explain the problem, and suggest 8 steps all business decision makers should take. And, for that matter, any intelligent thinking person.

Performance Appraisal Goofs - Common Managerial Mistakes Series In this column we look at perhaps the area where managers make the most mistakes--in performance appraisals.

Leaders Who Refuse To Lead - Common Managerial Mistake Series When managers or formal leaders refuse to take on the responsibilities of leadership, some very nasty things can happen to organizations.

Over Empowering Employees - Common Managerial Mistake Series Is it possible for managers to OVER empower employees? We cover this common management mistake in this article that explains how managers can impact performance by trying to over empower staff, at least in some situations.

Inconsistent Trust Destroying Management Behavior - Common Managerial Mistake Series Some managers have a tendency to do things that destroy trust and employee loyalty. In this article we explore the issue of INCONSISTENCY, and how that causes problems for any organization.

Old Words and New Management: Delegation It's essential that we understand that the old meaning of words used to describe management techniques (like performance appraisal and delegation) no longer work. Managers must learn new ways and not be trapped by "legacy thinking" they learned from their managers who learned, in turn from theirs.

Exhorting Employee To Work Harder - Common Managerial Mistakes Series It's a common managerial practice -- exhorting staff to work harder or better, and here's why it rarely works, and when it does work, it wears off, leaving mistrust in its wake.

Delegation - What Is It Good For? Absolutely Something At Work AND At Home With just a little shift in perspective we can supercharge traditional delegation to get even more benefits from the process, AND it works a HOME as well as at work!

Little-Bitty Quality Steps - Thirty-Two Small Steps One of my favorite articles from the Bacal archives because it's got some neat ACTIONABLE ideas that are simply good management! Fun, too.

Toxic Organizations - Where They Come From, What To Do Toxic organizations damage people at a level beyond that what occurs in average organizations, and there's a tendency for everyone to be either a victim or a silent bystander. Here's more on the topic.

Our Dead Strategic Plan It's amazing how much time is spent on developing strategic plans only to have them moulder in teh back of desk drawers, completely forgotten and useless. Here's what to do to make your strategic plan come alive.

Improving Communication - Tips For Managers One could argue for the importance of many things that contribute to successful companies, but communication between manager and employees is probably one of the most important. Here are some tips to improve communication.

Winning Organizations - Applying What We Know About Sports/Athletics Written during an Olympic year, a quick take on what we know about high performers in athletics and how we can apply what they do to winning organizations.

Winning Management - Learning From Olympic Athletes Another short piece on what we can learn from Olympic athletes, particularly the process of visioning, and how it applies to effective management.

Fast Track To Promotion & Recognition Want to know how to accelerate your career? Here are some tips.

Leadership Secrets - The Responsive Manager/Leader We often think of leadership as involving a leader being "out front", but there's another component -- how one responds to what is communicated to a leader by those around him or her. The key to loyalty? Being "responsive", and we explain it here.

Bullying And Manipulation At Work While bullying tends to be an overused term in the workplace these days, it can be an issue, and managers are expected to intervene, or better yet, prevent bullying from happening in the first place. That's what this article is about.

Twelve Tips For Recognizing The Contributions of Your Employees And Colleagues It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that money is the only method to reward contributions on the part of employees, but in fact, recognition in non-monetary forms is as powerful, and often more powerful and with less side-effects than relying on monetary rewards. Here are 12 methods for recognizing the achievements of employees, and even colleagues.

Managers - Are You Getting The Information You Need To Do A Good Job?!To manage effectively requires getting the right information in a timely way, so you can make informed decisions. It's not uncommon for managers to create a climate in which employees feel hesitant to share information, particularly bad news.

For Managers - How Constant Change Affects Managers And Wears Them Down And Out Line employees aren't the only ones who wear down from the constant workplace change we see in today's workplace. Here's a short piece on how managers are affected by constant change.

Dealing With Human Speed Bumps! Some employees react to change and new ideas with resistance, or are slow to embrace new things. Not only can managers "cope" with human speedbumps but they can use their unique skills to ensure ideas aren't pulling the organization in the wrong direction.

Managing The Maverick Employee Maverick employees are often brilliant, but have trouble performing in a team environment or following rules. They can drive managers crazy, but they are also hard to fire, since they bring value in so many ways. Here's how to manage the maverick employee.

Ignoring The Law of Unintended Consequences - Common Managerial Mistakes Series For every action there is a reaction, and it's the same when instituting change. Even the most positive things introduced into the workplace, in fact, anything, will have some unintended consequences that manners need to try to anticipate.