remote work to office work

 Thursday 27 July 2023

Reset the Conversation Around Remote Work on Your Team

It’s been years since the WFH boom in 2020, but the debate surrounding remote work only seems to be getting more polarized. How can you and your employees agree on a path forward? Finding common ground requires resetting the dialogue with your team. 

(1) Start by taking accountability.

 Lead by example and own up to any missteps you’ve made along the way, emphasizing that everyone is navigating these uncharted waters for the first time. Next, clearly articulate expectations and ground rules for the discussion. 

(2) A fruitful conversation depends on a shared sense of psychological safety; employees need to feel like they won’t be met with reprisal for sharing their needs and constraints (like cost-of-living challenges or family demands), just as leaders must be able to speak honestly about the pressures they’re facing (like competition pressures or changing market demands). 

(3) It’s also important to avoid overly simplistic, black-and-white language like “Remote productivity is just as good as in person” or “Face-to-face is better for culture” and instead acknowledge the nuances of the issue.

(4)  Finally, come to a collective understanding about your team’s new remote work guidelines—and repeat this process periodically to update them as needed.

This tip is adapted from “Tension Is Rising Around Remote Work,” by Mark Mortensen

managing an under performing employee

wed 26 July 2023

Managing an Employee Who Keeps Making Excuses

Do you manage someone who’s been delivering lackluster results and offering only excuses? An unreliable employee is one of the most frustrating obstacles you can face as a boss. But don’t give up on them just yet; you can take steps to get them back on track. 

(1) Start with the basics: Clarify goals and tie them to the team’s broader purpose. Describe what good, bad, and unacceptable outcomes would look like. Once you and your employee agree upon a set of clear objectives and expectations, you’ll be able to hold them accountable—and provide specific feedback—if they deliver subpar results.

(2)  Next, get aligned on process. Provide detail about the steps required to complete their work at a high level, perhaps even giving them a tutorial of the workflow. And be sure to field their questions early; addressing them at the outset will prevent the future excuse that they didn’t know how to tackle the project.

(3)  Finally, if you suspect they simply lack the motivation to get the work done, clarify what’s at stake if they don’t deliver. Explain that successfully delivering work will lead to a variety of positive outcomes, bolstering their reputation and opening up future opportunities—and that failing to do so will have the opposite effect.

This tip is adapted from “How to Manage an Employee Who Always Makes Excuses,” by Liane Davey

re-align and re motivate your team

 

Tuesday 25 July 2023

Does Your Team Vibe Feel Off?

Is your team feeling stuck, stymied, or just a bit stale? Maybe you’ve lost your collective sense of purpose. Maybe interpersonal tensions are building. Or maybe it just doesn’t feel quite like a team anymore. How can you intervene as a manager? Understand that it’s normal for team dynamics to ebb and flow over time and reflect on what exactly feels off. Then decide whether your team ultimately needs to be realigned or revitalized.

(1) To realign your team, 

start by resetting mandates and goals. Ask yourself and your team: What external trends do we need to adapt to? How should our team’s role and value shift as the organization evolves around us? Adapt your targets and metrics accordingly—and reevaluate your strategies, workflows, and individual responsibilities to optimize for these new goals.

(2) To revitalize your team,

 start by auditing your communication habits. Your ultimate goal is to establish new ground rules that make collaboration simpler and more respectful. What’s working? What’s causing friction? Don’t be afraid to redesign your communication channels and expectations to reflect the needs of your team. (This includes rethinking your team’s meeting culture, too.)

This tip is adapted from “20 Questions to Ask When Your Team’s Vibe Is Off,” by Liane Davey

“When Your Boss Is an Overachiever,”

 Monday 24 July 2023

Setting Expectations with an Overachieving Manager

Working for an overachiever can feel inspiring, but it can also be exhausting. If you’re worried about reporting to a manager with sky-high standards, here are some strategies that can help you work with them more effectively.

 (1) Start by adjusting your expectations—and theirs. Be brutally honest with yourself about your bandwidth and ability to complete the work you’re being asked to do. 

What are some challenges you could face? What are you totally unequipped to handle? What’s a realistic (like, really realistic) timeline? 

(2) Next, communicate those expectations clearly and unapologetically to your boss. Work together to anticipate the support you might need, answer the questions you might have, and establish a clear forecast of what you can and cannot achieve. This conversation will not only help you avoid overpromising and underdelivering, but it could also reveal potential growth opportunities to you and your boss. 

(3) Finally, if your overachieving manager is bombarding you with competing requests, ask them to help you prioritize. Give them a clear window into what you’re working on so they can help you decide what to do first and how much time to spend on it.

This tip is adapted from “When Your Boss Is an Overachiever,” by Jeff Tan

5 types of problem solvers

 Mon 26 June 2023

Identify the 5 Types of Problem-Solvers on Your Team

Are you frustrated with your team’s ability to solve problems? 

If you consistently feel like your team isn’t working together effectively as decision-makers and problem-solvers, it could be because you don’t understand their various problem-solving styles.

 To set your employees up for success, start by categorizing them into five profiles, recognizing their unique strengths and weaknesses. Then you can pair them accordingly to optimize their performance.

(1) The adventurer. 

This employee confidently and optimistically follows their intuition, making decisions quickly—sometimes too quickly.

(2) The detective. 

This thorough coworker is methodical, driven by data and evidence. As such, they may undervalue intuition and collaboration.

(3) The listener. 

This collaborative and trusting decision-maker works well with their colleagues. However, they often find it difficult to tune into their own opinions or express viewpoints that might be at odds with others’.

(4)The thinker. 

This is your colleague who thrives on identifying multiple paths and possible outcomes. They’re thoughtful, cautious decision-makers who like to know their options. The downside? Their desire to understand the “why” behind a decision can slow things down.

(5) The visionary. 

This creative coworker sees pathways others don’t. They have a big vision, but may fall prey to scarcity bias, overvaluing outside-the-box solutions and undervaluing the obvious ones.

This tip is adapted from “Are You Frustrated with Your Team’s Ability to Solve Problems?,” by Cheryl Strauss Einho

small wins at work

friday 21 July 2023

Need a Win at Work?

Has it been a while since you’ve had a win at work? If you feel like you’ve been waiting endlessly for a raise, a promotion, or simply some hard-earned recognition, here’s how to keep your spirits up.

(1)  First, remember that this is just a season. There will always be ups and downs; nothing is permanent, even if it feels that way. If you’re having a hard time believing that the slump will ever end, contact a friend, colleague, or mentor who can lend you some fresh perspective. 

(2) Next, identify a small win and celebrate it. There’s no such thing as too small. List out every detail of a recent project. What did you execute perfectly? What went even better than expected? Recognizing even a tiny victory can motivate you, and over time, stacking up these micro-wins will make you feel more confident and capable in your role. 

(3) It’s also important to be vigilant about who you surround yourself with. Who makes you feel good? Who takes the wind out of your sails? Don’t be afraid to avoid those who bring you down. 

(4) Finally, consider other people’s wins—not to compare yourself but rather to identify the effective habits that led to their success so that you can try to adopt them yourself.

This tip is adapted from “Keeping Your Spirits Up When You Really Need a Win at Work,” by Anne Sugar

Gracious communication under pressure

 Thu 20 July 2023

Practice Gracious Communication

Most of us want to communicate with kindness, but it can be challenging to convey warmth and compassion under frustrating, stressful, or maddening circumstances. 

Three practices can help you in your day-to-day interactions, as well as big, difficult conversations. 

(1) First, meet confrontation with grace.

 This means wearing a smile and exuding patience and courtesy when an employee brings you difficult news or challenges your decision-making. An open-minded tone will signal that you're there to listen, process, and problem-solve—not to reprimand or enforce your own authority.

 (2)Next, give credit whenever you can. 

Recognizing your employees and showing them gratitude will engender their enthusiasm, hard work, trust, and loyalty.

(3)  Finally, give people space and clarity so you don’t catch them off guard. 

Schedule conversations in advance or ask them if it’s a good time to talk—and give them a quick preview of what you’d like to talk about. These kind, simple gestures will give your counterpart an opportunity to prepare, and make it clear that you’re interested in listening to their response.

This tip is adapted from “The Simple Power of Communicating with Kindness,” by Sally Susman