Gift Giving at Work

The holidays are upon us. While finding the perfect gift for your Aunt Mildred is always a challenge, some people get the most stressed out during the holidays trying to decide how to handle gift giving in the workplace. Do you give your boss a nice present? What’s the best way to say thank you to your assistant? What about the person in the cubicle next to you who gave you a fruitcake last year?

The first rule of thumb in any gift giving situation is to think like the other person. Find something that is appropriate based on the tastes, likes and dislikes of each particular person. Here are some things to keep in mind:

DO check your company’s policy on giving gifts. If this is your first holiday season with the organization, ask your colleagues how gift giving is handled and what your boss received last year.

DON’T be obvious about excluding people. If you are close friends with a few people and want to exchange gifts, do it away from work.

DO suggest a group activity for your gift exchange — or in lieu of an exchange. “Secret Swap” systems, where employees draw names and buy for one person, work well in many offices. If you want to get away from gifts all together, you can suggest that the whole team go out for a nice lunch, bring in baked goodies periodically leading up to the holidays, or have a potluck in the office one day. These ideas allow you to celebrate the holidays but help you avoid awkward situations.

DO be careful about buying for the boss. It can make it look like you’re trying to win favor. If you are the boss, be upfront and let your staff know you do not want to receive holiday gifts. This will help keep the playing field level.

DON’T give inappropriate gifts. Gifts that are OK include picture frames, personalized business card holders, professional pens, stationery, food baskets or fine chocolates. These choices work for a wide range of people.  Stay away from items like scented candles, body lotions or oils, lingerie or silk boxer shorts. Anything you would give to your significant other is not appropriate for the office.

DO think philanthropically. Donations to charities are great ways to express your gratitude and cheer during the holidays. A donation to a charity is a particularly good idea for your boss. Find out which charity your recipient supports. Working with a charity is another good idea for a group of employees. Instead of exchanging gifts, you can all volunteer for a day at a soup kitchen or another organization.

DON’T give useless gifts if you’re the boss. Small tokens of esteem are always welcome, but employees tend to prefer bonuses and additional time off to a trinket. If you can do that, it may be the way to go for your team.

7 Questions for You

1. Do you let the facts get in the way of a good story?

2. How do you handle people who disagree with you?

3. Are you open to multiple points of view?

4. Is it OK if someone else gets the credit?

5. How often are you able to change your thinking about something?

6. Do you have goals that can be reached in multiple ways?

7. If someone else can get you there faster, are you willing to let them?

No “correct” answers. Just some things to think about.

Dig Deep To Reveal The “Real” Applicant

You can’t train people to be energetic, smart and use good judgment, so you’d better make sure you hire people who already have these kinds of traits.

Asking behavioral questions during job interviews will help you determine whether a candidate’s innate character is up to snuff.

Here’s how to discover if your applicant has:

High energy
“Tell me about the longest day you worked in the past month. When did you start and finish? What did you accomplish? How did you feel the next day?”

Honesty
“We have all lost a few big deals. Can you tell me about one in which you gave it your best but did not succeed? What did you learn from that experience?” Note: With this kind of setup, the candidate is more likely to admit to a negative experience.

Integrity
“Were you ever asked to do anything you regarded as unethical? What was the situation, and how did you handle it?”

Persistence
“What was the most difficult obstacle you had to overcome to get where you are today? What were the steps you took? Why did it take so long?”

For more information on interviewing plus articles on all aspects of management, job search skills, and Success Tips, check out my website at www.manager-resource.com

5 Quick Tips

Yep, I’m a collector. One of my collections is tips from managers like you — what works and what doesn’t. Here are 5 of them:

Keep listeners alert by ending your presentation within 60 seconds of saying “In conclusion…” or “To summarize…”

Convince procrastinators to act by focusing on the price of not acting now. Example: “Let’s talk about what would happen if you leave this to the last minute.”

Improve your writing by visiting www.grammar.com for grammar and style tips and www.act-plus.com/tips for insights on punctuation, active vs. passive voice, and related topics.

Keep projects low-stress by entering follow-up prompts on your calendar until the task is completed.

Unleash creative problem-solving by switching hands for everyday tasks such as dialing a phone. Using the “wrong” hand can energize your brain and help you see old problems in a new light.

What has worked for you? Share your tips with us!

Check out more on my website: www.manager-resource.com
You’ll find articles on management, communications, job search tips and much more.

Make That Extra Work Work For You

You’ve been given extra responsibilities now that several people have been laid off. How do you handle it all?

1. Prioritize
Work with your boss to understand what your role is now, what the key results are, and which are the most important elements. Also try to determine which tasks could be eliminated — even if they once seemed important.

2. Ask for coaching or training
You may need to develop new management techniques to handle the new tasks. To be successful, figure out what skills you need and then get your boss to buy in on the training. It’s less expensive than hiring someone else.

3. Fill resume holes
You may not have asked for your new job, but you still need to prove that you can keep it. If you lack an MBA and everyone else has one, you’d better sign up for that Saturday morning program. Take a cold, hard look at your skill set and make sure you have what it takes.

4. Establish a timeframe
Most people can do anything for a period of time. If someone is adding a huge extra load to your job, try to have some kind of agreement about the expectations and the timeframe. When that expires, it’s time for another meeting.

5. Make your pitch for a promotion
Be clear that you want to move up — and that you see such a step as good for the department or organization as well. Conversely, if you want to return to a lower level of responsibility, brainstorm a plan to make that eventually happen. For now, try to stay appreciative of what you have.

For more information, click here for a series of articles on your career including more on “invisible promotions” and the ten things that will get you fired.

My website www.manager-resource.com is full of articles and tips to help make your job easier.

Get Change Resisters On Board

Change. It’s a part of life — and a big part of worklife now. As a manager, you are often dealing with the fallout. There will be some on your staff who will not be comfortable with a particular new initiative. So how are you going to react? What steps will you take to get them on board?

Employees who resist change will likely fall into one of these three categories:

The overwhelmed cling desperately to the status quo. In the face of change, they might withdraw and block out what is happening around them.

The entrenched drag their feet when it comes to change. Overly enamored of the past, they can often be heard lecturing other employees wistfully about how things used to be.

The “actors” appear comfortable with change, but are really just fooling people.

The best response to all of these reactions is to help employees confront the psychological assumptions behind their resistance. Ask them the following questions and encourage discussion of the issues raised as a group:

- Why do we have to change?
- What will happen if we don’t change?
- What do we get to keep?
- What will we lose?
- What assistance and resources will we have to help us?

For more tips that will make your worklife easier, visit my website:
www.manager-resource.com

Job Search Mistakes

Every day, thousands of people look for a job — and most make mistakes in the process. The sad part is that manyof those mistakes could have been avoided.

Here are some you should watch out for:

Jumping in without a plan.
Don’t start your search without a plan — you must know where you want to go and how you plan to get there. Also, make sure you can answer these three key questions:
- Why are you in the job market?
- Tell me about yourself.
- What are you looking to do next?

Being forgetful.
One mistake that happens over and over again is using a cover letter template and forgetting to change the company and name of the person to whom it’s addressed. Your cover letter should always be customized to the company and the position to which you’re applying.

Not being mindful of your social media presence.
Job seekers should know what profiles and photos they have out there on the Internet that may be deemed inappropriate. Search your own name to ensure there isn’t anything out there that would be deemed inappropriate.

Failing to ask questions at the interview.
Remember that you want to find out about the company and hiring manager as much as you want to tell them about you. By passing on the opportunity to ask questions, a job seeker sends the message that he/she just isn’t interested.

Check out more on my website www.Manager-Resource.com  You’ll find lots of articles on job search skills, management, and communication skills.

Set Clear Goals To Motivate Your Staff

January is a time for setting goals for many — both personal and professional. But how do you set goals with your team for maximum effect?

The best managers inspire employees by setting specific goals. Instead of vague encouragement to “be more competitive,” great managers define goals using four key strategies. Here they are with examples:

1. Position
“We will become the market leader in our industry.”

2. Profit
“We will achieve the revenue of Company X (or market value of Company Y).”

3. Performance
“We will become the industry’s cost-control leader.”

4. Profile
“We will become a provider of turnkey services.”

These are challenging times for managers. Your team will help you reach company goals if you keep things clear and specific.

Click here for a sample chapter on goal-setting from my new book Common Sense Management: Your Roadmap To Success, available from Amazon.com for the Kindle and Kindle app for your smartphone.

Dealing With Constant Complainers

I get emails every week asking what to do about staff members who are constantly complaining about others. This has always been a problem, but seems to be much more of a concern recently. Here is something you can implement immediately:

Don’t hold your tongue when constant complainers start whining about what’s wrong with everyone and everything… again. Instead, express genuine appreciation for the feedback, while you redirect their approach.

Example: “Julie, I appreciate your attempts to point out what’s wrong because I know that you are attempting to raise the standards for everyone. However, I noticed that my own energy flattens when I hear your comments. I wonder if there’s a more effective way for you to get the change you want from people?”

What have you done to handle this common problem? What has worked — and what hasn’t?

Keeping Team Members In The Loop

Your team members want to know what’s going on within the organization. If they don’t know about important issues, morale may sink.

You can’t tell everyone everything all the time. But keeping team members in the loop is too important to ignore. And it’s a big part of your job. Here are some strategies to make it easier:

Listen to their questions
Most questions reflect this concern: “What does that mean for me?” Team members naturally want to know what to expect and what you’ll expect of them. So focus your comments on what most affects them, and be straight about it.

Provide context
Many employees describe management decisions as arbitrary and ill-considered. Without understanding the decision’s context, that’s an easy mistake to make. Team members are more likely to respond with patience and support if they understand who made the decision and whom it affects, when it will happen, where the company is going and how the decision moves goals along, why the decision was made and how they’ll implement the plan.

Take a dose of reality
Remember that what team members want to know is different from what they need to know. Some will want to know everything, even if it’s none of their business. Rule of thumb: Team members really need information only about things that affect their own jobs and those that affect the whole company: mergers, downsizing, purchases, product launches, key management changes, new policies.

Try different formats
Take some pressure off yourself. You needn’t communicate every piece of information face-to-face. You can hold meetings, send an e-mail, post information in break rooms, or post it on your company’s intranet. Experiment to see which format your team responds best to.

Ask for feedback
Did anyone notice or care about the information you shared? Team members’ responses will let you know whether you need to communicate more or less.

How do you keep your staff in the loop?

Common Sense Management: Your Roadmap To Success
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