So, you’ve been promoted to manager/supervisor. Congratulations! You’re excited and apprehensive at the same time. What can you do now to ensure your success? As an individual contributor, you had to manage your own job-related tasks, and likely also interface with other members of your team or department. Now you have different tasks of your…
Leadership
Are You a New Supervisor? Three Things to Do!
Are you a new supervisor? There’s lots to learn, and lots to remember! Here are three things to keep in mind that will help you generate credibility, trust, and respect. When a problem arises, address it sooner rather than later—don’t let it fester—in your own mind or in the minds of others. Yes, you may…
Ask Alice: My Boss is Over-Committed!
Ask Alice: How do I “manage up” when my boss has clearly over committed the resources of our department? We are a high-profile department and he seems to be saying yes and promising things to clients and stakeholders without understanding what it takes to get those things done. Alice Says: It sounds as if your…
Ask Alice: I Just Got Promoted!
Dear Alice: I’ve just accepted a director level position in a new organization. What can I do to ensure my acceptance and success in this new role at a new place? Alice Says: Congratulations! You have a great opportunity here to establish yourself as a valuable member of the organization! Obviously you will meet first…
Aiming for a Promotion?
Increasing numbers of young people are expecting to get promoted after only a short period of time. What does it take, regardless of age, to earn a promotion and how can a supervisor support and develop an employee who is not yet ready for a step up the ladder? In order to qualify for a…
Four Ways to Build Trust
Does the organization you work for bring out the best in you? Here’s what you can do, as an individual or as a supervisor, to foster and enable trust-building, even if only in your area. Be sure to deliver what you say you will, and give people a heads up if circumstances prevent that—long before…
Promoting from Within: Is Your Candidate Ready?
Do you supervise a person asking for a promotion or a raise, or someone who is asking you about an open position? What do you do if you don’t think they are ready to take on the responsibilities of the position they are seeking? Here are some ideas: Go through their current job description with…
Building Trust
Do you get to say “I love my job!” on a regular basis? Often? Seldom? Ever? What is it that enables you to be inspired enough @ work to do your best and feel satisfied that you’ve done a good job? Research has shown that in the best organizations with the most engaged and…
[Ask Alice] Integrity and Work Ethic
Dear Alice: I struggle to respect coworkers who display a lack of integrity and work ethic. What can I do? Alice Says: This is a tough one! I suspect you have high standards and it’s difficult to watch when others are less conscientious than you are. Your question raises a host of questions on my…
Solving Pesky People Problems
Clients often tell me they are frustrated @ work because they don’t get enough done. Many workplaces are understaffed and people have too much to do. If there isn’t too much to do, there’s anxiety about getting things done on time, or meeting expectations. Even if the expectations are only our own, we want to…