Got a smart staff member on the verge of taking the next step up? Does she need a little push or extra practice before she’s ready to take the plunge? Try giving her an opportunity to practice the new skill in a volunteer situation.
We all need to take breaks from routines, projects and meetings to maintain our mental, spiritual and physical health. When you take a break, make it count. Instead of playing mind-numbing solitaire, get away from the computer completely.
Here’s an immutable rule that shows respect for people that “follow the rules”: Start meetings on time. Whether you’re an executive director convening a staff meeting; a board chairperson convening a board meeting; or a project manager convening a team meeting, it’s important to honor the members of the group that fulfill your expectations of them.
One of the many challenges that face employers is how to pass on their own passion for the work to their employees. Sometimes it seems like you can barely keep them showing up for work in the morning, let alone stick around long enough to develop any kind of loyalty or enthusiasm for the job at hand.
An executive was recently lamenting the time and money his company had spent during the past year for employee training. He asserted that the solution could be in web-based training rather than bringing someone into the business. I listened for several minutes and then he sighed and said to me: “I know your company does a lot of training as well as consulting, so I suppose you think we ought to keep on doing what we’re doing.” I replied: “Frankly, no. You will be wasting time and money no matter what format you choose for training.”