Resources for IT Managers
Motivating your employees is one of the most challenging things you do as a manager. Motivation is directly linked to job performance so it directly affects you, your team and your company. Learning how to motivate your employees will unlock their potential and lead to higher performance and a more productive employee. To understand motivation you must understand human nature. And there lies … [Read more...]
One thing every manager wants to learn is what motivates their employees to be successful, to reach for higher goals, and value a hard days work. This is the first of a two-part series “The Secrets to Motivating Employees” that will help you understand what motivates people and as a manager what you can do. This first part deals with the psychology of motivation because to motivate your … [Read more...]
It only takes one difficult personality on a team to make the team unproductive and the team environment unpleasant for everyone else. There are ways to deal with these team members and hopefully get them back to being a constructive member of the team. With proper guidance and coaching these bad apples can be shined up into good team members. There are always a few who do not turn around and … [Read more...]
As managers we get so busy with our own work we can overlook the needs of our employees. Do you know what makes your employees happy? The best employee performance management program will fall short of your goals if you fail to meet the basic needs of your employees. Why should you care? Employees who are happy in the job are more productive and more content. They have fewer sick days, better … [Read more...]
To be a successful manager you must be able to communicate effectively with others. One way to become a better communicator is by being more specific with your message. Do you talk with a team member about an issue but the behavior or problem continues? Do you assign tasks that are not done they way they should be? If so the problem may be you are not being specific enough when communicating … [Read more...]
Management by walking around, sometimes called management by wandering around is the western version of the Japanese Gemba walk. It is Genchi Genbutsu which means “go and see for yourself”. The place you go to is the Gemba, the place where it happens. In this case where the work happens. Read the article The Gemba Walk – A Tool For IT Management and Leadership for more on the Gemba … [Read more...]
Problems with morale in the workplace are more evident now. Employees are worried about the economy and possibly their jobs. Let us assume for this article that economic worries are not the reason for low morale in your workplace. I wrote an article a few months ago called “Tough Times Call For Strong Leadership” that addresses that issue. There are any number of reasons low morale can … [Read more...]
As managers we often face long-term projects and initiatives that test our metal. Our IT department is near the end of an initiative that has evolved over a seven-year period. It has encompassed many projects, many departments and a lot of my time. Now with less than 10 weeks left until the end of this initiative the end is finally in sight. Over the next few months I plan on sharing some of … [Read more...]