The Manager tag should not be your goal. It is not something by which to measure your personal worth. It’s a responsibility, and it’s a lot of work. It’s also very unfair to team members to take on their management if you don’t really know how to do it.

If you think you deserve to be in management, ask yourself these questions:

* Could you lay off an employee that you like very much because upper management needs to make cuts?
* Could you confidently promote one of your employees above others?
* Would you be able to tell an employee he or she needs to attend to his or her hygiene better?
* Can you lead a team to results without micromanaging?
* Could you say “no” to upper management when they make unreasonable demands of your staff?
* Could you take responsibility for failures of your team even if only one staffer screwed up?

Professor Daniel Ames, with a colleague in the Management Division, Frank Flynn, centered their research on coworker evaluations of their MBA students. Former coworkers commented on the students’ strengths and weaknesses and also rated their leadership potential. When asked, “What’s holding this person back from being a great leader?” the answer that came up most often was assertiveness. This was mentioned from both sides of the coin, with some people described as too overbearing and others described as not assertive enough to stand their ground.

The reason assertiveness comes up so often is that conflict is such an essential part of what managers and leaders deal with. He said,

“Sometimes it’s avoiding conflicts that really beg to be embraced and engaged in. Other times it’s pushing too hard and straining relationships through conflict.”

There’s variance across situations as well:

“Someone who’s a real mouse to their immediate supervisor might turn around and be an absolute terror to the people who work for him or her.”

I think, too, that the motive or outcome behind “winning” has something to do with the effectiveness of assertiveness. A leader who wants to win just for the sake of winning is less effective than the leader who is going to bat for something he or she believes in. But even then, a highly assertive person (even if they’re fighting for the right reason) may not see the consequences of his behavior. For example, he doesn’t see that the person he just dealt with is feeling frustrated or angry — feelings that can linger and affect the next interaction – all that is important is the win.

Middle levels of assertiveness tend to be associated with more effective leadership:

“We find what is essentially an inverted U between the ratings of a person’s assertiveness and the ratings of their leadership: up to a certain point it’s positively associated, and then it goes back down.”

How do you make someone who is too assertive less so? And how do you make a meek person more assertive? Ames recognizes that you can’t change someone’s character. But with the right kind of coaching, you can alter the person’s behavior.

Early in my career, I was assertively-challenged, if you will. But that gradually changed the more time I spent in the working world. I saw that assertiveness is not anger, and that there are just times you need to push your case.

“I realized that I’d been sending e-mail updates to the client and spelling the name of his company incorrectly for a month.”

It seems comparatively unimportant, but to that client, the error is a sign that you don’t recognize his corporate brand. Oversights like this will cause significant, unnecessary friction.

#2: Don’t mess up the simple stuff

“At my last company, I accidentally overwrote the data files for an online project plan, leaving me to re-create large parts of the plan from scratch. I couldn’t believe it when, later that year, I lost two people’s month-load of work because I was using an unfamiliar, source-safe revision-control package — with the wrong settings.”

The moral is to make sure to be professional even when you’re doing simple stuff like backups.

#3: Stay on top of schedules

“I simply forgot about the longstanding vacation plans of one of my crucial team members when working on the project plan. Fortunately, he managed to reschedule, but I’m still having to buy him beers just to keep the story quiet.”

See the previous advice — the same comment about professionalism applies.

#4: Don’t second-guess the right decision

“Last year, I was asked by two of my most respected developers if they could take a two-week training course. I had to refuse them, I thought, due to our departmental budgetary situation. They left the company, citing my lack of management ability as one of their main reasons.”

Maybe this manager could have handled the situation better, but you have to make decisions and live with the consequences. There’s no point agonizing about “what-ifs” after the event.

#5: Don’t pretend to know what you don’t

“When I was quite new to project management, I was embarrassed to admit my lack of experience in building embedded versions of programs, which I was pretty familiar with. I thought, ‘How hard can it be?’ It turned out that I had to work double-time just to stay in touch with what was happening on the project, and it resulted in a major cost overrun.”

Try not to get overconfident; that can often result in a major egg-on-face scenario.

#6: Don’t be afraid to admit your limitations or ask for help

“I recently found that one of my projects on behalf of a defense contractor was beginning to slide, but I was unsure what to do about it in a very macho culture where any admission of a mistake would have caused me to lose respect.”

The best way to lose respect is to allow your project to mess up. Every day you fail to communicate makes the task harder. If you have this problem, get it out in the open today.

#7: Learn to say “no”

“My CIO once goaded me into taking on another project when I was already really working at capacity. I lost focus, and a more important piece of work was compromised.”

This is such a common error because most everyone needs to learn to say “no” constructively.

#8: Don’t accept blame for another’s mistakes

“A senior manager asked me to put together a feasibility study. After I’d written a detailed plan and discussed the work with several senior developers, I discovered that the manager didn’t have an authorized budget. I was accused of wasting scarce resources.”

Carrying the can for someone else is unfair. Perhaps the manager will see this and cut you some slack the next time you need a favor.

#9: Forgive yourself and do better next time

“When I was asked for an unscheduled progress summary by my CEO, I panicked and left out a word in my e-mail response. The whole thing was misinterpreted and blown out of proportion. Even though the work was completed on time, I’m sure that my professionalism is still in question a year later.”

Don’t let personal history deflect you from making the next job your masterpiece. To err is human — even in project management.

#10: Don’t underestimate people issues

“I had a project that nearly came apart because I underestimated the impact of people issues within the project team. We had quite a few new developers, a few more experienced folks, and several contractors. The existing folks were part of a strong union and had adopted the “work to job description” mantra, whereas the contractors generally did whatever it took to get their deliverables done. This created a lot of tension within the team as the staff members felt the contractors were overstepping their bounds (and really they were, in order to get stuff done), and the contractors felt they were carrying the “slackers” (and really they were, in some areas). A complete mess. However, none of it was obvious until the tension started to come to the surface. By then, the schedule was compromised and had to be reworked a bunch.”

Keep a better handle on the personal issues within the team. Ask more questions, more frequently, to get at them.

#11: Take nothing for granted

“One project I was involved in went down the tubes because I didn’t check that the executive in charge had actually read the technical spec he had signed off. He then instructed a design agency to produce a product that the client couldn’t use.”

Check that your senior management has read and understands the project documentation.

#12: Keep the end user involved

“After three months and many labor hours, we delivered a RAD business tool the end users never used because it didn’t provide the functionality they required. The tool was trashed and we had to start again. The second time around, I kept the user and other stakeholders involved, and we delivered a business analysis tool they could use and be proud of.”

Keep the user involved from beginning to end in a development project. It’s the only way to be certain you will deliver what they want.

Learn from your mistakes to prevent bigger ones

Even though it may seem as though the high-pressure field of IT project management doesn’t tolerate slip-ups, carelessness is fundamentally different than failing while trying to do your best. If you (or that rookie project manager you’re training) can learn from your mistakes, then you might be able to prevent big projects from spiraling out of control.

While moving up the ranks from being 1 of many engineers to vice president of the company’s entire IT group, I’ve enjoyed a solid and satisfying career with the same employer for 12 years.  Until now, I’ve never thought much at all about the “politics” that take place elsewhere.  Until now.

About 8 months ago, a new VP was hired to oversee a new venture at my company.  He’s an older guy; I’m 39 and he’s probably in his mid-50s.  From the first day he arrived I’ve gone out of my way to let him know that I’d be happy to help him with anything that could help him succeed.  Now, it seems, I was naive.

Over the past couple of months he’s made statements during our leadership team meetings that make me and my team look ineffective.  In a company project review last week, he seemed to make a point of commenting about every issue or problem my department was encountering with our deliverables.  After drawing attention to a few of them – in front of managers and department heads from several departments – he told our boss that he’d be happy to help me out by taking on the additional responsibility of overseeing all company-wide projects.  He said that he has a lot more experience with this type of complexity than anyone else (implication being me), that he’s got extra time, and that it just made sense to lend his hand to ensure we don’t miss deadlines.

I was set up and made to look like I can’t do my job.  I realize now that he’s had this plan all along and I didn’t see his office politics until now.  I think my boss is seriously considering the idea of boosting our new VP’s status and the idea infuriates me.   This has me very upset.  It’s all I can think about even when I’m at home with my family.

Am I screwed?  If it comes down to it, I will not report to this unethical and self serving jerk.  Is it time to start looking for a new job?

Well, it does sound like you’ve been out-maneuvered by the new guy.  But you may not have to start looking for a new job just yet, Gerald.  Before I give you my suggestions about your “next steps”; let’s take a minute to review what happened in your situation.

New, older guy arrives. He’s brought in at the same level as you and tasked with the success of a new venture. It’s clear that this new venture is a high priority because of his VP level and direct reporting to the big boss.  You, the younger, “home-grown” talent with 12 years at the company, and a collegial guy, offered to help show him how to get things done.  Eight months later, the new guy is pointing out all your problems and making a power play to get more responsibility. Now the boss seems to be considering the idea.

Let’s spend a minute looking at this new guy: He’s in his 50s, coming into a new firm, with a high-profile role. For him, he may view this opportunity as his last, best chance to make a big mark in his career.  And at his age, he’s seen and probably played a lot of politics over the years. Many execs don’t get his kind of chance to make a big contribution with a new employer this late in their careers.  He could be very motivated to show his expertise, and may want to be regarded as a go-to guy who can do a lot more than the other veeps.  He’s got a lot of skin in this game.

Whether or not anyone actually considers that he could potentially become your new boss, you need to make it very clear, for all concerned, that you know what needs to be done and will do what it takes to succeed.

You could also help your boss to recognize that the new guy has enough on his own plate already. We’re talking about hard-nosed tactics and actions. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Measure twice — cut once. If your team’s doing everything right, there’s less reason for the boss to make any change. That means that your key team members need to be operating at peak performance. But if you’ve got mistakes happening, take action. Immediately, have a serious conversation with anyone who’s dropping the ball. Help these individuals see the importance of doing their job, at all times, in a first class way.  And make it clear that you cannot allow any more hiccups.

2.  Check the lay of the land. Without being too obvious, find out how others in the company view this guy. Discreetly check the perceptions of peers, support area heads in HR or Finance, and your boss. Is he someone who can be trusted or do others view him with suspicion? You want to verify your feelings.

3.  Consider the Japanese management style. As far back as the 1600s, managers and warriors understood that they had similarities in their day to day activity. Miyamoto Musashi, perhaps the most famous Samurai, wrote A Book of Five Rings about strategic thinking and tactics for warriors; but it’s been studied by leaders of all types ever since. Anyone seeking strategy guidance can consider his advice for almost any situation. I’ll caution you – it’s tough stuff; but office politics can be too – with lives and careers irreparably damaged. This read may provide some ideas for you.

4. Deal with issues head-on. Get together with this guy over a cup of coffee or a drink. Do it someplace that is not his office to eliminate any potential “home turf advantage.”  Gain an understanding of his motives and his goals. Act accordingly.

Hopefully it’s not too late to deal with this issue and put it to rest.  This may also be a good time to polish up your resume and make sure you’re in good shape just in case this goes the wrong way. Even if things improve, I’d recommend that you – and all senior types – go out on at least one job interview each year.  It will help you to find out what’s out there and how things compare. This little action will keep you sharper and reduce any tendency toward complacency.

People appreciate being asked for their advice. Especially if the manager is sincere about using it. Team members will give power to the boss if she or he doesn’t use it against them. And the boss will get much more done he’s are on the employee’s side than would be the case by simply trying to force his decisions downward.

2. You can tell the quality of an organization by those who are leaving it – not those who are joining it. Even in difficult situations, good managers can recruit and hire high-quality players to boost the performance of their team through the use of money or other perks. This can mislead the manager into thinking all is well (or at least that things will get better) with the new players on board.

In an environment where the contribution of everyone is paramount, watch carefully to see who is leaving on her own volition. Sick companies have a way of causing the good players to bail out even if they’ve been told they’re being kept on during downsizing or difficult times. The result is that the new players who are recruited end up joining a team of losers and don’t make the hoped-for contribution.

The outlook for business in the flattening world of competition is that it’s going to be tougher. More highly educated managers from other countries are competing for the same customers and opportunities everywhere. The truly great managers will succeed and the rest, still using old and obsolete management approaches, will fail sooner than later.

Have you ever worked with a person who always says yes but never delivers what you need? Many of us have felt the frustration of that scenario, so it’s exciting to work with somebody who takes the time to understand a problem while also asking the key questions to ensure that all expectations are met.

#2: Being energetic

Employees with energy tend to lift up the people around them. Leaders sometimes need to be able to boost a team when they are working on tough projects, and having this trait can make a big difference in the long run.

#3: Remaining calm under pressure

When big problems happen, teams look to their leaders for direction. When a leader isn’t available, who else do they turn to for guidance and decisions? Usually it’s the person who has kept his or her cool and has been trying to find a solution to the problem. Nobody wants to work with the guy who is yelling, “The sky is falling!” But they will be happy to work with somebody who can see the light at the end of the tunnel when nobody else can.

#4: Taking responsibility for their actions

We all make mistakes. Many of us know it way before our bosses find out. Leaders are always willing to admit to making a mistake when something doesn’t work out as they planned. Usually, they are also trying to learn from the problem to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the future.

#5: Acknowledging the contribution of others

How often do your team members celebrate each others’ successes? Since the business world can be pretty competitive, it’s difficult for us to see somebody else do well and not be concerned about how it affects us. Leaders learn early on that many of their achievements come on the heels of their team’s successes and the contributions of each individual. Understanding this and feeling comfortable with it early in their career is a powerful trait.

#6: Being comfortable outside their area of expertise

Developers may be good at solving problems with applications and hardware, but can they effectively gather user requirements? How about dealing with end users or managing a budget? As leaders mature, they realize that they are asked to be involved with projects and teams of all shapes and sizes. The ability to feel comfortable in a situation while not being the expert gets easier when they realize that they can always fall back on their leadership skills no matter what the topic. After all, they were asked to get involved because someone thought they would add value.

#7: Being willing to take risks

Do you have someone on your team who’s afraid of making a decision or taking any type of risk? Or maybe they aren’t afraid to make choices, but only when they’re confident that the risk factor is small. This will be a problem if they get into a leadership role. Taking calculated and educated risks are daily events in the world of management and leadership.

#8: Being able to convince others

Do you have somebody on your team whom people look up to? Or is there somebody the business likes to work with because that person makes them feel comfortable when discussing tech issues? Make sure you keep an eye out for those people. The ability to influence others and direct a project without actual authority is a great indicator that you have a solid leadership candidate on your team.

#9: Being comfortable reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses

Leaders always need to look forward and many times backward to try to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Most people like to get praise, but how do they deal with constructive criticism? Look for those who are comfortable taking time to reflect on their style and actions and how that influences those around them.

#10: Being able to adapt

Things are constantly changing in business today. Technical people who work best with a fixed roadmap will struggle in a role that has ever-changing priorities. Leaders need to the ability to adapt to their surroundings as well as to the needs of the company.

Remember that not everybody is ready (or willing) to be a leader. Plenty of techs are more than happy to stay involved in the nuts and bolts of a project or to just sit back and develop robust applications. But IT organizations need some type of leadership structure to help guide the department and to interface at different levels within the organization. While it’s not common to hear about senior technical managers being good organizational leaders, it does happen. The early identification of individuals who have some of the above-mentioned attributes allows current leadership to groom those people for the future — an important step in making a company effective and successful.

We’re not talking primarily about physical stamina here, although that’s part of it. In a lot of shops, the workload can grind people down if they aren’t strong enough to handle it. It’s important to let candidates know that a position will be demanding-as well as to see how they rate themselves in the fortitude department.

2: How hard have you been working lately?

Even the most industrious employees can lose the habit of working hard if they’ve been in a situation that doesn’t require it. And a candidate who’s fallen into “coasting” mode may have trouble ramping up for the effort you require. Conversely, a candidate who speaks enthusiastically about being engaged in challenging projects may well be a self-starter who could energize your team with his or her commitment and work ethic.

3: How do you react to being told “No”?

A big part of the typical manager’s job is telling people why they can’t do something-either because they don’t have the money or resources or because an idea or proposal is no good. And let’s face it: Some folks don’t handle being told No that well. A candid response to this question may not tell you for sure how well candidates handle the issue, but it could give you a picture of whether they’re aware of their own tendencies.

4: Can you handle telling other people “No”?

If don’t want to be the DDrN (Designated Dr. No) for the organization, you need people on your team who are willing and able to share the load. Of course, you don’t want someone who’s chomping at the bit to slap people down, either. But it can be revealing to see how many candidates respond along these lines: “I don’t really feel comfortable telling other people they can’t do things. I just worry about my own responsibilities.”

5: How good are you — REALLY — at handling change?

Everybody asks this question, so of course every candidate has a prepared answer. It goes like this: “I think it’s important to be flexible and adapt to new circumstances. One time, [insert anecdote illustrating ability to manage change here]….” This is a critical problem for managers, because the pace of change continues to accelerate, but a lot of job candidates are extremely uncomfortable with it. Trying to identify those folks during the interview process may require you to ask about it point-blank–and then hope that the candidate will abandon the script at some point so you can have an earnest discussion.

6: Are you a good scrounger?

A common interview question centers around a candidate’s problem-solving capability. But this question focuses on a candidate’s ability to come up with the resources out of what he or she has on the shelf. (Think of the James Garner character “The Scrounger” from the movie The Great Escape, who comes up with camera, pipe, or whatever else the POWs need when planning their breakout.)

7: When conflict arises on your team, how do you handle it?

This is one of those questions that can easily be fielded with a stock answer and a polished anecdote, so it’s up to you to try to elicit something more illuminating. Often this will just be a matter of asking follow-up questions (and these don’t have to be formulaic; just have a conversation around what the candidate has told you). You can also pose a scenario and ask candidates what they might do in a particular situation. Is this approach contrived? You bet it is. But it will challenge candidates to think on their feet and may provide useful clues about their personality and conflict management skills.

8: What have the last few years taught you?

Anyone who’s been in IT for awhile knows that the industry has had some serious ups and downs. This questions is designed to get at what the job candidate has learned through the periods of explosive growth as well as through the tough downturns, tight budgets, and shifts in the job market.

9: What type of people do you like to work with?

Even if you get a canned response here, you may be able to get a glimpse of the candidate’s personality. Previous experiences and genuine preferences will often filter through to their answers. For example: “I like to work with people who really know what they’re talking about, not people who just want to show everyone how smart they are”; “I like to work with people who I can bounce ideas off of”; “I like to work with people who respect what I do.”

10: How do you stay current?

Since this one comes right out of Interviewing 101, most candidates will be ready for it. But it’s still a critical question that must be addressed. The technology changes so quickly that all of our past experience decreases in value daily. You can’t hire an IT professional without assessing their plans to keep abreast of new products and technologies.

11: What’s the toughest thing you’ve had to do professionally?

This question also comes out of the interviewing playbook, but it’s still a good one. It’s interesting to see whether the candidate mentions some technical achievement or project or discusses something more personal instead — for example, having to fire an employee.

12: How would you describe your perfect job?

You can learn a lot from the responses to this question, and it may spark a lively conversation as well. You might discover that the candidate is quite assertive in describing what he or she wants a position to provide; in fact, you may learn a thing or two that will help you craft a better job description for the position. You might also find out that a candidate has some unrealistic expectations about the respective roles of employer and employee-which could lead to disappointment and poor performance if left unaddressed.

13: If you could take back one career decision, what would it be?

This is a pretty good shot-in-the-dark question. There is certainly no “right” answer, but it can be useful to see how candidates respond. Can they point to something instantly or do they have to consider? Maybe they’ll be confident enough to admit, “I can’t think of anything substantial. So far, I’m pretty pleased with how my career is going.” Sometimes, ambivalence or dissatisfaction come to light, suggesting that they’re headed down the wrong path altogether. Regardless of their answer, this question can lead to an interesting discussion.

This task is named “Rabbit, Archer or Wall”

- In this there are two teams.

- Each team has to choose the character they want to be they can either be Rabbit or Archer or Wall

- All the team members have to be same character, so the character has to be told to everyone in the team. The team here decides what they want to be.

- Both teams are given 30 seconds to decide who they are.

- After 30 seconds both team face each other and do the respective action.

- For Rabbit action is “Hands on ear”, for Archer the action is “Archer releasing arrow”, and for Wall the action is both Hands with the palm facing the other team.

- When Rabbit comes in front of Archer – Archer wins (Archer kills Rabbit)

- When Rabbit comes in front of Wall – Rabbit wins (Rabbit jumps over Wall)

- When Wall comes in front of Archer – Wall wins (Wall falls on Archer)

In this you can have 5 iterations which yields you the result.

Things team learn in this task,

- Communicating the character (action) to all the members.

- Improved co-ordination among team members as all the members are told to do the same action.

- Improved understanding among team members.

- Chance for team members to place their opinion, get togerther and discuss what action to perform.

- Improves teamwork and team comes together to achieve success and win.

I’ll post the other two exercises that we had very soon. Keep checking.

Njoy

When you manage salaried knowledge workers, you should almost never have rigid clock-in/clock-out times unless there is a coverage issue in relation to serving customers (e.g., maintaining adequate help desk coverage during call hours). Instead, set clear goals that you know should take your employees about 40 hours/week to accomplish. Require that they show up on time for important meetings and are available during the team’s general working hours. Provide them with the tools to access their work remotely, when needed. Then let them manage their own time. This sends the message that you trust your employees. If you’ve got people you don’t trust, that’s another issue. Manage them up until you do trust them or manage them out to their next opportunity.

#2: Align people with the stuff they are good at

Make sure you have the right people in the right seats. This is especially true if you take over the management of a team that is already in place. Take stock of all the talents you have on the team and reshuffle the deck if it means that your team has a better chance of success. Don’t keep someone in a job role just because they’ve been doing it for long time if you truly think their talents are better suited and could make a bigger contribution in another role. Employees might be reluctant to move in a case like this, so you may need to work hard to convince them that the change is in their best interest, as well as the best interest of the company.

#3: Align people with the projects they are passionate about

Another part of getting people in the right seats is finding what your employees are genuinely passionate about and seeing if they are ways to align them with job roles that let them channel some of that passion. Occasionally, that can mean putting someone in an area where they don’t have much experience. But if their previous work history makes you think they can succeed in that role, it’s usually worth it because their passion will fuel a strong desire to learn and grow. Once they’re up to speed, that passion can become a strong driver of innovation and growth.

#4: Put your best performers on your biggest opportunities

When you have a big opportunity that could propel your organization forward, you need to step back and think about who is the best person to lead the charge. In addition to finding someone who has the talent for the work involved or who has a passion for the subject matter, you need to look at who has a track record of success. Big opportunities come around only once in a while, and they can be lost. So even if it means taking someone off something important, you should always put your best performers on your biggest opportunities.

#5: Find the balance between aggressive and realistic goals

Create a culture of performance by setting aggressive goals and holding your employees accountable for regularly reporting on their progress. However, the goals can’t be so aggressive that your employees quickly fall behind and feel like they can never realistically achieve them. Otherwise, they will quit stretching to reach the goals. That means that you have to regularly re-evaluate the goals (at least on a quarterly basis) to decide whether they need to be scaled down or scaled up.

#6: Trust your people — and let them know it

Knowledge workers typically have jobs that require creative solutions and decision-making. They need to stay sharp mentally to achieve top performance. The onus is on management to create an atmosphere that fosters and encourages that kind of creativity. One of the best things you can do is to let your employees know that you trust them and that you have faith in their ability to do the job, solve the problem, and/or meet the deadline. If you don’t trust them, again, you need to manage them up or manage them out.

#7: Avoid blame (a.k.a. throwing people under the bus)

In any business (or organizational enterprise), there are going to be times when you fail, and there will be things that simply don’t pan out the way you had hoped. Do a post-mortem (even if it’s informal) to figure out what went wrong and learn from it. If there were egregious errors made by individuals, deal with them privately. If necessary, let the person know your expectations for how this should be handled in the future. Don’t publicly blame individuals — either directly or indirectly — in meetings or team e-mails. If you do, you risk creating an atmosphere in which people are so afraid to make mistakes that they don’t spend enough time doing the proactive and creative work necessary to avoid future problems — or more important, to drive new innovations.

#8: Foster innovation by killing projects the right way

Another important part of fostering innovation is knowing how to kill projects effectively and gracefully. There are times when failed initiatives will expose the weaknesses of certain employees, but there are plenty of times when you have good employees working on projects that simply don’t pan out. Figuring out the difference between those two scenarios is part of becoming a good manager. If it’s a good person on a bad project, the person who was running the project isn’t any less talented because the project didn’t materialize. So make sure you use the project as a learning experience and reassign the person to something new without excessive hand-wringing. Otherwise, you will make your employees overly risk-averse, and they will be reluctant to jump into the next big project or to make bold moves when managing the project. That type of atmosphere can quickly stifle progress.

#9: Don’t provide all the answers — make your employees think

You are the manager. You are the leader. That does not mean that you have a monopoly on all of the good ideas. If your employees are hesitant to make decisions without asking your opinion first, you haven’t properly empowered them. If your employees aren’t making enough of their own decisions, you should change your tactics. When they present you with information and ask what to do about a situation, push the ball back into their court and ask them, “What do you think?” They might be surprised at first, but after you do that several times, they’ll start thinking it through before they come to you so that they’re fully prepared to discuss the matter and make a recommendation. That’s a good thing, because they’re usually closer to the customer and more familiar with the details of the work. You need their opinions. And you need them to make some of their own decisions.

#10: Build consensus by letting people know “why”

One of your key responsibilities in management is communicating about new initiatives and strategy changes. The worst thing you can do is surprise your staff members with a fully formed idea about a new way to do something that will drastically alter their day-to-day work. When you spring it on them, people will naturally be defensive and skeptical. Whenever possible, give people an informal heads-up that a change is coming and let them know some of the reasoning involved. They will be glad you kept them in the loop. If they don’t agree with the reasoning, they can express their dissent. They might even bring up a caveat or a gotcha that should be considered before the final plan is solidified. An even better course of action is to have a brainstorming session with your team when you are still formulating a new idea or strategy change, so you can gather their ideas and feedback. You may sometimes have to spring something on your team, but make sure that you limit those occasions. Even then, take the time to let them know the reasoning behind the decision.

Resource: Techrepublic.com

But not everybody is fortunate enough to be able to work for the outfit that is currently flavoured. So, given that not everyone in your company is an idiot, what are you personally going to do to make it company of the year?

Start by taking it up. Begin thinking and behaving like a winner. It will stop the rot. It will temporarily halt negative thinking and a defeatist attitude. If you find people talking it down, take issue with them, tell others about them. If it persists, get them fired or, fight somebody for talking disparagingly about the company you work for. People will soon get the idea.

Don’t expect top management to lead the way. They are too busy running the company. Decide you are going to make the company great; at least decide you are going to make the difference. Observe that the organization’s reputation is usually built on one or two key accounts. Then pick the ground on which to make your assault.

Realize that companies’ reputations are also built on one or two people. Aim to be that person or one of them. You are halfway there. You have made the decision to do it. Now all you have is your wits, your talent, and your guts.

You are on your own. Just do it. Better.