The Manager's Question and Answer Book

Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 14
1.1 When should I talk to employees in person, and when should I use written documents?......Page 16
1.2 How can I best get my messages across?......Page 17
1.3 What is the importance of body language in communication?......Page 18
1.4 How do I say \"no\" to an employee request?......Page 20
1.5 How do I deliver really bad news?......Page 21
1.6 How can I respond to an angry employee?......Page 22
1.7 How can I encourage my employees to share their ideas or talk about problems with me?......Page 23
1.8 How can I counter erroneous rumors?......Page 25
1.10 How can I improve my listening ability?......Page 26
1.11 How can I present my ideas persuasively?......Page 28
1.12 How can I communicate more effectively with employees in remote locations?......Page 29
1.13 How can I best give directions to my employees?......Page 32
1.14 How do I delegate tasks that I’m tempted to do myself?......Page 34
1.15 How can I become more effective as a negotiator?......Page 36
1.16 How can I become better at making presentations?......Page 37
1.17 How can I better manage e-mail messages I send?......Page 39
1.19 How can I improve the quality of reports I write? I do project progress reports, variance reports, and proposals.......Page 40
1.20 How can I improve my writing style?......Page 43
1.21 How can I ask questions to get the information I need to do my job?......Page 44
2.1 How do I identify employees’ needs to motivate them better?......Page 47
2.2 How are employees demotivated?......Page 48
2.3 What non-financial rewards and recognition can I use to motivate my employees?......Page 49
2.4 How can I best deliver a sincere compliment when praising employees?......Page 51
2.5 How can I help my high achievers to feel uniquely valuable?......Page 52
2.6 What can I do to motivate my average or mediocre performers?......Page 53
2.7 How important are the physical surroundings in motivating my employees?......Page 54
2.8 How can I adapt my employees’ jobs to make the work itself motivating?......Page 55
2.9 How wise is it to use competition among employees to motivate and encourage increased productivity?......Page 57
2.10 How can I instill ownership to motivate employees?......Page 58
2.11 How do I create a culture of empowerment?......Page 60
2.13 Is there a good balance between micromanagement and a hands-off approach to motivate employees?......Page 62
2.14 How do I keep enthusiasm high during tough economic times?......Page 63
2.15 How do I keep plateaued employees motivated?......Page 64
2.16 How can I counteract the negativity of a few employees?......Page 65
2.17 How can you motivate an employee who has reached the top of her salary range and is not qualified for promotion?......Page 66
2.18 How can I motivate part-time workers and temps?......Page 67
2.20 How do I create an atmosphere of openness and trust in my staff?......Page 68
2.22 How can I encourage employees to use their initiative?......Page 69
2.23 How can I motivate offsite employees?......Page 70
3.1 Is there such a thing as \"good\" conflict and how can I take advantage of it?......Page 72
3.2 How can I help employees with a personality conflict get along better?......Page 73
3.3 How do I go about mediating a dispute?......Page 74
3.4 How can I get things back on track after I have an argument with an employee?......Page 76
3.5 How do I prevent disagreements from escalating into violent incidents?......Page 77
3.6 What can I do to address conflicts with other managers within my organization?......Page 78
3.7 How can I resolve conflicts within my team?......Page 80
3.8 When I hear rumors that an employee is angry with me, how do I deal with him?......Page 82
3.9 When should I seek help in resolving conflicts between my employees?......Page 83
3.10 How do I handle my boss if she is a bully?......Page 84
3.11 How can I tell the difference between personality conflicts and conflicts due to misunderstandings and true work-related problems?......Page 85
3.12 What should I do if I am caught in a personality conflict?......Page 86
3.13 How do I cope with someone who becomes angry with me and loses his or her temper before others?......Page 87
3.14 Is it always wrong to express my own anger?......Page 88
3.15 How can I recognize my hot buttons?......Page 89
4.1 Why do meetings start late, drag on forever, and fail to accomplish anything?......Page 91
4.2 When should I hold meetings?......Page 93
4.3 How do I keep control of a meeting?......Page 94
4.4 What are my responsibilities as group leader?......Page 97
4.5 As an attendee at a meeting, what can I do to make the meeting more productive?......Page 98
4.6 What is the best way of keeping a meeting from wandering off course?......Page 100
4.7 How can I keep someone from dominating a team session?......Page 101
4.8 How can I encourage all to participate at a meeting?......Page 102
4.9 What can I do to get people to meetings on time?......Page 103
4.10 What can I do to improve decision making at a meeting?......Page 104
4.11 How can I stimulate creative ideas?......Page 105
4.12 How can I counter groupthink?......Page 106
4.13 How can I work with a group to reach consensus on an issue?......Page 108
4.15 How can I skip meetings to get work done without getting flack from the meeting leader?......Page 109
5.1 How can I make sure I hire the right person?......Page 111
5.2 How can I determine what the requirements are for the jobs I have to fill?......Page 112
5.3 What constitutes a well-written job description?......Page 113
5.4 What can I do to make help-wanted ads more effective?......Page 115
5.5 How do I best use Web ads to recruit people?......Page 116
5.6 How can I effectively prescreen candidates?......Page 117
5.8 What are the benefits of working with search firms?......Page 118
5.9 How do I hire the best recruiting firm?......Page 119
5.10 How can I increase the number of prospective candidates available?......Page 120
5.11 What are the advantages of recruiting on the Web?......Page 121
5.12 What are the key employment laws related to hiring?......Page 123
5.13 What are the ten most common interviewing questions that could cause legal problems?......Page 124
5.15 How do I legally discuss accommodations with the applicant?......Page 126
5.16 How can I probe for an applicant’s weaknesses?......Page 128
5.17 What kinds of notes should I be taking during an interview and how should I use them?......Page 129
5.19 How can I conduct an effective reference check?......Page 130
5.20 How do I decide between two good candidates?......Page 131
5.21 What does it mean for an employee to be hired \"at will\"?......Page 133
5.23 How can I make a new hire’s first day on the job productive?......Page 134
5.24 What can I do to help a new hire succeed in the job from the first day?......Page 136
5.25 When and how should I notify all the other applicants that the job has been filled?......Page 137
5.26 Given the costs of recruitment, how do I reduce turnover?......Page 138
5.27 How can I maximize the use of exit interviews?......Page 141
6.1 If I give my employees regular feedback about their work, why do I need to conduct formal evaluations?......Page 143
6.2 What can I do to be a better evaluator?......Page 144
6.3 What criteria should be used in setting performance standards?......Page 145
6.4 Should I include individual credibility as part of performance management?......Page 146
6.5 How should I phrase a goal or standard?......Page 147
6.7 What are \"stretch\" goals?......Page 148
6.8 Are there legal implications in the performance appraisal process?......Page 149
6.9 What can I do to make sure my assessment is legally defensible?......Page 150
6.10 What should I document as part of performance management?......Page 152
6.11 What is the \"halo effect\"?......Page 153
6.12 What are the most common errors managers make in performance appraisals?......Page 154
6.14 How should I best approach quarterly meetings?......Page 156
6.16 How can I counsel a poorly performing employee?......Page 158
6.17 If the performance problem is due to a personal problem, how do I start talking about someone’s personal life without appearing to be nosy or invading privacy?......Page 160
6.18 If I bring up a problem, what do I do or say if the employee becomes emotional?......Page 162
6.19 How do I coach an employee?......Page 163
6.20 Is there any best way to conduct the year-end performance appraisal interview?......Page 164
6.21 What do I do when an employee disagrees with something I have written on the performance appraisal? If I accept their argument, can I upgrade their assessment?......Page 165
6.22 How can I use the evaluation to set employee development plans for the next year?......Page 166
7.1 What is progressive discipline?......Page 168
7.2 How do I conduct progressive discipline?......Page 169
7.4 Can I be sued for not firing some employees?......Page 171
7.5 How do I counsel employees for misconduct or rule violations?......Page 172
7.7 Can an employee assistance program (EAP) solve performance and discipline problems?......Page 174
7.8 What alternatives do I have to termination?......Page 175
7.10 What is the best way to conduct a termination meeting?......Page 177
7.11 What do I do if an employee becomes very emotional, or even threatening, when I terminate her?......Page 179
7.13 Why is termination sometimes a good thing for the employee being fired?......Page 180
7.14 What if I don’t feel right about terminating an employee?......Page 181
7.15 What do I say to the rest of my work group about termination of an employee in the group?......Page 182
7.16 If I have to lay people off to save money, how do I choose which ones to let go when none are problem performers?......Page 183
8.1 Why should I build a sense of teamwork among my staff members?......Page 185
8.2 What do successful work teams have in common?......Page 186
8.3 How do I handle a talented loner or non-team player on my team?......Page 188
8.5 How can I make new hires members of the team from their first day on the job?......Page 189
8.6 If I build a strong team, am I abdicating power or control?......Page 190
8.7 What are my responsibilities as team leader?......Page 191
8.9 What are the four stages of cross-functional teams?......Page 192
8.10 How do I choose members of a cross-functional team?......Page 193
8.11 How can taking my employees away from the work environment enable me to build a sense of teamwork?......Page 194
8.12 As a new supervisor, how do I build rapport with the informal group within the department?......Page 196
8.13 How can I build trust from the team?......Page 197
8.14 How can involvement of the team in department goal setting and planning improve the likelihood of achieving the plans?......Page 199
8.15 How can I engage employees in this process?......Page 200
8.16 If my team develops action plans that could fail, what should I do?......Page 203
8.17 What mistakes do managers make that undermine team productivity?......Page 204
8.18 What can I do to get my employees to think for themselves?......Page 205
8.19 Why should team members be involved in the selection process?......Page 206
9.1 How can I measure my acceptance of change?......Page 208
9.2 How can I know when change is in the wind so that my department can prepare for it?......Page 209
9.3 How can I be a change leader?......Page 210
9.4 How do I get commitment to a change from my staff?......Page 211
9.5 I worry that I won’t be able to handle objections to a change in a staff meeting. What can I do to overcome objections in that situation?......Page 213
9.6 What do I do if there are people on my staff adamantly opposed to the change?......Page 214
9.7 How can I help employees cope with change that requires new skills and practices?......Page 216
9.8 How can I use small improvements to build on a major shift in operations?......Page 218
9.9 How do I motivate my staff to see the opportunity that comes with change?......Page 219
9.10 How do I involve employees in change efforts without abdicating my own authority over the final decisions?......Page 220
9.11 I’ve seen change inaugurated, then things return to before the change. How can I avoid slippage back into old ways?......Page 221
9.12 How can I create a culture that will encourage flexibility and innovation?......Page 222
9.13 How can I get my team through a period of change overload?......Page 223
9.14 What do I do if I discover a project just won’t work?......Page 224
10.1 How can I reduce stress due to work?......Page 226
10.2 How can I deal with workaholism?......Page 228
10.3 I seem to work from crisis to crisis. What am I doing wrong?......Page 229
10.4 How can I balance the demands of the workplace with my family obligations and personal interests?......Page 230
10.6 How can I ensure that I get credit for the work I do?......Page 231
10.7 How can I ensure that ethics and integrity aren’t just values listed on a sheet of paper?......Page 232
10.8 Do I have to suffer from all those interruptions during the day?......Page 234
10.9 How can I eliminate procrastination?......Page 237
10.10 How do I determine what to do first?......Page 238
10.11 How can I better organize my workspace to maximize my productivity?......Page 240
10.12 How can I build networking skills?......Page 241
10.13 What can I do if I expect termination?......Page 242
10.14 What should I do to improve my relationships with my superiors?......Page 243
10.15 How can I make traveling less stressful?......Page 244
10.16 How can I start working from home?......Page 245
10.17 What kind of handshake makes the best impression?......Page 246
10.18 Would dating a colleague have a negative impact on my career?......Page 247
C......Page 250
E......Page 251
H......Page 252
L......Page 253
O......Page 254
R......Page 255
T......Page 256
W......Page 257