Posts tagged as:

hiring

Selling Your Ideas to Management

by Steven M. Smith

DAVID: Ruth, I think we should buy the ABC software to track trouble tickets and issues.
RUTH: There is no budget for that.
DAVID: But it takes me days to put together the information you want about the state of the product. And without an automated collection mechanism, I think many problems aren’t being reported.
RUTH: Provide the [...]

Read the full article →

Full Time Pay for Half Time Work?

by Steven M. Smith

Albert, without fail, has exceeded all of his production objectives for the past five years. He is a top performer who produces high-quality results. Colleagues like him. Clients adore him. But Albert never works more than 20 hours per week. That’s less than one-half the amount of time his colleague’s work.
Albert receives a [...]

Read the full article →

People Act Like Themselves

by Steven M. Smith

When you interview for your next job, I recommend analyzing how people treated you during the hiring process.
Why?
The treatment you receive will mirror the treatment you will receive on the job.
For instance, analyze the responsiveness of the people involved in your hiring process. If people were responsive to scheduling appointments and answering your questions, expect [...]

Read the full article →

Elements of Effective Management

by Steven M. Smith

I am fortunate to have worked on a team led by Anne Cawley early in my career. Experience working with her enabled me to know, rather than speculate, about the power of an effective manager.
What elements of her management style made her effective?
Congruence: She conversed with members of her team as equals rather than subordinates.
Hiring: [...]

Read the full article →

Actions to Take for a New Teammate

by Steven M. Smith

What actions are available to you and every other member of your team to help a new teammate become a productive member of the team?
Move over. Give them space to operate.
Encourage their participation.
Provide advice when asked. Refrain from providing advice when not asked.
If you can’t take these action, then it’s time to review your hiring [...]

Read the full article →

Rethinking Stand-Up Meetings, Part 2

by Steven M. Smith

I argued in my first article about stand-up meetings that the right participants were the key to a successful meeting rather than whether the participants were standing up or sitting down. Despite my dislike for forcing people to stand up, I mentioned in that article my positive regard for other elements of the standard stand-up [...]

Read the full article →