Gantz Wiley: Be a Better Boss

Celebrating and Sharing Business Successes with Staff

admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I think that celebrating and sharing business successes with staff is very important, because everyone spends a large portion of the waking day in a position supporting the needs of our office. Everyone is part of the team, which together enables our business to function. To know how well our business is doing provides positive reinforcement that my part in the business as a staff member is indeed important. I need to know that what I do really does matter. I have to solve problems on the job, and sometimes these problems are complex. When the outcomes are positive it really helps my motivation. We are always given short term and long term goals for our niche in the business, and when these goals are reached its nice to hear the appreciation. It is good to know that our office has the knowledge, skills, and experience to do our jobs competently. To have a nice cake and coffee once in a while on office time provides an opportunity to show that the boss truly cares about the employees. This is really a welcomed expression of appreciation to know that each employee makes a contribution towards the business success. A little recognition from the manager to the employees is a good recipe for a successful business.

Ways to Monitor Long Term Projects

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Deciding on ways to monitor long term projects depends on the project. If the project is something that is visible, you can appoint a team to examine the product and report on its growth. If the project is something that is abstract as in a research project that involves reports of progress, then you can appoint a single agent to collect reports periodically, assess their merits and report to the agency that is funding the project. Self-monitoring of any long term projects are realistically possible with the monitoring left to the individual who is being paid to conduct the project. If his monitoring has been inaccurate, his funding is usually not continued at the end of the specified period when his results have to be shown. Many long term research projects conducted by individual researchers have a specified period of completion. To extend their funding, they must show results or make an explanation for the need of an extension.
Monitoring long term projects should involve the use of a monitor who is familiar with the work being watched. If the monitor is not familiar with the work or the research being conducted, his efforts are usually not predictable for the over all success of the long term project even at conclusion.

Developing Talents Employees Hide from Themselves

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In the ever evolving business world confidence and ingenuity are traits that businesses are lacking in their employees. With so many people looking to just blend in to the fold how can owners and managers inspire their employees to discover the amazing talents they have hiding inside? The solution to this is one that seems simple at first but in application may prove more difficult. If you are looking to have employees discover their own talents you need to teach them two things. The first is how to do new things. The second is how to think for themselves.

Too often employees buy,www.bestbuy-jobs.com into their own job description. They only enter the workplace with their blinders on to any work that might fall outside their daily routine. If you are looking to reveal hidden talent the best place to start is to challenge them to try new things. Often encouraging your employees to attempt the unknown will reveal new skills and talents they didn’t know they had.

The second one is the hard part. For too long employees have expected to be told how to do things. If you want employees to discover anything about themselves they will need to do it themselves. When you are setting out new jobs for your employees don’t tell them how. Challenge them to figure it out for themselves.
If these two steps are properly executed you will find that your employees are dissatisfied with the daily routine. You will also find that out of that boredom they will strive to discover and develop their own hidden talents in order to escape the routines that bind them.

When to Delegate and When to Assign

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When a task is assigned, the individual or group of individuals is responsible for the task or tasks assigned. When assigning a task it is important to know that the people being assigned have the skills necessary to complete the task assigned. If an assignment is given to someone who does not have the right training, it can proove to be frustrating for both the assigner and the assignee. Additionally it is important to know what is required of the assignment so that the objective can be met in a timely and efficient manner.

Delegating is very similar to assigning. When a task is delegated the person doing the delegating is still ultimately responsible for the outcome. The delegate is merely acting on behalf of the one delegating. These parties should be in frequent communication to help ensure that the goals and objectives of the delegation are being met. Something would be delegated when the person delegating does not have the skill needed, there are no specific skills required, or the things needing done are of a repetitive nature. It is critical that a timeline be set, and once the job is complete feedback needs to be provided to the completer of the task.

Regardless of if a task is delegated or assigned, the completers of the task should be provided positive feedback. The experience should be one of a learning and helpful nature for the worker and the business owner or manager.

5 Common Boss Shortcomings

www.gantzwiley.com — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:33:34 +0000

1. Prideful Being in charge doesn’t necessarily mean your idea is always the best available option. At times, however, it can be tough to admit you are mistaken and that pursuing an alternative course of action may be more advantageous to the company. Taking regular input from your employees can be an effective way to safeguard against self-stubbornness, while also reminding employees they are valued members of your team.2. Closed Communication Granted, certain aspects of running a business and/or managing employees should only be privy to select ears, the vast majority of on-goings should not be disclosed on a need-to-know basis. After all, these are people who work for you, it follows they would need to know what’s going on as it affects their livelihood as well. Furthermore, opening lines of communication as full as possible will help to provide solutions to any problems that arise in a quick and effective manner, while allowing all members of your work community to know where they stand and progress on major initiatives at all times.3. Inflexible The working world is an ever-changing landscape. No man or woman, regardless of rank within a company, should be impervious to change. Flexibility is a must for good business people, as deadlines, time frames, schedules and objectives are all subject to alteration without much notice. Not to mention, technology often renders even relatively new habits irrelevant in only a few years.4. Untrusting No matter how good of people you surround yourself with, from peers to employees, talent level is erroneous if you don’t trust others with important work. Part of being a good boss is the ability to recognize competence and delegate work accordingly. Regardless of what kind of track record you might have put together in order to advance to your current position, no single and individual can keep a company afloat by his or her self.5. Impetuous Things aren’t always going to go your way in the work place. Knee jerk reactions and ill-thought out conclusions can be the kiss of death to a career. Try to maintain a level head regardless of the situation. Speed in responding to threats and opportunities can be crucial, but only after thoroughly evaluating the risks and rewards at hand.

The Better Boss Reading List

www.gantzwiley.com — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:45:30 +0000

To be a good boss, first and foremost you must be competent in your job duties. Secondly, you must maintain the respect of those who work for you. Without respect, you will undoubtedly be undermined even in earnest efforts to improve the work-lives of your employees. Managing employees can be a difficult task, and as in any challenging occupation, it is best to be informed by those who have made a successful living in the same manner. The following books are must-reads for any man or woman interested in excelling in a management capacity:Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis Yes, this book is about baseball, which may not seem relevant, but it’s about oh so much more than that. At its core, the book is about taking advantage of unique talents and achieving desired results while on a fixed budget, practical lessons for any manager.The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell By helping to make clear the exact moment at which major changes occur, or the “tipping point,” Gladwell helps managers to make decisions while taking advantage of trends and timeliness that might go unnoticed by those with a more focused, narrow-minded frame of reference. The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson It may take more than a mere 60 seconds to read, but within its pages lie practical techniques to improve communication, employee relations, leadership objectives and the facets in between, all proven to work in the business world.Somehow I Manage by Michael Scott (in progress) Dunder-Mifflin’s most famous regional manager offers his personal tricks of the trade. Ok, so don’t watch The Office for real-life management advice, but it’s still perfectly good entertainment, and hey, every good boss should have a sense of humor.

Does the Customer Always Come First?

www.gantzwiley.com — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:26:32 +0000

If you’ve ever been in any sort of retail or sales position, you’ve undoubtedly heard the age old adage “the customer always comes first.” In an ideal world perhaps this is true, but “always” is quite simply too strong of a word to be practical. After all, not all customers are created equally, and sometimes they are intentionally deceitful or just plain wrong. At times, it may be necessary to side with your employee over the customer, keeping in mind that customers (save so-called “regulars” or those with extensive history in a loyalty program) are often fleeting whereas employees are daily facets in your business or store’s livelihood. While each and every sale is undoubtedly important, it can be ultimately detrimental to your company to lose a good employee over a one-time issue or accident.The customer should be prioritized as highly as possible in every scenario, but there may be instances in the workplace in which a decision will fall directly on a boss or manager in which he or she must immediately pick sides. For instance, if a customer feels offended or disrespected by an employee’s actions, even if it is unintentional or out of context, a customer may request that the employee in question is terminated. At this point there are very important questions to be raised. Did the employee do something wrong? Was it intentional, and if not, does that matter? How much business is this single transgression costing us? Is this the first time a complaint has been filed against this employee or does he or she have a checkered past as far customer relations go? Is there another position in the company without direct customer interaction where this employee might be more of an asset and less of a liability? Is this employee easily replaceable or does he or she provide a skill set unique to the company?Ultimately, there is no cut and dry answer as simple as “the customer always comes first.” The decision should be handled on a case by case basis, but in the event you do choose to break the golden rule of customer service, know that in some instances you are indeed justified.

Are Your Employees Happy?

www.gantzwiley.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:56:29 +0000

People are products of their surroundings. This doesn’t change when a worker enters the office. Productivity is largely a result of how comfortable a person may or may not feel on the job. Of course, it’s important to balance the conveniences and luxuries necessary to keep morale up with a streamlined atmosphere devoid of distractions. What can you do help make your work place an environment in which employees thrive professionally? This 3 pronged strategy should go a long way towards this end.Reward performance publicly Everyone enjoys reaffirmation that their talents are being noticed and hard work appreciated, but it is particularly uplifting to see exemplary work lauded in front of peers. It may be a concern that fellow employees who have not yet been recognized will actually take such a message negatively, but with the right employees in place it will serve as a motivational tool to take their efforts to the next level. These rewards should not be merely trivial commendations an employee might find patronizing. Make sure there is a legitimate incentive worth working towards.Stay In Touch with Employees While not an endorsement to micromanage your employees, keeping them up to speed on large scale company goals can be an invaluable way to make employees feel valued as a member of a team. An individual may be great at his or her job, but perhaps could be even better if he or she knew the effect his or her efforts were having on the bigger picture.Have a little fun To quote The Shining, “All work, no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It is important for employees to take their jobs seriously and be productive, but at a certain point prolonged tedium can become a mental hazard, not to mention lower the quality of work. For example, perhaps a runner can complete a mile in 5 minutes, very impressive, but asking the same runner to run a 5-minute mile every day without adequate rest is not only overly demanding but nearly impossible. Whether it’s a break room or company outing, provide a venue for employees to relax a bit and let off some steam, aside from complaining to his or her significant other.