Be supportive
Support your boss with last-minute presentations, paperwork or arranging a meeting with clients instead of spending time over a gossip session. These are the small things that will strengthen your relationship with your boss and get you noticed. Every boss loves the team member who helps them with the finer details and makes their life a little easier.
Extend respect
Listen to your boss and respect the fact that s/he also has relevant experience and is acting in the company's interests. His/her goal is to make sure that there is a consensus within the team.
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A few interaction skills that make a big difference to a respectful atmosphere in your organisation include not interrupting conversations, asking if the person has time to talk and listening to ideas. Remember not to be a know-it-all or in such a hurry that you finish the other person's sentence.
Be sure to comment on their ideas to let them know you have really been listening, not just waiting for them to take a breath so you can jump in with your agenda. Being skilled and intelligent is no compensation for the lack of life experience.
Be genuine
Never try to fake it when you are actually not interested in listening and taking instructions. Be genuinely interested in what s/he is saying. Try and understand his/her point of view and act accordingly. It is always advisable to revert to your boss in case you do not have clarity on a certain issue. Seek his/her support to prepare an action plan. A genuine interest will help you develop trust required for a professional relationship. Take keen interest in new projects and do some due diligence to make it a success.
Communicate honestly
Try to communicate transparently. Don't make commitments that you cannot keep; this will call for some amount of planning from your side. Deliver information which is true and based on facts -- this will not only make you credible, your colleagues will look up to you for support.
Most bosses have a knack of remembering what you say and a commitment that was not met may haunt you after six months during the performance appraisal discussion. A little bit of caution can save nasty surprises towards the end.
Appreciate your boss
Your boss does care what you think about them, s/he however does appreciate your mentioning his/her good work. When you do recognise job well-done, be specific in your compliments. Refrain from saying in an off-handed manner, "Oh, great work, boss." Make it more personal: "Boss, that is the best research that has come across my desk in the last six months. Excellent work. If your boss comments, "Good presentation." Refrain from saying, "Oh, it was nothing." Deflecting a compliment often draws unwanted attention and belittles both you and the person offering the compliment. Just say, "Thank you."
Don't lock horns with your boss
Bosses don't like nor do they cooperate with people who they think are against them. When you are against something, the person thinks you are against them personally. Once you voice your opposition to another person's idea, you become part of the problem. It's as if a war has started with each of you fighting to be right. When you are for something, you begin focusing on the potential for positive change. You start the process of collaboration.
Some people carry this inward, self-focus into the workplace which leads to professional relationships turning sour. Make sure that you play an active role in building a strong relationship with your boss rather then expecting to be pampered all the time.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
How to Speak Well and Confidently
Are you very shy when it comes to new surroundings, such as starting a new class or moving to a new area? Sometimes, it is necessary to overcome your shyness and speak confidently. By doing this, it can help you not only to share your ideas properly to others, but also to learn communicating with others. Here are a few steps to consider when speaking with confidence.
Steps
Learn how to have conversations with people. Your ideas or opinions may not always be accepted by others, but this is nothing unusual. Open your mouth, express your beliefs! This will improve your courage.
Don't be afraid and speak loudly. If you speak in a low voice, not only will others not be able to hear what you say, but you will also portray a submissive demeanor, which suggests the opposite of a confident one. Make eye contact when you speak. For one thing, it is polite for others. Also, eye contact will help others to listen to your thinking carefully. Praise yourself everyday! This will promote your own confidence, which is important when you speak. With more confidence, people will take your thinking more seriously.
Tips
Don't be nervous when you make mistakes. Human error is far from being a new concept — nobody is perfect! It is normal for everyone to make mistakes. Just calm down and keep speaking bravely.
Try and try again! This may be difficult for a shy person at first, but you need to force yourself to speak, and not seclude your thoughts. If you have some ideas, then try to speak out! Don't just keep them in your head.
If you have self confidence issues, try to think that you are the only one who has sound knowledge about the topic. Then go ahead and impart your knowledge to the audience in an effective way.
Remember that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don't portray an exaggerated amount of confidence, or you will come off as arrogant, believing that your ideas are better than the ideas of everyone else.
Steps
Learn how to have conversations with people. Your ideas or opinions may not always be accepted by others, but this is nothing unusual. Open your mouth, express your beliefs! This will improve your courage.
Don't be afraid and speak loudly. If you speak in a low voice, not only will others not be able to hear what you say, but you will also portray a submissive demeanor, which suggests the opposite of a confident one. Make eye contact when you speak. For one thing, it is polite for others. Also, eye contact will help others to listen to your thinking carefully. Praise yourself everyday! This will promote your own confidence, which is important when you speak. With more confidence, people will take your thinking more seriously.
Tips
Don't be nervous when you make mistakes. Human error is far from being a new concept — nobody is perfect! It is normal for everyone to make mistakes. Just calm down and keep speaking bravely.
Try and try again! This may be difficult for a shy person at first, but you need to force yourself to speak, and not seclude your thoughts. If you have some ideas, then try to speak out! Don't just keep them in your head.
If you have self confidence issues, try to think that you are the only one who has sound knowledge about the topic. Then go ahead and impart your knowledge to the audience in an effective way.
Remember that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don't portray an exaggerated amount of confidence, or you will come off as arrogant, believing that your ideas are better than the ideas of everyone else.
How to motivate bad employees
The smart aleck employee who prides himself on doing as little as possible to scrape by will needle you by saying, 'There are no bad workers -- just bad managers.'
The genius-in-residence has a minor point. But the question remains: How do you motivate employees who don't perform up to their potential?
"First, you try to avoid bad employees by hiring carefully," says Dr Lynda Dahlke, a specialist in organizational behavior at Psychology for Business, a consulting firm in Brookfield, Wis. "If you made a mistake in hiring, then you have to understand why the employee isn't performing well. It can be a lack of training, a poorly defined role, lack of feedback, shifting organizational priorities or something deeper."
Micromanaging is the surest way to kill an employee's enthusiasm. To succeed, employees need to know that they're trusted and their work is valued.
Micromanaging tells the employee just the opposite, and constant checks are as annoying as a fussy elementary-school teacher telling you to print your name and the date in the upper right-hand corner of every assignment.
Pointing out every little mistake -- especially things that are a mistake only in your eyes -- will quickly kill incentive. Instead, try something like "Here's how to make your job easier" or "You're good, and here's how to get better."
Managers are responsible for the finished product, but good managers quickly learn how to concentrate on outcome and leave the process to others. What's more important: delivering a solid product or service to your customers on time or how the boxes are stacked?
The smart manager sets goals and lets employees perform within clearly defined parameters. Gushy praise is instantly recognized as fake and won't cut it. Thank an employee individually for his or her contribution and repeat your thanks at a staff meeting. Always use outstanding performance to jump to the larger issue: Here's how we solved the problem, or here's how we beat the competition.
You can't go wrong by rewarding your top performers with more challenging assignments. Many managers fall into this trap: Top performers are inundated with routine tasks because the work will be handled quickly and well. That soon becomes a disincentive to excel.
Additional pay is always appreciated, but a good working environment is more important to most employees than a few extra bucks each week. Employees need to know that their contributions are noticed, valued and part of expanding the enterprise.
Review your employees' performance objectively and ask some basic questions: What are their strengths? Weaknesses? Are they in the right slot? Would their talents and interests flourish with a different assignment?
The manager's goal remains unchanged: How can you consistently get the best out of each worker?
Of course, there are some people who shake your faith in evolution and resist or ignore every effort to get them to improve. Such employees often show similar traits:
• They do the absolute minimum to meet their responsibilities and nothing more.
• They routinely perform their duties with more attitude than gusto, and their sullenness often carries over into their dealings with customers.
• They have little commitment to the company, frequently bad-mouth it and regularly denigrate fellow workers.
• When asked for ideas to improve the work flow, clever deadbeats respond with a quip like this: "Pardon me, but you've confused me with someone who gives a damn."
• They complain endlessly about poor pay, lack of advancement and don't have a clue how others see them.
• If you have the misfortune of dealing with such a slug, work carefully with the personnel department. Rule of thumb: The worst workers are often the most litigious.
• Meet privately with a problem worker. Tell him how and where he's failing to meet company standards. Tell him what he needs to do to improve. Set deadlines for improvement. Make the path to success clear. Demand improvement. Put everything in writing. Keep a copy for yourself, and give copies to personnel and the employee.
This will build a record if it becomes necessary to fire the worker.
These issues will show up in mom-and-pop businesses and across all industries, including semiconductor companies such as Intel, banks such as Wells Fargo, energy companies such as Valero and software companies such as Microsoft.
"As a manager, you can't be buddies with your employees," Dahlke says. "You can't reprimand a best buddy. You must command respect and lead. But you don't want to be inaccessible or feared." In short, managing is a balancing act -- and it's not easy to do it well. That, and what often seems to be your role as babysitter-in-chief for difficult workers, is why you make the big bucks.
The genius-in-residence has a minor point. But the question remains: How do you motivate employees who don't perform up to their potential?
"First, you try to avoid bad employees by hiring carefully," says Dr Lynda Dahlke, a specialist in organizational behavior at Psychology for Business, a consulting firm in Brookfield, Wis. "If you made a mistake in hiring, then you have to understand why the employee isn't performing well. It can be a lack of training, a poorly defined role, lack of feedback, shifting organizational priorities or something deeper."
Micromanaging is the surest way to kill an employee's enthusiasm. To succeed, employees need to know that they're trusted and their work is valued.
Micromanaging tells the employee just the opposite, and constant checks are as annoying as a fussy elementary-school teacher telling you to print your name and the date in the upper right-hand corner of every assignment.
Pointing out every little mistake -- especially things that are a mistake only in your eyes -- will quickly kill incentive. Instead, try something like "Here's how to make your job easier" or "You're good, and here's how to get better."
Managers are responsible for the finished product, but good managers quickly learn how to concentrate on outcome and leave the process to others. What's more important: delivering a solid product or service to your customers on time or how the boxes are stacked?
The smart manager sets goals and lets employees perform within clearly defined parameters. Gushy praise is instantly recognized as fake and won't cut it. Thank an employee individually for his or her contribution and repeat your thanks at a staff meeting. Always use outstanding performance to jump to the larger issue: Here's how we solved the problem, or here's how we beat the competition.
You can't go wrong by rewarding your top performers with more challenging assignments. Many managers fall into this trap: Top performers are inundated with routine tasks because the work will be handled quickly and well. That soon becomes a disincentive to excel.
Additional pay is always appreciated, but a good working environment is more important to most employees than a few extra bucks each week. Employees need to know that their contributions are noticed, valued and part of expanding the enterprise.
Review your employees' performance objectively and ask some basic questions: What are their strengths? Weaknesses? Are they in the right slot? Would their talents and interests flourish with a different assignment?
The manager's goal remains unchanged: How can you consistently get the best out of each worker?
Of course, there are some people who shake your faith in evolution and resist or ignore every effort to get them to improve. Such employees often show similar traits:
• They do the absolute minimum to meet their responsibilities and nothing more.
• They routinely perform their duties with more attitude than gusto, and their sullenness often carries over into their dealings with customers.
• They have little commitment to the company, frequently bad-mouth it and regularly denigrate fellow workers.
• When asked for ideas to improve the work flow, clever deadbeats respond with a quip like this: "Pardon me, but you've confused me with someone who gives a damn."
• They complain endlessly about poor pay, lack of advancement and don't have a clue how others see them.
• If you have the misfortune of dealing with such a slug, work carefully with the personnel department. Rule of thumb: The worst workers are often the most litigious.
• Meet privately with a problem worker. Tell him how and where he's failing to meet company standards. Tell him what he needs to do to improve. Set deadlines for improvement. Make the path to success clear. Demand improvement. Put everything in writing. Keep a copy for yourself, and give copies to personnel and the employee.
This will build a record if it becomes necessary to fire the worker.
These issues will show up in mom-and-pop businesses and across all industries, including semiconductor companies such as Intel, banks such as Wells Fargo, energy companies such as Valero and software companies such as Microsoft.
"As a manager, you can't be buddies with your employees," Dahlke says. "You can't reprimand a best buddy. You must command respect and lead. But you don't want to be inaccessible or feared." In short, managing is a balancing act -- and it's not easy to do it well. That, and what often seems to be your role as babysitter-in-chief for difficult workers, is why you make the big bucks.
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