Supervisory Management articles from September 1991

Supervisory Management archives from September 1991

Revitalizing the plateaued employees on your staff.
September 1, 1991... There's a silent thief that steals productivity, lowers morale, and increases absenteeism and turnover. Despite the damage it can do, it goes unnoticed by management because of its silence. This thief is the plateau phenomenon. ...

Developing self-leaders through SuperLeadership.
September 1, 1991... In today's rapidly changing and highly competitive business environment, effective leadership practice is critical for success. But what is effective leadership practice? Some Common Views Leadership is typically viewed as a...

Illiteracy: it's cheaper to train them. (literacy levels of employees)
September 1, 1991... One of the last things many supervisors worry over is the literacy level of their staffers. After all, they reason, as long as people can get the job done, what business is it of anyone whether they're good readers? The truth, however, is...

Literacy training: avoiding the myths.
September 1, 1991... When you hear the term "illiterate," what sort of person comes to mind? A low achiever? Someone who is not very bright? In fact, most people who are classified as illiterate are articulate, hard-working, and extremely capable. Whey, then,...

Helping employees handle difficult customers.
September 1, 1991... Be prepared to do some pretty fancy juggling when an employee is taking heat from an upset customer. To be effective, you have to keep three fragile balls in the air: the customer's need for satisfaction, the employee's self-esteem, and the...

Turning losers into winners. (employees with performance problems)
September 1, 1991... No one sets out in life to be a failure. Most people really do want to succeed. And most people can succeed. As a manager, you can help turn your employees with performance problems into winning performers through use of CPR. What is...

Managing in tough times: some rules for survival.
September 1, 1991... In tough times, uncertainty is high and making and implementing management decisions is difficult. Here is some advice I've found most helpful during these times: Be open with information--good or bad. By providing information when you...

Neglecting staffers: a worst-case scenario.
September 1, 1991... Sometimes with reorganizations, the best decisions aren't made the first time, and there are more transfers and reorganizations--until it's no longer a question of "How many people work for me?" but "Who works for me?" "Staff of the...

How to communicate failures to your boss.
September 1, 1991... When you make a small mistake at work that creates not-so-small problems, your first reaction (aside from running and hiding) is probably to keep the bad news from the boss. The idea of actually confronting the boss and explaining what...

Learning how to listen empathically.
September 1, 1991... Of the four types of listening--discriminative, evaluative, appreciative, and empathic--the only one we engage in solely to accommodate another person is empathic listening. We listen empathically when someone needs to talk, to get something...