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Admin , Posted in business, At 15/12/2016,

Warning Signs of an Incompetent Manager

Warning Signs of an Incompetent Manager Relationship building is an art, but not every manager is a natural relationship artist We have recently covered many solutions to managing difficult employees, but just as often as employees can act up, so can the boss. Ineffective managers can contribute to the decline of productivity in the workplace. Organizational leaders who pay attention to detail should act quickly if they detect any symptoms of incompetence. Incompetent Managers: • Discourage decision-making by failing to make decisions themselves, or by refusing to own up to a decision if it might end in criticism • Prevent the completion of tasks because they are unable to delegate for fear of being outperformed by their team members • React to problems instead of creating an organized plan • Hinder development within themselves and their employees, which inevitably stunts the overall productivity of the company • Communicate the organizations goals and objectives ineffectively Providing mentoring to managers may not always be easy, but it is always essential. Whether you find yourself struggling as a manager or, attempting to lead these managers, here are some great tips to transform mediocre and incompetent managers. 1. Start small – Make everything better Take pride in each and every task that you must accomplish. Exert the necessary energy to do each task better than ever before. Of course, it is easy to do the bare minimum; however, what if instead of the norm, you went above and beyond? You do not need to reinvent your product line, or revamp a strategy in your organization. Instead, challenge yourself to strive to make your daily tasks insanely great! Something as simple as answering the telephone; take each call with enthusiasm and willingness to help. Igniting this change in your department will be evident among your team and encourage them to take the same approach in their work. 2. Enjoy what you do Hopefully you are one of the lucky ones who ‘like’ your job. Whether or not you enjoy every minute of your work day, you should be able to find some satisfaction in going to work each morning. Don’t just do your job, love it. Connect with co-workers in other departments, devote yourself to your team, and be enthusiastic about your company and what it stands for. This type of attitude causes a domino effect of positivity. According to Radical 1000 research, 87 percent of people would choose a job they love that reduces their salary by half over a job they hate that triples their current salary. When you care about your job, you are ultimately more productive. How can you expect your team to be excited about work if you are not? 3. Recognize a job well done Does your boss take credit for your work without giving you the recognition you deserve? We all have our moments of complaining about these ‘bad bosses’. Employee recognition, although a simple concept, works. Employees feel better and work harder. This positive attitude is easily transferred to customers. Many companies argue that their employees are the backbone of their organization, yet so many managers fail to show employees the recognition they deserve. If your budget does not allow for a monetary bonus, do not underestimate the power of verbal praise. It is human nature to appreciate feeling valued. Employee recognition should be immediate upon accomplishment and/or high performance. 4. Map out your management team Determine the individuals that have what it takes to be a manager. Do this with a thorough assessment of his or her behaviors and interests. Evaluate your current managers with a 360 degree feedback system. Reassign underperforming managers who likely have less interest in or aptitude for leadership to other positions in your organization where they have the potential to become top performers.
Admin , Posted in organizational psychology, At 03/12/2015,

Effectively managing communication in the workplace can eliminate workplace conflict.

Keywords: Communication in the Workplace, Coworker Conflict Name: Ty Blog: Insights 4 Tips for Managing Communication in the Workplace   It is common knowledge to allow communication to occur naturally between coworkers about their feelings and work out a solution on their own. However, there are times when, as a manager, you should intervene. Coworker conflict and bad communication in the workplace can cause poor performance of the employees involved, a poor image of your company online (due to the offending employees posting on personal websites), and a high turnover rate if left unaddressed. Here are some cues to help you know if the time is right to step in, and ways to deal with issues that arise when personal conflicts are affecting your team’s effectiveness:
  • First, and probably most obvious, is asking for an invitation to help if your employees seem incapable of coming to a resolution on their own. Mention that you’ve noticed a difficulty or issue, and then offer a question, such as, “Do you think you can solve this matter by ‘this date’/’this situation’, or do we need to bring in an objective outsider to help?” to keep communication flowing. Involve HR as necessary, which could be used as an independent mediator, to put difficult employees on notice or probation, or to begin the process of transferring the troublemakers to another department or location. Also, alert your boss to the situation so that they’re not blindsided by any necessary disciplinary actions now or in the future.
  • Refuse to take sides and make it clear that you are working for the benefit of both employees. Speak to them separately, and pass along any compliments or complaints between them. Remember, good communication is key, and your goal is to help them see the merits in each other’s viewpoint. Advocate an environment of respect, tolerance, and civility in the office.
  • Point out any miscommunications or misconceptions that may have been garnered due to poor communication. Invalid assumptions and misjudged intentions lead to inappropriate conclusions, and it is your job to keep the lines of communication open and avoid having to get involved before the issue grows out of hand.
  • Implement a team analysis assessment solution to help you identify the dynamics of your team, which highlights areas that may become an issue. Solutions such as The Profiles Performance Indicator™ can help you reduce team conflict, improve communication, and improve a team’s ability to anticipate problems.
Practicing good communication in the workplace is the most important asset to avoiding and dealing with coworker conflict. As a manager, be sure to keep an open-door policy so that employees can voice their concerns before the issue gets out of hand. As a team member, be an adult. Communicate your issues with your coworkers. Odds are the issue is nothing more than a case of miscommunication.  
Admin , Posted in business, At 12/11/2015,

5 Ways Assessments Help You Avoid Bad Hires

Bad hiring decisions cost money but the real loss may be in the time wasted managing poor-performing employees. A recent study by Robert Half International found that supervisors spend 17 percent of their time each week overseeing poor performers. The study also found that 60 percent of CFO’s believe bad hiring decisions somewhat affect team morale and one in three said it greatly affects team morale. Poor hiring decisions clearly have high costs. Many managers like to blame chance for these decisions but Max Messmer, CEO of Robert Half International, said that the most common reason for bad hiring decisions is that managers “failed to give proper attention to the hiring process.” Assessments are a useful tool to ensure you are giving the hiring process the time, objectivity and analysis it needs. There are many different styles of assessments. When used in the right sequence, they can be extremely helpful in employee hiring. Here are five ways assessments can help you avoid bad hiring decisions:
  • Assessments help you determine if a person fits a particular job.
Total-person or job-fit assessments like the ProfileXT® can help you determine how well a prospective employee fits a particular job in your company. Job-fit assessments are typically based on performance indicators, behavioral traits, interests and aptitudes. Managers often hire people because they are hard-workers. This can be useless if their aptitudes and interests do not match the requirements of a particular job. Use assessments to help you keep a narrow focus on the requirements of the job before considering more general personality traits.  
  • Assessments help you remain objective while selecting employees.
The importance of networking in today’s society has created an “it’s not what you know but who you know” mentality when it comes to hiring. Networking is very important but far too many people get jobs because they are a friend or a relative of an employee. When certain candidates are given priority in hiring due to their connections, hiring managers can be more lenient about making sure the candidate has the necessary skills and aptitudes to do the job. A desire to hire a friend or acquaintance is never an excuse to rush through the hiring process. Requiring the candidate to take an assessment benefits the company by avoiding a potential bad hire. It also benefits the candidate by saving him or her from ending up in a job where he or she would not succeed.  
  • Assessments help align talent with business needs.
Every company has different human capital needs. Some companies place more value on an innovative workforce and other companies may have a strong need for employees that are expert written communicators. Hiring managers must know what particular skills contribute most to the success of their companies. Business needs should be the foundation of the hiring process. Assessments can help managers eliminate candidates that do not have the critical skills the company needs to move forward. Managers can easily fall into the trap of admitting that a candidate does not have a core skill but hiring him or her anyway because of perceived potential. Potential is great, but the skills your company needs to be successful are more important.  
  • Assessments can help you measure hard skills.
We have talked a lot about necessary skills being the foundation of any hiring process. But how do you measure whether or not a prospective employee has those skills? Any candidate can put a skill on his or her resume but that does not indicate expertise. A skills assessment, like the Profiles Skills Test™, can measure specific skill sets. The results of skills assessments will be the meat of your hiring process. If a candidate does not have the necessary skills to do a job, there is no need to waste time and money measuring job-fit and personality traits.
  • Assessments help you learn how to better manage your employees.
Once you are certain you have hired employees who have the necessary core skills, personality assessments like the Profiles Performance Indicator™ can help you develop them. These assessments help you understand how to motivate and manage employees with various personalities. Every employee has strengths and weaknesses. Assessments can help you identify the weaknesses in particular and address them so employees do not become bad hires due to lack of training.   When used correctly, a combination of assessments can be your best hiring tool. They move candidates along the hiring process based on skills and job-fit, the two most important factors to employee success. Bad hires happen all the time but they do not have to happen in your company. Implementing assessments into your hiring process is the first step to bringing in qualified employees who are able to effectively do their jobs.   How have assessments helped decrease the number of bad hires at your company? Let us know in the comments section below or on Twitter and Facebook.   http://rhfa.mediaroom.com/bad-hire