The Great Resignation. The Great Attrition. The Mass Exodus. The historic turmoil taking place in today’s workplace has been given many names—and for good reason. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record-breaking 10.9 million jobs were open at the end of July 2021.[1] This unprecedented turnover will stretch long into the future.…
Dear Madeleine, I manage a team of very experienced and talented people. One of my people is particularly essential to the work we do and has vast institutional knowledge. A couple of other teams also depend on her. She is having a really hard time right now. Her father died a few months ago and…
Dear Madeleine, I have a long-time employee named Tom who has more than 25 years’ experience in our field—but he totally lacks confidence. He is very timid in response to questions from other less experienced professionals on staff. He doesn’t take the lead even when it’s in his area of expertise. For example, recently one…
In a couple of my recent posts I’ve talked about managers using coach-like skills in their conversations with direct reports. Doing this often makes conversations more impactful and effective. But there are times when using a coaching style is not appropriate—when, in fact, it can be counterproductive and cause the other person to become frustrated. First…
Leadership works best as a partnership, with managers and direct reports working together toward achievement of company goals. It requires strong skills in goal setting, diagnosis, and matching for both manager and direct report. But most organizations only focus on one half of that partnering equation, says Susan Fowler, a senior consulting partner with The…
Dear Madeleine, I am a manager who has done well at a professional services company. I run a large and growing group of entry level professionals who manage logistics and customer service for the entire organization. I absolutely love my job. I enjoy helping people be successful as well as being seen as someone who…
The great motivation debate among business leaders has been whether motivation is a trait we are born with or a skill that can be developed. Contemporary research has answered that question; motivation is a skill that can be nurtured and developed in oneself and others. This important finding means that employees at all levels have…
New survey data just published in the July/August issue of Training magazine shows a serious gap between employee desires and reality when it comes to goal setting, goal review, and performance feedback from their managers. More than 700 of the magazine’s subscribers were asked what they wanted out of their individual meetings with their managers…
Can you fill-in-the-blanks on these common workplace belief statements? It’s not personal, it is just ________. The purpose of business is to _____ _______. We need to hold people ___________. The only thing that really matters is _______. If you cannot measure it, it _________ ________. We have embedded these beliefs so deep in our…
The amount of direction and support people receive from their manager directly impacts the efficiency and quality of their work. Without it, people are left to their own devices, have to fake it until they make it, and learn primarily through trial and error. Eventually people get there—but it comes with a cost, says Ann…