Leadership Tips

Hiring

	What pre-employment tests can do for you... and what they can't do Using personality and job fit assessments can be really useful when trying to find the right employee for your company. They're easy to administer, objective, and insightful. Like all hiring tools though, they have their advantages and disadvantages. This is why the recruitment process needs to incorporate a multi-faceted approach.
	Types of pre-employment tests When you are able to ask people the right questions, you can receive amazing insight into their thoughts, feelings, attitude, and behavior - insight that standard hiring procedures, like interview questions and reference-checking, are not able to access easily. Here is a quick, easy-to-understand guide on the type of assessments that are out there.
	Risky Business - Finding the Right Balance Between Daredevil and Avoider A risk-taker can be an asset to a company. However, risk-taking has equal potential for negative or positive consequences. That's why it's important to screen for qualities that complement calculated risk-taking. The accomplished risk-taker always does his or her best to make informed decisions and minimize the potential negative impact of those decisions.

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Employee Development

	Like Seeds in Fertile Soil - Work Environments That Nurture Productivity In a business world where company loyalty and morale can't be boosted by simply dangling a bonus like a carrot, employees are more likely to be dedicated to a manager who understands and motivates them. Here are some ways to promote a healthy work environment for workers and the organization as a whole:
	Declarations of Independence - Developing an Autonomous Staff There are many advantages to hiring an employee who is autonomous and who can work relatively unsupervised. Aside from the fact that you can trust this person to put in a good day's work and to be able to hold his/her own, an autonomous employee is more likely to feel empowered. Here are the key traits of a self-sufficient worker:
	"Meeting Postponed, Sorry for the Incontinence" - Preventing This, and Other Miscommunications, in the Workplace Effective communication can be a complex matter that requires diligence and practice. It encompasses the ability to speak clearly and concisely, a capacity for social insight and empathy, assertiveness, and self-monitoring, along with the often overlooked and undervalued skill of listening. Here are a few simple communication tips to keep in mind:

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Leadership Development

The Managerial Jigsaw - Finding the Right Piece to Fit Your Company's Puzzle One of the most difficult positions to fill in a company is, arguably, a managerial one. It has to be filled by someone who can wear a lot of different hats - coach, cheerleader, leader, innovator, visionary, etc. Finding a manager who possesses the right set of competencies is important, but so is the type of organizational atmosphere and circumstances you're hiring for.

The Ultimate Leaders: PsychTests Releases Study on Leadership Qualities That Differentiate the Best from the Rest It's important for companies to recognize that management and leadership are distinct, and that in order to bring out the best in employees, a person must have the business know-how of a manager but the finesse of a leader. Good leaders are in a class of their own with a very distinct personality profile.

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Motivation

	Quarterback, Shortstop, Goalie, Bob - Finding the Right Team Player for Your Company We all know that a team player is someone who places the success of the team frst and is willing to make personal sacrifces. Of course there is more to being an effective team player than simply a desire or willingness to be one. There are specific attributes that constitute an effective team player, as well as different types of team players.
	Do Your Employees Spell Team with M-E? Reasons Why Teamwork Isn't Always a Pleasant Experience Teamwork is the foundation of success for many companies. Creative ideas are more easily generated, large workloads can be shared, and it's always great to have others to turn to for help. For many people though, teamwork rarely works like a well-oiled machine - more likely, they see it as a rusty set of gears that creak and squeak at each other.
	Work Motivators - When Money and Coffee are not Enough Everyone holds different values in regards to work and needs different things in their job to feel satisfied and fulfilled. Motivation is at the heart of every productive employee, and the missing link in those who are not living up to their full potential. If managers truly want to get the best out of their workers, they need to start viewing motivation as a case-by-case issue.

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Employee Well-being

	The Stress Response: Fight, flight, freeze, or have gas When you sense danger, your body's sympathetic nervous system and neuroendocrine system are activated. These stress hormones regulate a number of physiological functions that put your body on alert, getting it ready to spring into action in order to deal with the perceived threat. This is your instinctual "fight or flight" response, which generally takes the following route:
	The different types of stress It's important to make a clear distinction between "stressor" and "stress. A stressor is a stimulus that can either be viewed as good or bad. Stress is our response to this stimulus. The factor that determines our reaction to the stressor is our perception. Here is a breakdown of the different types of stress we endure in our day-to-day lives.
	Techniques to help you deal with the physical impact of stress Not all stressors are avoidable, but their influence can be buffered by adopting healthy coping strategies. Coping skills are like any other skill: The more you practice them, the more effective they will be. Dealing effectively with stress is a four-step process: Recognize the signs of stress, identify the source, evaluate its impact, and decide on a course of action.

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