Leadership Tips

Hiring

	How much is that hiring mistake really costing you? Most companies can survive the occasional bad hire, but when hiring is done by trial and error, you get a cumulative effect. If your recruitment process is lacking, chances are that there will be consequences. Not only does this cost a lot of money, it also has an effect on the rest of the team.
	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.
	Wanted: Salesperson Who Can Sell Ice Like Hot Cakes - Key Traits in Top Salespeople In order to avoid hiring a bad salesperson, you need to understand what makes a good one. The most successful salespeople, regardless of what it is they sell, leverage all of their skills in order to drive business. It may also be helpful, even before the interviewing process, to consider some of the tools available to evaluate character, work habits and personality.

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Employee Development

	"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:
	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:
	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:

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Leadership Development

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.

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.

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Motivation

	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.
	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.
	Performance Evaluations Don't Need to Taste Like Brussels Sprouts - Making Reviews an Appealing Experience Giving evaluations, especially where there's some negative feedback involved, is like a ripping a band-aid - you just want to get it over with, and suffer as little pain as possible. Here are some tips on how to ensure that the performance appraisal process of your company is a productive one.

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Employee Well-being

	Workplace Bullying Workplace bullying, like schoolyard bullying, occurs when one or more individuals use persistent aggressive or unfair behavior against a peer. Workplace bullying can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, and physical abuse, and humiliation. Be on the lookout for the following behaviors:
	The best offense is a good defense! Healthy coping mechanisms Theorist George Eman Valliant proposed four categories of coping mechanisms, ranging from unhealthy or immature, to healthy and mature. When it comes to dealing with stress, there is one crucial point to keep in mind - it's not the stressor that matters, it's how you respond to it. Here are some healthy strategies:
	How management plays a role in employee health These days, companies understand the value of human capital but many still fail to grasp the importance of employee well-being. If you don't have an Employee Assistance Program in place, have yet to implement stress reduction initiatives at work, or are oblivious to signs of burnout, you are risking the well-being of your staff and your company.

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