Free resources to help you become a great manager
7 Useful Coaching Methods to Help Managers Develop Their Teams
Sometimes, teaching another person is the best way to improve a skill yourself. Managers looking to retain or enhance their technical expertise can use teaching and coaching as a way to stay on top of their own skills.
Plus, a manager’s role in professional development is to help team members discover their skills and passions, and then connect them to the resources they need to develop further. Managers who actively enable and coach their team members help keep their team performing well, and help cultivate a growth mindset at their organization.
As such, the manager-as-coach role is an important one at every organization.
Continue readingImprovisation, Innovation, and Busting the Myth of the Solitary Creator
In today’s knowledge economy, the companies that rise to the top tend to be the ones who can consistently come up with innovative ideas and imaginative solutions to problems.
But why is it that some organizations seem to have all the best ideas? Where does that creativity come from?
Although we know little about the science of innovation, we do know that creative ideas tend to come from special teams, where each individual is encouraged to share their contributions without fear.
Here’s an example.
Continue readingWant to Give Better Feedback? Make It Specific, Empathetic, and Actionable
“Hey, do you have time for a quick chat?” your manager asks.
Oh no. Knees weak, heart heavy, you saunter into your boss’s office, your entire corporate life flashing before your eyes. There was that project last week that could have gone better. You did book an Airbnb the other day during work hours.
What could this possible be about?
We have a visceral reaction even to the thought of maybe, possibly, sort of receiving feedback. And yet, paradoxically, we also place a high value in knowing where we stand and how we could improve. We want more feedback, not less.
Continue readingWhy Giving Feedback Right Now is More Compassionate And Effective
Annual performance reviews, quarterly checkins, and even monthly or weekly one-on-ones are great, but they cannot replace the impact and importance of continuos, ad hoc feedback.
Too many managers and leaders wait until scheduled appointments with employees to deliver feedback. If you aspire to create a workplace that values empowerment and growth, these scheduled time slots should be reserved for checking in with employees on their goals, career development, and wellbeing, and serve as an opportunity for them to bring up any issues, solutions or ideas they want to share.
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