Posts Tagged: managing

Supervisors Should Manage Consequences, not Discipline

One of the critical responsibilities that rests on the shoulders of supervisors is employee discipline. Many times discipline is viewed as something negative hence it tends to be avoided — which just causes more problems. One way to address this issue is to change mindset and terminology about discipline and instead focus on the concept… Read more »

3 Steps to Lead Change from the Middle

You’re stuck in the middle. LITERALLY. As middle management you get the seemingly impossible task of not just managing those who report to you, but the delicate balance of working with other managers AND keeping your boss happy (which generally means keeping his/her boss happy). So how do you keep both ends of the spectrumRead… Read more »

The Compliment Sandwich Must Die, and Other Lessons on Leading From Your Level

“Hey, Eric! Nice bow tie. By the way, your performance at last week’s meeting was terrible. That’s a sharp suit you’re wearing!” What you just read is known as a “compliment sandwich.” And Virginia Hill from the Partnership for Public Service explained in the session she led with Jonathan McGee on leading from your levelRead… Read more »

10 Ways You Can Manage Across Generations

There are four different generations working in government today—Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. When approaching working outside of our own generation, we often have a tendency to rely on stereotypes (i.e. Traditionalists will never accept change and Millennials are unreliable job hoppers) and that can ruin great partnerships before they ever get started.Read… Read more »

11 Ways to Deal with an Underperforming Employee

The GAO released a report last month calling for better management of substandard employees. According to the report, the government could benefit from better performance management training and use of tools to address underperforming individuals. Dealing with underperforming employees can be difficult, and can lead to some awkward conversations. Here are some of my favorite tipsRead… Read more »