Thought for the Day
Tag Archives: “Jill Geisler”
Are you an aspiring great boss? Or perhaps you've already been told by staff that you are one of the greats.
Listen: The “What Great Bosses Know” Podcast Collection
I often hear from people that I drive to work with them or go jogging with them -- or at least my voice does. That's because they've downloaded our free "What Great Bosses Know" Poynter podcasts from iTunesU. Click on this link and you can do that, too.
Here's another way to hear them. The collection is also housed on a site called Podomatic. We use that to embed the podcasts in my leadership columns on Poynter.org.
Give a listen:
If you have a topic you'd like me to address in a future podcast and column, just let me know!
Great Bosses Have Big Shoes — But Small Feet
I'm on a campaign to stamp out "Bigfoot Bosses." It's painful to hear employees describe managers who take credit for their good work, fail to share the spotlight, and and exert excessive control over the staff. Bigfoot Bosses stifle employee engagement and in the end, are self-destructive. They hurt their own careers.
That's why my most recent column for Poynter.org shares tips for managers who never want to be known as Bigfoot Bosses. You can click on this link to read it.
It's also why I created this little reminder:
How to Be the Boss Employees Love
The most important thing leaders do is help other people succeed. That's a given in my teaching. I also teach that leadership is personal. You can be an inspiring, brilliant, courageous leader -- and you will enhance all of that by sincerely caring about the people you lead. You show that by treating them as people, not just producers. You find out the "secret sauce" to connecting with and motivating each one. You remember that on day's like Valentine's Day, special things just might be going on in their lives. You're happy for them -- and try your best to make sure that today, of all days, their work and life are in harmony.
Video: How Volunteering Can Be a Path to Management
Recently, I was interviewed by Poynter.org's Anna Li about establishing your leadership credentials, even before you are a manager in an organization. Because I was promoted to management at a fairly young age, Anna wanted to know what got me on the radar as "management material." Here's my reply:
Take the Great Bosses Quiz!
Are you an aspiring great boss? Or perhaps you've already been told by staff that you are one of the greats.
If so, good for you! In either case, here's a chance to see if you know the answers to ten questions related to what great bosses know. I drafted this quiz with a combination of serious purpose and a little fun. The questions are multiple choice, and there's really only one right answer for each one.
So, let's see how you do. The ten questions are below -- along with a link to the correct answers along with lots of other resources for you on each of the topics in the questions.
The Great Bosses Quiz:
1. The most effective feedback from managers to employees is:
a. Serious and scary
b. Specific and sincere
c. Sweet and sour
2. Emotional Intelligence is:a. Essential to effective leadership
b. A touchy-feely waste of time
c. An unreleased single by Hall & Oates
3. Micromanagers are:a. Shorter than average managers
b. Rarely appreciated by staff and likely to impede employee growth
c. Beloved by all
4. Managers who are good coaches for staff know their most important tool is:a. The question
b. The whistle
c. The deep breathing exercises
5. Everyone likes money. But it’s important for managers to understand that motivation involves much more than extrinsic rewards like cash. Especially important are intrinsic motivators such as:a. Envy, greed, sloth and gluttony
b. Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy and Dopey
c. Competence, autonomy, purpose and growth
6. When managers apologize, they:a. Sound like wimps
b. Should spread the blame around
c. Gain respect for holding themselves accountable
7. Performance management succeeds when supervisors:a. Set clear expectations and priorities and provide ongoing feedback
b. Leave employees alone to figure things out
c. Use fear and humiliation to keep people on their toes
8. Change initiatives often fail because of:a. Employees who are too lazy to change
b. Bad luck
c. Ineffective leadership regarding the education, emotion, motivation, collaboration and communication involved in change
9. To build a strong, cohesive team, managers should:a. Emphasize shared values and goals, build trust and reinforce cooperation
b. Order people to get along or else
c. Identify enemies in other departments and gang up on them
10. People become great bosses by:a. Strategically sucking up to powerful people
b. Getting an MBA from an impressive school
c. Using their values, skill, power and influence to help others succeed
Think you have the right answers? Click here to the full column on Poynter.org to find out!
