Although the game of basketball was designed to be played on a full court with five players on each team, if you are going to be a basketball player, you'll spend plenty of time playing "one on one". It's a game that's played on school yards and basketball courts throughout the country. Larry Bird and Dr. J lent their names to a popular...
If you depend on people to follow your instructions, it only makes sense that you give some thought to the manner in which you give those instructions. At sometime or other, we have all been frustrated when the "simplest instructions" were not followed. The orange juice machine was empty and needed refilling. As the lines grew on one side of the...
You have been doing your job so well that your are going to be promoted. Instead of doing the work that you have done so well, you are now going to be asked to supervise and direct others in doing that work. Welcome to management! Most managers, whether newly appointed supervisors, sales managers, or business owners, achieved their management...
Not too long ago I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bobby Knight, coach of Indiana University's basketball team, while on a cross country flight. Coach Knight was returning from giving a basketball clinic and I was traveling to a meeting with a group of managers that had been working at turning around a troubled business. We had a brief but...
The managers at Company X continually cited the need for upgraded facilities and new equipment when confronted with their failure to compete effectively with Company Y. The corporation that owned Company X decided to invest several million dollars in upgrading its factory. State of the art equipment was installed in the new, carefully engineered...
Barbara had her hands full keeping up with the department's work load while training new people. She didn't need a problem employee. "One 'bad attitude' can spoil the barrel." It wasn't long after she had taken over as manager that Barbara realized she had a problem with Angela. Although Angela was one of the more experienced employees, there...
Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame baseball manager and renowned practitioner of one line wisdom, was once asked what made a good manager. Yogi is said to have replied, "A good ball club". Truer words were never spoken. Whether on the ball field or in the board room, a good team will always make a good manager. The message for all managers is clear. Your...
We used to call them "screamers". They were great guys on the ground and proficient aviators when they were at the controls. But while they were teaching you how to fly, they deserved their nickname. The "screamers" had two opposite tendencies. They were so accomplished as aviators themselves, they would hardly let you make a mistake before they...
What can you say to a valued employee at the time of their retirement? How can you show your appreciation for years of dedication and valuable service? Most of our adult lives are dedicated to our careers. If you add the actual time spent on the job plus the hours spent thinking about our work and the time spent getting to and from work, more of...
It's a situation that we have all experienced. You walk into a store with the intention of making a purchase. You look for some assistance from a sales person. There are a few people around, but its hard to tell if they are employees or customers. Frustrated and impatient you ask for help and finally someone strolls over with all the enthusiasm...