Managers Letter
Published throughout the year, each
Managers Letter
covers a topic we feel is of current interest around the world, and we now are happy to share them with you.
This page is your gateway to recent Managers Letters. Click on a title (below) to read the full article. Or, if you prefer, you can click on "Summary" for a brief synopsis. We hope you find the Managers Letters enjoyable and informative.
  Differentiating Yourself as an Edu-Leader™ ...
[Summary]
Making the Most of Workplace Internships
[Summary]
Developing the Corporate Soul
[Summary]
Bridging the Gap: Managing an Older Workforce
[Summary]
Going to School on the Internet [Summary]
Training: The Call Center's Competitive Advantage [Summary]
Criticism: It's a Tool, Not a Weapon [Summary]
The Virtual Workplace: Making Flexibility Work for You [Summary]
Family-Friendly Workplaces Generate Productivity [Summary]
Four Problems That Can Derail High-Performing Teams... [Summary]
Workplace Fitness Programs [Summary]
Decision Making: Issues, Options & Actions [Summary]
Intranet Basics: Getting Started [Summary]
Intranet Management and Applications [Summary]
How to Develop a Change-Adept Workforce [Summary]
Enhancing Two-Way Communication: A View from the Trenches [Summary]
The Question: A Tool to Provoke Thinking [Summary]
Ask the Most from Your People -- and Get It! [Summary]
Mining the Gold in People and Cultures [Summary]
How to Talk So People Will Listen [Summary]
Orchestrating Change [Summary]
ISO 9000: An Investment in Your Company's Future [Summary]
Consensus Decision Making: Leading by Sharing Control [Summary]
The Office of the Future [Summary]
The Seven Great Powers of Questions [Summary]
Handling Difficult Situations [Summary]
It Pays to Praise [Summary]
The Success of the Well-Balanced Professional [Summary]
Productivity in the 21st Century [Summary]
Differentiating Yourself as an Edu-Leader in the New Millennium
Differentiating Yourself as an Edu-Leader in the New Millennium is Stuart R. Levine's first contribution to Managers Letter. As Chairman and CEO of Stuart Levine and Associates LLC, Mr. Levine addresses the issue of inspired leadership now and in the 21st Century. Using the term "edu-leader", he identifies the style of those individuals who will be responsible for innovation in the coming millennium. With an outline of six skill sets necessary to become an edu-leader, Mr. Levine provides a foundation for growth and achievement.
The focus here is on people. Mr. Levine says, "As we steadfastly invest in new technologies, we also must approach with urgency our development of and investment in people. Success in tomorrow's marketplace will go to the companies that attract and retain the best global talent and develop an integrative and supportive workforce."
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Making the Most of Workplace Internships
Gone are the days when the duties of high school and college students working in summer internship programs were limited to operating the copy machine and running errands. The nature of corporate internships has changed -- for the better. In her latest contribution to Managers Letter, New York writer and editor Liza Burby says, "That news is good news all around."
In her article titled Making the Most of Workplace Internships, Ms. Burby outlines the ways in which interns, and the companies that hire them, are reaping the benefits of this traditional temporary working situation. Addressing topics that range from finding the right intern, mentoring, cost savings and salaries to future permanent placement, Ms. Burby's article gives a comprehensive overview that will prove helpful to those currently involved with internship programs and those contemplating such programs for the future
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Developing the Corporate Soul
In her first contribution to the Managers Letter, Diane H. Anselmo, Manager of Organizational Development and Leadership Initiatives at Northrop Grumman Corporation in Baltimore, MD, and business consultant, explores the ways in which corporations can empower their employees. In her article entitled Developing the Corporate Soul, she writes, "Integrating the strengths associated with personal values, spirit and soul offers corporations a new millennium pathway toward balance and nurturing of a corporate soul."
Ms. Anselmo acknowledges that the kind soft-touch adjustments to align personal and corporate values, once considered easily dispensable in the quest for bottom-line returns, are seen today as essential to regaining a feeling of purpose and maintaining corporate health.
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Bridging the Gap: Managing an Older Workforce
As young managers rapidly ascend the corporate ladder, veteran employees in the modern workplace often find themselves supervised by younger managers. This reversal of traditional age roles can cause friction and new managers must be proactive in fostering successful working relationships.
In her most recent contribution to Managers Letter, Elaine Appelle addresses some of the issues involved when the senior employee reports to a younger manager. Her article entitled, Bridging the Gap: Managing an Older Workforce, explores and offers suggestions for maintaining performance standards
Changing longstanding work habits, adjusting to rapidly advancing technology and developing new skills are among concerns the manager and employee need to address. Establishing clear goals, offering strong support and strengthening communications will help facilitate change and boost morale.
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Going to School on the Internet
Philip Tarantino, RN, MBA, PhD, Director of Marketing and Continuing Education at the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Nursing, explores the field of distance learning in this edition of Managers Letter. His article entitled, Going to School on the Internet - A Way to Leverage Employee/Employer Value, cites examples of how major corporations take advantage of new technologies to support their employees' need for lifelong learning and skill enhancement.
Responsible for the distance-learning program at SUNY, Dr. Tarantino knows firsthand how such programs can bolster core competencies and "...foster a corporate culture rich in critical thinkers, general knowledge and productivity." As Dr. Tarantino states, "It's no secret that investments in workplace technology can benefit a company's bottom line. But investing in employee education and training to make the most of that new technology is essential." The guidelines offered for choosing a distance-learning program will prove helpful to managers exploring this training option.
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Training: The Call Center's Competitive Advantage
In his first contribution to Managers Letter, R. Edward Turner, Ph.D., writes on the implementation of a new core competency - training. In his article, Training: The Call Center Competitive Advantage, Dr. Turner states that in an effort to remain competitive, companies "...are embarking on the vigorous implementation of training under a set of expanded and powerful headings...."
Dr. Turner suggests a practical method for assessing and planning training initiatives. Known as "The Four 'Ds' of Training Assessment," it serves as a useful survey instrument for managers seeking to evaluate and select training directions. According to Dr. Turner, the results of approaching training in this manner can be very beneficial to a company's bottom line.
One cost-effective modality - computer-based training - is rising in popularity and improving learner comprehension and retention. Dr. Turner concludes that learning is a lifelong journey and that a company's "...competitive advantage directly correlates with commitment to improve human competence."
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Criticism: It's a Tool, Not a Weapon
In her most recent contribution to Managers Letter, CA-based author and consultant Sharon Marks offers some insight into the often misunderstood concept of criticism. Her article, Criticism: It's a Tool, Not a Weapon, identifies four forms of criticism and offers suggestions for dealing with each.
Ms. Marks views criticism as "a tool for constructive change," one that can inform and educate. But, she warns, criticism used unwisely can cause damage. Resorting to cruelty or evasiveness when offering criticism may be an attempt to demonstrate power or reduce discomfort, and may not produce the desired outcome.
On the other hand, candid criticism, delivered in a non-threatening way, can have positive results. Ms. Marks also suggests using the "discovery approach," which allows people to take an active role in resolving the issue under discussion.
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The Virtual Workplace: Making Flexibility Work for You
Societal changes coupled with technological advances are having an effect on the standard work environment. With an upsurge in employees juggling the responsibilities of caring for both children and aging parents, the demand for flexibility in the workplace is increasing. Technology is helping to make that flexibility both possible and practical. Companies are finding flexible work arrangements can be advantageous to employers and employees alike.
Mark Henricks, a business and technology writer from Austin, TX, has authored our most recent Managers Letter, entitled The Virtual Workplace: Making Flexibility Work for You. Flexible work arrangements, or FWAs, are making inroads in the business world. And companies both large and small are finding that these arrangements can yield financial benefits and increased productivity. Mr. Henricks outlines some of the programs being offered by various companies around the country and offers suggestions for implementing FWAs in your workplace.
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Family-Friendly Workplaces Generate Productivity
"Just when working parents think they have their childcare plans arranged to perfection, a sick child or an unexpected school meeting can throw them off balance," says writer and newspaper columnist Liza N. Burby. The daily responsibilities of caring for children and/or aging parents can be very stressful for an employee and have a negative effect on productivity in the workplace. How do parents cope with school holidays, sick days and teachers' conferences in ways that are job-friendly? How are employees balancing the demands of family and work?
In her latest article for Managers Letter entitled, Family-Friendly Workplaces Generate Productivity,Ms. Burby takes a look at work/family issues and offers suggestions for coping with some of the problems that can arise. Since families in which both parents work are now standard fare and many managers are parents themselves, the subject of balancing work and family is a timely one.
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Four Problems That Can Derail High-Performing Teams...
"Are you spending an increasing amount of time in project teams that combine members from various units in your organization? If so, you are part of a widening trend." So says Donna Deeprose in the latest Managers Letter entitled, Four Problems That Can Derail High-Performing Teams...and How to Resolve Them.
A management and organization development consultant and business writer, Donna Deeprose notes that "the workplace is enamored with teams these days." While the concept of project teams has become popular, and the benefits are significant, this method of working has its difficulties. Ms. Deeprose's informative article addresses this business trend and presents advice for dealing with some of the problems that may arise for team members.
Among the issues that team members are likely to face are: balancing team commitments with the demands of their jobs; negotiating with a supervisor who may not consider the team's work a priority; staying focused after the first objective has been reached; and dealing with rivalries among team members.
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Workplace Fitness Programs
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's latest Body Mass Index charts, 55 percent of Americans are overweight. Weight gain has been linked to a variety of physical ailments which can translate into decreased productivity and increased health insurance costs for businesses.
In her article, Worksite Fitness Programs Pump Up More Than Employees, writer and newspaper columnist Liza N. Burby takes a look at the ways in which companies can assist their employees in maintaining good health and fitness. Aside from the benefits to the individual employees, Ms. Burby found that companies also benefit from improved fitness and health. Healthy employees often help to create a healthy bottom line.
In addition to identifying the advantages of a proactive health and fitness program, Ms. Burby offers several suggestions for getting started. Lunchtime walking clubs and professional nutrition and diet presentations are a couple of ways in which companies are offering incentive and support to their employees. Add to this on-site fitness centers and discounts at local gyms, and the ability to influence the health of your company and its employees increases.
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Decision Making: Issues, Options & Actions
"How do we meet the deadlines of one demanding client and still give our other clients the attention they deserve?" "What's the best way to keep our projects on schedule?" "How do we address the problem of an employee who is just not working out?" "What's for dinner?"
"Decision making," according to writer and consultant, Sharon Marks, "is a process that we engage in countless times each day." But are we aware of the process that will result in the most beneficial outcome? Do we even know what the real issue is?
In her article, Decision Making: Issues, Options and Actions, Ms. Marks sheds new light on the decision making process. She contends that identifying the actual issue to be decided is "often lost in the rush to make the decision," and suggests ways to pinpoint the problem and develop options for its solution. From identifying the problem, to exploring possible solutions and taking action, Ms. Marks offers a clear path to resolution.
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Intranet Basics: Getting Started
Internet, Intranet, extranet, web servers, browsers? Identifying those options best suited to a company's communication needs is not always easy. With technology changing rapidly, staying informed can be a fulltime job. Intranet Basics: Getting Started, is the first of a two-part series designed to help managers better understand the new technology and its benefits.
Author and researcher, Joseph McKendrick, provides essential information for companies seeking to improve internal communication and software distribution through the use of an Intranet. With insights from companies now using an Intranet, Mr. McKendrick demonstrates some of the time and cost benefits of this technology.
Part two of this series will focus on administering an Intranet and what lies ahead for technology and the virtual corporation.
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Intranet Management and Applications
If you're wondering how other companies are using Intranets and if they have any value for your organization, Joseph McKendrick's article, Intranet Management and Applications, is certain to be of interest. The second in a two-part series, this Managers Letter investigates some of the many applications being used by members of the business community. As varied as the applications are, they all have one thing in common: they all have served to increase productivity and decrease costs.
Author and researcher Joseph McKendrick presents practical guidelines for creating an Intranet within your company. He also describes some of this technology's more frequently used applications. Mr. McKendrick also touches on the use of "extranets" to increase communication among business partners and advance electronic commerce.
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Managers Letter: How to Develop a Change-Adept Workforce
A decade ago, smart organizations prepared employees for 'the change' that would
cause a period of instability. Everyone expected that the business would stabilize
once the change was completed. Now, change has become the way of doing business as
usual and therein lies the dilemma that managers face - the need to energize
employees in what has become a fundamentally unstable business environment. -
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.
Excerpted from her latest book, This Isn't the Company I Joined, Dr. Goman's
"How to Develop a Change-Adept Workforce" explores ways in which companies can
assist their employees in becoming "change-adept." A noted author and frequent
speaker to the business community, Dr. Goman presents five factors that she
considers essential in helping employees thrive in the workplace. This article
offers managers new insights into strategies for re-energizing their employees
during difficult times.
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Managers Letter: Enhancing Two-Way Communication: A View from the Trenches
Is two-way communication alive and well in your organization - or has it become an overly controlled, one-sided exercise that's actually a competitive liability? In a corporate environment where management needs tremendous amounts of information every day, the need to remove barriers to communication is critical.
According to teacher, consultant and lecturer Greg Cellini, enhancing two-way communication must come first if your organization wants to create a climate of trust, creditability and confidence.
In his article, Enhancing Two-Way Communication: A View from the Trenches, Mr. Cellini explores effective communication techniques and programs that will lead to better collaboration, productivity and profitability.
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Managers Letter: The Question: A Tool to Provoke Thinking
Do your questions stimulate your clients and customers to act? Are you sure you're communicating your ideas - and provoking ideas in your listeners?
According to consultant, author and communications expert Sharon Marks, your questions have to be properly composed and directed to generate new concepts and new thinking. It's an art that goes far in many areas of business - and life.
In her article, The Question: A Tool to Provoke Thinking, Ms. Marks explores the function of a good question and the approaches used by a good questioner. She discusses the question's power in establishing relevance between your abilities and the client's or customer's needs, and shows you how to use questions to create familiarity, display knowledge, demonstrate personal experience and tie in current events - all at the same time.
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Managers Letter: Ask the Most from Your People -- and Get It!
Motivating employees to fulfill their potential is one of the most important and challenging parts of any manager's job. It can also be the most elusive of goals to achieve, but a successful motivating effort will bring you and your employees tremendous gratification.
This issue of the
Managers Letter
discusses the value of employee motivation in today's fast-paced work environment. In her article,
Ask the Most from Your People -- and Get It!,
internationally recognized author and lecturer Dorothy Leeds explores the issue of motivation and outlines the ways in which you can inspire your employees. Building on the "Golden Rules of Motivation," Ms. Leeds provides a step-by-step guide to motivational success and offers the insights of managers who have faced this same challenge. This article will provide fascinating reading and guidance for managers interested in creating the best possible work environment for themselves, their employees and their companies.
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Managers Letter: Mining the Gold in People and Cultures
In today's increasingly diverse workplace, it can be difficult to balance all the different forces at play. Since diversity is a fact of our contemporary workforce, managers need to find ways to instill positive attitudes toward change among their employees and in themselves.
This issue of the
Managers Letter
addresses the issue of diversity in the workforce and supplies useful pointers for adjusting to an ever-changing environment.
Mining the Gold in People and Cultures
is a road map for success in this sensitive area. Author and management consultant Rick Griggs provides tips for making diversity work to everyone's advantage and advice on how to survive the possible dilemmas that could arise. Mr. Griggs addresses tough questions and offers meaningful solutions to some critical issues. This article will provide fascinating reading and guidance for managers interested in creating the best possible work environment for themselves, their employees and their companies.
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Managers Letter: How to Talk So People Will Listen
Do you ever feel like you're talking to a brick wall? That's an old cliché, but one that undoubtedly springs to the minds of most managers from time to time. Why is it sometimes so difficult to communicate to employees? Is it that they aren't listening? Is it that you're not clearly conveying your message?
Consultant and author Sharon Marks is an expert on communication. Her article,
How to Talk So People Will Listen,
gets to the heart of a matter that plagues most managers at one time or another.
Ms. Marks presents scenarios and outlines specific methods for improving communication between managers and employees. She illustrates where the communication process can break down and shows how you can fix it. This article will provide fascinating reading and guidance for managers interested in improving communication in their departments.
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Managers Letter: Orchestrating Change
Our world is now one where constant and rapid change is the norm. The days of learning a skill or profession and practicing it in its pure form forever are gone. The choice for managers is simple: either learn to embrace change and make it part of your everyday life, or become obsolete.
In
Orchestrating Change,
Marie Valenta, author of
Power Vision
and a nationally known consultant on managing for excellence, discusses the need for managers to become proactive in their environments and facilitate rather than respond to the changes that will inevitably come their way. Ms. Valenta provides a vision-driven planning process that all managers can adapt to their particular needs and describes how they can use the key component of this process, structural tension, to their advantage. This compelling article is a must-read for today's manager. It will illuminate the issue of change and prepare you to be a change agent in a corporate world that is moving and will continue to move ever more rapidly.
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Managers Letter: ISO 9000: An Investment In Your Company's Future
More and more companies in the manufacturing and service industries are considering receiving ISO 9000 registration. In fact, more than 2,000 companies in the United States and 50,000 worldwide have already achieved this status.
Marie Valenta, author of
Power Vision
and a nationally known consultant on managing for excellence, describes the process and benefits of becoming ISO registered in her article,
ISO 9000: An Investment in Your Company's Future.
ISO registration is becoming increasingly recognized throughout the world as a company's mark of excellence - a sign that your organization uses the highest standards for both producing goods, and within its internal ranks. If your company makes a product or delivers a service, this is one article you won't want to miss. Even if you don't want to receive ISO registration right now, employing ISO guidelines within your organization will benefit you and your business tremendously.
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Managers Letter: Consensus Decision Making: Leading by Sharing Control
Does the idea of making decisions by consensus in your department make you nervous? Are you sure it won't work, or are you just apprehensive about losing control?
According to consultant and business writer Donna Deeprose, making some decisions through a consensus is not only highly productive when used properly, but it frees up managers to do more gratifying work like helping to develop employees in their careers.
In her article,
Consensus Decision Making: Leading by Sharing Control,
Ms. Deeprose explores the many positive aspects of consensus decision making. For instance, when decisions are made by the group, the implementation of those decisions often goes much more smoothly because there is greater buy-in from the start. Ms. Deeprose outlines what managers need to do to implement consensus decision making effectively and provides a six-step process for accomplishing it.
This article will provide meaningful reading and inspiration for managers interested in improving morale and productivity in their departments.
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Managers Letter: The Office of the Future
Video teleconferencing, CD-ROM technology, computers with more "human" attributes. Office technology experts are predicting that these items will be standard fare in the office of the 21st century.
This issue of the
Managers Letter
discusses what the office of the future will look like and the types of skills and qualities managers and employees will need to acquire in order to adapt to these changing environments. Business columnist and teacher Elaine Appelle brings the insights of computer-industry veterans to her article,
The Office of the Future,
and shares their visions of what tomorrow's workplace will look like. This article will provide fascinating reading and good advice for managers interested in staying informed on how to make their offices as effective and up-to-date as possible.
The Office of the Future
also contains information on training trends and philosophical characteristics associated with the coming advances.
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Managers Letter: The Seven Great Powers of Questions
Knowing how to ask good questions is a skill every manager should have. The ability to ask smart questions can mean the difference between developing truly productive employees who think innovatively or people who simply complete their assigned tasks in an automatic fashion.
This issue of the
Managers Letter
discusses the value of possessing effective questioning techniques, methods of developing this skill and the specific benefits of using it. In her article,
The Seven Great Powers of Questions,
internationally known lecturer, consultant and author Dorothy Leeds challenges the idea that managers should tell their employees what to do. Instead, writes the author, managers will be much more successful if they encourage their employees to think on their own and be more self-directed. One of the best methods for fostering this type of behavior is through questioning.
The Seven Great Powers of Questions
will provide fascinating reading and good advice for managers interested in getting the most from their employees -- and from themselves! If you are receiving the
Managers Letter
for the first time, we hope you enjoy it and find it useful. For those of you who are familiar with this publication, we trust that this issue will prove helpful to you in your management process.
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Managers Letter: Handling Difficult Situations
Knowing how to handle difficult situations effectively is a skill every manager should have. The ability to get to the root of a problem and quickly determine the best way to solve it can mean the difference between a pleasant, productive work environment where employees are comfortable (and your department thrives) or an office where chaos and bickering reign.
This issue of the
Managers Letter
discusses the valuable skill of knowing how to handle the problematic situations that undoubtedly arise in every manager's experience, methods of developing this skill and the specific benefits of using it. In her article,
Handling Difficult Situations,
nationally known consultant and author Sharon Marks examines scenarios to which any manager can relate and describes how to uncover the primary problem of each situation and solve each one. This article will provide fascinating reading and guidance for managers interested in creating the best possible work environment for themselves, their employees and their companies.
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Managers Letter: It Pays to Praise
The positive effects that result from an environment where praise is offered generously and creatively are limitless. People perform better, have healthier attitudes and genuinely want to contribute to the team when they are recognized and appreciated for the jobs they perform. So why is it that this seemingly simple and inexpensive way of improving the workplace is so infrequently used?
This issue of the
Managers Letter
discusses the value of praise in today's ever-changing corporate workplace. In her article,
It Pays to Praise,
nationally known consultant and author Sharon Marks explores the issues surrounding the contemporary work environment and the benefits of recognizing and praising people who do a good job. Ms. Marks also provides examples of companies employing creative praise techniques.
This article will provide fascinating reading and guidance for managers interested in creating the best possible work environment for themselves, their employees and their companies.
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Managers Letter: The Success of the Well-Balanced Professional
Striking a balance between work and personal life is an age-old struggle. We all want to be successful in our careers, but at what cost to our health, personal lives and families?
Author and management consultant Rick Griggs describes the process for becoming a well-balanced person in this issue of the
Managers Letter.
In his article,
The Success of the Well-Balanced Professional,
Griggs gives us a guide by which to measure our own balance, tips on how to achieve it, and the background of some very successful individuals who managed also to be well-rounded, satisfied people. As a matter of fact, the key to career success happens to be one that is achieved from being well balanced.
This article is critical reading for managers working in today's demanding, stressful work environments because it shows you the importance, in both your career and in your life, of maintaining a healthy equilibrium between work and home.
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Managers Letter: Productivity in the 21st Century
The experts say that in order to be truly effective in the future, managers will have to abandon the old ways, take a giant leap forward and spend their time developing people -- and themselves -- rather than relying on technological advances to help them be more productive. Managers will have to take on the role of leaders, or pioneers, developing a creative vision for their organizations. And, most important, managers must tap into the unused resources of their employees and benefit from the rich resources of their intellects.
This issue of the
Managers Letter
discusses the ways in which managers can get the most from their employees and from themselves in order to make their organizations more competitive for the future. In her article,
Productivity in the 21st Century,
professor, motivational speaker, author and syndicated columnist Marie Valenta describes the qualities the successful manager of tomorrow will have, and gives helpful tips on how to evaluate and work on your own skills. This article will provide fascinating reading and guidance for managers interested in creating the best possible work environment for themselves, their employees and their companies.
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Managers Letter
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Managers Letter
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Managers Letter,
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