Tag Archives: Advice for Employers

What do Employees Want

September 6, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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What do employees want? It depends on the person you ask. Managers and supervisors want their direct reports to become more responsible and accountable for their work and their behavior. They grow weary of the constant refrain of “you’re doin’ it to me”. Employees complain that they’re not recognized for their hard work. Supervisors come back with a “you call that hard work?” Back and forth it goes, with the subordinate wanting more money, more Continue reading →

Both Sides of the Same Coin

May 17, 2011 by Joyce Richman
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A recent reprint of an archived Ann Landers column from 2000 is just as relevant today as it was when it was first printed. It was practically on fire with letters from customers who were fed up with the attitude of retail clerks. I was struck by the irony of what these letter writers were saying: “If you don’t like people and consider them an interruption or a nuisance, go find another job.” “Within driving distance Continue reading →

Impacting the Path of the Future

November 2, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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Reinvention, entrepreneurial maturity, communication, and community are words to pay attention to in the coming year. Here’s why: Whether you’re Linsay Lohan, Toyota or Bank of America, you’re reinventing, changing, upgrading yourself and your company to get ahead and stay ahead of the competition. No matter how complex or simple the switch, your goal is to drive change instead of being driven by it. If you believe there’s an urgent need, you’ll establish a coalition of groups responsible for making Continue reading →

Feedback: Too Much, Too Little or Too Late

September 7, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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Feedback. Too much or too little? It depends on who you’re asking: “Everybody tells me what to do; from my mother to my manager. You’d think I didn’t have a brain in my head. Why can’t people just keep their opinions to themselves and let me do my job?” “The only time I get any feedback is at my annual review, which I get every eighteen months to two years, if I’m lucky. Even then, Continue reading →

Conventional Wisdom Won’t Keep Your Employees from Leaving

August 17, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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“How can I stop my employees from leaving when I can’t afford to compete with the salaries and benefits the other folks are offering?” That’s the question many employers are asking. The problem is, they’re listening to Conventional Wisdom for the answers. CW suggests that people join companies and stay with them for salary and  benefits; that employees have no loyalty; if they can get better down the street, that’s where they’re going to go. Continue reading →

The Three C’s of Effective Communication

July 20, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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Political pundits advise the President to have news conferences early and often. Why? 1. The public wants to know what’s happening and what the President’s doing about it. They want to know his command of the issues; how aware, involved, and decisive he is regarding critical events and breaking news. 2. The more often the President meets the press and the public, the more on top of issues he has to be. Political advisors aside, Continue reading →

Passing the buck? Don’t Delegate Unpleasantries!

June 15, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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“Everyone wants to shoot the messenger!” says Mary, who’s the messenger for a boss who would rather “not get involved.” Here’s her story. It might have familiar ring: Mary is a seasoned executive assistant. She’s able to see what needs doing and gets it done. She thinks on her feet, consistently makes good choices, and good decisions. She’s hard working and dedicated to her job; organized, good with details and sees how they connect to Continue reading →

Advice for the Advice-Giver

June 1, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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If you’re a frequent reader, you know that I typically offer advice to job seekers, providing strategies for getting and keeping jobs. I often suggest they contact you, as possible references, networking contacts, and prospective employers, and in turn, ask that when you offer your wisdom and perspective you’re doing it to help them stay on the road and out of the ruts they inevitably encounter. It occurred to me that you might want a Continue reading →

Tough Questions Have Answers

May 25, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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Interview questions that are difficult typically ask about “why and how” not “what and when.”  They focus on demanding workplace issues, events, personalities, and the actions you’ve taken or didn’t take regarding them. When you do a good job responding to these questions you show self awareness and an ability to organize and articulate your thoughts in ways that are logical and understandable. You describe cause and effect and connect facts that may appear unrelated Continue reading →

Professional Maturity vs. Social Sophistication

February 16, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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He said that he was impatient, hard driving, focused, bottom-line. That he had trouble with people who wanted to think aloud, taking everyone’s time, noodling about what ought to have been immediately clear to everyone present. That his idea was good, it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it. So, he did what any clear thinking person would have done, he blew up. Well, not totally. But he did Continue reading →

Is the “Tough Gal” on the Derailment Track?

January 12, 2010 by Joyce Richman
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This gal is tough. She’s smart, quick, aggressive, and focused. You better know what you’re doing or she’ll nail you, whether you’re in a meeting with clients or sitting down with your boss and the CEO. She’s arrogant. She swaggers when she talks, and she’s dismissive of any opinion that doesn’t agree with hers. She keeps her job because she delivers. She keeps her promises and she makes money. Her peers, subordinates, even her bosses Continue reading →

How to Make Team Building Effective

December 15, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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A manager says he’d like us to conduct team building programs for his employees. “You know, something where you take them outside and teach them how to work together”. “Why?” we ask. “What do you want to accomplish?”  Hesitation. “I want them to work together better than they do now. They barely talk to each other, and when they do, it sounds more like sniping than conversation. Worse than that, they line up at my Continue reading →

Fences Make Good Neighbors…Sometimes!

December 1, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Good fences make good neighbors. Sometimes. I’ve been living at the same address for over twenty years. The fence moved in before I did. It was sturdy, redwood, interwoven, and taller than I am. I knew my back neighbors only by the top of their hats: baseball in summer and woolen in winter. They couldn’t have known me by much more. One day we met, kind of. The top of my head spoke with the Continue reading →

You’ll Get the Outcome You Have in Mind

November 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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What outcome do you have in mind? You need to know, because that’s the outcome you’re going to get. By means of illustration, I have a story for you. It’s called, “The Pineapple.” One day Alice (I’ve changed the name to protect the bold) went to her favorite grocery store to buy a pineapple. She took it home and sliced it open. It was one bad piece of fruit. Rotten to the core. She called Continue reading →

Is Organizational Change Taking Your Breath Away?

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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If the rapid rate of change in your organization is taking your breath away,  read the late Isaac Asimov’s take on the situation: “If the last 50,000 years of man’s existence were divided into lifetimes of approximately sixty-two years each, there have been about 800 such lifetimes. Of these 800, fully 650 were spent in caves. Only during the last seventy lifetimes has it been possible to communicate effectively from one lifetime to another – Continue reading →

Feedback Can Create the Ultimate Win-Win Situation

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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“When I give performance feedback to employees, I want them to listen to what I’m saying. If they argue, get defensive, or give me body language that indicates a bad attitude, I’m not going to waste any more of my time. If they mess up again, I’ll just fire them.” Is that the gospel according to Donald Trump or is it Simon Cowell sounding off on American Idol?  Neither. It’s your garden-variety supervisor, manager, or Continue reading →

Don’t Just Work Hard and Be Smart: Work Smart!

November 4, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Carolyn (not her real name) comes to work tied up in knots and goes home the same way. She’s worried that she won’t have enough time to get her job done. She’s worried that someone will ask her a question that she can’t answer. She’s worried that she’ll never be as smart as she needs to be. If Carolyn were the only victim of her angst, that would be difficult enough. But she isn’t. Everyone Continue reading →

Economic Shifts and Challenges

September 24, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Like it or not, employed or not, you’re in the middle of the busiest business intersection you’re likely to experience. It’s hard to know whether to wait for traffic to clear, cross against it, or jump in and go with the flow. One thing’s for sure, you can’t stay in one place for long, so what do you do? Let’s look at the possibilities. Wait for traffic to clear: The last time the economy went south Continue reading →

The Benefits of Social Capital in the Workplace

September 17, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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When Harvard University professor Robert Putnam authored the book “Bowling Alone” in 2000, he wrote that social capital (the collective value of all social networks) had seriously declined, that we weren’t visiting as much, joining as much, gathering as often at our churches, lodges, PTA’s and community socials. As a result, we weren’t as trusting, sharing, or cooperating. Several weeks ago his concerns were echoed in national surveys that sounded the same notes of concern: Continue reading →

Meeting the Basic Needs of Your Employees

September 3, 2009 by Joyce Richman
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Whether you’re fifteen or fifty, the new recruit or a veteran of employee wars, you have needs as basic as they are essential: A sense of worth, physical security and productivity; a sense of relatedness and responsibility:  a need for challenge and affirmation. If your needs are met, you feel in balance; at one with yourself and the place where you work. If they aren’t met, with consistency, you fight burn out. To assess your Continue reading →