Team Player – Part I – The Tale of a No-Show Team Player
Bill was psyched when the department manager assigned him to the “A Squad.” “I guess all the long hours this past couple of months have paid off,” he murmured, mentally patting himself on the back. Now he could kick back and enjoy the ride. Not to mention the prestige of being on the team everyone respected. They had it all together. No doubt about it. “I probably won’t have to do a thing . . . ” More murmuring under his breath. Show up, smile, nod. He’d be on easy street now. And after only six months of keeping his…
Building Effective Teams – Part II
What is the foundation of an effective, productive team? In the same way that a building requires a sturdy foundation to stabilize the structure, an effective team must have a defined and understood purpose on which to build. Why are we here and what are we trying to accomplish, are questions that must have definable answers. Each member must be able to grasp their contribution to the effort and understand their role on the team. Knowing where you’re headed, why you need to get there, and when you need to arrive are crucial to a team’s success. But the one ingredient…
Management’s Role in Effective Teamwork – Part I
Everyone knows that teamwork works. A team effort allows for the workload to be shared and distributed according to each member’s skills and strengths. It’s a manifestation of the “many hands make light work” idiom. A productivity-enhancing, efficiency-building proposition, described by the acronym: Together Everyone Accomplishes More. And of course, management plays a vital role in the success or failure of those teams the company is counting on. Because teams work—except when they don’t. But more about that later. How does the boss/department head pull together an effective team? The fact of the matter is that not every employee has…
The Value of Vacations
“Many entrepreneurs, executives, and self-employed people pride themselves on being too busy for vacation. They perceive it as a sign of importance and commitment,” shares Tine Thygesen, a Scandinavian entrepreneur who has adopted the opposite view. In her country, five weeks of vacation is not only the norm, it’s legally mandatory. This and other European models may cast shades of green across the U.S. workforce, where the average vacation time after five years of service is 14 days. On the flip side, the average U.S. employee takes only about half of their allotted vacation time. And of those who do…
4 Strategies – Snag the Brightest and Best of 2018 Grads
Results from the 47th annual “Recruiting Trends” survey notes the 2017-18 academic year will represent the eighth consecutive year of steady hiring expansion, the longest stretch since such stats have been tracked. “The overall hiring outlook is white-hot,” says Jeff Kauflin. While this is fantastic news for the nearly three million college students who will walk across graduation stages this spring, it’s a challenging time for recruiters and hiring managers. Will your company snag the brightest among this new crop of job candidates? What strategies will provide the best opportunity to get these eager young men and women on your…