| Here are ten tips that tell you what to do if you | | | | for opportunities to praise behavior or |
| want to become a great boss. I've added a | | | | performance, but don't praise every good thing |
| couple of bonus tips, as well. | | | | you see. |
| Manage behavior and performance. Behavior is | | | | Negative consequences (like punishment) |
| what people say and do. Performance is the | | | | encourage people to stop or avoid doing |
| measurable result of work. Forget about managing | | | | something. Negative consequences should be |
| attitude. Forget about motivating others. Instead, | | | | delivered consistently. In other words, if you tell a |
| use what you say and do to influence the | | | | subordinate that a certain behavior or |
| behavior and performance of the people who | | | | performance level will result in a negative |
| work for you. | | | | consequence, make sure you deliver the |
| Set clear expectations. Your people can't do what | | | | consequence if it's justified. |
| you want if they're not clear about what you | | | | Be fair. People perceive a workplace to be fair |
| want. Learn to give good directions. Check for | | | | when consequences and performance match up. |
| understanding. | | | | A trainee of mine once put this is quasi-Biblical |
| Set reasonable expectations. Ideally, you want to | | | | terms: "The just should be rewarded and the |
| set goals that force people to stretch just a little | | | | unjust should be punished in accordance with their |
| bit, but that are still within their grasp. Try to help | | | | deeds." |
| your people grow through a series of small wins. | | | | Give your people the maximum control possible |
| Check on performance regularly. That's the only | | | | over their work life. Let them make as many |
| way you'll know how people are doing. Check | | | | basic decisions about their work life as is |
| more frequently on people who are learning a | | | | reasonable and possible. So, what's reasonable? |
| task or who are doing it again after a long layoff. | | | | A worker who has the skill to do the job and |
| Check less frequently on people who have | | | | who regularly pitches in to help (what we call an |
| demonstrated their competence in a task. | | | | engaged worker) can be trusted to make more |
| Give helpful feedback. Do this in four steps. | | | | work decisions than a less experienced or less |
| Describe the behavior in non-judgmental terms. | | | | engaged worker. Match your willingness to grant |
| Describe the outcome of the behavior. Pause and | | | | freedom to the worker's ability and willingness to |
| allow for subordinate reaction and comment. Then | | | | do the job. |
| determine how things will be different the next | | | | Bonus Tip: Show up a lot. This is the single defining |
| time. | | | | behavior of great supervisors. When you show up |
| Keep things interesting. Workers won't stay | | | | a lot you get to know your people and they get |
| engaged unless they find their work interesting. | | | | to know you. And every contact is an |
| Sometimes the work itself has intrinsic interest. | | | | opportunity for you to coach, counsel, encourage, |
| But, more often, the way to keep people | | | | and correct. |
| interested is to help them keep learning and | | | | Bonus Tip: Play the odds. You can't win them all in |
| developing. | | | | management or in life. But you can follow this |
| Tell people why their work is important. People | | | | advice from the American writer Ring Lardner. |
| want to be part of something that is bigger than | | | | "The race may not always be to the swift, nor |
| they are. Tell them how their work contributes to | | | | victory to the strong, but that's the way to bet." |
| the team and to team success. Tell them how | | | | There's good news and bad news here. Let's do |
| the performance of the team contributes to the | | | | the bad news first. |
| success of the company or how it helps achieve | | | | You can't win them all. No matter how good a job |
| a big goal. | | | | you do, there will be people who won't do what |
| Describe and deliver the consequences of | | | | they're supposed to. There will be situations that |
| performance. Consequences are what happens to | | | | don't work out well. |
| people because of their behavior or performance. | | | | Now for the good news. If you do the basics |
| Positive consequences (like praise) encourage | | | | consistently and well, over time you'll be the |
| people to continue something new or difficult. | | | | person with the greatest impact on a work |
| Most managers don't use positive consequences | | | | team's productivity and morale. And that's |
| enough. Positive consequences should be delivered | | | | something to feel really good about. |
| frequently, but inconsistently. In other words, look | | | | |