The Cranky Middle Manager Show #311 Serial Innovators Claudio Feser
The Connected Manager and The Cranky Middle Manager Connect
Posted on 31. Jul, 2010 by Wayne in General
Hi folks. I”m very excited to announce that after a couple of months trial, the fine folks at BNET.com have decided to give me a full contract to write their remote management column.
As of this morning, you can read The Connected Manager blog 3 times a week. You’ll find tips on managing remote teams, presenting over the web and leading across the ether. Don’t worry, we’ll still be cranking out Cranky shows (we’re not going anywhere) but this is yet another way to get the information, tips and support you need to get the job done every day.
Please check out the blog post for today and subscribe so you don’t miss a single post. Or you can just follow me on Twitter, where you’ll find out everything that’s going on at BNET, Management-Issues and the Cranky Middle Manager.
Thanks for all your support, and as I used to say when I was single, “don’t tell me, tell your friends”.
Don’t let the weasels get you down.
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #247 Employee Engagement Redux David Zinger
Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Wayne in Podcast
Employee engagement expert David Zinger joins Wayne Turmel for his second Cranky visit. We talk employee engagement, a new ebook and honeybees making art. Seriously. Also we look at Murrow’s Boys and Sam Goldwyn’s malaprops. That’s not as dirty as it sounds.
zinger
David Zinger joins us to talk about employee engagement, the EE network and making art with honeybees.
2 new webinar workshops this month!
How to Create and Manage Remote Teams July 3oth and August 27th
Web Presentation Basics- for those who have to present online and want to learn how not to suck at it. July 26th and 29th and again on August 23 and 26th
If you have questions about these workshops, group discounts or any Greatwebmeetings.com training program, contact me.
Show Notes
0:00 Today we welcome David Zinger back to the show to talk about employee engagement and a free e-book written by some very smart people (myself included…in the writing, not the smart people part). We dedicate the show to Edward R Murrow who led Murrow’s Boys and say farewell to Daniel Schorr. Makes you wonder if a pizza party will do as much for team cohesion as falling V2 rockets…..
4:31 The quote of the week is from Samuel Goldwyn, renowned for saying what he meant even when he had no idea what he was saying…….
5:10 Welcome David Zinger back to the show (you can hear his first interview here). David is also the head of the Employee Engagement Network on Ning. check it out for a great network of people who care… After several years of people talking about employee engagement is anything getting better out there? Not so much.
7:18 A couple of cynical questions from Wayne… hasn’t worked always sucked? Isn’t it by nature a transaction? If we spend 20-30% of our time at work shouldn’t we get something from it besides a paycheck? Oh and isn’t misery optional? What is the employee’s role in engagement?
11:00 David goes off on the whole idea of “confidential ” 360. Apparently he’s not a fan…if you can’t be truthful about feedback you’re not sufficiently engaged and it’s time to start the conversation.
13:13 If you havne’t checked out The Employee Engagement Network, you probably should do so. Not only great people and thought leaders, but also just plain folks who are passionate about the topic. With that many people that passionate, what are the trends? One big area is managers not feeling engaged with Senior Leadership and if we’re not engaged, how can we offer energy and happy YouTube dances for our employees? David also uses a term I’ve been using for years…checking in without checking up.
19:07 How do we have these conversations with our own managers? You have to work up to them… don’t just parrot what you learn in class. Did you know the average person in north America complains about their boss or their company over 10 hours a month?
21:14 What does David recommend for keeping people engaged? Video, pictures of teammates,even (gasp) show up in person. Don’t underestimate taking time off the top of meetings to check in with each other. David studies honeybees and is doing artwork with the bees. David needs some time off methinks…. He also tells a chilling story of what happens when the bees want a new queen. We’ve seen it happen in our workplace too. Are you getting cooked by your staff?
25:15 The Employee Engagement has created an E-book called “The Engagement Top Ten”, which is a series of lists of 10 things managers can do to keep their people engaged. Participants include myself, David, Michael Lee Stallard, Ian Buckingham and many more. Click here to download for free
The Cranky Middle Manager #246 Working Your Strengths Chuck Martin
Posted on 20. Jul, 2010 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to Chuck Martin, co-author of Work Your Stengths, a Scientific Process to Identify Your Skills and Match Them to the Best Career For You. Where is the line between ambition and futility? We also examine a crusading failure and learn for the Tao te Ching. Internation, eclectic… yup those are our strengths on this show.
Chuck Martin, one of the co-authors of Work Your Strengths. This is a good one, folks.
2 new webinar workshops this month!
How to Create and Manage Remote Teams July 3oth and August 27th
Web Presentation Basics- for those who have to present online and want to learn how not to suck at it. July 26th and 29th and again on August 23 and 26th
If you have questions about these workshops, group discounts or any Greatwebmeetings.com training program, contact me.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show, gang. Today we are talking playing to your strengths and what can happen when you don’t. As exhibit A we give you Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, great general, lousy human being who fought in the First Crusade. Always wanted the one job he was completely unqualified to have and it didn’t go so swell for him.
4:10 Our quote of the week is from the Tao te Ching and it basically says, knowing yourself is the first step to real wisdom. Obvious, maybe but are you making wise career choices?
4:50 Welcome Chuck Martin, co-author of “Work Your Strengths”. Lots more brain science today gang. Basically we’re born with certain cognitive functions (Executive Skills to be precise, even though many executives lack them). These are things like Time Management, Response inhibition (guilty) Task Initiation, Flexibility and more.
10:15 Does the fact you’re weak in an area mean you can never learn to do that job? No, but it ain’t going to be easy. Successful people find out how to supplement their weaknesses by finding people who can fill in the gaps. That’s what assistants are for- if you’re lucky enough to have one.
12:15 Why don’t we naturally hire people different from us if it’s so smart? It’s because we value our strengths over others. If you hire all big idea people and no execution skills you know what you’ll get…..
14:45 What’s the difference between a strength and a skill. You can take a course in PC assembly, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be natural or easy for you. This , of course, leads to the big question: why bother training people?
19:48 What do sales managers have that good sales people don’t? Why do good sales people not always make good managers and vice versa?
25:00 At what point does diagnosis become destiny? Can you screen people out of certain careers too early? This makes me very nervous.
28:47 Every team needs someone who is good at Jeopardy (the strength is working memory). I also reveal I was once a contestant on Jeopardy, even though I got stomped on the show. Men and women also have different strengths and executive skills. Men do tend to be higher in Metacognition, women tend to be stronger in Organization.
Chuck’s Resources
Chuck reads my BNET blog, believe it or not
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #245 Moving From Buddy to Boss Guy Harris
Posted on 13. Jul, 2010 by Wayne in Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to Guy Harris about moving from “Bud to Boss”. How do you make the transition from working with peers to being the manager? Also we look at a Greek god who blew a cool gig and more from Emerson.
Guy Harris talks to us about moving from peer to leader. If you’re interested in his workshop, “Bud to Boss”, held July 26 and 27 in Chicago, click here to learn more.
2 new webinar workshops this month!
How to Create and Manage Remote Teams July 3oth
Web Presentation Basics- for those who have to present online and want to learn how not to suck at it. July 26th and 29th
If you have questions about these workshops, group discounts or any Greatwebmeetings.com training program, contact me.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. Many of us got into management because we were complaining and basically got told to put up or shut up. Learn an object lesson from today’s dedicatee: the Greek God Momus. Complain too much and you’ll find yourself out of a pretty cushy gig. Of course as managers we need to deal with those situations. Good thing Mt Olympus didn’t have an HR department….
3:30 The quote of the week is from Ralph Waldo Emerson….. If you feel out of your depth and uncomfortable, well that’s a good thing. Really. Prepares you for management.
4:08 Okay, no one ever tells you that one of the biggest changes you’ll face in moving into leadership is managing people you used to work with and were your friends. That’s what Guy Harris is here to talk about. He’s partnered with Kevin Eikenberry well known to Cranky listeners (listen to Kevin’s last Cranky interview here). In your new job, you not just change role, but also relationships and it’s the relationships that give people fits. Here’s a rule: don’t assume people will be mature and grownup about the whole process.
6:40 What does the conversation look like when you become the boss? These people know you so you can’t kid them. Approach it with humility and confidence. After some badgering he gives us some very specific language to use.
10:22 Often the biggest problem with this transition is the drama going on in our own heads- we assume problems that may or may not even exist.
12:20 Any time you take a new position, you need to create a transition plan. You have to analyze both the Role (the tasks of the new job) and the Relationships (who am I going to work with now?).
15:25 Planning is a good start but you can’t rely on it. One of the big changes is giving feedback. You have to remember that the power in the relationship has changed a great deal. Be careful of trying to be friends with the people you lead. But what if you’re already friends?
18:14 Relationships change when you’re the boss. Deal with it. There’s a reason the military has a “no fraternization” rule. You have a new “first team”- your leadership team is now the people you need to work best with and rely on.
24:21 the biggest concerns people have when they move into their first job involve communication and conflict resolution. As the manager you can’t just jump in and solve the problem. And no matter what you do you can’t solve the “thermostat in the office” argument by yourself.
Guy’s Resources