By Jeffrey Ford, on March 1st, 2010
I recently had the working managers in my MBA class on execution (as in implementation, not hanging) undertake an exercise to improve relationships with the people with whom they work. In particular, we were interested in whether or not they could improve their affinity (liking) for people they currently did not like very much. They
Continue reading Improving Relationships at Work
By Jeffrey Ford, on February 18th, 2010
During a recent meeting with a group of managers from COSI in Columbus, OH, one of them asked about the role of inspired understanding in getting people to do things. She was proposing that the primary difference between effective managers and less effective leaders was that effective leaders presented their ideas in a more compelling
Continue reading Inspiration Is Not Enough
By Jeffrey Ford, on February 8th, 2010
Have you ever heard someone say, “What we need around here is more accountability”? If so, you are in good company because accountability, how to get it, and why people don’t have more of it is a popular topic in today’s workplace.
I encounter this complaint from the managers in my MBA classes as well as
Continue reading The Two Sides to Getting “More Accountability”
By Jeffrey Ford, on February 1st, 2010
I recently got an email from – let’s call him Paul – a manager updating me on his attempts to interrupt the “high priority” manipulation that is so prevalent in organizations. Turns out he is becoming increasingly successful everywhere except with his boss. Apparently Paul’s boss doesn’t realize how he is undermining himself.
Here is what
Continue reading Is Demanding “Now” Undermining Leadership?
By Jeffrey Ford, on January 13th, 2010
A former Mastery of Execution student sent me the link to a great blog article posted by Fast Company entitled “2010: The Year of Saying ‘I Got It’ “. The focus of the article, written by Lynette Chiang, is how companies, as well as individuals, have gotten into the habit of not responding to inquiries
Continue reading Not Responding Can Cost You
By Jeffrey Ford, on January 11th, 2010
I have been doing some research in preparation for a workshop on personal accountability a colleague and I are doing for MBA’s at the Fisher College. As I have been getting into it, I am beginning to notice more about what the absence of accountability sounds like when people talk. Consider the following example.
The other
Continue reading What the Absence of Accountability Sounds Like
By Jeffrey Ford, on December 14th, 2009
Why don’t people perform the way we expect them to? Perhaps you have asked yourself this question, or participated in a discussion with others related to it. Although there are many answers that could be provided, one that has recently caught my attention is the role of common ground.
I was recently at a holiday dinner
Continue reading Common Ground and Performance
By Jeffrey Ford, on December 4th, 2009
Don’t risk being held to account for things you don’t know about. Take the time to find out what people really expect you to do, and what they expect you to deliver. If they don’t tell you, ask.
I recently had a conversation with a manager who was disturbed by her inability to meet the
Continue reading Convert Expectations into Agreements
By Jeffrey, on October 22nd, 2009
While flying home from a weekend visit with my son in Houston, Texas, I got a flash of insight into why it is so difficult to train managers to be more effective. I was reading “The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making” when I realized managers make a fundamental error in their understanding of what
Continue reading The Fundamental Error in Managing Others
By Jeffrey, on October 9th, 2009
If you read my earlier post on Incentives Don’t Work, then you know that Dan Pink’s TED video raises some interesting questions about incentives. In particular, he raises questions about the role of external incentives and their impact on non-routine, creative, or innovative work performance. His point is well made. Research has long known that
Continue reading Incentives Don’t Work? Part II
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