Convert Expectations into Agreements

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

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“High Priority” Isn’t A Deadline

Laurie and I recently conducted a training program on The Four Conversations for a group of project managers.  Since most of the managers were from the same organization, they all encountered the same problem when given an assignment.  Rather than being told a due date or deadline by when the assignment was to be completed,

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The Fundamental Error in Managing Others

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

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Incentives Don’t Work? Part II

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

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Incentives Don't Work? - Check out this video

One of the frequent excuses I get from managers in my MBA classes for why things don’t get done or don’t work the way they should work is “because there are no incentives”.  Why is work late?  Because, I am told, there are no incentives for doing it on time.  Why are projects late, overbudget,

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A New Era for Managers - Are You Ready?

We are in the network era.   Whether it is in the internet, globalization, or even terrorism, we confront the growth and influence of networks.  This growth provides managers with an extraordinary opportunity to gain a competitive edge if they are willing to recognize that managing effectively in networks requires a shift in focus from traditional

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