THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Questions

"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." - Voltaire

TOPIC OF THE DAY

1 Question You Should Ask as a Manager

If you want to manage and lead successfully, you've got to know what the people doing the work need. So why not ask them? Get in the habit of asking your direct reports: What can I do to help you be more effective? You'll likely get a variety of answers including complaints about others, direct criticism of your performance, and requests you can't do much about. Take everything under advisement, don't be defensive, and admit mistakes. Heed what you hear and take action. Perhaps you need to step back or learn to delegate better. Maybe there is an uncooperative colleague you can coach or an unnecessary policy you can remove. Treat these conversations for what they are: an opportunity for you to learn.

Adopted from HBR’s “Management Tips of the Day” of July 13, 2011