Onboarding – how to maximize your new employee’s potential

Posted on June 25, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Welcoming a new employee into the Team could be a serious challenge, as there is always a chance that something would go wrong and precious potential would go wasted on unnecessary complications. Many pitfalls await the new guy as he tries to navigate the labyrinth of the new workplace: taking too long to start delivering, making a lot of mistakes and asking wrong people for help, being unable to connect socially because of trying too hard or not trying hard enough, and many others. Continue reading →

Constant change of human resources – how to reduce its impact, Part 2: Retaining the Knowledge

Posted on June 18, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Let’s admit it – people always leave.

May be we let them go, may be they’ve found something else and may be their time has come and they’re retiring. In any case, your organization is left with an open void that needs to be filled as soon as possible. The sooner and the better you’ll fill it with somebody else – the smaller would be the amount of time and energy swallowed by that void. In order to do that you not only have to find Continue reading →

Constant change of human resources – how to reduce its impact, Part 1: reducing the volume

Posted on June 11, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

My previous post dealt with some of the reasons for negative influence of constant change of human resources on our projects. Despite the fact that many Managers still consider this phenomenon a “necessarily evil” and an integrative part making things done, it’s hard to imagine that anyone would argue that no attempts should be made at mitigating this “evil”. Continue reading →

How can I convince my team to try improving decision-making skills?” – From Ask Anya mails

Posted on May 21, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Following post on “The need for better decisions – why now?”

“I completely agree with everything you said about the urgency we all should feel in regard to improving the quality of our decisions. But how do I convince the people I’m working with that something should be done about this issue? What can I offer them as an incentive to try improving their decision-making skills? ” Continue reading →

The need for better decisions – why now?

Posted on May 14, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

My previous posts about the costs of our mistakes lead to a discussion about the awareness of our colleagues in regard to the importance of the subject. After all, it seems clear to anyone who has some actual experience with management that there always be mistakes and therefore – the risks associated with them. Even more than that, the actual situation of the market today doesn’t suggest any tangible improvement being made in this regard, so is the need for better decisions really understood by today’s Managers or is this just an illusion? Continue reading →

5 Managers’ Mistakes No One Talks About (Part 2)

Posted on May 7, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Last week we discussed the first two Managers’ Mistakes No One Talks About, now let’s continue with the remaining three.

Managers should beware of doing something like: Continue reading →

5 Managers’ Mistakes No One Talks About (Part 1)

Posted on April 30, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

In my previous post I mentioned that the issue of mistakes, especially in the field of Management, has become pretty popular recently. There are many sources, both written and online, where you can find more or less comprehensive lists of “mistakes managers make”, altogether with some recommendations about how to avoid them. Continue reading →

5 Thumb Rules for Management in times of Austerity

Posted on April 17, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

There are several terms not so pleasant to our ears that seem to dominate the news lately, terms like sequestration, spending cuts and most of all – austerity. The abundance of these subtractive terms in the media may well mean that they pretty much define the current situation, and we, as Managers, will need to adjust to function in this situation, because it’s unlikely to dissolve quickly.

Let’s try to understand what Austerity means from Management perspective and what tips we may use to lead our teams successfully despite the harsh environment. Continue reading →

Risk Management to the rescue – control your Biases by proper Risk Responses

Posted on April 9, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

When previously discussing Risk Management I already mentioned that the possibility of being biased while making a critical decision or engaging in important activity is a risk in its own right, that should be managed along with other risks. What are the peculiarities of managing your biases as risks in regard to what we know about the known types of Risk Responses in Management? Continue reading →

Small Business owners – Managers or not?

Posted on April 2, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

When I’m asked to provide consulting services not inside our familiar corporate environment, but to small businesses and start-ups, I frequently find myself in a somewhat awkward position. You see, many business owners do not see themselves as managers.

As many people who start their businesses today have actually left the corporate environment to seek independence, it seems that severing all ties with their previous life is more important to them than the success of their business. Continue reading →