Top Performers

This article really spoke to me. 

Put your cell phone away

It seems that those in my generation and younger are tied to their phones.  Many even take them to the bathroom!  (I don't want to know what you would need to do on your phone while in the bathroom.)

Let me give you a very valuable piece of advice - When you are at work, put your phones away!  Unless your mother is in the hospital or your wife is due to have a baby, they don't belong on your desk and you shouldn't constantly be on them at work.  Leave them in your purse, coat pocket, car, etc. and only pull them out when on break.

Why, you ask?

1. It looks terrible to your supervisor who is noticing how often you interrupt your work to check your phone.
2. It effects your efficiency and productivity which your supervisor is noticing.
3. It likely will affect your job security.
4. It likely will affect your ability to get good references when you choose to move on to a new position.
5. And it's just not good to your mental health to be so dependent on it.

Meaningful, Timely Feedback

The lesson for this week is meaningful, timely feedback is critical.  This is very true for relationships outside of work, but my focus today is work related.

All to often, the annual review is the only time feedback is received.  Unfortunately, then the feedback is not timely nor meaningful as it is so far removed and too intertwined with compensation and job security.

With positive feedback from their colleagues and managers, an individual's confidence increases.  With critical feedback from colleagues and managers, an individual has the opportunity to grow.

This feedback doesn't have to come from the individual's direct supervisor.  Take time to support your colleagues and employees.  The stronger they are, the more successful your team will be.

Reviews from the Perspective as a Supervisor

Recently it was time for one of my employee's annual review.  This was the first formal review I participated in as a supervisor.  What surprised me most was how much it caused me to reflect on my own job performance.  How could I criticize someone else's faults without looking for ways to correct my own?

What I discovered was that I need to listen more and spend that time actually listening, not formulating my response to what I anticipated they would say.

Compliments

People are more pleased at a compliment 

if you praise them for something 

that is not glaringly obvious. 

~Les Giblin

Transitions

An attorney leaving the firm, especially a very small firm like ours, brings a lot of uncertainty.  How many clients will leave with the attorney?  Who will take on the caseload of the remaining clients?  How will support staff be affected?  How do I reassure and support my legal assistants in this transition?  How many hours will I have to work a week to keep up?

Change can be difficult as most of us are individuals that prefer the routine and the known.  Change can also lead to growth, show us what we are made of, and give us confidence.  So buckle your seat belt, hang on, and let's enjoy the ride.  I choose to embrace the change.

Everyone is NOT Replaceable!

Liz Ryan, her LinkedIn blog post titled "'Everyone Is Replaceable' and Other Business Lies", writes  that managers who believe that their staff are replaceable are clearly missing the boat.

My staff and colleagues are definitely not responsible.  They each play such important roles in the success and growth of our office.  I want to work with and manage people who think beyond the routine and find ways to improve the way we do things.

Quote that I found on LinkedIn

"In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way."  Posted by Mark Taylor on LinkedIn

Thanksgiving is not an isolated day

We are often so quick to criticize and don't take the time to give praise and thanks.  Tomorrow may only be 24 hours long but take the time the other 364 days to also give thanks.  It makes both people feel good, boosts confidence, and motivates people to stick through things when they get bad.

Don't throw your employees under the bus

I was on the phone with my doctor this week and she was very quick to blame her lack of response on her nurses and stated that she would be dealing with that.

As supervisors, it is our job to train, guide, and supervise our employees.  Any mistakes they make are also our mistakes.  Our employees still need to take responsibility for their work but that is a conversation we have only with them, not shared with the outside world or as a way to shift blame.

Figuring out what your employees need

People in general are not very good at articulating what they need.  In a employee-supervisor relationship, that gets more difficult as no one wants to appear weak or inadequate in the presence of the someone judging their job performance.  So as someone new to supervising employees, I'm learning to pay attention to the cues my employees give me to attempt to figure out what they need and find a way to give it to them if possible.

If I were you, ....

I recently listened to a webinar recorded in July 2013 titled "People Management 101:  Providing Direction & Support" presented by Ann Phillips, Senior Consulting Partner at The Ken Blanchard Companies

One, of many things, I took from the presentation was the use, or preferably non-use, of the phrase, "if I were you, I would..."  This phrases loses sight of the very important fact that I'm NOT you.  We are all different and would respond differently to any situation.