Secrets of Effective Management #21: Security Systems – A Powerful Tool You Can’t Overdo

Even if your employees aren’t working with loose diamonds, treat them like they are. When they see the cameras scanning every inch of your business, outside and inside, and know your security officer has a wall of screens, constantly recorded, where he or she can watch their every move, they won’t feel distrusted and become disloyal, they’ll just think you really care about protecting them, their jobs, and the future of the company.  When it takes them extra minutes every time they want to enter, exit, or move about the building just to type their pin number into a “scram-box” pad at every doorway they won’t be annoyed, they will tell each other how much they appreciate your investment in their safety and security.  Never mind the fact that your company makes cardboard boxes and hasn’t changed its technology much in decades let alone patented anything, your employees will just think you are looking out for them.

Secrets of Effective Management #20 – ISO9001, CMMI, and Other Valuable Quality Certifications Made Simple

Quality certifications are valuable marketing assets. Certifying your company to any of the popular quality standards can make both you and your company look good, and may even fool some customers into thinking you are better than your competitors.  While on the face of it such certifications can appear daunting, there are ways to obtain them with minimal impact to your your putting practice though you’ll still have to pay the auditing organization’s fees and bring in an experienced coordinator (preferably on contract so you can drop them from the payroll after your certifications are in place).

Secrets of Effective Management #19 – Spotting the B.S., a Key Management Skill

In business, people are always b&ll$h|tting – subordinates to superiors, suppliers to customers, etc. The ability to do this can make you a certified bada$$ butt-kicking tough-guy manager almost by itself. A skilled manager can read BS in people’s faces and body language. In fact, if you can do this, you are certainly on a fast track to an upper management position. If you can’t read people’s faces, you still want them to think you can, so be sure to mention it once in a while, possibly as an opening statement at a meeting, making sure that everyone under you knows you are watching and are good at sorting the BS from the realities.

I Sure Hope Nobody is Taking Any of this Advice Seriously …

This blog was set up to provide some very snide commentary on bad management styles and behaviors.  I really hope nobody is taking it in any other way.  If you got a laugh or two out of it, I am pleased as can be. 

As always, I welcome your comments.  

Secrets of Effective Management #18 – Clarifying Organization Structure

Charts R Us!  One way to keep employees organized and focused on the hierarchy (and your authority) is to maintain an organization chart and a decision process flowchart.  In either chart, all lines between objects should depict the flow of authority and information with one-way arrows.  In each case, the object representing your position in the organization or process will have arrows leading only away from it.  This will underline for all the fact that you are the boss, you are in charge, and you will give directions and information, not the other way around.

Secrets of Effective Management #17 – Managing Overtime

Overtime happens.  There are times in the corporate cycles of things when the business is being pressed, either by a bad economy, stiff competition, or by high demand (good times can be just as tough as bad times, if not tougher).  This can bring the need for overtime, which is generally a great way to get more out of your employees for next to nothing.  That is, the cost of hiring someone new is always far greater than the cost of getting your existing employees to put in extra hours, so maximizing overtime is a generally good thing for you.  How can you avoid paying a bunch of money for it, though?

Secrets of Effective Management #16 – How to Save Facilities Expense and Boost Morale at the Same Time

Save money on building maintenance and grounds keeping while boosting morale.  Did you know that you can have your employees help reduce your building and grounds maintenance costs, and have them love you for coming up with the idea?  Here’s how!

Secrets of Effective Management #15 – How to Boost Morale

Low morale happens.  Sometimes, in the course of business, your subordinates’ spirits may become a bit low.  Although it is easy to attribute such occurrences to frequent layoffs and oppressive work conditions, it is best to attribute it to poor business conditions.  After all, if things are going great for the organization it must be because you, the manager, are doing a great job.  When the organization is doing poorly, however, it is inevitably because of outside factors such as a poor economy or a toughening competitive environment.  Still, it is well known that demoralized employees don’t work as effectively.  What should you do about it?

Secrets of Effective Management #14 – Implementing MBWA (Management by Walking Around)

Management by walking around (MBWA), a popular concept back in the 1980’s, is still an effective way to manage people. Like most of us who have earned our senior management positions, you probably ignored this as “another new age fad”. You weren’t wrong in doing so, but you may not have realized how this progressive-sounding strategy can be turned into an effective means of control. Here are some ways to look like a progressive manager without losing your control and image of authority in the organization.

Secrets of Effective Management #13 – Headcount Control

Minimize your headcount for maximum productivity. Keeping your headcount perrenially short will do more than just keep your costs low.  It is a well kept secret that it can also maximize the productivity of your workforce.  What do you need to know, and how do you go about using this concept effectively?