The 5 most-clicked links in SmartBrief on Workforce this past week:
- What to do when you’re burned out
- 7 marks of stellar leaders
- Being a good boss is not as easy as it sounds
- Successful CEOs explain what keeps them on the job
- To find success, banish negative thoughts
Learn to lead your boss (read more…)
SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Workforce — tracks feedback from leading managers and HR practitioners. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter and feature analysis from Lance Haun, vice president of outreach for MeritBuilder, the main guy over at Rehaul.com and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board, on this blog.
Last week’s question: Has your company changed its year-end bonus system in the past couple of years?
- We’ve never had bonuses, 26%
- No, we have the same bonus structure, 21%
- Yes, we eliminated bonuses completely, 20%
- No, we’ve had a performance based bonus for many years, 18%
- Yes, we went to a performance-based system, 16%
“More than 60% of companies haven’t changed their bonus structures over the last couple of years. Those that have are more likely to have eliminated them completely than changed them to a performance-based system, and more than a quarter of companies have never had any bonus system at all. (read more…)
Being a good boss is often more difficult than many people realize, and it takes time and experience to become a skilled manager, Bob Sutton writes. I agree that experience plays an important role in becoming a great manager, but the seeds are often planted early in people’s careers. Senior managers can’t just kick back and wait for their budding leaders to get … older. It takes the right kind of experience to develop as a manager. The single most important trait of a good boss, in my mind, is good communication skills. Great managers have to be able communicate across multiple levels of an organization, as well as to outside clients and customers. And while some people might just have a knack for that, most of us have to work at it.
What do you think it takes to be a great boss? (read more…)
SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Workforce — tracks feedback from leading managers and HR practitioners. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter and feature analysis from Lance Haun, vice president of outreach for MeritBuilder, the main guy over at Rehaul.com and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board, on this blog.
Last week’s poll question: A recent report found board placements for HR professionals are nearly double what they were in 2004. Do you think this indicates HR professionals are gaining respect in corporate board rooms?
- No, boards are just reacting to a litany of law changes that they hope HR professionals can help them with. 74.42%
- Yes, boards are starting to see the strategic value that HR professionals can bring. 25.58%
“The cynics came out in full force on this one. Only a quarter believed the recent uptick in board placements had something to do with the strategic value of HR. (read more…)
Today’s guest post is by Gayle Lantz, president of WorkMatters, a consulting firm dedicated to helping executives and leadership teams think and work smarter.
If you’re like most business leaders, you spent much of 2009 feeling down and just about out — an often-inescapable result of the worst recession since the Great Depression. Odds are, you grappled with many new challenges, uncertainties, and “don’t want to, but have to” decisions. Now, 2010 is coming up quickly. Smart leaders will bypass the predictable New Year’s resolutions and, instead, start 2010 with 10 essential questions:
What matters most?
The good news is, there’s no right or wrong answer. Yet, what was most important a year or two ago may not be the driving force in the business today. Press the reset button and, together with your leadership team, clarify priorities and commit to keeping them in focus.
What is one “problem” I can turn into an opportunity? (read more…)
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