1. When an employee does an exceptionally good job, tell them!!!
2. Do not criticize and compliment an employee at the same time. It lessens the impact of both.
3. Always keep an open mind. An employee's idea may not agree with yours, but look for the merit in it.
4. Ask your employees questions “ and listen to the answers. Soliciting employees' opinions, and then ignoring everything they say, is transparent and eventually backfires.
5. Make sure a new employee is not faced with confusion and nothing to do. Those first days should be carefully planned to make the new employee feel needed and valuable.
6. Giving orders with a smile works wonders. It is by far, the best way to make someone take on a task and like it, and it makes you happy too. Have trouble coming up with a smile? Think of the word œSmile and your face will reflect it.
7. Do not let bad news come through the grapevine. If you handle it, the facts get set straight before rumors start.
8. Accept the fact that employee performance has a lot to do with your performance as a boss. Highly competent people working for an ineffective boss usually perform worse than average workers under a respected, gifted leader.
9. Keep looking for and implementing inexpensive œperks. They can keep morale up between times of more substantial monetary rewards. A pizza lunch for a job well done, a pat on the back when least expected, flowers to brighten and employees desk, etc.
10. Do not assume that hardworking busy employees indicate a well-run department. Hard work is only valuable if it is focused on a goal that benefits the company.
11. Always criticize in private. It is no one else's business.
12. Recognize and reward good work and habits, rather than always looking to criticize and punish bad ones.
13. Do not let your position go to your head. You are still part of a team, act like it.
14. Do not steal credit for someone else's work. You lose respect if you do.
15. Keeping an undesirable employee does not benefit the company or employees. Mediocrity dominates in many firms because supervisors do not have the heart to fire the drones and non-producers. Let all employees know what you expect and expect it.
16. Keep your sense of humor. It makes life easier for everyone around you when the going gets tough.
