garywinters.com

S is for Start the Presses!

Gary Winters — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:52:39 PDT

Stop the presses! Stop the presses! No wait – START the presses! My newest ebook, Managing the Soon To Retire Employee has just been released and is available on amazon.com. It’s filled with tips, insight, and practical solutions to issues that can arise when you manage people who are approaching retirement. Highly effective managers vary their [...]

J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q and R are for Sigh…

Gary Winters — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:37:33 PDT

I began blogging an alphabet collection of ideas on April 1st as a response to a suggestion from Arlee Bird on the blog Tossing It Out. I managed to get to the letter “I” before other priorities in life, such as finishing and submitting the final manuscript for my latest book, Managing the Soon To Retire [...]

I is for Imagine

Gary Winters — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:27:39 PDT

Take a moment, if you will. Breathe deeply and hold your breath for a few moments, and then slowly release it. Repeat twice more, so that you are completely relaxed. Now, imagine a day at work, visualizing you and your team. Now take it up a notch – imagine a perfect day at work. A [...]

H is for Humor

Gary Winters — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:45:03 PDT

One common denominator in the most effective leaders I know is that they have a well-developed sense of humor. They’re not comedians, they rarely tell structured jokes, but they can lift a group in a heartbeat with a well-placed one-liner – which is often a self-deprecating piece of wit. They know the importance and how [...]

G is for Good…enough

Gary Winters — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:48:27 PDT

When is good enough good enough? You see it all the time. That draft of the report is good enough. The presentation to staff was good enough. The error rate on product defects was good enough. The budget for that new project was good enough. The response time to customer emails is good enough. What [...]

F is for Feedback

Gary Winters — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:25:07 PDT

When you accepted the responsibility to be a leader, you got in the Feedback Delivery business. Your team thrives on your feedback. They want to know: How are we doing? (How am I doing?) Are we on track? (Am I on track?) What are we doing well? (What am I doing well?) Is there anything [...]

E is for Effort

Gary Winters — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:39:13 PDT

Sometimes, it feels like I’m going nowhere fast. I’ve been working on a big project for months. It feels like I’ve been at it forever and I don’t appear any closer to its conclusion. I find myself discouraged and wanting to quit. “What’s the use?” I find myself lamenting. “Why put in any more effort?” [...]

D is for Don’t

Gary Winters — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:45:44 PDT

Most leadership gurus talk a lot about what you should do to be effective with others. I’m going to offer this short-and-sweet list to remind you of things that you shouldn’t do if you want people to follow you. In no particular order… Don’t pretend to listen to them. Slow down, be quiet, and focus [...]

C is for Credit

Gary Winters — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:51:49 PDT

You want people to follow you? Give ‘em extra credit. By that, I mean make sure you’re giving them lots of credit when they perform. More than you “think” they need. I’ve actually had discussions with managers who say to me, “Why should I point out when my employee is doing the job correctly or [...]

B is for Boring

Gary Winters — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:13:56 PDT

Okay, let’s have a show of hands. How many of you would say the business meetings you attend are productive, participatory, and a good use of your time? Let’s try again. How many of you would say the meetings you attend are boring, energy-draining, and a terrible waste of time? Think of the last meeting [...]