Tag: Managing people
Labels almost always begin with roughly the same words:
It seems like… It sounds like… It looks like… Notice we said “It looks like…” and not “I’m hearing that…” That’s because the word “I” get people guarded up. -Never split the difference, p.56 Continue reading Labels almost always begin with roughly the same words:
Labeling: Spot your counterpart’s feelings, turn them into words, and then very calmly and respectfully repeat their emotions back to them.
That’s called labeling. Give someone’s emotion a name and you show you identify with how that person feels. Think of labeling as a shortcut to intimacy, a time-saving emotional hack. Labeling has a special advantage when your counterpart is tense: Exposing negative thoughts to daylight “It looks like you don’t want to go back to jail” – makes them seem less frightening. -Never split the difference, p.54 Continue reading Labeling: Spot your counterpart’s feelings, turn them into words, and then very calmly and respectfully repeat their emotions back to them.
Don’t leave senior employees in any job too long.
If this happens, as it has in my companies occasionally, it means you are not focusing on that business. You will get the most out of any senior employee in their first year or two in a new position. After that, they enter a “comfort zone.” Consider asking them to create a new division or company for you. But do not leave them to quietly go to seed – they will get bored and resign anyway, if they’re any good. -How to get rich, p.229 Continue reading Don’t leave senior employees in any job too long.
Promote from within when you can.
Robin Miller suggested than an external candidate, looking for a senior position, had better be at least 30 percent better than any internal candidates to get the job. Why? Because you know all the faults of an internal candidate – they may have worked for you for years. But external candidatescome to you free from errors made in the past. -How to get rich, p.229 Continue reading Promote from within when you can.
A desire to shine in the world is worth more than a university degree
Find the people with chips on their shoulders. -How to get rich, p.229 Continue reading A desire to shine in the world is worth more than a university degree
Discourage secrecy
The more you take middle or senior managers into your confidence, the more they will respect you and the harder they will work for you. Many managers disagree with this policy. They love the feeling of power that comes from knowing what others do not know. I don’t care about power. I care about getting rich. -How to get rich, p.213 Continue reading Discourage secrecy
Encourage senior managers to go over annual results with you one-on-one
You will learn more from off-the-cuff remarks and opinions expressed at one-on-one meetings while looking over financial results than you will in a dozen board meetings. This tactic never fails to produce food for thought, often on both sides. -How to get rich, p.212 Continue reading Encourage senior managers to go over annual results with you one-on-one
Offer legal perks that you have paid for yourself to employees.
This sounds crazy, but it works. I allow my employees, for example, the use of my Rolls-Royces or Bentleys for their weddings. I permit them to stay at my homes around the world if they have performed well. Such perks are legal because I paid for them myself from after-tax dollars or pounds. -How to get rich, p.212 Continue reading Offer legal perks that you have paid for yourself to employees.
Never delegate bonus arrangements
I once did so, like a fool, and twelve months later my company was forced to pay ludicrously high bonuses for a very small improvement in profit to six senior managers. -How to get rich, p.210 Continue reading Never delegate bonus arrangements
Roadmap to Billions 