Motivating Without Bonuses

Keeping Your Team Happy Without Cash The recession has brought many new or previously little-used terms into our everyday language – from “subprime mortgages,” “toxic assets,” and “quantitative easing” to “cash for clunkers” and, of course, “zero bonuses.” It’s a clever phrase, because technically, a zero bonus isn’t a bonus at all. But the words [...]

Stress Diary

Identifying sources of short-term stress Log your stress events. You’re tired. You’ve had a hard commute. The office receptionist was grumpy and curt when you arrived at work, and you’ve already dealt with two minor crises today. Then a member of your team spills his coffee over some important work. Should you have snapped at [...]

How Good Are Your People Skills?

Soft skills enhance your technical skills. In almost all jobs, your people skills – also known as “soft skills” – have as much of an impact on your success as your technical skills. That’s especially true when you’re in a management or leadership role. The importance of having solid people skills transcends industry and profession; [...]

Keeping Valued Team Members

Restoring Commitment to Prevent Resignations Be alert for signs of unhappiness. Which members of your team would you miss most if they left tomorrow? And what makes them so valuable? Chances are, they’ve been there long enough to know exactly how the organization works. Highly competent at what they do, efficient, organized and with excellent [...]