Jeff McManus's Blog, page 12

Rewiring & Recharging the Culture

Paula was tired. It was obvious to her that things at the organization were not working as well as they could be. It seemed each time she tried to upgrade procedures to get the organization more efficient and productive, the old status quo work culture deflated her initiatives. She remembers going to a conference and hearing how other organizations changed their culture, but she couldn’t recall any of the steps.

Changing a status quo mindset is difficult because as humans we are wired to resi...

Working Smarter, Not Harder

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~ Stephen Covey

When Tony walked into the gym, I noticed he had all his tools on a tool belt. He was ready to work. When he got to the wooden door, he repaired the unscrewed hinge. In minutes the door was working properly, he went to his next job.

When Henry got to his work area he looked around and kept walking. He said something about needing a drill, so he left to get one. 30 minutes later he came b...

Simple Rewards

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”

~Mother Teresa

Giving recognition and appreciation in the workplace is a powerful tool that can have a significant impact on employees’ hearts and minds leading to higher morale, engagement, and overall organizational success. Over the years I have launched numerous recognition programs that have stood the test of time, maintaining their impact on our employees.

Here are three key reasons why incorporating re...

Taking the Time to Delegate Effectively

Delegating takes time, a precious commodity for us all. I know delegation is what I’m supposed to do, but if I do it myself, I know it’s done correctly, and I don’t have to do it again. The hardest part for me and I bet for you is to be willing to accept that mistakes may occur when delegating.

But a truly effective leader knows that delegation is not just about assigning our people tasks; it’s really about empowering them to make decisions and take ownership. It involves trusting your team a...

Tracking the Status Quo in Your Organization

I remember as a leader being very frustrated that only about 30% of my staff were really engaged and did quality work. There was another 30% that were actively disengaged and seemed to just want a paycheck by doing the bare min to keep from getting fired. There was about 40% somewhere in the middle. It seemed I spent a lot of time with the bottom 30% having to deal with silly time-consuming issues. You may have experienced this too.

Last week I had the privilege of working with the Facilities...

Serious Leadership

Just like you, I take leadership seriously. For me, leadership has meant being the person in charge, the person with the title, the one who oversees getting the work completed. We know as leaders we need teamwork to make the dream work and trusting the team members to make good decisions is an important part of that. The team’s attitude and quality of work is a reflection on their leader and so many times over the years, I wanted to fix the other person on my team first. If they would just stop ...

The Power of Taking Action

“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As a leader, I can get in the way of implementing ideas I have learned from another source. I
stop short of success because for some reason I let busy work get in the way. Maybe you have
done it too. We become the “bottleneck” to our own organization. Here is how to stop it.
This past week I got the opportunity to be at the University of Georgia Grounds Department.
Over the last 10 years the Grounds leaders at UGA continually too...

Getting to the Heart of Productivity

Many managers, directors, and supervisors (including myself) have been brought up in a culture that values productivity as a daily goal. True to my upbringing, I continue to strive for efficiency, production, and daily results; always trying to work smarter, not harder in everything we do. Whether you were brought up in this culture or not, I know you value productivity because you are where you are – you get results, you want your people to take pride in their work and you know the organization...

Why Should I Challenge the Process?

“Change is the province of leaders. It is the work of leaders to inspire people to do things differently, to struggle against uncertain odds, and to persevere toward a misty image of a better future.” ~James M. Kouzes, The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations

I remember the first time I stepped into the room of my N. Miami department as the Director. I didn’t know a soul outside of those that had interviewed and hired me. I was the youngest person in ...

Enlisting Others

en·list: engage (a person or their help or support)

Next week there is a good chance there will be a new project, initiative, or undertaking my team will need to tackle. I bet you are faced with the same situation. To tackle these challenges, we need to mobilize people to create extraordinary results and unite people to turn these challenges into successful opportunities. We all need more problem-solvers not problem-makers. And we all have bosses who need to know we are working more efficient...