The Truth About Managing Effectively (Collection)

Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, consults with organizations to attract top talent, reduce turnover, and improve productivity in a volatile labor market. She has presented 200+ national seminars for SHRM and is author of The Hiring Source Book. Martha I. Finney is a writer and consultant who brings the qualitative perspective of workplace passion and problem-solving to clients who value the transformative power of engaged employees. She is author or co-author of more than 13 books, including HR From the Heart: Inspiring Stories and Strategies for Building the People Side of Great Business, with Libby Sartain. Dr. Stephen P. Robbins is the world’s #1 best-selling textbook author in the areas of management and organizational behavior. His books, including Organizational Behavior, Ninth Edition (Prentice Hall), have sold 2,000,000+ copies. They are currently used by students at more than one thousand U.S. colleges and universities. Leigh L. Thompson is J. Jay Gerber Distinguished Professor of Dispute Resolution and Organizations in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. An active consultant and internationally recognized scholar, she also directs Kellogg’s AT&T Behavioral Research Laboratory and Leading High Impact Teams Executive Program.

The Truth About Hiring the Best

Introduction vii

Part I The Truth About Identifying the Best

Truth1 There is no such thing as the ideal candidate 1

Truth 2 You are a seller in a buyer’s market 5

Truth 3 Catch the boomerangs 9

Truth 4 Rehire the retired 13

Truth 5 Job-hoppers could be show-stoppers 17

Truth 6 Seek refuge(e) 21

Part II The Truth About Recruiting the Best

Truth7 It’s a war for talent 25

Truth 8 Maybe you don’t want “new blood” 29

Truth 9 Your actions speak louder than words 33

Truth 10 Targeting everybody attracts nobody 37

Truth 11 You are a talent scout 41

Truth 12 The Internet may not be the best place for recruiting 45

Truth 13 Use the enthused 49

Truth 14 It takes a village to hire one employee 53

Truth 15 Newspaper ads can be great when managed properly 57

Truth 16 Your invitation might be chasing applicants away 61

Part III The Truth About Interviewing

Truth17 The candidate isn’t the only one who has to interview right 65

Truth 18 Ask what they will do, not what they can do 69

Truth 19 Charlie might be more than just a great mechanic 73

Truth 20 Passion–in fashion? 77

Truth 21 Good candidates might not talk to you 81

Truth 22 You’re not Sigmund Freud 85

Truth 23 Candidates and the truth–the whole truth 89

Truth 24 Don’t let the candidate’s resume drive the interview 93

Truth 25 Avoid the “hot seat” 97

Truth 26 You can oversell the job 101

Truth 27 There is such a thing as a bad question 105

Truth 28 You’re guilty until you prove you’re innocent 109

Truth 29 It’s impolite (and discriminatory) to ask about age 113

Truth 30 You wouldn’t ask him if he’s married–don’t ask her either 117

Truth 31 Kind curiosity can kill a career 121

Truth 32 Avoid questions about religious affiliations 125

Truth 33 Your mother was wrong; sometimes do be rude 129

Part IV The Truth About the Selection Process

Truth34 Have a vacancy to fill? You’re already too late. 133

Truth 35 Warning: this resume may contain spin! 137

Truth 36 Your candidate may be a scam-didate 141

Truth 37 The resume says “yes,” but the body language says “no” 145

Truth 38 The receptionist test–better than salt? 149

Truth 39 Don’t send away candidates dressed for a day at the beach 153

Truth 40 You aren’t an elephant 157

Truth 41 Keep on selling to candidates 161

Part V The Truth About Panel and Multiple Interviews, Background Checks, Tests, and Other Tools of the Trade

Truth 42 Invest in telephone screening to save time later 165

Truth 43 Face-to-face doesn’t have to be in-person 169

Truth 44 Too many cooks might improve the broth 173

Truth 45 Make haste slowly 177

Truth 46 You may want to hire candidates even when they get a bad reference 181

Truth 47 Beware the “Whizzinator” 185

Truth 48 Be real, even if scary 189

Truth 49 No crystal ball? Try employment testing. 193

Truth 50 Graphology: palm reading or valid tool? 197

Part VI The Truth About Evaluating Candidates and Making the Offer

Truth 51 The last one you interview only seems like the winner 201

Truth 52 The one who offers salary information first is the loser 205

Truth 53 Don’t tell candidates why they weren’t selected 209

References 213

About the Author 215

Acknowledgments 215

 

The Truth About Getting the Best from People, Second Edition

Introduction xi

PART I The Truth About Employee Engagement

Truth 1 You don’t need the carrot or the stick 1

Truth 2 You have direct influence over your employees’ passion quotient 4

Truth 3 You get the best by giving the best 8

Truth 4 It’s not money that motivates 11

Truth 5 Employment engagement isn’t for sissies 15

Truth 6 Real engagement gains happen after survey scores come in 19

PART II The Truth About Yourself

Truth 7 Your behaviors are your brand 23

Truth 8 You can’t give what you don’t have 26

Truth 9 “Best” doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone 30

Truth 10 Think you’re a great leader? Think again 34

Truth 11 You could be your own worst employee 38

Truth 12 Visionary or beat cop? Your choice 41

Truth 13 Your health may be compromising your leadership effectiveness 44

Truth 14 You don’t have to be perfect 48

Truth 15 Your career can recover from an engagement hit 52

PART III The Truth About Engaged Cultures

Truth 16 Employee happiness is serious business 55

Truth 17 Great leaders make their people cry 58

Truth 18 Better questions lead to better answers 61

Truth 19 Individual passion builds a passion-fueled customer service culture 65

Truth 20 Authentic is better than clever 69

Truth 21 Retention begins with hello 72

Truth 22 The bad will do you good 75

Truth 23 Your biggest complainer may be your best supporter 78

Truth 24 You can sell an unpopular decision 82

Truth 25 Flex is best 85

Truth 26 Nobody cares if you don’t mean to be mean 89

Truth 27 Controlling your temper is a labor-saving device 93

Truth 28 There is no “but” in “I’m sorry” 97

PART IV The Truth About Motivation

Truth 29 Engagement happens one person at a time 101

Truth 30 If you’re a manager, you’re a career coach 104

Truth 31 The candidates you’re seeking may not be the ones you need 107

Truth 32 Ask for cheese—you might get the moon 111

Truth 33 You lead better when you get off your pedestal 114

Truth 34 Trust is your strongest persuasion tool 118

Truth 35 If they aren’t buying it, they aren’t doing it 121

Truth 36 Overselling an opportunity can cost you precious talent 124

Truth 37 Focusing on what’s right can help solve what’s wrong 128

Truth 38 High performers are motivated by a piece of the action 131

Truth 39 All the generations want the same thing 135

PART V The Truth About Performance

Truth 40 Compassion promotes performance 139

Truth 41 A hot star can brighten your whole team 142

Truth 42 B players are your A team 146

Truth 43 High performers have enough coffee mugs 149

Truth 44 Discipline deepens engagement 152

Truth 45 You don’t have to inherit the problem employees 155

Truth 46 Performance appraisals are really about you 159

Truth 47 New hires can inspire current employees 162

Truth 48 Terminations are an engagement tool 165

PART VI The Truth About Creativity

Truth 49 Innovation begins with y-e-s 169

Truth 50 Everyone can be creative 172

Truth 51 You stand between inspiration and implementation 176

Truth 52 Failures promote progress 179

Truth 53 People don’t quit their bosses, they quit their colleagues 182

Truth 54 Extreme pressure kills inspired performance 186

Truth 55 Creativity is a balancing act 189

PART VII The Truth About Communication

Truth 56 Open questions ignite inspiring answers 193

Truth 57 Serving your employees means managing your boss 196

Truth 58 Bad news is good news 200

Truth 59 Trivial conversations are essential 203

Truth 60 The way you listen speaks volumes 206

Truth 61 Crap happens 210

Truth 62 Engaged employees need to know more 213

PART VIII The Truth About Teams

Truth 63 Absence makes the employee happier 217

Truth 64 Your team has untapped talent 221

Truth 65 People need to fight their own battles 224

Truth 66 Games don’t build teams 228

Truth 67 Answers build teams 231

Truth 68 Your team can lead you to greatness 234

Truth 69 You’re still the boss 237

References 240

About the Author 242

 

The Truth About Managing People, Third Edition

Preface vii
PART I THE TRUTH ABOUT HIRING
Truth 1 First Impressions DO Count! 1
Truth 2 Forget Traits; It’s Behavior That Counts 5
Truth 3 Brains Matter; or Why You Should Hire Smart People 9
Truth 4 When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People! 13
Truth 5 Want Friendly Employees? It’s in the Genes! 7
Truth 6 Realistic Job Previews: What You See Is What You Get 21
Truth 7 Throw Out Your Age Stereotypes 25
Truth 8 Match Personalities and Jobs 29
Truth 9 Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My “Good Employee” Is Your Stinker! 33
Truth 10 Good Citizenship Counts! 37
Truth 11 Manage the Socialization of New Employees 39
PART II THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTIVATION
Truth 12 Why Many Workers Aren’t Motivated at Work Today 43
Truth 13 Telling Employees to “Do Your Best” Isn’t Likely to Achieve Their Best 47
Truth 14 Not Everyone Wants to Participate in Setting Goals 51
Truth 15 Professional Workers Go for the Flow 55
Truth 16 When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People 59
Truth 17 Managing Across the Generation Gap 63
Truth 18 You Get What You Reward 67
Truth 19 It’s All Relative! 71
Truth 20 Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little!) 75
Truth 21 There’s More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation 79
PART III THE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP
Truth 22 Five Leadership Myths Debunked 83
Truth 23 The Essence of Leadership Is Trust 87
Truth 24 Experience Counts! Wrong! 91
Truth 25 Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues 95
Truth 26 You Get What You Expect 99
Truth 27 Charisma Can Be Learned 103
Truth 28 Charisma Is Not Always an Asset 107
Truth 29 Make Others Dependent on You 111
Truth 30 Successful Leaders Are Politically Adept 115
Truth 31 Ethical Leadership 119
Truth 32 Virtual Leadership: Leading from Afar 123
Truth 33 Adjust Your Leadership Style for Cultural Differences, or When in Rome 127
PART IV THE TRUTH ABOUT COMMUNICATION
Truth 34 Hearing Isn’t Listening 131
Truth 35 Listen to the Grapevine 135
Truth 36 Men and Women Communicate Differently 139
Truth 37 What You Do Overpowers What You Say 143
Truth 38 The Value of Silence 147
Truth 39 Watch Out for Digital Distractions 151
PART V THE TRUTH ABOUT BUILDING TEAMS
Truth 40 What We Know That Makes Teams Work 155
Truth 41 2 + 2 Doesn’t Necessarily Equal 4 159
Truth 42 The Value of Diversity on Teams 163
Truth 43 We’re Not All Equal: Status Matters! 167
Truth 44 Not Everyone Is Team Material 171
PART VI THE TRUTH ABOUT MANAGING CONFLICTS
Truth 45 The Case FOR Conflict 175
Truth 46 Beware of Groupthink 179
Truth 47 How to Reduce Work–Life Conflicts 183
Truth 48 Negotiating Isn’t About Winning and Losing 187
PART VII THE TRUTH ABOUT DESIGNING JOBS
Truth 49 Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job 191
Truth 50 Four Job-Design Actions That Will Make Employees More Productive 195
PART VIII THE TRUTH ABOUT PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Truth 51 Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is No Surprise! 199
Truth 52 Don’t Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias 203
Truth 53 Judging Others: Tips for Making Better Decisions 207
Truth 54 The Case for 360-Degree Feedback Appraisals: More IS Better! 211
PART IX THE TRUTH ABOUT COPING WITH CHANGE
Truth 55 Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn’t Jingle in Their Pockets! 215
Truth 56 Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change 219
Truth 57 Employee Turnover Can Be a Good Thing 223
Truth 58 In Cutbacks: Don’t Neglect the Survivors 227
Truth 59 Beware of the Quick Fix 231
References 235

 

The Truth About Negotiations, Second Edition

Introduction vii

Part 1: Negotiation: A 30,000-foot view 1

Truth 1: Negotiation: A natural gift? 3

Truth 2: The magic bullet: Preparation 7

Truth 3: Your industry is unique (and other myths) 11

Truth 4: Win–win, win–lose, and lose–lose negotiations 15

Truth 5: Four sand traps in the golf game of negotiation 19

Truth 6: If you have only one hour to prepare 23

Part 2: The bottom line on bottom lines 27

Truth 7: Identify your BATNA 29

Truth 8: Develop your reservation price 33

Truth 9: It’s alive! Constantly improve your BATNA 37

Truth 10: Don’t reveal your BATNA 41

Truth 11: Don’t lie about your BATNA 45

Truth 12: Signal your BATNA 49

Truth 13: Research the other party’s BATNA 53

Part 3: Black belt negotiation skills 55

Truth 14: Set optimistic but realistic aspirations 57

Truth 15: The power of making the first offer 61

Truth 16: What if the other party makes the first offer? 65

Truth 17: Plan your concessions 69

Truth 18: Be aware of the “even-split” ploy 73

Truth 19: Reveal your interests 77

Truth 20: Negotiate issues simultaneously, not sequentially 81

Truth 21: Logrolling (I scratch your back, you scratch mine) 85

Truth 22: Make multiple offers of equivalent value simultaneously 89

Truth 23: Postsettlement settlements 93

Truth 24: Contingent agreements 97

Part 4: Psychology 101

Truth 25: The reciprocity principle 103

Truth 26: The reinforcement principle 107

Truth 27: The similarity principle 111

Truth 28: The anchoring principle 115

Truth 29: The framing principle 119

Part 5: People problems (and solutions) 123

Truth 30: Responding to temper tantrums 125

Truth 31: How to negotiate with someone you hate 129

Truth 32: How to negotiate with someone you love 133

Truth 33: Of men, women, and pie-slicing 137

Truth 34: Your reputation 141

Truth 35: Building trust 145

Truth 36: Repairing broken trust 149

Truth 37: Saving face 153

Part 6: I-negotiations and E-negotiations 157

Truth 38: Negotiating on the phone 159

Truth 39: Negotiating via email and the Internet 163

Truth 40: When negotiations shift from relational to highly transactional 167

Truth 41: Negotiating across generations 171

Truth 42: Negotiating with different organizational cultures 175

Truth 43: Negotiating with different demographic cultures 179

Part 7: Negotiation Yoga 183

Truth 44: What’s your sign? (Know your disputing style) 185

Truth 45: Satisficing versus optimizing 189

Truth 46: Are you an enlightened negotiator? 193

References 197

Acknowledgments 203

About the Author 204