Not all engineers are blessed with having a seasoned Manager with strong communication skills and business training. You can help them succeed, and in doing so, you’re likely to be more successful as well. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Taking Responsibility for Technical Mistakes
March 6, 2011 by 2 Comments
Mistakes happen. No matter how much training, experience, or process controls we have in place it’s still possible to misconfigure, bring down a system, or cause a customer to go down unexpectedly. And it feels horrible, that sinking feeling in your stomach as you start to realize what happened. Here are some tips on how to take responsibility for them.
Demotivators and Job Burnout
January 24, 2010 by 3 Comments
The list below identifies some factors that contribute to [[[job burnout]]]. If you’re an employee, these are some things to watch out for. You may have had trouble in the past identifying what it was that was bothering you, hopefully this will help. Future articles will talk about dealing with burnout. And if you’re a manager, this is just as important for you. Check to see if the environment you’re working in has these factors or, as a manager that you’re not contributing to these factors. At best, your employees will not be able to reach their full potential and at worst, you will likely lose some good people.
How To Apologize
January 17, 2010 by 3 Comments
There is an art to delivering a sincere and effective apology. Whether the issue is related to a security breach, customer service, management, or personal relationships, a true apology can go a long way towards recovering from what might be an otherwise destroyed relationship. I think it’s safe to say most of us have experienced poor customer service interactions or less than sincere “scripted” responses to problems. Failure to take responsibility and address concerns in a professional, consistent, and honest manner is the fastest way to lose business, customers, and friends…
Citrus For Your Next Difficult Negotiation?
January 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment
According to research in the journal Psychological Science, smells associated with “clean” like citrus may make people more agreeable and generous. Working with a difficult customer or on some challenging negotiations? See what happens when there is a bowl of citrus fruit in the room. Hard to do with conference calls, although you could always [...]
