What to Avoid as a Manager When Giving Orders

What to Avoid as a Manager When Giving OrdersWhat to Avoid as a Manager When Giving OrdersMany people believe that to be an effective manager you have to give orders to the people on your team or in your department. They are wrong. Orders should be reserved for emergency situations. Instead, offer direction and encourage employees to define the best way forward through the use of open-ended questions. Orders Stifle Critical Thinking and Reduce Creativity When you give orders, you tell someone to do something. Put that file on my desk,is an order. So is, Put Roger on the late shift.When you give an order, you do not allow the other person any latitude to think about what to do or how to do it. All they can do is comply with your order. By doing this, you are suppressing creative and critical thinking and problem-solving and stifling learning. Instead of giving orders and telling someone what to do, good managersoffer direction and provide high-level instructions. Instead of tellin g people how to do something, you tell them what you want to be done and leave the rest up to their efforts. The Power of Asking for Input A mora effective approach than issuing orders is to describe the work to be completed and ask for ideas and input. Most people prefer to have some degree of control over how they complete their work. Your role asa manager is to describe the end goal or target. You own the What however, where possible, delegate the How to encourage buy-in and stimulate creative thinking. When you tell an employee what you want to be done, instead of giving an order, you give them the freedom to come up with their best way of completing the task. They are challenged to think for themselves and even to think creatively. While their ideas may not always match your view on the best method to complete the assignment, it is important to recognize there may be multiple effective methods to get the job done. Perhaps the employee will come up with a better approach. Le arn to present new assignments as challenges. Describe the underlying problem to be solved or the opportunity to be realized. If possible, describe the goals for the assignment. And then, draw upon one of the managers most effective questions How do you want to go about tackling this assignment? Use follow-on questions, including What do you perceive are the different approaches to completing this assignment?Which of the possible approaches do you perceive you will take?What are the benefits of your approach?What are some of the kompetenzprofil risks?What help will you need from myself or others? Your open-ended questions are empowering for your employees. Instead of requiring them to conform to their perception of your method, you are encouraging them to think broadly about the task and the implications of the different approaches. Your willingness to let them select the approach shows that you trust them to make good decisions. Your challenge to think through the potential risks i ncreases their possibility of avoiding or mitigating those risks. Do Be Specific About the Intended Results Orders are generally very clear while describing the task and desired results leave room for interpretation. So when you give instructions instead of orders, you need to explicitly define the intended results. Instead of saying, Id like you to review the past months data and get back to me on it,be more precise. For example, you could say Please review the past months data. Ideally, I would love to hear your analysis of the data and recommendations for how we should proceed.The management team is looking for our ideas on the new project investments, and your efforts here are critical to this initiative. The meeting is on Thursday, so if you complete this by Tuesday, it gives us time to talk through your findings and recommendations during our weekly meeting on Wednesday morning. Thanks When setting direction, always highlight What you are asking for.The use or context of t he assignment.The intended outcomes.The time-frame or as needed, specific due date.Your appreciation for the individuals efforts. When Orders are Acceptable Exceptions to the Dont give orders rule include situations involving emergencies or the health or safety of individuals. The right orders at the right time can save lives, prevent injuries, and stave off potential disasters. From military to law enforcement to firefighting or the hospital emergency room or surgery suite, there absolutely are situations where direct orders are required. However, if your environment is less volatile than those situations, use orders sparingly. The Bottom Line Your job as a manager is to get things done. However, it also means getting things done through others. When you give orders, you limit the group to your level of expertise. When you give instructions, you let the employees contribute whatever they can. The next time you start to give an order, give instructions instead. Tell the empl oyee clearly what you want to be done. Let them figure out how to do it. It is a better solution for both of you.

The older the woman, the wider the gender pay gap

The older the woman, the wider the gender pay gapThe older the woman, the wider the gender pay gapWomen at every age earn less than men of the same age, but the gender pay gap is far wider for older working women.Newdata from PayScaleshows that women age 45 and older earn 70 for every dollar that men earn, before adjusting for factors like experience and industry. By comparison, women age 30 to 44 earn 78 for every dollar men earn, and women in their 20s receive 83.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe older women get, the wider the pay gap becomes. Women ages 55 to 64 earn just 69 for every dollar earned by a man, and those 65 and older take home only 65 compared to men.When researchers adjust the data to account for factors like job titles, industry, and experience, the pay gap shrinks markedly For women over age 45, that apples-to-apples pay gap is only 97.But thats not necessa rily a good thing. That gulf between so-called controlled and uncontrolled pay gaps represents what PayScale calls the Opportunity Gap- societal and business forces that keep women in lower-paying jobs and industries while men continue to advance and earn more.Women are opting out of- or being excluded from- some of the highest-paying industries, such astechnology, where women make up just 29% of workers, and theyre not being promoted into management as quickly as men are.When workers are in their 20s, the report finds that three-quarters of both men and women hold non-managerial jobs- what youd expect early in a career. But by age 45 and above, 30% of women are managers or supervisors, while 38% of men are. In that age group, only 3% of women have become executives, vs. 8% of men.The gender pay gap gets talked about as if its a single number or a single problem, but there are so many issues that contribute to why these gaps exist, says Lydia Frank, PayScales vice president of conte nt strategy.In addition to earningfewer promotionsand smaller raises, women are more likely than men are to taketime off from work to care for family membersthroughout their careers. Over time, that absence contributes to the widening pay gap.In anearlier study, PayScale found that workers who took at least a year off from a job earned 7.3% less on average than similar employees who did not take a break.While some of the solutions to the pay gap may have to come from company policies and regulatory changes, there are ways you can make sure youre being paid a fair wage throughout your career.Know your valueAt sites likePayScaleandGlassdoor, you can get hard data on the market-rate salary for your position, vital ammunition when negotiating for raise. If your manager mucksmuschenstill says no, dont let the conversation end there.Its okay to ask questions, Frank says. If it has something to do with your performance, you want to understand what you can do better, and when you can follow up on the conversation.Keep one foot in the workforceSometimes taking time off to care for a sick parent or to help with new grandchildren is unavoidable, but try not to put your career entirely on the backburner.Continue to network and consider taking on some gig economy work while youre caring for family, so that companies can see youre still up to speed when youre ready to come back.Seek out companies dedicated to gender equityA growing number of companies are committing to closing the pay gaps within their ranks. Look for firms that are publicly discussing their efforts to do so.One good sign A diverse C-suite and board of directors. If you look at an organization, and their entire executive team is white men, run, Frank says.This article first appeared on Considerable.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How (and Why) to Fire Someone From Your Band

How (and Why) to Fire Someone From Your gruppeHow (and Why) to Fire Someone From Your musikgruppeFiring a band member is a tough proposition. First, you have to be sure you even have the right to fire someone from the band and continue on using the same name and material. Dont assume this is the case, because there may be legal issues involved. As much as no one likes to fire a co-worker or bandmate,sometimes it has to be done. Theres little you can do to make it sound like great nachrichtensendung to the person getting the boot, but there are things you can do to lessen the fallout and protect yourself and the band.? Before you take the step, make sure its worth it. Is the person leid showing up for rehearsals? Is their behavior toxic to the rest of the group? Maybe theyre not up to the job musically, or, perhaps its just a personality conflict that cant be resolved. 1. They Dont Show Up for Practice Bands have different approaches to practice depending on their schedules and m usic goals. The important thing is that youre all on the same page with how things are done in your band. If the rest of you are absolutely committed to making regularly scheduled rehearsals and working hard while youre there, but your bandmate isnt, then youve got a problem on your hands. Their lack of commitment to practice is likely to spill into other areas of your music. 2. Their Behavior Is an Issue Do you have someone in your band who is forever picking fights at venues, showing up late to important appointments, and overindulging in music biz excesses at the expense of the work youre doing? This kind of bad behavior may seem very rock and roll to them, but in reality, theyre making you look bad and giving your band a reputation that could impact your chances of getting new shows, attractingmanagersandagents, and so on. If youre getting kicked out of every venue youre showing up to play, its time for a little damage control. 3. Your Band Is Their Side Project When you re getting started as a band, its not uncommon to bring in musicians who have other projects going on. Thats fine, but that sort of relationship has its way of running its course. This band member may get so excited about your music that your band becomes their main thing, or they may be already so committed to another act that youre always going to be second fiddle. If things start happening for your band - like getting big touring opportunities or a deal - then you need someone who can be on motherboard with the project all the way. If youve got someone who just cant, youre going to need to find someone to fill their shoes, no matter how big. 4. Theyre Not Up to the Job Not every musician is a fit for every band. If youve got someone in your band who isnt musically up to snuff when it comes to playing your songs or who simply excels at things your band doesnt really need, theyd probably be happier playing with a different group - and youd be happier with a different musician playing your tunes. 5. You Just Dont Work Well Together You may think that you can tolerate someone because oftheir skill, but in the long run, skill isnt enough for a band to succeed. It takes commitment to the band and each other. It takes mutual respect. If youre a new band building your music career together, you dont have to do it with people you cant stand. Now is the time to build a band you can go on this journey with, and its just easier if you all like each other and support each other. Its not going to get easier to get along once deals and money and big decisions start entering the picture. Things to Do Before You Fire a Band Mate Once you know that youre readyto part ways and let your bandmate go, there are a few things you need to know before you have the talk. Make Sure You Have the AuthorityIn most cases, you cant just show someone the door. Depending which member of the band is being fired, the rest of the group might not be able to continue using the same n ame and songs. If the person youre getting rid of has some claim of ownership of the band, a founding member, for instance,you may be looking at more of a band break-up scenario than a straightforward firing. Youd be free to continue on with the rest of the band, but you may be playing under a different name and with new material. You cant continue to use someone elses creative work while cutting them out of it unless its clearly spelled out under a band contract. Check Your Band ContractIf you have a contract, it almost certainly deals with situations like firings and acceptable reasons for termination from the band. If youve got the agreement, you have to abide by it, but the contract may allow you to fire a so-called key person for a cause stated in the contract and continue using the name and the music- with the requisite compensation, of course.Check Your Record DealIf you have a record dealand the person you want to fire person is specified as a key member in that record deal, you risk the label dropping you. The label believes this member isso important that losing them would result in a different band from the one they signed. This is usually the case with a lead singer. For example, if U2 fired Bono, they would definitely have a label problem. But a key member can be any band member that your label views as critical to your project and public image. How to Make the Firing ritterlich Financially The financial complexity of firing a band member depends on where you are in your career when the firing takes place. If theres no money coming in and no deals about to be signed that this musician helped you obtain through their talent, work, or connections, then it may simply come down to putting down a little good faith cash if, say, the departing member was the one who always paid for the beer. On the other hand, if youve got a record deal, albums that are being sold, licensing income being generated on songs this musician helped write, then things can get messy. If youve got a contract, youll know exactly how to deal with the situation. But if you dont,discuss the issues and hammer out an agreement in writing. This is especially Ditto if this person invested a lot of money in the band and should be paid back. If it gets too complex or too contentious, get a mediator or lawyer involved to help you come to an agreement. Its easier to deal with this now than have it become something way messier down the line, like a lawsuit. Plus, its fair. How to Make the Firing Fair Personally Firing someone does not typically endear you to them. In a perfect world, the musician being let go will agree that this just isnt working out for anyone and move on- but that doesnt always happen. Try to convince the person youre letting go that its in both of your best interests to keep this whole affair as professional as possible. If you can, come to an agreement on how youll all address the questions that will come up. After the dust settles- and i t will eventually- what people will remember is the grace you showed in the situation. It will make you more attractive to work with. Treat the outgoing band member with as much respect as possible. If you owe them money, see that they get it. If they bought some stuff for the band, make sure they get it back. If you know of a gig that might be just right for them, pass it along. Do the Deed and Wrap It Up Dont prolong the firing process. Sit down, have the discussion and make sure youre clear about how any loose ends will be tied up. You may need to negotiate some things. If you do, put it all in writing. Thats the best and fairest thing for all parties, and it will let you both get on with pursuing your musical ambitions a lot quicker.