Management: Tools for Being a Better Manager
“Management” is such a broad and vague term, but at its core management entails the fine art of supervising other people. Whether you’re a high-level executive, run a small business, or work in middle or lower management, the job of managing people involves many pitfalls and challenges. In this Web Guide we recommend the best places on the Internet to get general management advice. You’ll learn about hiring and firing, explore motivation and team building, and find some great blogs and forums on management.
Expand All Guide SectionsGeneral Management Advice
As a manager, you have your work cut out for you: you have to build a workforce, cultivate it, ... read more »
Interviewing and Hiring Employees
It is much easier to be an effective manager if you have talented employees, and part of your job ... read more »
Promoting, Firing, and Performance Evaluations
The sites in this section explore some of the more enjoyable parts of being a manager, and some of the most disconcerting. That being said, the practices of evaluating employee performance and promoting or firing accordingly are still fine arts that should be researched in advance.
Dulcinea's Insight
- Be aware when researching on your own for performance evaluations that you may come across professor or college faculty performance evaluations. If this isn’t what you’re looking for, keep in mind that a university Web site contains an “.edu” in the URL, and skip that site.
- Before you terminate anyone’s employment, you should know your legal rights as well as the employee’s rights. The section of this guide on Management Legal Concerns should help.
- If you are conducting your own search, bear in mind that different Web sites use different words and phrases to refer to employee termination. Changing your search terms from “laying off” to “firing” to “terminating,” for example, will yield sometimes drastically different results.
Dulcinea's Picks
For help with performance evaluations …
Microsoft Office Online
presents an article from a management and organization development consultant describing how to conduct employee performance evaluations. Explore some of the various types of evaluations, such as “point evaluation” and “factor comparison,” and learn the best ways to implement them.
Ask a Manager
is a blog written by a manager of a medium-sized organization. Read this post to learn what to expect with performance evaluations, and how to make the most of them.
Nolo
is a legal information Web site, and this particular selection called “How to Conduct Employee Evaluations” stresses the important legal implications. Read how employee evaluations can be legally beneficial in the long run because they provide a record of your suggestions for improvement, in case you later need to fire anyone.
AllBusiness.com
provides a number of articles about employee self-reviews. Read “The Benefits of Employee Self-Reviews” to learn how employee self-reviews are “becoming more and more prevalent in the workplace.”
For promoting …
Expert Business Source’s
blog, “HR Made Simple,” presents an introductory article on promoting workers called “Promoting Employees: How to Avoid Common Mistakes.” Read up on some of the most important things to consider when promoting other employees.
Microsoft Small Business Center
offers a selection called “Promoting employees: how to get it right.” Look for seven tips to keep in mind when you’re considering giving an employee that promotion.
For employee termination …
AllBusiness.com
, though ad-heavy, has an impressive compilation of articles and videos about terminating employees. Look for content organized in three main sections: “Layoffs & Dismissals,” “Severance Pay,” and “Wrongful Termination.” Don’t miss the “Editors’ Picks” for suggested articles, or view the most recently added pieces near the bottom of the page.
CIO.com
provides this article entitled, “Management: How to Fire People.” Although the Web site and the article are geared toward the business technology and IT industry, the information is applicable to anyone who needs help with this daunting task. Read the insightful interviews with an assortment of business leaders to learn their differing theories.
BusinessWeek
presents this 2007 article called “Fear Of Firing.” Read about the tense environment in the present day managerial world where firing an employee is not only an unpleasant experience, but also a feared one. The article makes use of some horror stories (for managers, at least) involving litigation. Though you won’t find much practical information on preventing these predicaments, the article does succeed in raising awareness of the issue.
Employee Motivation
One of the most important talents a manager can have is the ability to motivate his or her workers ... read more »
Management Legal Issues
You don’t have to be a lawyer to benefit from educating yourself about management legal ... read more »
Management Blogs and Forums
Sometimes the best information can come from others in your situation. By picking the brains of ... read more »
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