Sat.Aug 22, 2009 - Fri.Aug 28, 2009

Eric Jacobson

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Learn Legal Terms Quickly

Eric Jacobson

As a manager, you likely review vendor agreements, sales contracts and other documents with legal terms you may not know so well. Perhaps you've run across terms, such as: Governing Law Counterparts Material Breach Representations Indemnifications Material Default Fiduciary Letter of Intent Penalty Clause Arbitration Copyright You can find the definitions and explanations for all these and thousands of other legal terms in the pocket-sized Barron's Law Dictionary by Steven H.

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Do This Exercise With Your Team/Department

Eric Jacobson

One of my most talented former direct reports uses with her team the book "Now, Discover Your Strengths" and the exercise that accompanies that book. She recently got me hooked on the book/exercise program. The program helps you identify your five most important strengths in ways I've never seen before. Among the 34 strength themes covered in the book, I discovered my strengths to be: Maximizer Consistency Empathy Responsibility Achiever Equally, important to knowing one's own strengths is under

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Get A Second Read On Your Important Documents

Eric Jacobson

When writing important memos, policies, instructions and/or global communications, ask a co-worker or fellow manager to read your document before you distribute it. Getting that second opinion/read can be very helpful. Often, the other person will spot misspellings. Sometimes, she (or he) can help you tweak the tone to better fit your document's audience.

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Be Visible

Eric Jacobson

If you are a manager in a small business or not so large department, it's probably easy for you to be visible to your employees and co-workers. If you manage a large business, department or organization , you'll want to make a conscious effort to be visible. Don't spend your days behind closed doors or constantly in meetings. Walk around. Make conversation with your team members.

Report 50
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Hire To Complement, Not To Duplicate

Eric Jacobson

Despite the temptation to hire someone like yourself, hire someone to complement your skills --not to duplicate your skills. Managers often find it easier, more comfortable, or less threatening to hire someone with similar skills and work habits. But, to build a well-balanced team and to achieve maximum success, you need to have employees who can fill in your weaker areas.

Skills 50
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Provide Constructive Feedback

Eric Jacobson

Think about how much feedback a football coach gives his players. Or, how much feedback you get from a private lesson golf instructor. Think about how much feedback you give your kid when she is first learning to ride a bike. We all are learn from getting constructive feedback. We learn what we're doing well. We learn what we need to improve. Good managers provide constructive feedback to their employees on a routine basis.

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Plan A Job Learning Day Each Month

Eric Jacobson

Having your employees learn more about what their fellow employees do is invaluable. When everyone knows how each job/position on your team fits together, your team can accomplish so much more. Plus, the new-found knowledge drives a better appreciation for what everyone does, and proves to the team, that success comes only when all the pieces fit together like a well-oiled machine.