Mike McBride Online

Career

Linked – Monitoring Individual Employees Isn’t the Way to Boost Productivity
ByMike McBride December 5, 2022December 4, 2022 Reading Time: 1 minute

I am convinced that the best managers are the ones who help remove obstacles to doing good work. Every organization has them. It’s a question of how effectively they can be navigated. In toxic environments, it’s not possible. In healthy ones overcoming obstacles is possible, and that is where managers focus their efforts. Monitoring every action of an individual employee does nothing to help them navigate the obstacles and does nothing to support them. It’s all a top-down case of the “gotchas.”

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Training

Linked – Talent Development—Let’s Get These Myths Out of the Way!
ByMike McBride December 1, 2022November 30, 2022 Reading Time: 1 minute

Imagine having one thing you can do that would give you a 94% retention rate. There is one, though it won’t be as simple as doing one thing. It will involve figuring out the appropriate career development tools and paths for the people you are trying to retain, but having a program designed for that purpose gets you way ahead of most companies.

Yes, the thought that people aren’t loyal and won’t stay no matter what you invest in them is, in fact, a myth.

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Security

Computer Repair Shops are Not Safe
ByMike McBride November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 Reading Time: 1 minute

I’ve written before about the IT people in your company who probably know more about you than you might think. This now extends to taking your personal devices to a repair shop. You should assume someone might be surfing through your data while working on your computer, and you should decide if you are OK with that or if the physical destruction of the device after being replaced is the safer option.

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Career

Linked – What Great Remote Managers Do Differently
ByMike McBride November 28, 2022November 28, 2022 Reading Time: 2 minutes

If you haven’t taught your managers how to do more than measure time in seats, you’ve done everyone a disservice, especially those same workers who performed so well for you remotely that you’ve rewarded them by making them return to what they did before.

That’s not smart.

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Links | Mental Health

Linked – Why It’s Critical to Start Talking About Suicide in the Workplace
ByMike McBride November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 Reading Time: 2 minutes

So please, read the whole thing and be prepared for the possibility that someone you work with may be at risk for suicide or surviving after a loved one’s death by suicide. The more you know the more you can support them.

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Career | Training

The Benefits of the Arts in Business
ByMike McBride November 21, 2022November 22, 2022 Reading Time: 2 minutes

My point was that as a trainer, I do quite a bit of presenting and public speaking. I also do a fair bit of storytelling, but I didn’t learn that skill in business school or from my technical education. I had to learn those skills later in my professional life. So, I take every opportunity to encourage young people to learn those skills. You may not be looking for a career as a speaker, actor, or Improvisational Comedy, but the skills you learn there will make you stand out in the workplace when it comes time to do a presentation or speak up for your ideas.

I was reminded of this again last week when I listened to my friend and former colleague Laura Prael being interviewed on the Aussie podcast Two Drunk Accountants.

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