I know a lot of bosses, but there is one woman who stands out as the best. Her team is tough and her business is stressful, yet she succeeds through strong leadership values we can all learn from. Supportive and Patient She believes in encouragement, not punishment. In Lee Cockerell's "Creating Magic," there is an … Continue reading The Best Boss I Know
Author: John Demma
Welcome to my blog. I have been a manager for fifteen years, and for the past five years I have been leading teams of 500 people or more as a director and VP for large growth companies. I share my leadership journey and thoughts here with the hopes of helping and inspiring other leaders.
Management Skills: Focus on Success
During tough times work can feel like a lot of effort without a lot of results to show for it. As a manager, I've fallen victim to a seemingly common trap –– focusing on my team's failures, shortcomings and missteps rather than on anything positive. I ask them at meetings, "What are we doing wrong?" … Continue reading Management Skills: Focus on Success
Management Schizophrenia
Early in my career I had multiple manager personality disorder. I was respectful attentive John around my manager. John the comedian with my peers. I was authoritative with my direct reports and still someone else with customers. Trying to be what I thought others wanted me to be led to a kind of management schizophrenia. Consciously … Continue reading Management Schizophrenia
Love/Hate: The New Balance of Management
In my last post I talked about how management challenges are a lot like long distance running. New Balance shoes brilliantly branded the running experience in their ad campaign "Love/Hate, the New Balance." Anyone who's ever been out for a long run knows exactly what they mean. Running is easy to hate. It's hard work, … Continue reading Love/Hate: The New Balance of Management
A Manager’s Motivation
I once read that self-pity is unbecoming of a manager. This is not a self-pity post. The fact is managing people can sometimes be stressful and isolating work. It’s not all giving high-fives and atta-boys. Managers must often make unpopular decisions and hold people accountable for their actions. So why do we do it? Why … Continue reading A Manager’s Motivation
Leadership Lessons From Lincoln
I just finished the Abraham Lincoln biography, “With Malice Towards None,” by Stephen Oates. While one biography certainly does not make me an authority on such a complex man, I did take away some leadership lessons. The work humanizes Lincoln, showing readers he was capable of mistakes just like the rest of us. At the … Continue reading Leadership Lessons From Lincoln
Managing Change
We’ve had a major organization structure change at our company this past week. Change is a scary word for people at work. The mere mention of organizational change creates anxiety in people. Will I be getting a new boss? New responsibilities? Have the company's expectations of me changed? There are over 14,000 books on Amazon … Continue reading Managing Change
Three Resolutions for Better Performance in 2011
Since New Year’s is a time for reflection and goal setting –– two of my favorite things to do—I thought I’d share my plans to improve as a leader in 2011. Few people make resolutions that become real habits. Most diets and exercise plans won’t last through 2011, but can we create lasting leadership habits? … Continue reading Three Resolutions for Better Performance in 2011
Every Baby’s Different
My wife and I are expecting our first baby in March. We've shared the exciting news with everyone. The other night I was talking with a classmate, a father of two. As he told me about his kids, he shared a simple and elegant but powerful insight. "Every baby's different,” he said. I thought what … Continue reading Every Baby’s Different
You Never Know
You're a young entrepreneur who's just inherited his father's burgeoning business. Dad passed away just as the business was getting on its feet and this makes you doubly committed to success, yet cautious of the mistakes the inexperienced (you!) are likely to make. One day a not-very-prosperous looking gentleman wants to pay for a huge … Continue reading You Never Know
If It Ain’t Broke, Grow It
The old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" does not apply to business. Complacent businesses quickly fade to obsolescence as competitors pass them by. The same could be said for us at work. If we don't plan to grow our careers, someone more thoughtful and ambitious will pass us by. The question "How … Continue reading If It Ain’t Broke, Grow It
The Dark Side of Email
Email, text messaging, and social media messaging are some of the greatest technological innovations of our time. But there is a dark side to these communication tools. One that destroys time and creates trouble for the unscrupulous user. Here are some of my tips to keep the dark side of professional communication at bay. Time: Set aside … Continue reading The Dark Side of Email
Busy Work
Peter Drucker, one the most celebrated management minds of the twentieth century, applies the 80/20 rule to time management. Drucker says that managers spend 80% of their time on busy work, and only 20% of their time adding value to the organization. Do you think this is true? Is 80% of our time at work … Continue reading Busy Work
Staying Power
Some ideas come and go while others have real staying power. One of my favorite business writers, Gary Hamel, compares the odds of developing a lasting innovation to the survival rates we see in nature. In his July 2001 article in Fortune, Hamel points out that "for every 1,000 eggs laid, only one sea turtle … Continue reading Staying Power
Internal Customer Service
When you are a customer, how do you judge customer service? Quality. Value. Speed. Help with resolving your problems. I like to think of associates as customers of the management team. How would your direct reports rate your management "product"? Quality Training that helps the associate make meaningful progress. Feedback and coaching that lets them … Continue reading Internal Customer Service