Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors, Second Edition (Perfect Phrases Series)

Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors, Second Edition (Perfect Phrases Series)

The Right Phrase for Every Situation . . . Every Time Communication is the single most important skill for excelling as a manager. What you say and how you say it sets the tone for your department and your entire organization. Perfect Phrases for Managers and Supervisors , second edition, has been completely revised to help you communicate in today’s workplace, where collaboration, cooperation, and personalization are critical to building an efficient, productive work environment. Learn the most effective language for: Setting a tone of mutual trust and respect - Dealing with difficult employees and delicate problems - Conducting interviews and performance reviews - Empowering your people - Disciplining workers or terminating employment Meryl Runion is president and CEO of SpeakStrong, Inc., and a Certified Speaking Professional. Meryl Runion is president and CEO of SpeakStrong, Inc., and a Certified Speaking Professional. PERFECT PHRASES for MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases for Overcoming Any Management Situation By Meryl Runion The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Copyright © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-07-174231-3 Contents AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1 The New Workforce Demographics Require New Dynamics of CommunicationChapter 2 The New Dynamics of CommunicationChapter 3 Put Your Best Foot Forward: Perfect Phrases to Establish Your New RoleChapter 4 Perfect Phrases to Create a Mission, Vision, and Values-Based TeamChapter 5 Perfect Phrases to Foster Open CommunicationChapter 6 Perfect Phrases to Ace the Interview You ConductChapter 7 Perfect Phrases for Employee OrientationChapter 8 Perfect Phrases for Netiquette, Social Media, and Other Online ActivitiesChapter 9 Perfect Phrases to Address DiversityChapter 10 Perfect Phrases for DelegationChapter 11 Perfect Phrases to Set and Communicate Standards and GoalsChapter 12 Perfect Phrases to Coach EmployeesChapter 13 Perfect Phrases to Handle Performance and Behavior ProblemsChapter 14 Perfect Phrases for Performance ReviewsChapter 15 Perfect Phrases for Ending EmploymentChapter 16 Perfect Phrases for Virtual and Face-to-Face Meetings and AnnouncementsChapter 17 Perfect Phrases to Empower the TeamChapter 18 Perfect Phrases to Communicate Up the LadderChapter 19 Dynamized Management Communication Can Energize Productivity Excerpt CHAPTER 1 The New Workforce Demographics Require New Dynamics of Communication This is not "your father's Perfect Phrases book." That's because we don't workin our father's work environment. Many factors are changing the way we relate,influence, and succeed. These factors change the nature of power. What got us tothe top in the past will hold us back in the future. The old model of managementcommunication— top-down, controlled messages, paying lip service toemployees while imposing force—doesn't work in this new world. We need newmodels and new phrasing for our new workplace demographics. A Woman's Nation Since 2008, women have officially outnumbered men in supervisory positions, andsince October of 2009, they have taken predominance in the workplace as a whole.The Shriver Report declared the United States to be a woman's nation, with thepostscript that "a woman's nation changes everything." While the report notesthat not everyone experiences a feminized workplace culture, clearly the trendis toward acceptance and valuation of traditional women's characteristics. Theseare the qualities of collaboration, cooperation, and personalization of businessinteractions. Of course, men can and often do also embody these values. And manywomen don't. Some women struggle with a collaborative style, either because itis not natural to them or because they have spent decades adapting to apredominantly male communication workplace culture. Still, women are seen as thedrivers of these trends. According to author Judy B. Rosener, women have shownthemselves to be "far more likely than men to describe themselves astransforming subordinates' self-interest into concern for the whole organizationand as using personal traits like charisma, work record, and interpersonalskills to motivate others." This collaborative trend is expected to persist aswomen continue to grow in workforce predominance. Generation Y The youngest generation of workers is also pushing management toward a newcommunication dynamic. Generation Y is naturally conversational, informal,egalitarian, and personal. To inspire and motivate younger employees, managersare learning to develop their personal working relationships and deliverindividual benefits to meet individual needs. The workers who make up this newgeneration expect their input, opinions, and desires to be acknowledged and forcommunication to be reciprocal. Most workers under age forty have never known aworkplace without women managers and colleagues, and they are increasinglycomfortable with a diversified workplace. Of