Management Tip of the Day

Most leaders, even highly skilled ones, aren’t great at detecting ambiguous threats on the periphery of their business. But to be successful, you need to pick up weak signals from both inside and outside the organization. To get better at this critical skill, talk to your customers, suppliers, and other partners to understand their …

If you’ve tried all of the basic ways to manage your email, but are still feeling overwhelmed, try setting quotas. The idea is that the more messages you send, the more you get. Assume that every email you send will generate 4–10 responses, so you’re creating work for yourself with each message. Limit the number of threads you …

Every business wants to know what influences their customers. So, they should just ask them, right? Not so fast. There’s a fundamental problem with asking people what will persuade them to change: Most of the time they won’t know the answer.

When you present, your audience usually sizes you up before you even utter a word — so it’s critical to make a positive first impression. Start by communicating ahead of time. Send a thoughtfully written agenda with a concise but telling subject line — and be explicit about what the audience will get out of it. Once they’re in …

Quitting a job can have negative consequences on both your career and your bank account. But staying in a bad situation can be worse. Here are three tips for deciding if it’s time to go:

Every business leader should be able to create a good strategy. Think of it as the intersection of two critical dimensions: where to play and how to win there. First, decide the regions, customer segments, product categories, and channels in which you will operate. Strategy is about doing some things and not others, so make clear where …

Most managers today understand the importance of reaching out to colleagues through LinkedIn, following and being followed on Twitter, and actively participating in corporate social media initiatives – but fewer know how to effectively use these networks. One way is to gather information by testing proposals and strategies, inside and …

Don’t show up for a job interview without a stockpile of good stories. These narratives should be parables with a moral at the end, showcasing the skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Americans sit for an average of 9.3 hours a day. And a slew of studies have shown just how unhealthy that is, linking it to heart disease, obesity, and cancer. So next time you need to meet with a colleague, don’t book a conference room. Take a walk. Aside from the much-needed exercise, there are numerous benefits:

• Having a common

…

To make it in any job, you need to be able to convey ideas clearly and effectively. There are three things the best communicators employ to deliver their message:

• Credibility. Prove your authority by demonstrating technical expertise in a specific area, which helps convince people that you know what you’re talking about. If you

…

It’s important to have realistic expectations before negotiating a salary offer. Employers base salaries on what they currently pay to fill similar roles and what they believe competitors are paying. They may also have a predetermined range or other budget constraints. Find out what people usually make doing the job (including at the …

No one wants their writing to put readers to sleep. And yet, many managers write boring and repetitive e-mails, reports, and letters. To keep your readers engaged, try the following:

• Use personal pronouns skillfully. Don’t overuse I (try not to begin paragraphs or successive sentences with it), but do lean heavily on we, our, you,

…