Management Challenges Covered by
The Managers Resource Center
Each bullet below has a solutions page that offers concise, actionable advice on how to address the issue.
Goal Management Challenges
Individual Objectives
Writing clear performance objectives for your staff members
Assigning objectives and managing workload across your staff
Keeping your staff members objectives current
Addressing objectives that are not being worked on
Deciding if staff members should write their own objectives
Organizational Objectives
Determining your organizational objectives
Creating measures for organizational objectives
Aligning your organization’s objectives to your manager’s objectives
Requesting support from other organizations, and dealing with denied requests
Managing requests from other organizations
Addressing your organization’s lack of capacity
Coaching and Development Challenges
Developing Individuals
Writing development objectives for your staff members
Describing what a staff member needs to develop
Explaining how development objectives relate to performance objectives
Developing skills for which there is no training
Establishing your role when employees own their own career
Discussing career goals with your staff members
Developing staff members when they have no time for development
Developing staff when you have no time
Developing Your Organization
Creating a development plan for your organization
Developing staff despite having no training budget
Developing backups for specialists
Ensuring cross training is completed
Developing your staff, even though you are not rewarded for it
Understanding how coaching fits with the GROW model
Managing The Promotion Process
Explaining to staff members the path to promotion
Answering questions such as, “When will I be promoted?”
Determining who gets promotions, and when
Providing staff members experience needed for promotions
Convincing your manager to approve a promotion
Developing staff members despite few promotion possibilities
Performance Management Challenges
Addressing Performance Issues
Managing negative feedback from others about a staff member
Addressing problem behavior you have not witnessed
Determining if a staff member’s behavior is a problem
Making a course correction: a relatively minor behavior change
Addressing a performance problem: a serious performance issue
Addressing “wrecking ball” behavior: getting things done, but in the wrong way
Documenting a performance issue
Responding to negative reactions
Recognizing Strong Performance
Providing positive feedback
Emphasizing Key Practices
Ensuring key work practices and procedures are followed
Annual Evaluation Challenges
Gathering Input
Requesting and filtering self-assessments
Soliciting input from others about staff members’ performance
Filtering feedback from others about staff members’ performance
Coordinating writing with other managers
Writing the Evaluation
Establishing an efficient writing method
Writing or improving the past year's objectives retroactively (and fairly)
Writing for performance that exceeded expectations
Writing for performance that met expectations
Writing for performance that did not meet expectations
Addressing Other Writing Challenges
How do I write for “matrixed” staff members that report to me, but work on projects?
What if a project a staff member was on was canceled?
The way a staff member got things done was a problem (wrecking ball)
I inherited a staff member with inflated ratings
What if staff members did not work on some objectives this year?
Can operational work receive on an “exceeds” rating?
My manager is forcing me to give lower ratings
What if others are giving me negative feedback I didn’t see?
What if the staff member addressed a performance issue?
Delivering The Evaluation
Allowing private pre-reading
Using a “summary of performance” discussion opening
Explaining a merit increase
Responding to questions about promotions
Managing negative reactions
Remote Management Challenges
Setting and Maintaining Direction
Communicating organizational objectives
Using individual objectives to manage performance
Holding regular 1:1 meetings
Creating a “drop-by” communication method
Holding virtual staff meetings
Coaching and Developing Remotely
Maintaining fundamental development practices
Managing Performance Remotely
Managing performance when you don't "see" staff
New Manager Challenges
First Key Steps
First Step: Aligning with your manager
Meeting with each staff member
Establishing objectives for your staff
Establishing a management routine
Addressing inherited performance issues
Establishing Relationships
Treating your staff members with respect
Managing relationships with former peers
Delegation
Delegating short-term tasks
Overcoming your reluctance to delegate
Managing "delegation resisters”