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The mixed messages you’re sending employees

5 min read

Tom was a new sales support manager who’d been in the role for about a month. One of his employees, Rhonda, was quite a sensitive person, and although she’d been in the job three years and knew the role well, Tom felt she needed to be more forceful and decisive when dealing with the company’s…

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5 ways to avoid email misinterpretations

7 min read

Text, email, Facebook Messenger, heck, let’s even throw snail mail in there—nowadays, there are a ton of ways to communicate with our peers without having to interact face to face. And because of the ease and convenience, we have become dependent on these tools as our first form of communication. The problem is, the written…

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Employees in meeting

Not everyone is born to lead and other management myths

10 min read

I recently met up with Marissa Mias, marketing coordinator on my team, to discuss why some of the most infamous management myths exist, shared perspectives, and provided some tips to help managers at all stages of their career (watch the video). We scoured the internet, tapped our networks, surveyed hundreds, and leveraged our own experiences and…

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Man on laptop

The 5 C’s of exceptional management

5 min read

I often like to say there’s no cookie-cutter mold for successful management. Great managers come in all shapes and sizes.

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Coworkers in meeting

Management tip: The benefits of daily stand-up

7 min read

As you matriculate into a new company, you’re acutely attuned to the seemingly little things that make this new working situation different from past work experiences.

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Employees in meeting

Coaching your employees: What to know for your first time

7 min read

There I was, talking to a total stranger and hanging on her every word. She was a charming, energetic, professional woman, maybe 28 or 29 years old. The topic of conversation was Email. “My teammates at work don’t communicate very well. Especially by email!” she said. As she spoke, I wrote down every word in…

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Man writing on whiteboard

What data can tell us about managing people

18 min read

The Predictive Index (PI) CEO talked with Vickers Engineering Process Improvement Manager Jordan Klint about where data comes into play when hiring and managing people. Take a listen or read the full transcript of the interview below. Mike: Great. I am Mike Zani, the CEO of The Predictive Index. I am excited to be here with Jordan Klint. We…

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Boston Bruins goal

Analyzing the Boston Bruins’ behaviors

7 min read

In honor of my favorite time of year, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I thought it’d be fun to do an analysis of the Boston Bruins’ first line/starting defense and goalie…not to mention, The Predictive Index has been based in the Boston area for the past 50 year so we are a bit excited for our…

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PI coworkers laughing

How self-aware are you?

4 min read

Recently, I had a client come to me very upset. She had begun working with two people who both had a Predictive Index behavioral pattern almost identical to hers and she said, “Melanie, please tell me I don’t come across like those two!” Unfortunately, what I couldn’t tell her was that the descriptions she gave me…

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people in training room

When it comes to motivation, one size doesn’t fit all

5 min read

I knew about “management by objectives.” Then I learned about “management by biscuits.” You can learn about management in the unlikeliest places. In this case, it was from Hamish, my out-of-control West Highland Terrier.

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man talking to people

How to understand different types of employee behavior in the workplace

6 min read

Understanding the influencing factors and types of employee behavior is critical to your success. Here’s the four key factors you need to know.

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Steve at PC

The patience drive deconstructed

6 min read

This blog post is the third in a four-part series covering the four behavioral drives that The Predictive Index measures in its PI Behavioral Assessment.

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Man on computer working

The quiet epidemic of under-management

3 min read

We hear a lot in the business world about over-management, specifically the well-documented and demoralizing tendency toward micromanagement. In fact, a 2014 accounttemps survey found that 68% of people who felt micromanaged found it demoralizing. But we hear relatively little about under-management. Yet this quality—this tendency to (often subtly) avoid one’s managerial responsibilities  definitely plays…

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Communicating to employees

Decoding management communication

2 min read

Communication is the oil that keeps the engine of your organization running smoothly, and it all starts with management.  “I never met a good manager who wasn’t also a good communicator.” Today, more than two decades later, I still remember the conversation well. I was discussing “what makes an effective manager” with one of our company’s…

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Dealing with bad employees

What to do when you can’t stand the people you manage

4 min read

Frustrating employees got you down? Here are 5 ways to combat this management nightmare. In one key area, senior management differs not at all from the role of the supervisor on the shop floor. Regardless of your level in an organization, you will over the course of your management career have difficult people to deal…

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