Newsletter Nuggets: April 19, 2007
…tips and tricks for writing great ezines and blogs
Table of Contents
1. A Note from Patsi – When Your Client’s Expectations Are a Mystery
2. May 07 Featured Article: Great Expectations: The Boss/Direct Report Tango
3. What’s New on the Blogs?
A note from Patsi –
I have a creative challenge this week; maybe you’ve had a similar one. Have you ever worked with a client who didn’t know what they want or need, or who has trouble communicating what they want?
This week a new client said to use my best judgment and design their newsletter for them.
While I am flattered to have someone place a high level of confidence in my work, I have no idea what their expectations are. And people always have expectations, even if they say they don’t!
Which got me to thinking about expectations. It’s so much easier to work when you have clarity about expectations on both sides of the relationship.
This month’s executive coaching article is all about expectations – between the boss and a direct report – and how important it is to set out clear sets of agreements. How much easier it is to work with someone when you know what they want from you, and how much involvement they want you to have with them.
I hope you find value in the article and can use it for your ezine, blog or website. For more up-to-date tips about writing for the web, for newsletters and blogs, subscribe to CoachEzines blog here.
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Featured Article for May 07:
Great Expectations:
The Boss/Direct Report Tango
Categories: Leadership, Communications, Careers, Retention & Succession Planning
What should a leader expect from a direct report and what can the latter expect from the leader in return?
When both parties have clear expectations, the relationship is smooth like a tango. If one person gets out of step, however, the ensuing relationship makes for discord.
While much has been written about what makes a great leader, there is little discussion about the relationship dynamics between a leader and a direct report – until now, that is. Larry Bossidy, former CEO of Allied Signal and coauthor of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (Crown Business, 2002), recently proposed a compact between boss and subordinate.
Bossidy outlines his preferred set of expectations in a Harvard Business Review article, "What Your Leader Expects of You, And What You Should Expect in Return" (April 2007).
These expectations form the basis of the relationship and can be used to measure performance behaviors for appraisal reviews. Even though a direct report’s expectations for the boss may have less leverage, setting clear expectations facilitates their relationship.
A set of expectations can and should work both ways. Certain behaviors on the part of both leader and direct report are crucial to performance, as well as forming rewarding relationships. Setting clear expectations keeps people focused on what really matters and helps guide them when things get off track.
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This is a brief synopsis of a 2000 word article suitable for consultants’ newsletters for executives and leaders in organizations. It is available for purchase with full reprint rights, which means you may put your name on it and use it in your newsletters, blogs or other marketing materials. You may also modify it and add your personal experiences.
There are two versions of this article: 2000 words and 1000 words (approximate word counts). The full article covers the following sub-topics:
Nine Expectations of the Boss
Involved
Ideas
Collaborate
Lead Initiatives
Develop Leaders
Stay Current
Anticipate
Drive Growth
A Player for All Seasons
What a Direct Report Should Expect From the Boss
Clarity of Direction
Goals and Objectives
Feedback
Decisive and Timely
Accessible
Honesty and Candor
Equitable Compensation
Bureaucracy at Bay
More Lessons from Bad Leadership
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If you are a Customized Newsletters client and your account is current, no need to order. Send me an email to confirm you wish to use this article for your next newsletter.
All others please use the order links below.
a. Text, 2000 word article with full reprint rights, $79, click here: http://snipurl.com/CNMay07
b. Text, 1000 word article with full reprint rights, $57, click here: http://snipurl.com/CNMay07ShrtV
All word lengths are approximate.
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