Tag Archives: Rankings

Most Popular Leadership (and Other) Posts of 2008

Posted on by
Reply

The Best of AskTheManager.com – 2008

One of our regular readers sent us a nice email last night wishing us, among other things, a Happy New Year. We know it wasn’t just a mass email sent to everyone in his address book because he requested we write this post today.

Specifically, he asked us to list the Top Ten Articles on AskTheManager.com for 2008 based on page views. No wanting to disappoint, we dove into our Google Analytics and found some surprising articles at the top of the list.

Looking back on our first six and a half months of providing leadership advice and general business wisdom to the masses, we occasionally used this blog to vent about or introduce issues and topics that only barely related to leadership development – though we always tried to tie these back to the leadership, where possible.

Sometimes we were successful, and sometimes it was clear we were just using AskTheManager.com as our own personal soap box. Of course, it is our soap box to use as we wish…

Today’s article speaks more to what you, the readers, wish. Based on what you read when you visited, here are the Top Ten AskTheManager Articles for 2008:

  1. The Best and Worst Presidential Leaders in History – This was the second article in a three-part series that proved to be the most popular posts on our site last year. Published in September, all three articles in this series drew an enormous amount of attention, with the second in the series being our most visited page in 2008. The AskTheManager editors spent months analyzing the leadership records of all forty-two US Presidents to name our best and worst.
  2. So You’re the New Sales Manager – How Are You Going To Get Their Attention? – The first in a three-part series, this article detailed how one sales manager who took over an underperforming team and turned them around in very short order. We highly recommend all three posts in this series for any new sales manager.
  3. Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Freakonomics, The Movie – The incredible popularity of Freakonomics (the book) must have spilled over to posts about the upcoming movie, as this was the only ATM December article to make the Top Ten and our most popular post that wasn’t part of a series. This article provides insight into the 2009 release of the much-anticipated Freakonomics documentary via a Q&A with the film’s producer, Chad Troutwine.
  4. The Top Ten Leadership Books of All Time – Originally published in June, this July version of the list included more explanation about each of our choices and proved to be a more popular read than the original. In case you’re wondering: more than six months later, we stand by our rankings.
  5. TheManager Digresses – The Paparazzi Must Die! – Our first attempt to use this blog purely for our own selfish purposes, this post detailing the “dangers” of the celebrity-chasing paparazzi and how to combat them proved to be very popular with the hoards seeking more information about Jennifer Aniston’s latest love. Go figure.




  6. The 25 Most Annoying Business Phrases – It was either our out-of-the-box thinking or the 800-Pound Gorilla that compelled us to select among the thousands of annoying phrases we hear in everyday business life and take a 30,000-foot view to come up with the most annoying twenty-five.
  7. The Six Worst Business Email Etiquette Mistakes Ever – Although we absolutely hate when businesspeople employ the use of stationery in their emails, that faux pas only made Number 4 on our list of twelve in this popular second post in a two-post series.
  8. Damn the Voters, Bloomberg Believes He is NYC’s Only Choice – Emperor Bloomberg’s successful push to bypass the electorate and change the law to benefit him still steams us almost beyond words. It seems many of you were likewise affected, making this post one of the Top Ten of 2008.
  9. Knowledge Hoarders & The Mack Truck Theory – While the topic of knowledge hoarding can be a real yawner when compared to Emperor Bloomberg, Jennifer Aniston or Freakonomics, this post still ranked in the Top Ten largely on the strength of those looking for ways to combat this practice in their own workplace.
  10. Managing Up When Your Boss Refuses to Lead – We clearly struck a nerve with this post detailing the epidemic of ineptness plaguing business “leaders” today as it received nearly 500 unique page views in just two short months. We were compelled to write this article after witnessing more than a dozen instances (in just one week) of intelligent middle managers dumbing-down their approach and acting like victims because their respective supervisors happen to be complete buffoons. (We never know where our muse will come from.)

As we look ahead to 2009 and beyond, we’re hopeful that our posts, articles and opinions can help managers become leaders and leaders become more effective stewards of their businesses. The editors of AskTheManager thank you for your continued support.

 

Bad Holiday Gifts – The Worst Gifts We Ever Received From Vendors

Posted on by
2

 

Vendors Give The Darnedest Things…

 

Loyal reader Tye Mills sent us a question in response to our Leader’s Gift-Giving Guide article.

 

What are the top 10 wacky gifts you have received from vendors? – Tye Mills

 

Great question, Tye…

 

Hmm, let’s see, the unfortunate result of most truly wacky or bad gifts from vendors is that they are somewhat forgetful. A poll of the AskTheManager editors at first drew blank stares – no one could recall a wacky gift. When we expanded the request to overall bad gifts (no just wacky ones) from vendors, they still seemed a bit perplexed.


 

We all remember the great, thoughtful gifts. The wine we love, the golf balls or putter we cherished, or the thoughtful basket of our favorites. And while we really couldn’t think of ten wacky vendor gifts, we did come up with a list of ten bad ones we received over the years… in no particular order:

 

  • Mouse Pad & Pens – 8-10 years ago it seemed every vendor sent you a mouse pad emblazoned with their logo, but I actually received one as a Holiday gift (with three cheap pens) just two years ago. Two problems with this gift: First, doesn’t everyone who needs one already have a mouse pad? Second, I have exclusively used a laptop (sans mouse) for the past five years – I have no use for a mouse pad (and neither does Goodwill).
  • Bottle of Liquor – He can’t remember the brand, but one of our editors once received a very nice bottle of expensive liquor from a vendor. The problem with this gift? This editor was once a raging alcoholic. The worst thing about this was that it was well-known in the industry that he was now a recovering alcoholic and always seemed ready to fall off the wagon. Not very thoughtful.
  • iPod Shuffle – I know this will sound jaded, but last year a vendor sent me an iPod Shuffle as a holiday gift and now it ends up on this list. My problem with this particular gift was that I already carried a Video iPod, as did everyone in my immediate family, and that the vendor didn’t include a note of any kind – just the iPod. I would have been happier receiving a nice handwritten note wishing me holiday cheer and a $50 donation in my company’s name to a charity. I ended giving the iPod Shuffle to my administrative assistant in one of the most shameless acts of re-gifting known to man… She was thrilled.
  • Tie Clasp – About three years ago a vendor who had been trying to do business with my company for some time sent me a logoed tie clasp as a holiday gift. No big deal… if I was 70 years old and actually wore a tie clasp! Not to mention I had no intention of doing business with them, and didn’t need to see their logo every time I looked down at my tie.
  • Paper Weights – Over the years we’ve received dozens of these and only one – a golf-ball-snow-globe-game with a tee in the middle – ever saw the top of my desk.
  • Other Desktop Do-Dads – Not sure what to call this category, but some vendors who over-think the whole holiday gift-giving thing will send those crappy executive desktop gifts you can buy in the men’s department of most large stores. A few years ago I received a miniature dartboard that provided advice based on where the dart landed. “Go Home,” “Go Fishing,” “Play Hooky,” and “Sleep Under Your Desk” were just a few of the inspirations provided – not a good thing to have on your desk if you want to convince your boss that you’re dedicated to your job.
  • Successories – While these gifts are, on the surface, very thoughtful, one of our editors once received an unframed Successories wall poster entitled “Change.” The issue was that he was with a very successful company who had gone through a painful, major change in the past few years, and who had a very, very bright future ahead. He really didn’t want to display a “Change” message in his office at this time, and he certainly didn’t want to pay to have it framed. (Besides, who is this vendor to say he needed to change?)
  • Mixed Nuts – When I was on the vendor side, one of my salesmen once sent a client, who happen to have a severe peanut allergy, a tin of mixed nuts. From what we hear, the ride to the emergency room was not pretty. He survived, though we never got another dollar of his business.
  • Live Plants – One of the editors once received an expensive fern for her office from a vendor who felt this particular leader needed to “green up” her surroundings. The fern lived for five weeks, laid dead in her office another ten and was unceremoniously dumped before Memorial Day. There was a reason she didn’t have any live plants in her office.
  • Chia Pet – Ch, Ch, Cha Chia… The undisputed king of wacky, bad gifts; the dreaded Chia Pet has appeared as a vendor gift for one of our editors in back-to-back holiday seasons. The first year, the sender sincerely believed that he would enjoy such an exotic and fun gift. The next year, a vendor who was also a close friend, sent him the same Tasmanian Devil model Chia Pet he had received a year earlier – this time as a well-received joke.

 

It was a great exercise for the editors to try and remember the worst of the worst. As leaders, more often than not, we find we can learn great things from bad examples. If we learned nothing else from these ten bad/wacky gifts, let’s all at least agree that you should know your customer before sending anything.

 

Of course, this doesn’t just apply during the Holidays.  

The Leader’s Gift-Giving Guide – Holiday Gifts Everyone Can Use

Posted on by
3

 

Holiday Gifts for the Office Crowd

‘tis the season to think about all the people who helped you get where you are today. Whether you are a senior leader or an up-and-coming manager, it’s important for you to thank those who make an impact in your work life. And by “thank,” I mean give them something of value.

It’s amazing what the phrases “thank you” and “I appreciate what you do” can mean to your administrative assistant throughout the average workday. Over the years, the AskTheManager editors have come to realize that our fathers’ were right: you can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. And by “sugar,” they meant something of value.

Interestingly, I personally cringe when I receive a gift from anyone at work. I’m not sure why, but I just don’t like getting “boss” gifts from subordinates or anything from a peer. Of course, I am always very, very outwardly appreciative. Additionally, most gifts I’ve ever received from my supervisors were just pure crap (save for the travel alarm my boss gave me last year; I’ve used it at least twice a week since then). 

While I do enjoy the occasional gift from vendors and suppliers, I mostly receive thoughtless baskets of fruit and snacks that I put in the break room for the huddled masses to enjoy. This seems to kill two birds with one stone: as I can both receive and give with the same gift. (Careful, I’m not talking about re-gifting.)

What to get that Special Administrative Assistant?

The best gift a leader can give their admin is the daily affirmation that they really and truly “rock.” Telling them that they are “awesome,” that you “appreciate their commitment,” and that “you could not function without them” are the keys to keeping most assistants happy and healthy. If you do this daily, you are truly an enlightened leader and ahead of nearly all others.

Of course, come this time of year, your hyper-performing admin is expecting something really great. Disappoint them and you could be forced to live with a passive-aggressive psychopath for the next 365 days.

Here are our suggestions for great gifts for your administrative assistant:

  • Gift Cards – you can never, ever go wrong with the right gift card. If your admin is living at or below the poverty line, however, be careful to avoid the completely unusable $25 Morton’s Steakhouse gift card. Instead, opt for something in the $200 range from Target or Amazon.com.
  • Wine or Liquor – if you’re certain they can appreciate great wine or liquor, then you’re probably okay going in this direction. If not, avoid buying the 2002 Opus One for someone who enjoys Riunite on Ice (that’s nice). If you know they love wine, but they may not be a true connoisseur, perhaps you want to give them the best wine opener ever invented. In this case, WaffleMouse.com has some great reviews. To see these, follow this link.




  • Gag gifts – What are you, thirteen? The last thing your hardworking admin wants or needs is some piece of crap gag gift. They won’t “get it,” okay? Even if they do, they won’t appreciate receiving some bobbing head ostrich-thingy that appears to go on forever. Avoid, at all costs, any urge to go for the exotic or gag gift for your direct reports.
  • Crystal Vase – Household accessories, especially a crystal vase or similar display piece could be something your admin will not only treasure, but also remember – provided you give some measure of thought to the gift. For a quick view of more than 5,000 administrative assistant-appropriate vases you can buy from the comfort of your executive chair, check out the selection on Amazon.com.
  • Over the Top – Amazingly we are willing to spend thousands on a single business trip that yields nothing and just $50 a year on the person who may mean the most to our success, our administrative assistant. Why not go crazy in 2008 and drop $1,000 on a big screen HDTV or Movado Watch.

What Should You Get Your Boss?

In short, nothing. While it’s true that the right gift could earn you brownie points, the wrong gift can indelibly brand you as a sycophant. If you’re sure your boss loves “something,” then it might make sense to find the right gift. Here are some suggestions:

  • Is Your Boss a Wine Lover? – If so, a case of 2004 Silver Oak is the bomb. Don’t have $900 to drop on the guy? The Vertical Rabbit corkscrew from Metrokane might be just as well-received (and it will last longer).
  • Sports Fan? – If your boss follows a specific sports team or grew up watching a specific player, the right collectible could put you in their thoughts on a daily basis. An autographed card, ball or other memento – especially if it doesn’t appear contrived – might be just the ticket. To see a few cost-effective choices from Amazon.com, follow this link.
  • Not Sure? – You can never go wrong with a personalized holiday card to your superiors, especially if you have children. I’ve always included my bosses on my Christmas card mailing list. My holiday cards prominently feature my three (hungry-looking) children on the front. I’m careful not to put my ugly mug on the card, or to have too many amenities in the background for fear my boss might realize I’m overpaid.

What about the Office Gift Exchange?

The dreaded office gift exchange – why couldn’t I be sick that day?

There is almost nothing as painful as trying to look happy when you peel back the wrapping of an office party exchange gift only to reveal stinky potpourri or a book claiming to detail the “Best Bathroom Trivia” of all time. (I’m really okay never knowing that WD-40 stands for “water displacement, 40th attempt.”)

There are only two answers for the question “what is the proper gift to get someone for the office gift exchange:” Liquor or Gift Card.

  • Liquor – Company policy permitting, a bottle of Single Malt or Bombay Safire is the perfect gift for anyone on this list. Besides, if they hate it, they can always trade with the guy who got some crappy lavender potpourri.
  • Gift Card – Everyone, and I mean everyone, likes getting a gift card from a store or restaurant they’re likely to patronize. Not sure? Get them an Amazon.com gift card by following this link.

Customer Gifts Must Rock…

I’ve been on both the giving and receiving end of customer gifts, and I can tell you that (when the gifts are right) it’s much better to receive than to give.

However, before you send a thing to any of your customers, make sure you know a little something about them. For example, I only golf when forced by business circumstances, though I invariably receive at least three dozen monogrammed golf balls every holiday season. By mid-January I won’t be able to recall who sent balls and who sent nothing. Clearly, those who sent nothing are ahead of those who sent golf balls.

If you don’t know what makes your customer tick, you’re better off keeping any gifts you might send for yourself.

Start today to discover what makes them tick, what they love, and why they do what they do. Chances are you’ll find out that they really appreciate their kids, as I do, and that tickets to The Nutcracker for their family will go ten times further than a $500 bottle of wine. Here are a few tips:

  • Egomaniacs love anything that makes them feel important, so something expensive or something with their name on it works here.
  • Gift baskets might be okay for someone who isn’t yet a customer. If you’re trying to get your name in front of someone cheaply, a $75 gift basket should do the trick.
  • Liquor or wine – If you go this route, make sure you spend the cash. There is nothing worse than a bad bottle of wine (except, maybe, for bad shrimp). Instead of selecting the decent $20 Coppola for ten of your customers, get your best customer an Opus One and send the others a nice card.
  • Gift Card – what, are you crazy? This is tantamount to bribery. Avoid cash and cash equivalents when you consider gifts to customers.

When it comes to holiday gift giving, your mom was right: it’s the thought that counts. When you look at your list this year, be sure to put the proper thought to each gift and remember that most humans will reward those who most appreciate them. Happy Holidays.