Slacker Manager was originally started by Bren Connelly, to help him flesh out how to become a manager. He wrote a lot of articles, many of which still get good traffic today because they’re that good. (image used, with permission, from Mark Brady of Alchemy Group) Eventually, Bren got bored with writing, felt he’d “written out” everything there was for him to write about management, productivity and the like, so he sold the blog to b5 Media. b5 Media held a little contest to see who would want to blog at this site, taking Slacker Manager in a whole new direction. And they couldn’t pick just 1 winner…they picked 2. David Zinger and Phil Gerbyshak (that’s me) were selected as the co-Slacker Managers. You can’t get enough slacking,... [Read more]

Sometimes, things just don’t work out. It could be the employee. It could be the employer. It could be both parties. But it’s never easy to fire someone. It doesn’t feel good for the person doing the firing. It SURE doesn’t feel good for the person getting fired. So what’s the secret to firing someone? Two words: Be human Treat the other person in a humane way. Let the other person respond humanly. There may be some yelling, Some screaming Some anger, Some crying. Don’t take it personally. Be human And let the rest take care of itself. What’s YOUR secret to firing people? Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/3561662932/ P.S. Tomorrow is my last day writing Slacker Manager. I hope you’ll join me at my new home... [Read more]

This week’s Sunday Management Six Pack is the last one ever on Slacker Manager, at least by this writer (Phil Gerbyshak). I’ll explain why in a soon to be written article. This week brings some thoughts on sandhill cranes, Al Jarreau, and much more! Keep reading for this week’s Sunday Management Six Pack… Leadership and Sandhill Cranes is this week’s first article, written by Steve Roesler: Sandhill cranes are large birds who fly great distances across continents. They also have some remarkable qualitites… Lisa Haneberg wrote the insightful Al Jarreau and Metaphors for Success: I attended an Al Jarreau concert this week and it got me thinking about the first time I heard and fell in love with Jarreau’s music and how that experience... [Read more]

As you may or may not have heard, Slacker Manager is no more. The content will all be archived at one of the b5 Media family of sites, but you’ll no longer hear from me, Phil Gerbyshak. I want to make sure you can keep up with me, so I’m sharing my contact info with you: Contact Phil Gerbyshak Follow Phil on Twitter The Management Expert – Help for New Managers (I’m moving all my old articles with me) Social Media Maximizer – My personal site for those interested in social media and connecting with their audience more. Phil Gerbyshak on Facebook Phil Gerbyshak on LinkedIn I’d also like to offer a quick thanks to Bren Connelly, for starting the idea of a Slacker Manager; David Zinger, my writing partner for the first half of... [Read more]

A little Friday humor for you. Click here if you are reading via RSS to enjoy the video. Do you agree? Is management like herding cats? Connect with Phil Gerbyshak other places: Twitter Social Media Strategy Facebook [Read more]