| 7 Ways to Spot the Signs of a Disorganized Staff Posted: Cleaning the workspace might be a good start... Disorganization can spoil everything from deadlines to productive work relationships. As a manager of staff, it helps if you spot disorganized and unproductive behavior early on and seek to remedy it as best as possible. Here are some thoughts. Steps - Assess whether or not the member of staff is seeking too much hand-holding. Staff who feel compelled to continuously come to you for advice and the go-ahead might be procrastinating, unsure of their abilities and disorganized. Is a staff member coming to see you too many times to ask for advice, direction, instructions? It is likely only a problem if they do this more than you would expect of a person at that level. See How to Delegate for more advice.
- Watch for deadlines that pass by without adequate, timely responses. If a staff member is constantly missing deadlines, this is a red flashing light. It means such staff cannot keep track of upcoming deadlines and the need to keep things rolling along to meet the deadline. Alternately, there may be numerous excuses to postpone deadlines that ring hollow and do nothing to enhance the project being worked on.
- Take note of attempts to hand work portions back to you as the task delegator. This is known as "reverse delegation" and can be a little like a tennis match, with the ball being lobbied back and forth until it is clear that someone is not accepting the responsibility entrusted to them.
- Be wary when a staff member keeps handing in work that is substandard and needs reworking to a high degree. This isn't just about spelling, grammar and waffling errors. This is about major misunderstandings in direction, in quality level, in point-of-exercise comprehension and in producing work to a level expected of that person's abilities. It may indicate last-minute rush-jobs and lack of serious input and reflection over time.
- Look for signs of too much slacking off. If you keep bumping into them at the water cooler and every time you turn around they're chatting to another colleague again, this staff member is likely procrastinating and avoiding putting the head to task. Even staying late can be a sign of not making the most of hours during the day, and panicking to catch up later at night.
- Check your own feelings about any increased workload. If you feel that your workload is piling up and you are having to make up for poor work from someone else on the team, it is quite possible that your staff are not being adequately tasked in keeping organized. You are not supposed to make up for their shortfall; rather, you are there to manage time slips and get the right people doing the right work.
- Make it work better. A lot of this is your responsibility as a manager and task delegator, requiring you to spot the signs, and act immediately. Here are some ideas to deal with procrastination and under-skilling (all of these things will provide your staff with visible signposts to get on with it):
- Get development assistance if staff need time management or organizational skills that you don't have the time to teach, or the training expertise in.
- Keep deadlines marked on a whiteboard where all see them everyday.
- Be regular about checking on work progress.
- Check that work is challenging enough for staff. Sometimes missing deadlines is a sign of boredom, showing you that a staff member has outgrown what he or she used to enjoy or be good at. Maybe it is time for new skills, tasks and roles.
- Look at training needs for upskilling. If this is not viable, consider shifting tasks around to those most capable and keeping lesser skilled staff doing tasks they are efficient at doing.
Tips - Improve resources if staff are struggling as a result of lack of access to them.
- Try peer-watch. If you can engage peers to share projects with others, they will frown upon time-wasting behavior that cuts into their time and performance results and will help to keep the deadline missing types under more control. It isn't their role to make the colleague meet the deadline (it is still yours to manage the deadlines) but peer pressure and interlinked responsibilities are great motivators when others don't want to be let down.
Things You'll Need - Whiteboard or planning chart
- Skills development courses
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| 9 Tips for Networking at Parties Posted: Parties are a great place to Network—actually, any place is a great place to network, but this article will focus on schmoozing at parties. Steps - Look forward to the party. If you're shy, or a total introvert, going to a party might feel like you're about to be tortured. That frame of mind will translate into your body language, whether you know it or not. Be optimistic and find a way to get excited about this opportunity to meet new people. It might also help to read How to Go from Introvert to Extrovert.
- Keep moving. When walking into the room, have a look around. Scan the room and see who you want to go up and talk to. Make sure you get moving straight away as the longer you stand still, the harder it is to get going, and the less time you have to mingle.
- Look approachable. No matter where you are (but hopefully always near people) send out signals that you're friendly, and you want to talk.
- Practice active listening. To show the person who is speaking that you are listening, use eye contact and nod as they talk, pacing it in time with their speech. Don't look away as this gives the impression that you are getting bored or distracted. Face them front on and make sure your gestures are in pace with theirs. Also, mirror their gestures and this will make you look like a good listener. See also How to Build Rapport.
- Break into a group. Look for the biggest gap in the group, stand in this gap and look at the people either side of you. Then direct your active listening signals to the speaker. Don't interrupt, but join in with the pace of the group, copying the rest of the group, which will create bonding. Wait until the speaker has finished, then talk about something they have just said, so you tag their conversation. Then start speaking, but introduce yourself quickly to the other people first.
- Move on if it doesn't work. Don't keep standing there. Wait a few seconds, and if the conversation goes in a direction that excludes you, pretend to wave to someone across the room and make a quick exit from the group.
- Smile. Even though it's the most primitive sign of introduction, it's easy to forget to do it. A good, genuine looking smile will make you look more positive and approachable. Smile with your eyes as well as your mouth.
- Try to get to know everyone at the party. If it's a big party, this might not help. See also How to Remember Peoples' Names.
- Touch base with everyone you met before leaving. Tell them it was nice meeting them and, depending on the nature of the party, get phone numbers or business cards.
Video Things You'll Need Related wikiHows Sources and Citations |
| How to Make "Torihamu" (Chicken That Looks Like Ham) Posted: The English translation for "torihamu" is "bird ham". The recipe's been popular since around 2001, and it has swept Japan as a favorite. [1] Marinated chicken breasts are either oven baked or poached and, when finished, resemble cured ham. This is a tedious recipe because the marinating process takes at least 2 days, but the result is low in fat, has no chemical preservatives, and lengthens the refrigerator shelf life of chicken. Ingredients - 8 ounce (1/2 lb) chicken breasts, boneless, whole skinned or skinless (your choice)
- 1 tablespoon of each sweetener: honey, brown sugar, white sugar, & molasses (for each 8 ounce chicken breast)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, for each 8 ounce chicken breast
- Dried herbs & seasonings, to taste (thyme is a good match)
Steps - Trim and remove all of the fat from the chicken. If they are bigger than 8 ounces, you can cut them into smaller portions.
- Use a fork to pierce holes all around, using the tines.
- Add the sweeteners into a sturdy freezer bag. If you wish, you can season the breasts with salt and herbs beforehand or add them in the bag.
- Add the chicken breasts. If you're using multiple breasts, you can divide the recipe into different bags (1 chicken breast and 1 tablespoon of each sweetener into 1 bag). This is useful if you want to experiment with different amounts of sweeteners.
- Squish the chicken into the marinade until it's thoroughly coated.
- Let all of the air out and securely seal it.
- Place the bag(s) in the refrigerator. You can either leave them in for 48 hours or take them out after 24 hours, drain out any excess liquid in the bag, and place it back in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
- Rinse them off in cold water. Place them in a bowl of cold water for about 1 hour. This desalts the chicken, but also "keeps" the flavor in it.
- Choose one cooking method:
- Poaching with wrap: Wipe off any excess liquid from the chicken. Roll each breast into a tight roll and wrap it in microwave-safe plastic wrap. Secure the wrap with kitchen twine or string. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Place the breasts in the pot for 5 minutes, then turn the heat completely off. Leave them in for about an hour, covered.
- Poached, no wrap: This is the more "mess-free" method because there is no wrapping or tying, but it results in a less textured torihamu. After bringing a pot of water to a boil, cook the chicken for 5 minutes, turn the heat off, and leave the chicken covered for an hour.
- Oven: Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Wipe off any excess liquid from the chicken. Roll each breast into a tight roll and secure it with kitchen twine or string. Place the breasts on a lightly greased baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly brown on the outside. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F (73 degrees C). Remove and let the chicken cool.
Tips - This is an excellent protein for bentos, accompanied by vegetables and rice.
- Enjoy this in a sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce.
- Soy sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, and wasabi are great condiment suggestions.
- Torihamu can also be refrigerated up to a week and can be frozen for later use.
- The marination time should not extend past 3 days (72 hours). If it's past 48 hours, extend the de-salination process to 2 hours instead of 1. A good suggestion is to prepare this Friday afternoon and cook it Sunday afternoon/night.
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