Tag: Managing people
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Listening as an effective management tool
Listening as an effective management tool As a CERN manager, you need to have access to many different channels of information. One – and perhaps the most important – of those channels is direct communication with your team and your peers. However, if you have not created an environment where people are encouraged to speak
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Don’t sweep conflicts under the carpet
Don’t sweep conflicts under the carpet Conflicts are a normal part of workplace life. They are unavoidable and inescapable because we all have different expectations and needs. However, depending on how a conflict is managed, it may be either constructive or destructive, hence the importance of understanding how a conflict evolves. The earliest stage of
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Five ways to jump-start a new job
Five ways to jump-start a new job I recently had the pleasure of hosting a virtual stand at the onboarding meeting for new CERN collaborators, “Connecting the dots”, where I also realised that none of the new colleagues I was talking to knew what an Ombud is. It was a pleasure to enlighten them. After
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Respect and internal mobility
Respect and internal mobility A revised version of Administrative Circular No. 17, “Internal mobility”, entered into force on 3 May 2021. This Circular, together with the CERN Internal Mobility Policy, dated June 2019, set out the Organization’s policy and related provisions on internal mobility. Internal mobility is one of the subjects that people raise with
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Performance evaluation: the mirror effect
Performance evaluation: the mirror effect The season for MERIT evaluations, those important milestones in our careers, is almost upon us. Among the many traps awaiting the supervisors carrying out these evaluations is the so-called mirror effect: a phenomenon in which we tend to appreciate people who are like us. Studies have even shown that this
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Changing times
Changing times In early October, Director-General Fabiola Gianotti presented the new structure of the CERN Management. Those changes at the head of the Organization will be followed by a restructuring of some organic units at various levels. Any reorganisation inevitably brings with it uncertainty and concerns, especially for those working on the ground, who sometimes
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Leadership, a question of skills or of personal qualities?
Leadership, a question of skills or of personal qualities? “My boss has many personal qualities, but unfortunately he lacks expertise in his field. This means he has little credibility.” “Mine is a renowned expert in his field, but his social skills are so poor that no one wants to work with him.” Recent studies have
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From beauty quarks to the beautiful game!
From beauty quarks to the beautiful game! “My boss clearly has his favourites in our team. He spends lots of time with them and everyone else gets very little attention from him. It all creates an unhealthy atmosphere of competition between the team members.” Fortunately, contrary to this example, there are many team leaders who
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Coaching as a management style
Coaching as a management style Hélène*: “I got to where I am today, professionally speaking, thanks to the knowledge and experience I’ve gained throughout my career, which enable me to show others how it’s done.” Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Hélène, this management style was replaced a long time ago by a more participatory approach that
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The appraisal interview… or how to encourage learning
The appraisal interview… or how to encourage learning Jim* comes to see me because he doesn’t know how to approach his next appraisal interview with Simon*: “Simon does good work, but I often have to pull him up on not being very well organised.” How can Jim stay constructive during the interview? Recent neurological studies