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Geotechnical News December 2010
ASFE NEWS
Have You Downloaded the New
Scope Development Lunch & Learn?
What are best practices for development
of a geoprofessional scope of service?
ASFE’s Education Committee provides
answers in its newest Lunch & Learn
self-contained seminar kit, “Scope
Definition.”
As noted by ASFE Education Com-
mittee Chair
Laura R. Reinbold, P.E.
(TTL, Inc.)
,
each Lunch & Learn in-
cludes guidance to the presenter, a
complete script, hand-out materials for
participants, and a PowerPoint presen-
tation. Designed for presentation dur-
ing lunch or after work, ASFE Lunch
& Learns can be easily customized so
an individual firm can make any Lunch
& Learn uniquely its own. They refer-
ence ASFE materials that ASFE-Mem-
ber Firms can order free of charge or
download with a click.
Other ASFE Lunch & Learn kits
focus on electronic delivery of docu-
ments, high-risk language, workplace
harassment, and meeting management,
among other topics. All are described
at the ASFE website:
Business 101
The following materials was based on
an article by Steve Tobak, a consultant,
writer, and former senior executive
with more than 20 years’ experience.
In dreams, people succeed at every-
thing they do. In reality, they sometime
fail, ask questions to learn from the
experience, adjust their techniques and
styles, and try again, sometimes in a
new environment. Of course, you have
to know what failure looks like and,
once you see it, you need the guts to
admit that you’ve failed or are about
to. In the geoprofessions, failure can
occur in the technical arena or the non-
technical. The nontechnical – usually
management – breeds more failure, in
part because you are asked to manage
without having adequate instruction on
how you should go about doing it. That
doesn’t mean you will fail; only that
you’re more likely to than someone
with more education and experience.
What’s particularly important is know-
ing when you’re in trouble, so you can
respond as quickly as possible. How do
you know? Consider looking for these
seven warning signs that you’re a
lousy manager:
1. Your team is underperforming
.
Management flows downhill. If
your team’s metrics are falling or
already low compared to others, it
says something about you…like it
or not. Is it your leadership style?
Do you need to acquire more man-
agement skills? Are you supervis-
ing effectively? You need to answer
the question, “Wazzup?”
2. You’re making poor decisions.
Results are visible and measur-
able. Poor results stem from ac-
tions that are misdirected or not in
harmony with one another. Actions
stem from decisions. Bad decisions
equal bad management.
3. Your manager is putting the
screws to you.
When effective
senior managers believe a subor-
dinate may be losing effectiveness
or not displaying the effectiveness
they thought was there, they’ll
yank the subordinate’s chain to see
which links break. Is your boss put-
ting you under more than the usual
pressure? If so, it could be a sign
your performance is being ques-
tioned. You might want to ask your
boss about it.
4. Your friends and allies are dis-
tancing themselves from you.
You
know how fast word spreads in an
organization. If you learn that good
old Joe is on the outs with the top
brass, chances are you don’t want
to get too close or stay too close
to Joe; he’s starting to look like a
lead life preserver. If your friends
and allies at work are waving from
a distance, they might know some-
thing you don’t…but should.
5. You’re acting like a jerk.
Have
you noticed that you’ve been expe-
riencing a lot of stress and anxiety
lately? Have your nearest and dear-
est told you that stress and anxiety
may be the reason why you seem
to be treating your poorly? While
you may be in denial about being
an ineffective boss, chances are
you’re aware of your shortcomings
on some level, and that can take a
toll on you.
6. Your personal relationships are in
trouble.
Management is largely a
“people function.” If you’re being
an ineffective manager, chances are
your personal relationships are suf-
fering, too, for many of the same
“people reasons.”
7. Your employees are unhappy
with you.
Do you hear laughter all
around you and when you get up to
find out what’s so funny, the laugh-
ter stops. Do your employees look
away or loss busy when you walk
by? Do they look guilty? Do they
go out for drinks after work, but
don’t invite you?
