Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Show Me the Money!
When it comes to management lessons, one of my favorite movies to quote is “Jerry Maguire”. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, you have probably heard its famous mantra “Show me the money!”
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
The Gift of Feedback
All feedback is a gift – whether it is positive or negative. Positive feedback feeds the ego and helps reinforce what you are doing right.
But the thing about positive feedback is that it is not really a great tool for personal growth. It supports what you are doing well, but doesn’t help you course correct things that you are learning or identify things you need to learn.
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Leading by Example
There is an old story that goes something like this…
There was a treasure ship on its way back to port. About halfway there, a pirate approached it, skull and crossbones waving in the breeze!
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
The Power of Optimism
“Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” - Colin Powell
A pessimist, given a choice of outcomes, believes the worst is more likely.
As managers, it is easy to fall into pessimism. First, every day you are faced with one problem or another from your team, peers and boss. Second, your job description includes being responsible for seeking out risks, issues and potential roadblocks. If you happen to be an engineering manager, you are blessed with the double whammy of an engineer’s analytical soul - the ability to slice and dice any person, process or product…
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Leadership: Nature versus Nurture
How does the "nature versus nurture" debate apply to leadership? Are leaders born or can they be developed?
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Favorite Books on Management
At its heart, management is about people; leading, motivating, coaching. These are skills you can learn from formal training and mentoring and "on the job training" (also known as trial and error)...
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
The Value of a Good Trade
Why trading your best is good for the boss…
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Managing Matrix Teams
The world is moving away from command and control structures, it is imperitave as a manager to develop matrix management skills…
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Managing in Tough Times
Even in good times it requires a lot of effort to be a really great people manager…
Trina Alexson
The Management Maze
Women in the Lead
My sister reminded me that October is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is "Women in the Lead"...