I think one of the most worrisome things to senior managers is bringing up a new manager in the company. This is especially true when you convert a professional into a manager in a company. When you hire a new manager from the outside, I think you can generally learn a lot about the candidate, their personality, management style, etc. A new manager, however, can be difficult to figure. You have little or no example of their body of work, just the hunch or the signs that the individual will be a good manager. It’s not until the new manager has begun to work and exercise his managerial influence that you can really come to understand if that person may truly be a good manager.

There are, however, some tell-tale signs that the new manager may not be up to par in the new role:

1) Is Not Original

Managers need to motivate their employees and need to generate action from those underneath them in the company. If their style of work is one that does not rouse the base, work can never improve. The organization will continue to trod along as it always has before, never reaching new, higher limits of success.

2) Blends In

Managers who do specific things to blend in and seem like “one of the guys” generally don’t muster enough respect to generate action from his employees. Simply put, when it comes down to it and decisions need to be made, employees will always second-guess the manager and chaos will reign in the organization.

3) Gets Desperate

I believe that the outward feelings and demeanor of a manager is magnified in the employees. Managers who are frustrated, desperate, disenfranchised, etc. will cause employees to feel the same way, often 10 fold. This then becomes the face of your organization.

4) Ignores Peers/Employees

While earning respect, managers also have to ensure that employees, the cogs of the organization’s machine are well-oiled and that each specific piece of the organization is working at its best. When individuals in the organization feel disconnected, not cared-for, or that they don’t have an advocate on their side, the entire organization begins to suffer.

7) Doesn’t Sweat Failures

Even though much of what will determine the organization’s success may be beyond the manager’s control. A manager who simply dismisses failures as “being their control” doesn’t have enough motivation and drive to make themselves better. Successful people often shoot to make everything work in their favor, those in their control and not. Additionally, when mistakes are made, successful people own up and take responsibility and use it as bitter lessons learned which are never to be repeated again.

Doesn’t Ask Too Much

There’s a myth that in order to get the most from people you have to leave them alone and not be demanding. Success is quite the opposite, it comes from setting a high bar for each individual in the organization and ensuring that each individual sees that their specific work is being measured and success is expected in their assigned tasks. Managers who demand the most, will in the end, end up getting the most. They may not get all they wanted from their team, but they will certainly be a factor in helping the team understand how critical they are and that they need to get the job done.

When you’ve decided to quit whether to begin looking for a new position or if you’ve already received a new position, there are some important things to make sure are done before you quit your current job. Remembering these 7 steps will make sure that you leave with all of the necessary information you’ll need for the future, but also will ensure that no bridges are burned in the process of your transition.

Give Notice

If you have an employment contract that states how much notice you should give, abide by it. Otherwise, it’s appropriate to offer two weeks notice for most positions. There are, however, a few positions for which it is recommended that you work out the timeline for your departure. Generally, management positions, and other technical positions generally require some additional time in order to be filled so it’s a good idea to give your current employer a little extra time to fill the position. You can always force a hard 2-week deadline, however, this will generally leave your current employer in a bind and you won’t be leaving on the best of terms.

No Obligation

If your employer asks you stay longer than two weeks (or the time period in your contract) you generally have no obligation to stay. if your new employer will be expecting you to start at the two week period, what you could do, is offer to help your previous employer, if necessary, after hours, via email or on the phone. One of the most important things to remember, however, is that you are not under any obligation to stay with your current employer, unless you’ve signed a contract. So if that new position that you’ve been waiting for comes, take it.

What to Say

Don’t say much more than you are leaving. Emphasize the positive and talk about how the company has benefited you, but, mention that it’s time to move on. Offer to help during the transition and afterwards. Don’t be negative. There’s no point – you’re leaving and you want to leave on good terms.

Write a Resignation Letter

Even if you resign verbally, write a resignation letter or an email to your superior. A resignation letter/email can help you maintain positive relationship with your old employer, while paving the way for you to move on. You never know when you might need that old employer to give you a reference, so it makes sense to take the time to write a polished and professional resignation letter.

Ask for a Reference

Before you leave, ask for a letter of recommendation from your manager. As time passes and people move on, it’s easy to lose track of previous employers. With a letter in hand, you’ll have written documentation of your credentials to give to prospective employers.

Don’t Forget the Details

Find out about the benefits and salary you are entitled to receive upon leaving. Inquire about continuing health insurance coverage through COBRA (new insurance normally does not kick in until usually 90 days of employment, sometimes longer), collecting unused vacation and sick pay, and keeping, cashing in, or rolling over your 401K or other pension plan. Also, be sure to get up-to-date contact information for your close co-workers. You never know if a new opportunity may arise and you may need to contact them in the future.

Return Company Property

Return any company property you have – including keys, documents, computers, phones, and anything else that doesn’t belong to you. The company doesn’t want to chase you to get it back, and you don’t to be held responsible if it’s not returned in a timely manner.

Quitting your job is a stressful time in your life. These 7 quick steps discussed will make sure that the process is as smooth as possible in order to decrease the stress you experience during this time of transition in your career.

In today’s business, we have little actual influence in how the marketplace grows or what other business sectors do. We do, however, have complete control over what our mentality is, the level of service we offer, and how much innovation we introduce into our area of business.

One of the fundamental dangers many organizations face today is complacency. Even small, fast start-ups can quickly become complacent as they grow and begin to adopt more and more of the “established” business practices, the same practices that complacent, established businesses are practicing.

Bill Taylor, with HarvardBusiness.org explains:

When it comes to creating the future, the only thing more worrisome than the prospect of too much change may be too little change — especially in an economy where there are too many competitors chasing too few customers with products and services that look too much alike. Now is the time to rethink long-held strategic assumptions inside your company, to challenge decades of conventional wisdom in your industry, and to push yourself to learn, grow, and innovate.

What can the established companies looking for something to re-light the fire of innovation do? What can small start-ups do to prevent them from becoming like the boring giants in their field? A recent article in HarvardBusiness.org discussed 9 questions change agents should ask themselves. The questions are especially important for entrepreneurs and for business managers looking to develop an advantage over the competition.

1. Do you see opportunities the competition doesn’t see?
IDEO’s Tom Kelly likes to quote French novelist Marcel Proust, who famously said, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.” Do you believe that what you offer is truly better than what the rest of the competition has to offer? Take a close look at your mission statement and your actual business practices. Do they clearly set you apart from what else is available in the marketplace?

2. Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas?
Ideas that are routine in one industry can be revolutionary when they migrate to another industry, especially when they challenge the prevailing assumptions that have come to define so many industries. Do you see that “next thing” that will be a hit to your customers and clients? Do you have a clear direction for your organization in the next 2, 5, and 10 years or are you simply just expecting things to be the same they have always been before? Do you see where the next great opportunity will be for your organization? Are you always looking for and making new contacts that may generate future business opportunities or partnerships?

3. Are you the most of anything?
You can’t be “pretty good” at everything anymore. You have to be the most of something: the most affordable, the most accessible, the most elegant, the most colorful, the most transparent. The marketplace today is saturated. So many areas of business have too many competitors competing for the same number of customers. If you are currently not the best at any one thing it’s best that your organization “re-think” who you are and focus on establishing yourselves as the premier provider of something. The new wave of organizational marketing is establishing yourself as the best at (something). Once you have done this, the customers will follow.

4. If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would miss you and why?
Simple yet profound. If you can establish yourself in a way that if you’re gone tomorrow your customers would clearly be missing something important in their lives, you’re set. They will keep you in business. It’s a little like the opposite effect of a monopoly. Just like monopolies are stopped because they create an over-dependence on one single company, you can establish the same dependence on your level of service…and it’s not illegal.

5. Have you figured out how your organization’s history can help to shape its future?
The essence of creativity, Psychologist Jerome Bruner argues, is “figuring out how to use what you already know in order to go beyond what you already think.” The most creative leaders rediscover and reinterpret what’s come before as a way to develop a line of sight into what comes next. Do you and your organization’s employees/workers know what the organization stands for, where it came from, and where it’s going?

6. Can your customers live without you?
If they can, they probably will. Are you just offering the sprinkles in your customer’s ice cream? Or are you the ice cream shop that offers the service and products that satisfy your customer’s needs? If what you offer is just a nice thing for your customers to have, there will probably come a time when they will do without your services. Re-invent your organization and its offerings so that you become the meat and potatoes to your clients.

7. Do you treat different customers differently?
If your goal is to become indispensable to your customers, then almost by definition you won’t appeal to all customers. Look for your best clients and make sure that their needs are met. Once you’ve solidified these clients, move on to developing new clients that use your services and develop them into your star clients.

8. Are you getting the best contributions from the most people?
These days, the most powerful contributions come from the most unexpected places — the “hidden genius” inside your company, the “collective genius” of customers, suppliers, and other smart people who surround your company. Does your organization allow for these hidden gems in your organization to be discovered? Is your organization open to ideas from the inside? Do you recruit from the inside when searching for talent to fill new positions? Remember, your existing employees know your business, services, and the environment of your organization better than anyone else on the inside. Tapping talent from the inside gives the individual in the new position an even greater chance of becoming successful in meeting the needs of the position.

9. Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?
Great leaders can never stop learning. How do you push yourself as an individual to keep growing and evolving — so that your company can do the same? Part of being a game changer in business is to keep yourself on top of the innovation. If you’re not leading the innovation, you’re likely not part of the core group that will survive in today’s marketplace.