Ask-Dr-Kirk

Ten More Tips For Success

Last blogpost I shared ten tips for your students to help them be successful when they take that first job out of college.  Here are ten more...

1.  Be visible/have face time in the office (walk around; return phone or email messages in person if possible).

2.  Manage your boss:  keep him/her informed of your progress, your successes, let know if made your quota or finished project.  Praise your manager behind his/her back—be careful not to say negative things about your boss as it is very possible it will get back to him/her.

3. Reward those who help you (personal thank you note is good or take them to lunch or coffee).

4. Read the employee handbook or policy manual to see what the company expectations are.

5. Seek out a mentor:  should be someone with organizational clout that can help your career; use discretion in choosing as not everyone is willing to be a mentor.  However, those who are usually enjoy the mentoring process.

6. Be trustworthy: keep your word; complete projects on time; if can’t meet deadline, be sure and let boss know early—no surprises at the last minute.

7. Arrive a little early to work but not so early that make others uncomfortable or upset.  Same thing with leaving.

8. Carry a datebook/calendar/palm pilot with you to write down assignments, meetings, deadlines, etc. so you can organize your time.

9. Make sure you have reliable transportation.  Don’t get reputation as someone who is often late to work.  Your boss won't care what your reason is.

10. Remember that as the new person, you will see things you think could be done more efficiently.  Make notes of these things but wait a few months before making suggestions.  You have to pay your dues to gain credibility.

Ten Tips For Your Students On How to be Successful in That New Job

Here are some tips to share with your students as they graduate and take that first "real job."

1. Create a good first impression.  Have a good attitude, be positive, remember your manners—say hello, open doors for others, make a new pot of coffee if you take the last cup, etc.

2. Check out how the successful people in the company dress (some say you should dress for that next promotion).

3. Don’t flaunt your degrees.  You may have more education than some of those you work with but they will have more experience and know more about how things are done in that company. 

4.  Learn how others who seem to be effective get things done; model behavior of those who are successful in your organization.

5.  Observe how others are rewarded:  this tells you what behavior is expected of employees in your organization.

6.  Look at how formal people in the organization are:  does your boss have an open door policy or should you make an appointment first?  How should you decorate your office?  Do others have photos of their families or pets on their desk (does having photos show that you are a stable family person or that your priorities are not with the job according to your company culture?)

7.  Identify key players:  which employees/managers are sought out for advice by others in the company?  Which ones are considered by others to be indispensable? 

8.  Be friendly and considerate of the secretary.  She/he knows a great deal of history about the company and how things get done and can help or harm you by sharing or withholding information.

9.  Avoid emotional displays.  Don't show anger (smile instead), tears (remove yourself to a private area), or envy (definite no-no; be sure and say congratulations).  Always be professional.

10.  Be friendly with everyone (but don’t be too quick to get close to any one person at the beginning).  As the new person you won't be aware of negative office politics.

Another Tip For Dealing With Tardy Students

An earlier blogpost discussed a script to use with tardy students.  Dr. Ken Shore presents this suggestion:

Tell your "student who arrives late to enter class quietly, pick up a late form, complete it, and return it to your desk (after class).  On the form, ask students to indicate the date, their arrival time, and the reason for their tardiness. At the bottom of the form, include the statement, "I will do my best to be on time for class in the future," and have the student sign it. Review the completed form for accuracy; if necessary, meet with the student to talk about his tardiness."

Good idea. Having students complete the form in order to get credit for attendance shows that you are paying attention to their behavior.  It also provides you documentation of those students with habitual tardiness issues.

What Business Books Would You Recommend For Students To Read?

On Tuesday nights, Liz hosts a virtual cocktail party at 7pm at successful-blog.com.  Everyone is welcome and I go for the interesting conversation as well as links to blogs that I wouldn't have found on my own.  Liz sets out the menu of topics but anything is up for discussion. 

This week I asked my fellow bloggers at the party for advice.  I’ve decided to use business books instead of a textbook in an Organizational Behavior class in the spring. Topics in the class include leadership, motivation, communication, organization change, teams, power & politics, etc.  So my question was: what books would they recommend for my students to read?

Both Liz and Tim Johnson recommended two of Steve Farber’s books, Radical Leap and Radical Edge for Extreme Leadership.

Mike stated that Jim Collins' Good to Great "covered many important lessons throughout history" and that The Heart of Change by John Kotter was "simply the best and clearest-written book about organizational change management."

Leon had the idea that I should look at book reviews in other blogs for suggestions.  He's to send relevant ones on to me that he comes across.

Mike Sansone promised to put together a list for me.  One book he did mention was Tom Kelley's The Ten Faces of Innovation.

And Liz offered to give it more thought and to call me over the weekend if I would give her my phone number.  And she did.  We spent over an hour discussing books and our careers.  She even shared a few pages of her next book with me which I am looking forward to reading.

So...I would like to extend the question to the rest of Liz's network as well as to my own readers.  What books would you recommend that all management students should read?

More Tips For Handling Absenteeism and Tardiness

I give my students two “personal” days that they can use to miss class for any reason.  They are expected to let me know by phone mail or email that they are taking one of their personal days before the actual class meets.  This policy means I don't have to make judgment calls on the students’ excuses for absences.  In addition, three tardys count as an absence.

Another method I have used is to give random pop quizzes at the beginning of the class.  I don't allow makeups for these quizzes; students must be present and on time to take the quiz. 

Any other suggestions on how to handle absenteeism and tardiness?  Next semester I am considering conveying the class policy that they have to attend each day on time but then letting the students decide what the consequences should be if someone misses or is late.

My 15 Minutes of Fame

It's been an interesting day.  Mike Wilson, an Associated Press Reporter, did a story titled, "Iowa Professor Tackles Uncivil Students" about my workshops on classroom management which was picked up by 134 newspapers and news websites all over the United States as well as France, Great Britain, and Canada.   I have been receiving emails all day.  Most were from professors thanking me for my work and sharing their own "difficult students" stories.  Some sent me tips for handling problems with cell phone usage, tardiness, late papers, etc. which I will share in this blog later.  Several high school teachers wrote expressing surprise that college students sometimes behaved the same as their own students.  A radio talk host emailed asking to do an interview.  A university in Canada ordered 80 copies of my book.  And a very generous business owner offered me a free weekend at a B&B for representing Iowa in a positive manner (maybe I looked like I needed the time off!)

A Few Seats Available At Workshop on Classroom Management

There are still four seats available at my three day workshop on "Classroom Management: How to Teach Like a Pro" being held at St Petersburg College in St Petersburg, Florida, on January 4-6, 2007.  Topics will include:

How to establish and maintain your credibility as the instructor from day one

What to do that first crucial day of class to set class expectations

How to motivate students to take responsibility for their success or failure in class

What classroom policies to include in your syllabus

How to deal with those difficult students who come in late, disrupt class, sleep in class, dominate the class discussion, turn papers in late, etc.

How to get responsible and useful feedback from students to improve your teaching

In addition, participants of this interactive workshop are encouraged to bring their own questions about classroom management.  At the end of the workshop, you should feel more confident about your ability to manage your classroom.

The workshop is appropriate for college instructors of all disciplines and is offered as part of the National Science Foundation's Chautauqua program.  Contact Dr. Tony Irving to register.

Fire This Teacher!

We want our students to be ethical.  We expect them to do their own work on papers and to not cheat on their tests.  However, what kind of role models do they have?  Sharion Thurman, a Tampa Bay high school teacher for 20 years, recently "falsified hundreds of student ballots in an attempt to get her niece elected homecoming queen." She was caught when it was discovered that there were more ballots cast than students enrolled.  However, she has been suspended, not fired.

What is the message this gives our students?

Should We Be Teaching Impression Management?

In a recent blogpost I mention that I think we need to teach our students about impression management.  A professor at Rateyourstudents agrees and makes a number of interesting observations that our students should note:

1.  You never know what part your peers in the classroom may play in your future.  Some of your classmates may be hired at the same company and perhaps end up being your boss.  How do you want them to remember you--someone who was always tardy to class and did not do his/her share on team projects or someone who always attended class and worked hard? 

2.  Think about how you ask for assistance from your professor.  Good sense suggests you ask for tips on how to study rather than telling your professor that "Your grading sucks. I need at least a B."

3.  Your professor will have an extensive network of colleagues in his/her field and can help you with recommendations, internships, and jobs.  Or not.

How do we teach our students that what happens in the classroom doesn't necessarily stay in the classroom?

How Do I Get My Students To Come To Class On Time?

Dear Dr. Kirk:

I'm having trouble getting some of my students to come to class on time.  I have a policy on this in my syllabus but it doesn't seem to matter.  Any suggestions?   

...Professor with High Expectations

Dear Professor Expectations:

The first step is to inform your students about your policy on coming to class on time. Explain to the students that they will be required to go to work every day and on time when they get into the workforce and that you are helping them role model these behaviors.  Also, note that coming in tardy is disruptive to the other students and disrepectful to you.  Keep in mind that they may not remember the syllabus policy so remind them of your expectations.

However, just as managers can't make their employees do anything in the workplace, you cannot make the students come to class on time. But you can set consequences and enforce these;  be sure to be consistent in applying the rules.  Pull any tardy student aside after class and ask the student if he or she knows what the policy is on tardiness. Remind the student that coming to class on time is part of the requirements of the class.  If students come in late and you don't address the issue either immediately or after class, you have essentially said the tardiness is ok.  If you don’t handle this issue, you will find other students will begin to come in tardy also.

Here is a script to use in talking to that student who comes to class late. Also, in my book on Taking Back the Classroom:  Tips for the College Professor on Becoming a More Effective Teacher, I discuss additional suggestions to use so that the behavior you get in the classroom is the behavior you want. 

Good luck in taking back your classroom!   

Dr. Kirk

Using Powerpoint to Make Presentations

My students start presentations next week and most will use powerpoint slides as visual aids.  They know the technology but tend to put entire sentences as well as distracting graphics on their slides.  I thought I would share this link with them.  Peter Norvig was frustrated by "too many presentations where PowerPoint or other visual aids obscure rather than enhance the point" and thus developed six powerpoint slides for the Gettysburg Address.

Are Your Students Making a Good First Impression?

Dr. Barry Schlenker (University of Florida) is teaching a course this semester titled "Impression Management."  Dr. Schlenker has published numerous articles on the topic and defines impression management as "the goal-directed activity of controlling or regulating information in order to influence the impressions formed by an audience."  As he notes, we "simply cannot reveal everything about ourselves to a particular audience; it is impossible.  We must edit the information to make it germane to the occasion."

Part of having social skills is creating an accurate impression that will benefit us in our communications with bosses, teachers, students, colleagues, etc.  In other words, we try to make a good impression, to present ourselves in the best light.

I was thinking about this skill while grading exams yesterday. One student had starred one of the questions and written next to it "not a good question." 

Two points here: 

(1) the question was a scenario that I had brought up in class, asked the students what they would do, and then explained in detail what the legal issues were.  I then mentioned that the scenario would make a great test question.

(2) I am grading the student's exam.  I have power over her grade.  Why would she want to irritate the grader?

It seems to me that impression management is a skill we need to teach our students in order to help them be successful in their careers...

Rubric For Grading Interview Assignment

As I mentioned in my last blogpost, I have my students interview a manager as one of their class assignments.  Obviously I cannot base the grades on how the managers' answer the questions so I have developed the following rubric that measures whether they followed directions, developed relevant questions, wrote a summary that ties the interview back to class topics, and edited the final paper.

Download rubric_for_interview_assignment.doc

An Assignment to Connect Your Students to the "Real World"

One of the assignments I use in my management classes is to have the students interview a manager and write up the results.  Family members are not allowed.  The students have to email me before the interview is set up to make sure the person fits the criteria.  I give them some standard questions to start with and then require them to develop their own additional questions that pertain to class topics. 

Required questions include:

What are the most critical skills needed to be an effective manager?  For example, what personal characteristics do you have that make you successful in this field?

How can a person develop these skills?  What is the role of formal education in this process? 

Describe a normal working day for you.  (For example, describe what you did yesterday).

What are the most critical problems you face as a manager?

If you were to teach a college course on management, what topics would you include?  How would you actually teach the course?

I require background information on both the manager and the company and a work phone number.  The phone number is especially important to ensure that the student actually interviews the manager (it also gives me a list of possible guest speakers).

I find the assignment is beneficial in several ways:  It reinforces what I am teaching in the class; it exposes the student to what a manager does on a daily basis; and usually it results in several students obtaining an internship or job interview.

This exercise could be adapted to students with a variety of majors in order to allow them to see what they can do in their chosen field.

Next post I'll share a rubric I am developing to grade these interview papers.

Rewarding For Attendance

All of my students were present and on time in class this week.  I wanted to give them a reward of some sort!  I think next semester I may put in my syllabi that on those days when everyone is present and on time and do not leave before the end of class, then all the students get two bonus points.  Talk about your peer pressure...

Think this approach might work?

Tips on Delivering a Great Lecture

William Germano, vice president and publishing director at Routledge, gives some useful tips on how to deliver a great lecture.  He's aiming these at academics presenting at conferences but the same techniques work in the classroom.  As he notes, "It's a peculiarity of scholarly life that everyone is expected to be able to deliver a lecture well, but almost no one is trained to do it. Academe resists the idea that the teacher is a performer, but the classroom and lecture hall prove that, like it or not, you need performance skills to get your ideas across."

Your Photo May Be On RateMyProfessor.com

Here's the latest item I guess we will have to address on our syllabi.  Apparently students are taking photos of their professors with their camera phones and then posting them on RateMyProfessor.com 

According to this article, more than 1200 photographs have been sent so far and are in the process of being uploaded.  What does what I look like have to do with good teaching??

Making Chemistry Fun!

Send your chemistry students to Holly Phaneuf's blog.  As she says,  "I love chemistry questions! I won't do your homework for you, but I will help you visualize the problem and give you some logic to help solve it yourself." 

I particulary enjoyed reading about the experiment where Holly and her husband try to figure out why pepper floats in a bowl of water but when a bar of soap is inserted, the pepper immediately moves to the edges of the bowl.  I had to get up and try it myself.  Go to her blog for the answer.

Tip For Students On Revising Their Rough Drafts

Kenneth Davis has some great advice that I'm going to pass on to my students as they finish up their research papers:  "The key to revising is looking at your work as your reader will."  How to do this?  Put down your rough draft, go away for even five minutes, and then come back and read it as if someone else had written it.  Pretend you are seeing your paper for the first time and then revise it until it is good enough for your signature (and to submit to your professor!)

Maybe I Just Need More Coffee...

If you're like me, you find yourself sometimes forgetting what you were going to say.  I hate it when I start off with mentioning there's three important points to this theory and then by the time I get through the first two, I've forgotten what the third point is.  I've found it useful to take an detailed outline with me to class in case this happens.  Thus, I was happy to read that researchers at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute in Tampa, Florida, have just published their results in the journal Neuroscience that reports that caffeine protects again memory impairment and reduces the risk of Alzheimer's (at least in mice).  The caffeinated mice outperformed the mice that got just plain water on tests that measured both memory and thinking.

Pour me another cup of java...

And We Complain That Our Students Can't Add

Apparently someone at Lafayette High School in Brooklyn can't add.  The principal sent a note home with students regarding their new grading system.  The pie chart indicated that grades "would be based 25 percent on Regents exams, 10-20 on homework, 60-75 on exams and 10-20 on classwork."

Urban Legend or Policy?

I'm teaching a module on employee handbooks in my Labor/Employee Relations class and decided to use the policy of how long students have to wait in class if their professor is late as an example.  What I found out is that there isn't any agreement.  Students answered anything from five minutes to 20.  Some told me that it depended on rank, with less time for adjuncts and longer time if the professor has a Ph.D.  One administrator told me he had never been able to locate a formal policy and went on to say, "If I were a student, I would be sure to be the last one to leave, however long the rest of them waited." 

Drake University actually has a written policy in their faculty handbook: "If more than 10 minutes late, the instructor may not penalize the students for disbanding."

Does your school have a formal policy?  What is the urban legend on length of time students must wait at your university?  I remember in my doctoral program that our entire class waited an hour for a professor to show up (it was a three hour class and I think we would have waited the entire class period!)