The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP

Portfolio - The Business Management Files

December 1, 2002
Your tools to running a successful business.

On Leadership Stereotypes

Based on extensive studies in the United States and Great Britain, the folks at Roffley Park Management College in London, have challenged several assumptions about effective leadership. They came to the following conclusions:

Flexibility - Conventional beliefs maintain that leaders must be flexible. But in reality, effective leaders are flexible in operational terms but are rigid in their beliefs and values.

Order - Effective leaders do not always maintain order. Sometime inducing a little chaos when an organizational shakeup is necessary and good leaders know how to do it right.

Vision - While leaders require vision, it need not necessarily be their own. Effective leaders who are not visionaries surround themselves with people who are.

Articulators - Few good leaders are effective orators and communicators. The study found that leaders who communicate well at work often are ineffective speaking in public.

Get Off Your Butt and Think

Standing up makes you smarter, according to Dr. Max Vercruyssen of the University of Southern California. He concludes from his work that standing increases your brain's information processing 5 percent to 20 percent faster than if you were sitting.

The reasoning is that when you are standing, your heart beats about 10 extra times each minute. This sends more blood to the brain and boosts activity in the central nervous system.

The E-doctor Is In

The American Medical Association (AMA) has helped launch a new service that lets people consult with their doctors via e-mail. It is expected that doctors will charge around $25 per e-mail.

Most health plans probably won't pay for the e-mails, but Dr. Edward Fotsch, CEO of Medem, an online physician network, says he expects many patients will be willing to pay out of their own pockets for the convenience of being able to consult with their doctors this way. A virtual visit is easier and probably cheaper than taking time off from work and paying a typical $15 office visit co-payment, Fotsch explains. About 200 doctors already are offering the service.

Certainly, e-mail consultations are not meant for use in emergency situations. And some doctors warn it could take two or three days to reply to the e-mails. Still, Fotsch says, "That's better than waiting five weeks for an appointment." He is expecting about 40,000 doctors to sign up by 2004.

A poll by Harris Interactive found that 37 percent of patients would be willing to pay for the e-mail consultations, 39 percent would not and 24 percent weren't sure. Among those willing to pay, the average amount they would want to pay is $6.90 - a fair distance from that $25 figure the doctors want.

Spending Time with Employees

There is no rule of thumb to determine how much time to spend with subordinates. But the National Institute of Business Management points to certain symptoms that can help recognize when you enter the danger zones.

You may be spending too much time with your workers if:

* You frequently feel that problems or questions that are brought to you could be handled down the line. This is a clear sign that subordinates are too dependent. It also is a hint to analyze how much this is a result of your own behavior.

* You feel you know as much as your employees do about their jobs. Mastering every single detail of the tasks that occur is not a virtue. Your job is to supervise your employees, not to train as a potential replacement.

* People take your time for granted. If people just drop in even when you're visibly busy, they may be telling you something. Any such disrespect for the value of your time can indicate that you yourself aren't valuing it highly enough.

You may not be accessible enough to your employees if:

* You usually are the last to know when someone is in trouble. Many small problems can snowball if left unattended. The sooner you spot a problem, the easier it will be to deal with it.

* You often are startled to realize you haven't spoken with a particular employee in quite a while. Most managers make a point of regularly touching base with employees. If you find yourself too busy to do this, you might restudy your priorities - see what can be delegated to leave you more time for personal contact.

* People explain mistakes by saying, "I didn't want to bother you with this." When this happens infrequently, this merely indicates that an employee has bitten off more than he or she can chew. But, if it happens often, it may mean that you appear too remote to your employees.

Get the Facts Straight

Some myths that need to be busted:

* Footballs are not, and never were, made of pigskin.

* The Statue of Liberty is not that monument's name. Its correct name is "Liberty Enlightening the World."

* Despite their name, catgut tennis racket strings do not come from cats. Sheep usually are the source.

* The dog days of summer aren't so named because Fido can't take the heat. It's because Sirius, the dog star, rises in conjunction with the sun during part of the summer. The ancients thought that made the days hotter.

* There are only 46 states in the United States. Virginia, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Pennsylvania are commonwealths. Rhode Island, while indeed a state, actually is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

10 Commandments of Good Feedback

Excellent feedback preserves an individual's dignity and integrity while allowing for improvement in his or her behavior. In their book "The Gentle Art of Feedback," Bob Wood and Andrew Scott offer the following 10 suggestions for giving feedback.

* Offer feedback on observed behavior, not on perceived attitudes.

* Offer a description of what you saw and how you felt, rather than a judgement.

* Focus on behavior that can be changed.

* Choose those aspects of job performance that are most important and limit comments to those.

* Ask questions rather than make statements.

* Set all the ground rules in advance.

* Comment on the things that an employee did well, as well as areas for improvement.

* Relate all your feedback to specific items of behavior; don't make statements about general feelings or impressions.

* Observe personal limits; don't give too much feedback at once.

* Before offering any feedback, consider its value to the employee.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Opinions
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Water Wells
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.
Unable to fetch comments.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Portfolio

    See More
  • Portfolio

    See More
  • Smart Business: The Pros & Cons of Going into Business for Yourself — Part 2

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP