For many years I looked to Bill Lumbergh as my “what not to say” as a manager tutor.  (I’m gonna need you to…)

But we now have an updated list of phrases that should never pass a manger’s lips thanks to workplace expert Liz Ryan.  She recently blogged the 10 things only bad managers say.  Among the most groan-inducing:

• I’ll take it under advisement
• Who gave you permission to do that?
• In these times, you’re lucky to have a job at all

Most of the quotes Liz lists seem to show an under-appreciation (to say the least) of what folks bring to the team and company.  And for Research departments statements like these not only make people feel terrible about their workplace, they also have a direct impact on the quality of recommendations created.

We’ve run the numbers, and we know that more insightful teams foster an environment that:

• Builds personal commitment to a clear insight mandate
• Reinforces the sharing of hypotheses and judgments, not just proven conclusions
• Leads staff to self-directed learning rather than prescribe staff activities
• Engineers opportunities to build career momentum despite limited department size and budget

MREB members, to see what your group can do to improve productivity across the board, check out our work on fostering an environment that unleashes researchers’ potential.   And if you’d like to measure the impact your department has on internal partners’ decisions, contact us about deploying the Business Impact Diagnostic.