Please bookmark this page and return soon as we will continue to add to these tips, with new tips featured at the beginning.
LATEST TIPS
Tip 9: Time: it's not about how much you have, it's how you chunk it!Tip 10: Three key underpinning aspects of an effective organisation
Management Tips Archive
Tip 1: Let's hope you are a good leader
and manager!
Tip 2: What is Your Level of Personal
Effectiveness?
Tip 3: Do you want to improve your own
performance and that of your staff?
Tip 4: The executive summary of how
to be a good manager as leader and coach
Tip 5: Go for progress rather than perfection
Tip 6: How to build
successful working relationships
Tip 7: Assertive communication skills
to be a more effective manager
Tip 8: Skills to pacify other people
Tip 1:Let's hope you are a good leader and manager!
In a recent survey across Australia a wide range of staff were surveyed to rate the importance of selected factors to them in their jobs and employment. In descending order of importance by % here is what they said;
1. Competent leadership and management 52%
2. Intangible reward (recognition, respect, flexible hours) 25%
3. Training and career development 17%
4. Tangible benefits (laptop, mobile, car) 3%
5. Competitive pay 3%
The clear message to management is that your
staff expects and requires you to be a competent leader and
an effective manager. If you are, that's great. Now the challenge
is to be even better and get the others to follow you.
The downside is that poor leadership and management will result
in de-motivated, unproductive staff who aren't happy and would
rather work for someone else or somewhere else! Sounds costly
and therefore it is worth putting in a big effort to develop
and lift the skills of your managers.
Tip 2: What is Your Level of Personal Effectiveness?
How good are you at:
-
reading situations?
-
reading the people in the situations?
-
adapting your approach and behaviour to suit?
If you are good at doing this, (and you are
also good at achieving results/getting the job done), you would
be seen and thought of by other people as highly effective.
This is called Emotional Mastery.
Where would you score yourself, and where would other people
score you on the following Emotional Mastery scale?
If you have a high score, it means you have a high level of
the following key elements, which underpin Emotional Mastery:
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Humility
- Self-regulation
- Social skill
- Emotional resilience
- Motivation
- Self-esteem
- Openness to change
Where do your staff score?
Whether you interact with other staff, ratepayers, councillors,
developers, government or the community generally, you owe it
to yourself and your staff to develop Emotional Mastery.
Accelerate your career by developing Emotional Mastery
and gain a more rewarding management life.
For a questionnaire to assess and improve the effectiveness
of your team contact Pacific Consulting:
Telephone: 02 8925 0888
Email: ross@pacificconsulting.com.au
Tip
3 : Do you want to improve your own
performance and that of your
staff?
The 2 worksheets below have shown to be the best way to change what you do and to get improved results from others.
WORKSHEET 1: Setting My Specific Actions
Use this worksheet to list the specific actions that will improve your leadership and management skills and your overall contribution.
My goal is: To be a better manager. |
|
| Things I will start doing... | |
| 1. | Asking my staff questions to find out what they really mean |
| 2. | Helping people come up with their own solutions rather than telling them (etc) |
Things I will stop
doing… |
|
| 1. | Interrupting and telling people what my answer is |
| 2. | Telling people they are wrong and then explain the process and regulations (etc) |
Things I will continue doing… |
|
| 1. | Praising staff for their efforts |
| 2. | Showing interest in people’s problems (etc) |
WORKSHEET 2: Specific Actions I Would Like my Staff
to Undertake
Use this worksheet to list the specific actions that will help
your staff improve their performance and contribution.
|
Staff Member’s Name: Chris Smith |
|
| Things I want you to do more of… | |
| 1. | Listen to people’s problems without jumping in too quickly with your solution |
| 2. | Ask people what they think are the options and ask how can you help them (etc) |
| Things I want you to do less of … | |
| 1. | Saying the word ‘no’ to people |
| 2. | Arguing with people to win a point (etc) |
| Things I want you to do the same as you currently do… | |
| 1. | Being honest and showing integrity |
| 2. | Responding quickly to people’s requests (etc) |
Tip
4: The executive summary of how to
be a good manager as leader
and
coach
As a manager this is what your staff will expect of you. They will be thinking things such as:
1. Your approach is to work with me, and be on my side, even
if you don't agree with me or think
I’m right, and support me.
2. Listen to me, understand me and ask me questions.
3. Ask me, "what can I do to help?"
4. Actually do the things that you said you would do to help me.
5. Follow-up with me on how I am going, and give me continued
encouragement and support.
Tip 5: Go for Progress Rather Than Perfection
We rarely stop to acknowledge the progress we have made, since there is so much more that calls for our attention – all the other stuff on our To Do List. And yet we are still so far from perfection, or so it seems.
The danger is that the gap between where we are and ‘perfection’ creates a drain on energy. However, when we stop and look at where we were and how far we have come, that raises energy. And the incidence of progress is a lot higher than the incidence of perfection. So the opportunity to get an energy boost is that much higher when you acknowledge progress. Life, and your list, is easier with more energy.
The street sweeper, when he wants to feel good, looks behind him not in front.
When we are focused on what’s wrong with something and why others or things are not perfect, we are zeroing in on 'what’s wrong', which implies to others that we are dissatisfied or discontented. Whether it’s related to ourselves, someone else’s imperfections, a disorganised desk, an imperfect accomplishment, the way someone looks, behaves, or lives their life. The very act of focusing on imperfection(s) pulls us away from our goal of being constructive and a positive role model to others.
This strategy has nothing to do with ceasing to do your very best and striving for high quality, which can still be achieved without being overly attached and focused on what’s imperfect or not good enough about work/life. It’s about realising that while there’s always a better way to do something, this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy and appreciate what has been achieved and the ways things already are.
The solution here is:
- To catch yourself when you fall into the habit of
insisting that things should be other than
they are.
- Gently remind yourself that life is okay the way it
is, right now.
- In the absence of your perfectionistic judgement,
everything would be fine.
- Begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all
areas of your life.
- Think and say out loud so that others can hear you ”it's not a perfect world.”
Adapted from “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” by Richard Carlson
PhD, and “High Energy Habits” by Bill Ford
Tip 6: How to build successful working relationships
Successful working relationships are supported by the three pillars of caring, communication and commitment, which provides a foundation of trust and respect. Successful working relationships have open and honest communication, so that issues are discussed and resolved, strengthening the relationship.Caring |
+ |
Communication |
+ |
Commitment |
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
=
Trust and Respect |
Caring
Caring people are thoughtful and remember what is important
to others. They give support and help when needed. They go out
of their way to pleasantly surprise others, celebrate success
and make life more fun.
Communication
People who communicate well are always prepared to listen to
their friends and colleagues, even when busy. They ask questions,
show respect and give recognition for others’ contributions.
Commitment
Commitment means loyalty and keeping promises. People who show
commitment follow through. They are reliable and are the people
we trust. They are also available when we need them.
Tip 7: Assertive communication skills to be a more effective manager
The following skills and behaviours are a foundation for highly effective interpersonal communication skills, which with practice will result in you being seen by others as an effective communicator across a wide range of situations. It is also the best way to coach and support your staff and be seen as an effective manager and leader.
- Assertive behaviour
The presence and effectiveness of people is enhanced when they behave in an assertive, constructive way. This helps them to build a ‘base of influence’ and to create an authentic, positive environment for other people. Passive and aggressive behaviours are ineffective styles of communication. Simply, they won’t help you get what you want, and you probably won’t be seen as a good manager by your staff. - Self-awareness
Managers must have good self-awareness to be an effective communicator. This is the foundation of emotional intelligence-the ability to reflect on what’s happening for you, for others, and what is the most appropriate response (not reaction) in a particular set of circumstances. - Speaking for Self
This has to do with ‘owning’ what you say. Hence, start with ‘I’ instead of the commonly used ‘you’ when talking about yourself. - Don’t ask closed questions
Asking questions that need a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer closes down communication. - Ask open questions
Start with ‘how, where, what, when, in what way?’ questions. Avoid asking ‘why’ questions as they are often interpreted as blaming or can lead to longwinded explanations. - Silence and Pausing
Sometimes just by being silent, the person will open up. Maybe they just want you to listen to them; to be heard is very powerful! - Ensuring Mutual Understanding
Don’t make assumptions that you understand the person (or that they understand you), say: “I want to make sure I understand you”; or “Let’s see if I’ve got it right”; or “do you mean …..?” or try “ I’d like to tell you what I heard you say” or “I’d like you to tell me what you heard me say”. - Acknowledge the Person’s Concerns
Let the person know you have heard them and understood their situation. - Demonstrate Empathy
Put yourself in their shoes and feel how they feel.- “I would feel upset too if I had to wait.”
- “I know of other people who had the same problem and they were very disappointed.” - Partial Agreement and Acknowledgement
Let them know you have heard them and to some extent, you are on their side.They say: “You would have thought if I send in a complaint I would get a reply”
You say: “Yes, you are right to expect a reply” - Managing Abusive People
To maintain control of the situation set some boundaries for the person.- Acknowledge their situation – “I am sorry this has happened to you.”
- Say you want to help – “I do want to help.”
- Set boundaries – “I won’t be able to help if you continue to speak to me this way.”
- Suggest options – “Would you prefer to talk to me further or put it in writing?”
- Presenting Bad News to another Person
- State the situation with empathy
- Present any options that might make them feel better
- Check their agreement with the option/s
- Exit the discussion showing that you careExample: “Chris, the situation is …”; “What I can suggest is …”; “Will that help you?”
- Solid time chunks, this is "booked time"
- Big thinking tasks, requiring a running start for creative or strategic thinking as well as planning and writing.
- Production line tasks that follow the same sequence of steps each time, such as emails, processing documents and paying bills.
- Split time chunks, this is "found time"
- Project detail tasks, keep a list of tasks you could do wherever you are. During split time chunks you can check project details, arrange meetings and pickups, phone calls and brief e-mail responses.
- Miscellaneous tasks that may not be associated with a specific project but still need to get done, such as ordering supplies, replying to enquiries and customer service requests.
- Clarity
- Where are we now? What's working well and not so well?
- Where do we want to head? What's the direction in easily understood concrete terms?
- How are we going to get there? What is our plan?
- Do we have clarity of our roles, processes, systems and specific actions to be undertaken?
- Accountability
- For leading and managing the organisation and its staff
- For having effective and workable processes, systems and resources to achieve results and outcomes
- For each person clearly spelt out
- Support
- Effective systems, processes and resources to enable people to effectively undertake their work
- Encouragement and assistance from managers, and communication combined with training, mentoring and coaching
- Asking "how can I help?" and following up through a caring, achievement oriented approach
Why not try one of these new methods
at your next meeting
or in discussions with your staff?
Tip 8: Skills to pacify other people
When a person is in an emotional state, you need to manage the emotion before attending to the problem. Following are some suggestions:- “I am sorry to hear that …”
- “It can be frustrating having to …”
Tip 9: Time: it's not about how much you have, it's how you chunk it!
While you can't add more hours to the day you can make better use of the hours you have.
It's called time chunking and it's a whole new way of looking at your day.
Assess which of your work needs solid chunks of time and which need split chunks.
This is where you book solid time blocks in your schedule and protect them from distractions or things that seem urgent but aren't. There are two types of tasks to reserve for solid time chunks:
Use this when you are waiting, travelling or early for a meeting.
When you do the right task in the right chunk of time, you'll be amazed at how much more productive you are! Your "to-do" list will get shorter, you'll enjoy more peace of mind and you'll stop wasting time trying to recapture your creative flow.
Tip 10: Three key underpinning aspects of an effective organisation