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Time Management learn to Work Smarter

“If I want the job done properly then I have to do it myself.”

How often have you heard that one … probably said by a manager, frustrated by the lack of expertise of some staff member?

Image courtesey of Wikimedia Commons

Why, you may wonder, has the worker not got the expertise? Why must the harassed manager carry so much of the burden?

Several years ago I was working for a major international financial organisation when they offered a Time Management course for senior executives. All agreed the course would probably be useful. But attendance was optional and when the day arrived only four, of over forty, of these senior people turned up. The reason? Go on, you know already, don’t you? Yes, they couldn’t spare the time to attend!

Why are staff at all levels – from the most junior to the most senior – so ‘time poor’ in today’s business environment?

Where, it appears, too many people seem to be taking on an inordinate workload … and not handling it well. Could it be that, to use a common modern phrase, rather than working harder they need to work smarter?

userJohn A G Smith

date1 Jul 2016

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Am I Delegating Enough?

Delegating is one of the most challenging skills for new managers.

Too many new (and experienced!) managers struggle to give up work and find themselves stressed and overworked.

Is this you?

Effective delegation is essential for effective management.

In this post I'm going to run through some classic signs of poor delegation and help you overcome them.

If you're struggling with your new management role or want to upskill before making the leap, come on our Management Skills for New Managers course which includes a session on delegation.

user Andy Trainer

date29 Jul 2014

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What Makes a Great Induction Process?

A good induction can increase staff retention, reduce the time needed for a new staff member to settle into the workplace and generally make for a happier work force.

Common complaints about induction processes include being bored, being overwhelmed by too much information or inductees just being left to their own devices.

Below I have put together my tips for what makes a good induction process.

userBethan Adelekan

date27 Aug 2013

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Delegation and Responsibility for Managers

Delegation is about letting employees make decisions and work on their own initiative. To be successful, employees must have the resources to complete a delegated task. This may mean providing training, tools and support.

Managers can delegate authority however they cannot delegate responsibility, this is important. Although an employee is responsible for meeting deadlines, goals and objectives, the Manager is still ultimately responsible for the success of the delegated task.

Delegation Benefits

  • Employees may do a better job when they feel personally accountable, even though responsibility ultimately rests with the individual who made the delegation.
  • Delegation can make an employee's work more varied and therefore motivate the employee.
  • Managers have more time to innovate and plan.
  • When delegation involves training and mentoring, the organisation will benefit from a more highly skilled workforce.
  • Employees will learn to be better decision makers given more responsibility.

Delegation Drawbacks

  • Managers may lack the knowledge or motivation to delegate.
  • Managers may choose the wrong tasks to delegate.
  • Managers may not communicate the task effectively, providing inadequate direction.
  • Some managers get stuck in the belief that "if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself."
  • Managers may:
    • Lack trust in their employees
    • Fear being seen as lazy
    • Be reluctant to take risks
    • Fear competition

Any of the above may result in incomplete or incorrectly completed tasks.

The manager is ultimately responsible for delegation and must take responsibility for:

  • Delegating the wrong task
  • Delegating to the wrong person
  • Not providing proper guidance.

The employee is ultimately responsible for:

  • Doing the task incorrectly when given adequate resources, guidance or training.

userAndy Trainer

date16 Jan 2008

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Management Awareness

Managers who know themselves well and who are aware of their emotions are in a better position to understand and empathise when managing others. This is something emphasised on many of our Management Training Courses.

So an important step to being an effective manager is self-awareness. This means, amongst other things, knowing:

  • Your strengths
  • Your areas for development
  • Your positive and negative qualities
  • Your prejudices
  • Your feelings
  • What effect you have on others

Read More

userAndy Trainer

date10 Sep 2013

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Time Management for Managers: The 3 Ps

Using specific strategies to keep on top of how you use your time is as essential for managers as it is for anyone else.

In fact, you’ll probably have even more to factor into your time ‘budget’ because in many ways you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day activities of your employees/team as well as your own.

This is something we emphasise on our Management Training here at Silicon Beach and it's also a key aspect of Project Management, as explained on our PRINCE2 Training.

In this post are a few quick fix ideas that make day-to-day time management more organised and effective.

The Three Ps

  • PEOPLE
  • PAPER
  • PLANNING

Get these three under control and you are well on your way to being organised (and saving time).

user Andy Trainer

date24 Jul 2013

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Plato's School of Management

'He was a wise man who invented (management)'!

It might not seem apparent at first, butManagementandPhilosophygo together likeKant and the Categorical Imperative.

Management, among other things, seeks to provide a structure to get the best from people, to understand business and make people (customers, staff, bosses) happy.

Philosophy, among other things, seeks to provide a structure to get the best from life, to understand the world and make people (society, individuals) happy.

So can managers learn anything from the great philosophers? Certainly.

If you'd like to learn how to be a great manager, why not try ourManagement Skills Courses?

This post will be part of a series called'Management Lessons From Philosophy'we'll start with the ideas of the ancient philosophers from Greece and work our way up to the modern thinkers, exploring everything that can be applied to management along the way.

This week we begin with the man who started it all:Plato.

"The Unexamined Life is not Worth Living"

The Godfather of everything philosophical, Plato isthe manwhen it comes to wise one-liners that make you re-evaluate, well, everything!

With this quote he is arguing that to make the most of life, one really needs to inquire and seek knowledge, both about the world and oneself.

userAndy Trainer

date8 Jan 2013

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Management the Steve Jobs way - Learning from Steve Jobs' Management Style

Steve Jobs' recent death has brought up a huge amount of discussion. His innovation for great products and financial success at Apple has deemed him a genius - giving him a Godlike status. It is without question that from 1997 onward, Jobs saved Apple from failure and has revolutionised the computing industry while making a lot of money in the process.

However, he did this with a very unorthodox management style. In fact he flew in the face of the management technique of other Silicon Valley companies.

While Google and Microsoft promote openness and strive to make their employees happy, Apple is incredibly secretive and most employees lived in fear of Jobs: but it worked. So how did Steve Jobs achieve such success while ignoring all traditional notions of business management?

userCraig Charley

date17 Oct 2011

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