Management Skills

Management Awareness

Tweet This

This free management resource provides advice and tips useful for managers who are new to their position, and will also provide a useful recap for existing managers.

These free resources are designed to complement our range of Management and Leadership Training courses.

Introduction to 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.

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

Emotional intelligence

Emotional Intelligence, or EI as it is known, can be helpful in this area of interpersonal understanding as it involves thinking about yourself and others.

EI is said to be categorised into five aspects:

1. SELF-AWARENESS

If you’re aware of yourself and what makes you tick, you’ll be a more effective communicator and a better manager. Once you understand yourself and are open to self-development, you are in a better position to lead and guide others.

2. MANAGING EMOTIONS

Do you always know how you feel? For many of us our feelings are unclear and hidden as we have been taught to suppress emotions. Reversing this isn’t easy, but research shows that unless we’re first aware of our emotions we can’t gain control of them. You can increase your awareness of feelings simply by spending time thinking about them. The more you practice, the more conscious you will become.

3. MOTIVATING YOURSELF

Once you’re more aware of your emotions you can put them to good use to motivate yourself and keep yourself motivated regardless of the situation. You no longer have to react in an automatic way to outside stimuli; you can choose.

4. EMPATHY

Without empathy it is difficult to gain people’s trust, create rapport, influence people and develop their abilities.

Empathy is having a sensitivity to the feelings and concerns of others and seeing things from their point of view, rather than selfishly seeing things from your own perspective.

5. HANDLING RELATIONSHIPS

Once you have empathy with someone and can recognise their feelings of stress, anger, sadness, rejection and so on, you can manage emotions in others. Handling relationships means having a degree of social competence and using social skills.

How can we use this to be more effective managers?

Having the basic building blocks of EI means it is possible to control your emotions, create and maintain successful relationships and motivate yourself and others to achieve goals, all key aspects of management!

How can I find out what effect I have on people?

Feedback should be a two-way process. Now is your chance to ask for some for yourself! This takes courage but is worth it.

The more specific the feedback the more valuable it will be – this applies equally to praise as to criticism. You can help people be specific with their feedback by being specific with your questions:

Choose two or three people you trust in your organisation. They may be your staff, peers or manager. Identify two aspects of your management style that you want to receive feedback on. Be specific about what you ask for.

1. Record what each of them says
2. Analyse your emotional reaction to what they said
3. Make notes on what you can do and are prepared to do to change your behaviour

You need to be sure that if they are critical, you don’t get defensive. You will have to handle your feelings about the interchange if some of the comments are negative!

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on April 3rd, 2007 | No Comments »

Managing performance

Tweet This

Here is a definition of Performance Management:

“an integrated set of planning and review procedures which cascades down through the organisation to provide a link between each individual and the overall strategy of the organisation.”

Out of Performance Management has arisen the need for Performance Measurement.

Why measure performance?

The main reasons for measuring performance can be summarised under three main headings:

ACCOUNTABILITY
CONTROL
DEVELOPMENT

An increasing emphasis on performance and on the achievement of results is leading to the adoption of performance management schemes by more and more organisations. These schemes may vary in their design and application but nearly all are based on the simple premise of reviewing an individual’s (or a team’s) performance against previously agreed targets. The traditional idea of an annual appraisal meeting where a form was completed and then forgotten until the next year is disappearing, as performance management is accepted as a key part of the manager’s responsibility in developing their staff.

Performance Appraisals

From the point of view of an organisation or a manager, performance appraisal provides an opportunity to assess the value of each individual’s performance over a period of time. It is a learning opportunity for both managers and the individual being appraised and to review:

• If performance was good (i.e. agreed objectives were met or exceeded), what made it good and how can these contributing factors be maintained?
• If performance was merely acceptable, what could the organisation, manager or individual do to improve in the coming appraisal period?
• If performance was below the agreed standard, what were the reasons?

The emphasis in well-designed performance management schemes is not to punish “below-par performance” but to help people to reach a better standard of performance in the future (or maintain an already high standard).

Schemes not designed and applied in this way rarely benefit individuals or the organisation. Performance cannot be appraised without the existence of an explicit standard. So the other major benefit to both organisations and their staff is that it forces discussion and agreement on an objective standard of performance which staff members are supposed to reach.

Conducting a Performance Management Meeting

10 Point Checklist

1. Set a clear agenda and objectives for the meeting and prepare thoroughly.
2. Use specific examples rather than generalities when describing performance, good or bad.
3. Listen!
4. Motivate – balance positive and negative feedback.
5. Focus on behaviour that can be changed rather than on more vague aspects of personality or attitude.
6. Discuss development needs and performance improvement.
7. Summarise to ensure clarity about what has been agreed.
8. Don’t avoid emotive issues if they important.
9. Set SMART objectives. SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound.
10. Be prepared to receive feedback on yourself as a manager.

For a practical and comprehensive look at this topic we have a 2 day Performance Management Course which can be customised around your own organisation’s performance management procedures and documentation. We can also arrange Appraisals Course to provide the interpersonal skills required to conduct performance reviews.

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on April 15th, 2007 | No Comments »

Performance appraisals

Tweet This

Performance Appraisals can sometimes be an uncomfortable experience, for both managers and the employees and will often only help in further dividing the manager-employee relationship. Appraisals will often determine the next pay alteration, who is fired and who is promoted, the most common element of this sort of appraisal is often to underline what a person has done wrong.

However what people sometimes forget is that appraisals are there to try and help and improve a person’s performance. It is a method through which managers are able to gather important information from their staff which they then should use to try and better the performance, not only of that individual, but also of the whole project in general. Through focusing on the improvement and bettering of an individual, and not on punishing them for their faults, the emphasis of that appraisal, not to mention the experience of the employee, will no longer be a negative one.

With the correct approach, there should no longer be the division between employee and manager that there once was, now you should get the feeling that you are both working for the same team and that any criticism that you level at an employee is constructive and warranted.

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on October 13th, 2009 | No Comments »

Feedback from Managers

Tweet This

From every manager giving good clear feedback is vital. Although it can sometimes be seen as criticism when handled carefully it can improve results and strengthen working relationships. Many employees may not even be aware that they are not performing as expected or required. Constuctive feedback can help people see their blind spots and understand the impact of their behaviour, feedback can  enhance their career.
Unfortunately many managers put off giving feedback because it makes them uncomfortable, or they want to avoid confrontation. Feedback should be clear and precise and avoid hints, blame or humiliation. Managers need to know how to be assertive and ask for what they want from employees.

Once an employee knows or understands what their manager would like they may go away and think about it, change their behaviour and enhance their own career as a result. Everybody wins.

Assertiveness and confidence building training -  A good one day course for managers on assertiveness.

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on September 24th, 2009 | No Comments »

Managing Meetings for Managers

Tweet This

Meetings can be dreaded by members of the team. If you are to lead a meeting there are many things you can do to manage them as efficiently as possible. This will save your employees and colleagues time, and the company’s resources.

Meetings are essential and ultimately, when managed well, very constructive. They can be the only time where all the creative individuals are together, new ideas can be created, plans can be made and they encourage cohesion and efficiency.

Creative people are usually very busy, if you waste their time they will get frustrated and have less time to do what they do best.

If you learn how to manage meetings effectively, not only will you be a great asset to your company you will gain respect from your employees and colleagues and earn the reputation of a person who can get things done.

Managing Meetings Effectively

• Don’t have a meeting for the sake of it, cancel a meeting rather than meet for the sake of it.  If you have already made your mind up about a course of action there is no point in discussing it.
• Only ask the relevant team members to the meeting.
• Do have a meeting to address large numbers of people quickly and effectively.
• Have meetings when you need input, or to encourage others to come on board and to encourage them or motivate them about an idea. If this is your intention, be prepared. How are you going to motivate them?
• Always have an agenda and stick to it
• Be clear about what you want from each item
• Summarise points with one sentence and move on swiftly
• Take control of or delegate the role of facilitation, if it is your meeting you should be leading
• It can help to indicate what you want from each member at the start of the meeting
• Make sure you invite the right people, if it doesn’t involve someone or you don’t need their input don’t ask them to attend.
• Ask yourself:
  • Who can provide the best advice?
  • Who has the most experience?
  • Who will support you?
  • Who will oppose you?
  • Who do you need to make it happen?
• Choose the venue to suit the meeting, for authority chooses a boardroom, for an informal meeting choose an office etc. If you want to encourage colleges or persuade them what about coffee and snacks or even a meal.

If you put the above into practise, meetings should no longer be a bore. They can be an efficient and effective way of getting things done, generating ideas, moving things forward, and saving time.

We provide a one day Effective Meetings course for those looking to improve the way they manage meetings.

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on September 18th, 2007 | No Comments »

Delegation and Responsibility for Managers

Tweet This

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.

See our Delegation Skills training course if you are looking to improve the way you delegate.

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on January 16th, 2008 | No Comments »

Problem solving

Tweet This

For help with with problem solving you could try a facilitation course. When planning and implementing change, problems sometimes arise. Problems will certainly arise during your life as a manager (if they haven’t already!).

Being personally effective means being able to face and resolve problems in a planned and proactive way. But not in a hasty and haphazard way. So how to go about it?

Effective problem solving depends on having a structure and a process which will act as a guide when you are faced with any problem.

Problem solving process

Here is a a clear and straight forward way of solving problems. It is made up of four stages:

1. DEFINING THE PROBLEM
2. ANALYSIS
3. OPTIONS
4. ACTIONS

Think for a moment about how you solve problems. Do you already follow this process? If not, what process do you use? It is not unusual for a manager when faced with a problem, to leap from PROBLEM to ACTIONS in one jump and, of course, the action chosen could be exactly the right one. BUT often it is not as you have missed the two important stages of ANALYSIS and OPTIONS.

For example, you think the problem with the city transport system is there aren’t enough buses! Action: buy more buses!

BUT what if you buy more buses and the situation is the same? The answer maybe that there are already enough buses but they are inadequately maintained, or that there is a shortage of drivers, or that the time-tabling needs to be revised.

What you have done in identifying the problem is to leap straight away to the solution to buy more buses which in this case would be a waste of time and money.

Problem solving strategies

Below are some questions which will help you through the process in a systematic way either on your own or with your team:

1 DEFINING THE PROBLEM

• What are the signs and symptoms of the problem?
• Who is the problem impacting?
• When is the problem occurring?
• What is your desired outcome?

Once you have answered these questions, you will be in a position to clearly and accurately define the problem. You should then write a Problem Statement which spells out this clearly defined problem. Once you know exactly what you are dealing with, you have a better chance of coming up with the most appropriate solution!

2 ANALYSIS

• What do I/we contribute to this problem?
• What part of this is mine/ours to own?
• What other data do you need to solve this problem?

3 OPTIONS

• What are all the possible ideas to solve the problem?
• What options constitute a viable Plan A & Plan B (consensus)

4 ACTIONS

• Specific steps to be taken?
• Time frame for each step?
• Who is responsible for each step?
• What specific criteria will be used to evaluate success?
• When will this evaluation be conducted? By whom?
• Who needs to know about this plan?

Silicon Beach Training deliver great instuctor lead Management Course and Leadership Courses

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on April 15th, 2007 | No Comments »

Decision making

Tweet This

“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” (attributed to Theodore Roosevelt)

It is generally accepted that more people prefer a manager who makes bad decisions to one who makes no decisions at all! Decision making is a key component in the functioning of any organisation and managers need to make decisions on a variety of issues. You may be involved in some or all of the following spheres of decision making and others:

• Financial – budget implications of spending
• Staffing & development – training and project work
• Product development – research, marketing
• Customer – developing a customer base
• Organisational – change strategies
• Policy & procedures – new systems and policies

Decisions only need to be made where there is more than one alternative. If there is only one way forward, then there is no decision to make!

Decision making skills

Within the culture of your organisation there will already be rules of both individual and team decision making and any competent manager needs to research what these are before introducing their own processes.

However there are some general guidelines that apply to decision making:

1. Be clear about what outcome you want
2. Consider what appears to be the most appropriate course of action
3. Look at the alternatives; consult your peers, team, colleagues for ideas
4. Explore the consequences of each alternative
5. Choose one
6. Implement it
7. Review it
8. Make any appropriate changes for next time

However you decide how to decide, you need a systematic process, a process you can refer back to if you don’t get the desired outcome or if you are asked to justify the decision you made.

A planned approach following a logical process as the one above will give you this.

Group decision making

Whatever your style of management there will be times when it will be appropriate to involve a group of people in the decision making process. If you involve your team in a decision that affects them, this will normally increase their commitment and engagement to that task.

Group decision making can be defined as the process of arriving at a judgment based upon the input of multiple individuals. As with individual decision making, the use of a decision-making model is a systematic way of establishing group decision making proficiency.

Advantages of making decisions as a group

• You can share information which is not held by all individuals
• The synergy (two heads are better than one) of the group leads to better decisions
• Hearing other points of view can lead to fruitful discussion and stimulate other ideas
• Group members will be more committed to the outcome

Disadvantages of making decisions as a group

• It takes more time
• Members do not always agree and compromise can be difficult to achieve
• Group members may not be willing to share information
• Groupthink may take over; this is a process by which groups put consensus and unanimity above the quality of the decision and fail to look at all the alternatives objectively.

Contact us to arrange a Decision Making training course.

Add a comment Read more

Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills on April 18th, 2007 | No Comments »