If you’re a leader in the workplace, or hoping to become one, there are innumerable books you can read on the topic. There are many valuable choices that will teach you insightful things about leadership, and they will inspire you to change and improve. Before you try to tackle the abundance of options, here are five titles that are must-reads for every leader.

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (and Their Employees)

By Patrick Lencioni

This book discusses job satisfaction, and it’s a quick and easy read. It is presented as a story, not a dry bullet point list. The story follows an executive named Brian Bailey as he takes on a variety of different management positions. He finds that there are three main reason people dislike their jobs, and he also figures out how to cure them.

This is a great book that will inspire you to motive your employees and create for them a workplace they enjoy. Employees can also read this book to learn about finding fulfillment in their jobs.

Not all leaders follow the rules of leadership. Steve Jobs was undoubtedly a great leader but went against many common practices. Read more about the Steve Jobs management style.

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

By Liz Wiseman and Greg McKeown

This book is about leaders who inspire, and as a result get the most from their employees. “Multipliers” are leaders who enhance the abilities of everyone around them and generate results most effectively. They motive and challenge their workers, and employees of multipliers are more productive and independent.

If you want to help your employees reach their full potential, read this book. Read the rest of "Five Must-Read Books for Leadership"

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Posted by Guest Author in Leadership Training on December 2nd, 2011 | No Comments »

At one point or another in the course of your professional career, it is more than likely you will have witnessed or even been subject to some sort of conflict in the workplace. Conflict in the workplace is never a good thing and will have a negative impact on all involved. If you are in a position of responsibility and/or leadership within your work then it is your job to prevent any conflict and resolve any conflicting issues. Doing this can be a hard thing to accomplish but if you follow these three simple tips you should find it a lot easier – our comprehensive Leadership Skills course in Brighton, Sussex, also covers resolving conflict.

Be aware of what is going on.

Take an active interest in what is going on in workplace, don’t let any potential rifts continue that could have easily been amended sooner. Being aware of what is going on is an important step to controlling and understanding the issue at hand in turn will allow you to find a resolution quicker.

Act fast.

Don’t allow the situation to get out of hand in the hope that it will resolve itself, take responsibility of the situation and directly address the conflict between the two opposing sides. The longer you leave it the more likely it is to get worse and become more of a deep rooted and unresolvable problem.

Address the situation directly.

Hold a meeting between the two conflicting sides and come to an agreement in a calm and controlled manner. The situation must still be workable and make sure that there are no feelings of  harbored resentment after the conflict has been resolved. The quality of work should not be affected and you need to make sure of this through monitoring the situation to check for any reoccurring issues.

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Posted by Aaron Charlie in Leadership Training on April 17th, 2009 | No Comments »

Leadership Skills

There are many articles about how to be a good leader, however there a few suggestions – characteristics and skills that are common in most Leaders with reputation for being exceptional.

This is a concise list of attributes which leaders and managers will find useful to remind themselves of what they are doing right as well as what they could be more aware of. Leadership is not just about taking control, but gaining genuine respect from peers and employees, Leadership is about being able to motivate, plan, challenge, visualise and adapt.

Good Leaders have:

* Vision
* Knowledge
* Skills
* Good ideas Read the rest of "Leadership Skills – what makes a great leader?"

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Posted by Aaron Charlie in Leadership Training on September 24th, 2009 | No Comments »

Jim Rohn
“The only healthy communication style is assertive communication”

Sharon Anthony Bower
“The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well being of others.”

Le Mon
“Assertiveness is not what you do, it’s who you are!”

Brian Tracy
“Happiness and self confidence come naturally when you feel moving and progressing toward becoming the very best person you can possibly be.”

Gandhi
“The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force fo self confidence, bravery and tenacity.”

Learn skills to make you more confident and assertive on our Assertiveness Training Course in Brighton, Sussex.

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Posted by Heather Buckley in Assertiveness Training on May 11th, 2009 | No Comments »

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.

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

learn to motivate like mr motivator

Key motivational practices

Managers and leaders need to develop a skill set which will enable them to create the right environment within which a member of staff will be motivated.

Silicon Beach Training offer a great  staff motivation training course, as well as providing  team building training and team leadership training.

Remember, people have to motivate themselves; managers can’t motivate people anymore than they can empower them. However, managers can and should set up an environment where they best motivate and empower themselves. This environment needs to include at the very least the following:

• Support and encouragement
• Access to training and development opportunities
• Feedback on performance
• Praise

The key for managers is knowing how to set up the environment for each of their team members.

How to Motivate the Team

Everyone is motivated by different needs but generally when staff feel good about themselves, the work they do, and the organisation they work for, it is much easier to gain their cooperation.

Here is a list of ways in which managers can extract the very best out of team members, which is of benefit to them, you and the organisation as a whole.

• Involve team members in the decision-making process. If not deciding what is to be done, then how it is to be done, or when or in what way and by whom. Let their participation increase over time.
• Keep people informed. e.g. on changes that can directly affect them such as policy changes, procedure or rule changes etc.
• Be aware of the morale level of your employees. Be sensitive to changes in morale. Know when and why it goes up or down.
• Maintain an open-door policy. Be approachable, available, and interested, not distant.
• Develop a caring attitude. A good manager trains, develops, counsels, guides, and supports their employees.
• Be sure to listen. Always listen to and try to understand what employees are communicating.
• Outline job responsibilities. Make certain that team members know exactly what is expected of them and how their performance will be evaluated.
• Always treat employees with respect. Be thoughtful and considerate of the person you are dealing with.
• Ask for suggestions. Be sure to invite suggestions and new ideas from team members concerning work. Be willing to put good ideas into action by making changes.
• Give feedback. An effective manager gives feedback on performance and achievements and does not criticise, blame or personally attack others.
• Give recognition. Give appropriate praise and recognition for a job well done.
• Maintain high standards. By involving team members in establishing high standards of performance, you will build their pride and self-confidence

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Posted by Heather Buckley in Management Skills Training on April 19th, 2007 | No Comments »