The management model I’d like to take a look at today is the continuous improvement cycle. You can’t stop moving forward once you’ve taken steps to help your team identify ways to improve their performances. Within the continuous improvement cycle there are five main steps you need to take to ensure things keep moving forward in a positive light:

1. Identify the issue. You need to know who or what the problem is and what’s causing it before you can work to make a change.

2. Devise a plan. Determine the best method for eliminating or working through the problems or issues that have arisen.

3. Implement the plan. Make sure you have all of the appropriate technologies in place to make your plan work as smoothly as possible. The easier it is to implement a plan, the more responsive your team will be.

4. Monitor your progress. Make sure your employees are at least attempting to implement the changes you’ve put in place and monitor their progress. Are they seeing improvements in their workflows? Are there things you still need to change?

5. Take immediate action. You must immediately take action if you see that any part of your plan isn’t working, even for one individual. Go back to step two, planning, and make a revision, even if only to accomodate the person in trouble.

Working to continuously improve the performance of your team will go a long way in ensuring your ultimate success.

Enjoy the weekend!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Today I’d like you to spend a few minutes on another quick exercise that will help you to enhance your personal time management skills. The better you are able to organise your time, the less stress you’ll feel on a daily basis.

Start by making a list of the things that occur within your life, especially within your workplace, that seem to cause stress in your life. Consider outside influences such as children or school as well as your management responsibilities. Is the economy getting you down? Are you worried about an upcoming promotion? Be honest and detailed in your assessment of yourself.

Once you have the list in front of you, try the following:

• Determine whether or not poor planning or time management on your part is causing each event to be more stressful than it needs to be. For example, are you always late for work because you consciously leave the house later than you know you should?

• Make a plan for improving your schedule with regards to each event.
• Are any of your stressors related to each other? Perhaps you’re having a difficult time with your spouse because you work too much; but you feel you have to work to solve your financial worries. Is there anything you can change to realign these issues?
• Do you have any stress management outlets (hobbies, activities, etc)?

I’m sure that once you write out your main stressors and get a better grasp on how they’re impacting your life you’ll be able to move forward in a positive manner. Let me know how this activity impacts your thought process.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Change is inevitable no matter where you work. On a daily basis you may need to change the workflow used by your team. Upper management may be working with executives to implement new projects or corporate model. As a manager, it is essential for you to understand change so that you can protect your employees and help them to work through their fears and natural inclination to resist.

In order to do so, you must understand the following key principles with regard to change:

• You must be aware of the reasoning for the change so that you are able to explain it.
• All members of your team, including yourself, must be willing to participate in the change to ensure it is successful.
• Each member of your team needs to display the ability, in mindset and skill, to move forward with change.
• As a manager, you must be willing and able to reinforce the changes until your employees are implementing them regularly.

Change isn’t easy for anyone, but with the right mindset any team can work together to see it through. We’ll talk about change and how to handle it more in the coming weeks.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

You’ve probably heard some variation on this saying before. “Winners are not born – they’re made.” This comment is usually followed with a speech about hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

As a manager, you may spend hours choosing your team members and formulating plans for managing performance – but in the end, what will it take to turn your average team into a group of real winners?

Your team is already made up of the right people and we can only assume you are the right leader! There are a few other critical components that will turn your teammates into high-performing winners, though:

• Strong team relationships,
• A good working environment,
• Positive attitudes and behaviours ,
• Excellent moral values,
• A sense of purpose, and
• Measurable results

If you’re missing any of the above components you may have trouble forming a winning team. Not everyone is born a winner, but with proper guidance each person you work with will learn to tap into his or her potential and realize the ultimate level of success.

Managers are leaders, or should we say the gardeners. Use your green thumb, or your talents, to help your employees become as successful as possible!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

We talk about communication quite frequently, but do you know how to encourage the development of your communication skills if you find you’re lacking in that department? What if one of your employees does great work but seems to have problems communicating?

Some people, while they seem to lack knowledge, are simply afraid of verbal communication. They may fear making a mistake or being judged based on their ideas. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to encourage enhanced communication.

• Have one-on-one discussions with your employees. They may feel as though they can better express themselves to you in a private environment. Frequent discussions may ease your employee into feeling better able to participate when there are group meetings.

• Whether you are in an individual or group setting, make sure that the person being questioned has a reasonable amount of time to respond before someone else jumps in. We always teach people to think before they speak, but a delayed reaction is often misinterpreted not as caution, but as a lack of knowledge.

• Journal. I’m not sure this is one you would recommend to employees unless they ask for help, but it’s something you can use to help yourself. If you have an idea you can’t express verbally, try writing it out. Seeing your ideas on paper may help you to verbalize them later on.

• Offer constructive criticism. When your team members speak, do not shoot down their ideas as invalid. Explain why you agree with their ideas or why you disagree, but never tell someone that he is wrong or allow other team members to make someone who attempted to contribute feel stupid.

A lack of communication is often a result of fear of failure. An employee that is comfortable with his team mates and work environment will be more likely to communicate effectively than one who is not. Keeping this in mind, can you identify an employee who might have a problem communicating – and do you think you can reverse the situation?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”