Change can be a touchy subject within many organisations. Not only do you aspire to make a change, but the physical plan must ultimately make it through the chain of command before it can be implemented. Once it is approved you have to find an effective way of implementing the changes you wish to achieve without alienating or causing fear in the people who are used to their current procedures.

In short, if not handled carefully you’ll end up with a real mess on your hands. Don’t forget to keep the following things in mind as you prepare to introduce a new change to your company or even your individual workgroup.

Don’t Forget the People

Don’t forget that any change you implement is going to impact the people within your organisation, whether you want to admit it or not. You’ll likely shuffle job roles and in some cases people will change positions or join new teams. Some may even leave the company and these changes alone will impact everyone involved, whether they’re personally involved or not. Make sure you frequently communicate with everyone in the office as you implement change. Remember, your team members are human beings too and no one operates well in uncertain conditions.

Make Sure Upper Management Cooperates

There’s nothing worse than trying to get a job done in an environment where upper management doesn’t take the time to embrace change. I’ve worked in offices where certain members of management, sometimes even the sales team, feel as though they’re exempt from change. The truth is that they should be the mastheads for change, not the stragglers resisting at the end. Make sure that your upper management teams and CEOs learn about the changes you’re implementing first. They need to set a good example for the rest of the workgroup.

Communicate Constantly

Communicate with every member of your team before, during, and after the change implementation process. Communication means making sure they understand why the changes are necessary, making sure they understand their roles in the process, and then confirming that they’re implementing the changes correctly. Make time to listen to their concerns as well. If you don’t, they won’t feel inclined to cooperate with you.

The theme here is the importance of your communication skills. Your team members spend a lot of their time at work and should feel comfortable in their environments. Make sure you take the time to reassure them throughout the process, no matter how much time it takes.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

As you move forward on your career path you’re going to encounter many different types of people. One of the main differences between each one is going to be his method of learning, so as someone in a management position you’re going to need to recognize that different learning styles exist so that you can adapt to them effectively.

Three of the most popular learning models are the Sudbury Model of Democratic Education and those created by David Kolb and Anthony Gregorc.

The Sudbury Model of Democratic Education was actually formed as a critical response to the way our educational systems treat those with learning disabilities, the way our special education systems are developed, and the responses we take when forming an intervention. The Sudbury Model asserts that there are several unique and distinctly different ways to learn and that each person needs to find his own best method. Education is something you must participate in; not something that can be shoved down your throat.

David Kolb’s model states that education is based on concrete experiences, the ability to form abstract conceptualizations, reflective observation, and active experimentation. He believes that all four of these scientific approaches need to be incorporated into a learning process in order for it to be effective, but admits that each learner will become strong in only one or two areas.

Anthony Gregorc’s learning model is based upon his theories describing exactly how the mind works. He believes we all base our learning experiences on either concrete or abstract perception and that we each operate under one ordering ability, either random or sequential. There are four different combinations of perceptions and ordering abilities and each person will focus on his or her dominant strengths.

These theories may seem complex, but as managers we tend to focus more on whether or not our employees are visual, auditory, or tactile learners. Learning what types of learners you will be working with in advance will help you to tailor your training sessions accordingly.

Do you have a method of evaluating your employees? Do you ever wonder why some people always seem to “get it” when you train them while others don’t? Share your experiences in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Putting the right group of people together as a team can be a difficult task, but it is certainly not impossible. Today I’m going to go over a few things you should think about as you’re building your team. Building your team not only means choosing the people who will participate, but communicating with and training those you choose.

It is one thing to be a member of a group, but feeling as though you’re a member of an actual team is completely different. Every member of your team needs to feel as though he is making a contribution to the big picture – not just contributing his small part without knowing what the other members are up to. Here are a few tips for helping your team members feel like they’re actually working together.

• Do your team members clearly understand their goals? Upper management has likely given you a clear set of instructions but have you passed those on to your team or have you only given them what you think they need to know in order to complete parts of the project? The members of your team should always know not only what is expected of them, but why they’re on the team at all.

• Make sure your team is clear as to whether or not they have all of the skills present in order to complete a task. Survey the skills you’ll need to complete a task, determine if they’re represented in your current team members, and ask your team if they feel as though they need additional help or resources.

• Communication skills are just as important in team environments as they are anywhere else. Are your team members clearly communicating their needs, plans, priorities, and actions? The members of your team should be able to communicate on a level that allows them to resolve conflict, make plans, and complete their tasks effectively.

Part of the team building process involves being able to let go – realising you can’t be in charge of every step of the process at any given moment. Your team members need to feel as though they have control over their project and, honestly, if you didn’t trust in them you wouldn’t have chosen them as your team members to begin with!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Anyone can be a leader – at least the kind that tells other people what to do. It takes a truly special person, however, to be the kind of leader that others want to follow. In order to be successful as a manager you should be the kind of leader your employees and team members look up to.

Here are a few things you should keep in mind as you develop your leadership potential:

5. Lead Yourself

Anyone can give out orders, but not everyone can follow his own. A “do as I say, not as I do” type of attitude will not endear you to your employees. Practice what you preach and your team members will follow.

4. Participate

A good leader doesn’t sit back and do nothing while his team members do all the work. Great leaders play an important role in the planning and execution of any plan. You’ve taken the time to build a great team – now take the time to work with them.

3. Listen

Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you have the only (or best) ideas. Listen to the feedback your team members give you and take it into consideration as you plan your next project. Taking advice from your team members doesn’t mean you’re incompetent. It means you’re open to new thoughts and ideas.

2. Commit Yourself to the Company Goals

You shouldn’t expect your employees to be loyal to the organisation if you’re not. Take a look at your company’s goals, objectives, and mission statement. Are you working towards meeting those goals with every action? If not, reevaluate the impression you’re sending to your team.

1. Learn from Your Mistakes

No one is perfect. We all learn from our mistakes and move on. Accept that you are not immune to error just because you’re in a leadership position. As a matter of fact, use your mistakes as a learning experience for your team.

Remember, your subordinates are watching you at all times. It’s not what you do, but the way you handle yourself that they’re going to focus on the most. Are you prepared?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

A few years ago I came upon what I thought was a unique situation. A friend of mine was the head of a department and spent tons of time training and coaching his new employees. During one of our conversations he began complaining about one of his employees – one who seemed to have a lower level of performance than normal.

The first thing I asked him was whether or not he had taken the time to coach this employee. He was shocked and later admitted that he thought the need to coach his employee had ended with his initial training.

So here’s the problem. You need to determine whether your employee needs to be counseled or coached. If your employee has personal or motivational problem you may need to counsel him or her – find out what’s wrong and how you can help to change the situation.

Coaching comes into play when you have an employee that is making mistakes and turning in shoddy work for no apparent reason. You need to determine what training sequence was overlooked or what skill wasn’t completely honed before letting that employee loose on his own. You then need to coach your employee until he knows how to do the job right.

There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re doing something correctly only to find out you’ve missed an important step and created additional work. Be cautious and understanding when approaching your employee to offer this additional coaching – he or she may not have even realized there was a problem to start with. If something was overlooked in training it is likely as much your fault as theirs.

Have you ever had a situation where forgetting to cover a key point in training caused you to have to go back and “re-coach” someone later on? We’re all human and we all make mistakes. The key is owning up to those mistakes and taking the time to refine your own coaching skills!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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