As you begin to develop your new team (or restructure your current team) it’s important to determine whether or not the group of people you select will have what it takes to form a high performing team.

There are five main factors that indicate whether or not the team you put together will work effectively or fall flat on its face. They include:

• Vision and goals – does each member of the team understand exactly what the team’s goals and objectives are? Do they all share the same vision? If not, you’ll have people working towards different goals and in the end the pieces of the puzzle will not come together to effectively create a finished product or project.
• Do you have a tried and true method for selecting members and forming your team? You should have certain expectations for each member of the team and should be able to judge the character of each person you meet during your initial and follow-up interviews. Don’t hire someone you view doubtfully.
• Do your team members have the right training and skills development tools available to them? Make sure they’re able to get the additional training and resources they need in order to effectively complete their jobs – not just to the expected norm, but above and beyond the level you expect.
• Are the members of your team resourceful and committed? Do they feel empowered? Each member of the team should feel like he has a significant role. Those who feel as though they’re just another face in the crowd will perform at sub-par levels.
• Does the culture of your organisation support the goals and ideals of your team? If the organisation does not support you the members of your team will not feel as though their jobs and tasks mean anything in the overall scheme of things.

If all of these things come toghether you are likly to have a team that performs at a high level of functionality all the time, no matter what type of task is on the agenda. Take away one of these factors and you’ll begin to see things falter.

Take a step back and look at your team as it stands right now. Are you all performing at your highest capacity? What can you do to increase your productivity while decreasing stress and tension?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

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

To wrap up this recent series on stress management we’ll pick up where we left off and take a look at how task management impacts the amount of stress you feel at work. We’ve already covered time management and some of the ways you can use it to feel better, so how can you shuffle your actual workload?

Task management means being able to complete projects effectively and efficiently. Someone feeling completely stressed out and overworked may not feel as though those things are possible, but they are.

Start by prioritizing your tasks for the day. Decide which ones are more important and put them at the top of the list. If there is a task you dread, put that at the top of the list as well. It’s better to get it out of the way early than to let it linger over your head all day.

Look at your larger projects and decide whether or not it is possible to break them down into smaller subprojects. Work on one subproject at a time until the entire task is complete.

Here it is again, folks – delegation. You are not responsible for completing every single project you encounter on your own. Use your authority as a manger to delegate some of your responsibilities to the appropriate members of your team. That’s why they were hired, isn’t it?

Properly handling the tasks you must tackle daily will also make a huge difference in the way you are able to handle stress at work. You may want to be a superman but it’s really not necessary!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

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

So now that you’re able to recognize some of the signs of stress at work it’s time to figure out how you’re going to reduce that stress. Over the next couple of days we’re going to take a look at two areas of your job you need to consider: time management and task management.

We’ve covered time management before but haven’t really focused on how poor time management contributes to stress. If you are feeling overly stressed you should consider making some changes to the way you operate daily:

• Try to leave for work a few minutes earlier each day. Not worrying about being stuck in traffic or feeling rushed when you arrive at work will make a huge difference in your mental attitude.
• Make sure your schedule is balanced and realistic. Write out your daily tasks, prioritize them, and move the ones that aren’t absolutely necessary.
• Make sure your schedule includes regular breaks. There’s no reason on earth for you to skip your lunch break and you should definitely take at least a 5-10 minute break each morning and afternoon to clear your head.
• Learn to say no. It’s difficult, but the inability to say no is usually what causes us to become overbooked, overworked, tired, irritable, and completely overwhelmed. Determine what you MUST do and what you SHOULD do. Learn the difference, and stick to the “musts.”

Taking the way you handle your schedule into consideration should have a huge impact on the level of stress you feel each day. Proper time management was designed to help people avoid stress. Take advantage of your planning skills and use them to simplify your life.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Courses

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

Today’s economy is rough, for sure. Sadly, it’s not only taking a financial toll on many people but an emotional toll at well. Stress of any kind can make it difficult to function at work and, even worse, if the stress is related to work itself the individual’s job performance is even more likely to suffer. Today people are worried about whether or not they’ll be laid off; about how much overtime they’ll have to work to compensate for others being laid off; about how much harder they’ll have to work to keep you happy; and about how long they’ll have to keep up this new pace.

As a manager it is important for you to always keep a careful eye on your employees but especially during difficult times. If you begin to see signs of excessive stress (over the top or beyond what you usually expect from an individual), it may be time to take action.

Watch for the signs of stress not only in your employees but in yourself as well. Some of the signs that the stress in your workplace has become a bit excessive include:

• Irritability
• Depression
• Anxiousness
• An apathetic attitude
• Difficulty sleeping
• Problems concentrating
• General fatigue
• Stomach or digestive issues
• Muscle tension
• Frequent and persistent headaches

There are, of course, other symptoms that the stress in your office has become a bit unmanageable, but these are a few to keep in mind. Make sure you take action as quickly as possible if you begin to notice these symptoms in yourself or any of your employees. The faster you take action to adjust the workload the better your chances of holding on to your good employees, even during rough times.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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

Quality customer service should be your team’s number one priority, whether you deal with internal customers, external customers, or both. The truth, though, is that many managers have a distorted view of their abilities as customer service representatives. Here are three myths you need to get over in order to succeed:

“I can tell when my customers are unhappy or satisfied.”

No, you can’t. You did not wake up one morning with magical mind reading skills. If you aren’t asking your customers if they are satisfied then, trust me, you have no idea whether or not they are happy. You should be emailing them, sending polls or surveys, or conducting review of their files and asking them over the phone or in person. Ask them if they are happy with your products or services. Don’t assume anything.

“My customers would tell me if there was a problem.”

No, they would not. If this were true you’d spend quite a bit of time fielding complaint calls on a regular basis. The truth of the matter is that your customers will become upset, brood internally, and then simply start looking for a product or service to replace the one you are offering.

“My staff keep me informed about customer satisfaction.”

This one is a bit laughable. Sure, your staff will tell you a horror story if it turns out to be funny or if they need your help. They’ll definitely tell you stories that make them look good. But regular reports giving you general updates as to the satisfaction (or lack thereof) of your customers? Don’t hold your breath.

It’s your job to keep track of your customer care team, your clients, and their needs. If you are unable to do so I can guarantee that, eventually, your clients will become the clients of your competition.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

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