I haven’t challenged you with an activity in quite a while so I thought I might do so today.

Every once in a while we are faced with a decision that seems more difficult than it needs to be. In these situations the key to coming up with the best response is to carefully consider all of the facts and then, using your best judgement and sense of personal ethics, make the decision you think is best for the company in the long run.

Here’s your decision for the day:

As the manager of a small restaurant you suddenly find you need to cut costs by eliminating a part-time employee. Your two choices are an elderly woman who works part-time to help raise her daughter’s children or a college student who is nearing his graduation date and needs to work to pay off his living costs (not to mention tuition) while he’s in school. Both are wonderful people but they are the only part-time people to choose from.

Who will you choose to let go? There’s really  no right or wrong answer but you should be confident in your assessments and have a real reason for picking one or the other. Let me know in the comments who you chose!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

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

Here’s a little something to think about over the weekend before we dive into next week’s conversations.

Imagine your organisation was preparing to go into a joint venture with two other companies, each from a different country – we’ll say India and China. As part of the deal, each of the other two companies plans to send a handful of managers to your organisation to work with you for six to twelve months.

Before they arrive, you need to make sure that your management team is properly prepared to communicate with them and you don’t have anyone skilled in the languages from either country.

What type of research will you have to conduct before implementing a language training program for your employees? How will you choose which employees will participate? And, most important, how will you choose which language training program to utilize?

It’s important to consider cultural diversity as you develop your management skills and train your team. Do they have the tools necessary to communicate effectively with your new partners? What would you do? Think about it and let me know. Have a great weekend!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Here’s a little something to get you started this morning. We’ve talked about the different types of skills a manager should have, including conceptual (thinking in an abstract manner) and diagnostic (being able to respond to a situation). Apply these skills to the following situation:

Joe has been an employee for over 10 years. When you hired him he was enthusiastic about his work and jumped on any task you assigned him. He’d work overtime whenever necessary and always received excellent performance reviews.

Over the past 3-6 months Joe has changed. He complains when given extra assignments, refuses to work past regular office hours, and is generally always in a bad mood. He makes more mistakes than he used to, and his coworkers have complained about his attitude.

Think about the situation and decide:

• Assume you’ve done a little digging. Why might Joe’s attitude have suddenly changed? Did he suffer a personal loss? Did he miss out on a promotion at work? Maybe he even had a conflict with another employee that you are unaware of.
• Is there anything you can do to change Joe’s new perception of his job? Should you take action?
• How has stress impacted Joe’s behaviour? Is this something you can resolve by altering his workload, or is it something he needs to change on his own?

What do you think? How would you handle the situation? Sound off!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Today we’re going to work a little bit on our communication skills. As managers we have a pretty good understanding of the value of our total compensation package, meaning not only wages but benefits as well.

Unfortunately, most of our employees look only at their wages, or what they’re able to take home and spend. Many don’t realise that their benefits packages cost quite a bit of money as well.

Imagine now that you have an employee who has just entered your office to give notice that he will be leaving for another job. He truly believes he will be making more money, but upon further questioning you realise he will be making only a small percentage more when it comes to wages and he will be losing out on a large portion of his benefits.

What would you to do explain the overall value of the compensation package he is receiving from your organisation? Do you think your explanation would be enough to change his mind? What steps will you take to communicate how much the organisation appreciates his work?

These are two issues I have always dreaded: compensation and resignations. Putting the two together should give you a chance to look closely at each so that you’re prepared to address any situation that arises.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Change is one of the most difficult things you’ll have to deal with as a manager, especially if you know that the changes you have to implement will cause anxiety or dissention amongst team members. Take a look at the following change management scenario:

Imagine that your company has grown successfully and that you are about to open a second branch office two towns over. The new office will be smaller and the corporation does not plan to hire a second office manager until the new location grows. You will now be responsible for both offices.

In order to make the new office function you must split your team in half. They’ve all worked together well for quite some time, but you must now take a look at the team and determine how it is best split. You’ll hire new employees for both offices, but the new office will need to have staff that is already experience as well.

If you were in this situation, what criteria would you use to decide which employees would move to the new office and which would stay behind? What would you do to ensure that all of your employees were as comfortable as possible with the changes? And, finally, what would you do to make sure that your current employees and the new ones you hire are able to work well together?

Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your approaches to this difficult situation!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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