Boy, how times have changed! We were discussing the Sinclair C5 in the office this week and many here had never even heard of it, let alone seen one!

Launched during a by-gone age (1985!), it became an object of media and popular ridicule during 1980s Britain and was a commercial disaster, selling only around 17,000 units, although according to Sinclair, it was “the best selling electric vehicle” until November 2011 when the Nissan Leaf had sold over 20,000 units.

Ah, 1985. What was management like in those days? Well, many managers could get away with what today would be decidedly un-PC behaviour and get rid of people almost on a whim.

How have management techniques changed over the years? That was the subject of our discussions after we had had a few giggles at the C5′s expense.

And we reckon we have come up with today’s management ideas in a nutshell.

Your job as manager today is to create a climate that encourages and values the contribution of each person to the team effort. Your people’s energies should be directed towards problem solving, task effectiveness and achievement of your goals. Your energies should be directed at providing the best possible conditions that allow your people to contribute effectively.

Quite a change, I’m sure you’ll agree. Better, as well? We think so.

How do you encourage people? How do you make sure their energies help you achieve your goals? How do you provide the conditions for people to grow and thrive?

Today’s manager simply has to be a good leader as well. Management skills refer to the hard skills that are necessary to get the job done. Leadership involves the softer skills that builds on the ideas people have, deals with the resistors they come up with, and gains the buy-in that is necessary to allow people to motivate themselves to achieve the goals you need to hit.

A far cry from those halcyon days when Clive Sinclair ruled the electronic vehicle world. Tell the truth, not sure if I could actually have fitted in one!

Thanks again

Nick

Nick Hill

Training Director

MTD Management Training Course

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

We had an interesting question this week on our management course that opened up a good discussion on leadership.

The question came from a new manager who had been promoted from among his peers and was now managing people who were much more knowledgeable and experienced than he was. His question was how should he manage such people.

My reply was…”Don’t!”

By that, I meant don’t try to manage them. Managing someone who has more ability, experience or knowledge than you do has its pitfalls and its benefits. By managing them, you stifle their creativity and innovation. I asked the manager why he felt it necessary to actually manage the knowledgeable ex-peer. That opened up a new topic as to how much autonomy and responsibility the person should have, and if he should be managed at all.

The group suggested that he should lead the other person, allowing him to show leadership qualities himself. Trying to ‘manage’ wouldn’t work.

Instead, the leader should:

* Discuss what roles and responsibilities the person should have, and agree on how those should be carried out

* Agree any targets that should be set for the subordinate

* Give them the freedom and authority to achieve those targets themselves, with the manager holding the resource purse strings and the accountability

* Set parameters for the ex-peer to work to, but allow them to control it

* Concentrate on results rather than methods

* Use the experience of the ex-peer to drive things forward, supporting their decisions and allowing them to create further opportunities

* Encourage them to share their experiences and learn from them

* Ensure you, as manager, take full responsibility for their results, and help them achieve higher goals if possible

What you’re trying to do is create the environment for the ex-peer to still contribute to the success of the department without feeling that he has been overlooked or that his experience is of no value. On the contrary, it is of great value and should be seen to be that way by all team members.

So, don’t try and manage this kind of employee…keep their motivation and creativity going by showing excellence in leadership.

Thanks again

Mark

Mark Williams

Head of Training

MTD Management Training Course

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

 (Images by Renjith Krishnan)

What is your vision for your company, your department or yourself? Now, before you think this is going to be missive full of woo-woo and incantations, I’m talking about those common goals and compelling views of the future that help others, as well as yourself, relate to personal goals and those of the business as a whole. Such visions connect people to a common aspiration and purpose.

Many companies we visit to consult with have their visions on display, often in the reception or boardroom. But, whenever we ask how they are being applied within everyday interactions, we are often disappointed by the replies. The visions and missions are lofty aspirations, but the quality of the integration into the workplace leaves a lot to be desired.

So how can you turn the vision into reality, so it isn’t just left as a set of platitudes, dreamed up in some long-forgotten directors’ away-day?

To establish an effective strategy to make the vision work for your people, ask yourself these questions:

* What does the vision mean for what we do and the ways we behave in our part of the company?

* If it’s a centrally-located or international vision, how can we give ourselves a local sense of mission and commitment?

* What can we do on a daily basis that contributes toward achieving the vision?

* What do we do in our daily work that impedes us in achieving the vision?

* What feedback can we as a team give to management about how we can improve the application of the vision?

* How can I personally set the example to others about how to live up to the vision?

The answers to these questions require you to be prepared to commit in practical and behavioural terms to the applications of the vision. You must share the elements of the vision to all team members to make sure it really means something, and isn’t lost in the ether. You must put it across in an inspiring and motivational way, so your people want to commit to it. And you must constantly re-inforce the vision.

Make sure you involve the team in these discussions. Resist the temptation simply to tell them what they should do. To get buy-in, they must be involved in all the discussions so they really feel involved in the way forward.

The vision is the forward-looking direction the company wants to go. If it’s inspiring to others, it drives momentum and motivation. So if it’s a good vision, it’s worth investing your time into making it become reality.

Thanks again

Mark 

Mark Williams

Head of Training

MTD Management Training Course

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

Since Steve Jobs’ sad passing, I have been doing a lot of reading about his style of management, ideas, creativity and concepts. He will always be remembered as a genius in my eyes, and has left a big gap in the world of creativity.

I cam across this quote that is typical of the man, and would like to share it with you.

“It’s not enough to make your offer or performance great, it should be INSANELY great. Incremental improvements over your competition’s offers, or even your own previous offers, don’t cut it. You should shoot for TEN times better.”

To Steve, being outstanding means redefining existing standards of performance, and challenging existing paradigms of best practices.  So what do you do if your performance is not currently
superior to everyone and everything else around you? Easy. Decide to deliver outstanding results, and deliver them – starting right NOW!

Think about it. Every opportunity offers a chance to perform in an outstanding manner. No matter what your business, you must be able to engineer your performance so that is PROFOUNDLY superior, thus separating you from everyone in the marketplace. If you are simply just a little better than the competition, you run the risk of being overtaken as they improve faster than you.

In Formula One racing, winning is often measured in hundredth’s of a second. If you are just a few hundredth’s behind someone else in qualifying, you start yards and yards behind them. That could make the difference between being cut up and out of the race at the first corner, or flying away in front of all the trouble.

In business, we don’t measure success in hundredth’s. Steve Jobs was talking about becoming FAR superior than that. If you aim for OUTSTANDING, you may fall slightly short but you will still be better than the rest. And if you become better by far, you create pain for the competition and a future that gets better and better.

So, thank you, Steve. Thank you for giving us all something to aim at. And thank you for showing us a mindset that makes a real difference in the real world.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

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

Have you ever driven into a fog bank that suddenly reared up in front of you?

You immediately slow down, gripping the steering wheel tightly. If you are traveling with someone, conversation is abruptly stopped. You switch on your lights and peer through the murk to get your bearings. You scan ahead for road markings or kerbstones. You quickly check your mirrors, hoping your rear lights are bright enough to alert any drivers behind you. The longer it goes on, the more tired you become. Your attention and concentration changes your perception of time.

It’s also likely that, at times, you have worked in a fog. Work is slower than normal, teamwork suffers, stress levels increase, you get disengaged and productivity suffers. Team-mates who see the problems looming, want more information.

In response, overwhelmed, multi-tasking managers work overtime “communicating”.

However, like driving in a fog, managers can find themselves creating messages rather than meaning, because there is no far-reaching strategic vision and direction. If you can’t see very far, everything is a struggle. In business, more information is sought when under pressure, desperately seeking meaning to the current desperation.

What has to happen is the fog must clear first before progress is made. In the fog of business disillusion, vision is required to search for meaning. Then strategy is needed to search for business advantage.

Team members expect managers to lead as well. Through the rocky waters of change, they require consistency and direction. The manager’s job is to provide a shared image of the future, generate commitment to the goals and ensure alignment of activities. Without these attributes, the fog will descend thick and fast and people will not know the direction they need to travel.

Cut through the fog of indecision by providing that guidance people require. This involves knowing the lay of the land yourself and having the vision to share in the first place.

With that vision comes confidence to determine the route ahead and support from those following, who recognise you have the character and ability to drive through the obstacles. So much depends on you as the manager during these turbulent times.

Are you equipped to take the team forward, creating the strategies and actions required to achieve your objectives? Put your lights on, and let others see the direction you are traveling. Their support will encourage you to keep moving forward.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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

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