You have two resumes on your desk. One is from a bright, young college graduate with no experience. His college major is in line with the work you do within your organisation and - even better - he graduated from the same university you went to and has the same fraternity ties!

The second resume is from a man with a college education as well. He has about 20 years experience in the industry and has been relatively successful.

They’re both good candidates, but how will you choose?

Will you look at their experience levels? The younger candidate has very little but he’s mallable - you can mold him the way your organisation wishes him to be. He’ll also present a fresh, modern viewpoint when it comes to new developments. The second candidate is older - true - but he has all the experience. Will he be difficult to work with or will that experience add value to your team?

Or - will you hire the younger guy because you have common interests?

Oh - you didn’t think people made unethical decisions like that? Well, they do. And the funny part is that many of them don’t even consciously realize they’re choosing one person over another for an unethical reason. They’re justifying their decisions with concrete points that simply aren’t as strong as they could be in order to cover up the real reasons.

So which candidate would you hire? I’d love to know!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

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

While most people want to be honest in business, it is true that earning yourself a bad reputation can be detrimental to your success. One terrible mishap could make a lot of people angry. They’ll begin to retaliate against you. They eventually let others know about your bad decisions and you lose business from others as well.

One example of a slightly dishonest and incredibly detrimental business decision is highlighted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. During the late 80’s, Exxon partnered with 7 other oil companies to convince Valdez to build a tanker terminal. They believed that the likelihood of an oil spill was very low but promised that if there ever was such an incident they would have the necessary cleanup equipment on site within mere hours.

On March 24, 1989, one of the oil tankers left Valdez, headed for California. The ship struck Bligh Reef and more than 10.8 million of the 54.1 million gallons of oil on the ship spilled into Prince William Sound.

And guess what? Exxon had fudged the numbers a bit and really didn’t have the equipment necessary to respond to such a disaster within “mere hours.”

Before long, more than 1,300 square miles of ocean was covered in oil. Sea otters, seabirds, salmon, and seals were covered in oil - most dying before they could be rescued. The actual cleanup cost around $300 million and after several court cases and appeals Exxon ended up paying more than $2.5 billion in punitive damages.

Exxon, believing an oil spill was highly unlikely, cut costs on cleanup equipment. They may have thought it the right thing to do at the time but they misrepresented themselves to the people of Valdez.

And they paid dearly, in both cost and reputation, for that mistake.

Is that the type of reputation you want to build for your organisation?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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

About 20 years ago there was an article in the Harvard Business Review. The article questioned whether or not honesty and integrity were prominent factors when determining if a business will become successful or not. Realistically speaking, building a business upon a dishonest foundation is completely possible. It can be profitable. And the odds of getting caught are - well - slim to none, in most cases.

To start the week off I’d like you to think about your position within your business. Have you, as a manager, ever made an unethical decision? Have you ever told a little white lie just to convince an employee to meet a goal or to make a sale? Do you think that you, as a manager are the only person bending the truth to get things done? How deep into your organisation would you have to dig to uncover something bitter - and perhaps a lot more questionable in terms of ethics?

Over the next couple of days we’ll take a look at a few situations that push the line when it comes to ethics. I hope we’ll prove that you can build a business with 100% honesty and integrity - even if it does take a little more work upfront!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

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

So here’s a sales-related example first. You give a huge sales presentation and in the end your prospect asks you to get to the point. What’s the price? You hesitate. Your voice gets a bit softer. Perhaps you state the answer more as a question than a statement of fact. You seem unsure of yourself. The tone of your voice convinces your prospect that you aren’t sure your product is actually worth what you’re getting ready to charge. Suddenly, your prospect begins to question you and the value of your product. Maybe you aren’t the right choice.

As a manager, you have to be careful about the tone you use when answering employee questions - especially when it comes to matters pertaining to policies and procedures. Say, for example, an employee questions a time-off procedure and tries to get some time without giving proper notice. Are you going to hesitantly approve it (making you sound like a pushover), sternly warn the employee about not using the proper notice and give him one chance, or simply deny the request. What tone of voice will you use for each? Will you set a negative precedent? Will you establish your own level of authority?

The tone of your voice, from the beginning of your day until the end, will play a huge role in your success as a manager. Be calm, be fierce, and - most important - use a tone that is appropriate to each individual situation. Keep your mouth closed until you’re sure of what you’re about to say. The way you say it will make a huge difference!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

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

If this is true, your employees are constantly searching for some sort of motivation while at work. Motivation comes in many forms but the truth is that if they aren’t motivated they won’t be nearly as productive as you wish them to be. Here are a few things you can do to ensure your team stays motivated.

Consider Each Employee Individually

You can’t look at a group and make a plan to keep the “group” motivated. Each person on your team is an individual with his own goals. The new 20-something sales representative may have huge plans for promotion while your seasoned 60-something customer service representative may simply want to plan for retirement. The things you do to motivate each of these individuals will be completely different.

Consider the Culture of Your Organisation

No two organisations are alike and, as such, neither are two groups of employees. Let’s say, for example, you’re working with a group of highly-educated engineers. For them, motivation may be the opportunity to work on a high-end project. Your young salesperson, on the other hand, is probably more motivated by the opportunity to earn an extra bonus for a job well done.

Talk to Your Employees

The best way to find out what motivates your employees is to ask them - but make sure you ask specific questions. Say your engineer wants to work on a prestigious project but finds out once he’s there that it’s not as exciting (or, to him, motivating) as he thought it would be? Perhaps you need to focus on his memories of a project he really enjoyed and find out if you can find something similar to put him back on track.

You can’t simply look at your employees and determine whether or not they’re motivated. You may see a group of happy faces but, in the end, are they really happy to be working for you - or to be moving along the career paths you’ve set? Ask them and find out. You may be surprised to find you need to make some changes!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Training

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

For this reason it is important to run an anger management class for your entire workplace. Everyone should participate, whether they have shown signs of anger problems at work or not. Someone might be having problems at home that the course might help while others may have something brewing just under the surface.

Simply put, here are a few reasons you can use to justify running an anger management class at work:

• Human resources might want management to take an anger management course as a preventative measure; so that they can control themselves and understand what their employees are going through.
• Your employees may recognize that they have anger problems but may not have any idea where to turn for help - and, as such, won’t get help unless it is offered.
• You can make participation in an anger management class a condition of employment for employees who have displayed anger problems in the past.
• Taking an anger management class might help someone in your group at home - and people who are happy at home will be happier and less distracted at work.
• Anger management classes might help your employees work better together, especially in groups where there is constantly friction due to personality conflict.

Anger management classes aren’t the end-all-be-all when it comes to solving problems - but they can help. Consider adding one to the schedule in your workplace soon. You might be surprised at how effective the classes really are.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Leadership Development

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

Believe it or not, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your technical skills in the workplace. We’ve talked about a few of these things before - like reading technical books, taking online tutorial classes, and even befriending the IT guys. But what else can you do?

Take a Class

College classes aren’t just for those aiming to earn a degree. Are you having problem learning the ins and outs of a particular program. Check the schedule at your local college and find out if there is a class available. Some colleges offer classes for their degree students while others offer workshops and tutorial programs for people with specific interests.

Experiment with Different Software

Let’s assume you need a software program that will perform xyz function. Chances are there are about a dozen or more programs on the market that claim to do just that. The problem is that some are easier to use than others. Don’t feel bad about using more than one program to get the job done. Eventually you’ll find the one that works best for you, automatically eliminating some of your technical disability.

Build a Website

This sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it? The truth, though, is that the best way to gain technical experience is by doing things that require technical skill. I’m not asking you to build the next great money-making website. Start small by creating something your team can use to stay in touch. As you learn about web design and programming you’ll slowly but surely lose your fear of technology.

Practice makes perfect. The better you are with technology the more valuable you’ll be to your organisation.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Development

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

You’ve already decided who is going to be a mentor and who needs mentoring. Those in need of mentoring have filled out their self assessment forms to help determine what career path is best. Upper management has committed to supporting the program. So what’s next?

Start by letting the entire organisation know that you’re launching a mentoring program. Let everyone know - not just the ones you’ve chosen to receive initial mentoring. The more people who know about the program the more likely they are to support it and they may just become interested in participating later.

Let your mentees know which mentor they’ve been partnered with and then give them their first challenge. The mentors are not allowed to reach out to the mentees to set up their first appointments. The mentees must take control of their futures from the start and must take complete responsibility for setting up that meeting.

Make sure the mentors have copies of the self assessment sheets their mentees completed. The mentors will use those sheets along with the information they gather at the first meeting in order to begin making a plan.

Make sure the mentors and mentees are setting regular meeting schedules to track progress and make changes, if necessary. Don’t let them make excuses about not having time and don’t let them stall after one goal is met. Progress is a lifelong committment.

Setting up and launching a mentoring program is much more work than maintaining it once you have it off the ground. Don’t give up. Remain as committed to your team and their growth as you want each member to be to himself. Eventually you’ll begin to see great results!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management

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

The first thing you need to do is identify which individuals within your organization would make great mentors. Set up a training program so that they understand their goals as mentors and give them the tools they need to understand their new responsibilities as active mentors. Give them training and ongoing support so that they can meet the company’s mentoring goals.

The next step is to determien which employees need mentoring. You can do this by giving each person a self-assessment form to complete. The assessment form will help them to determine which career paths are actually best for them based on their skillsets and goals.

Finally, you need to get some sort of formal committment from upper management to support the mentoring program. Ask them to ensure there is money in the budget to support the program and ask them to make some sort of formal announcement that lets the employees know that they are supportive.

In many instances, the company HR group will set up a mentoring program but in other instances management is responsible for that task. Don’t panic if you find yourself responsible for setting up a mentoring plan for your group. After surveying the options and making a plan you’ll find the implementation of a good mentoring program is easier than you imagined it to be.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Once you have commitment and support you can start building a mentoring program for each of your employees. You have a choice. You as a manager can do the mentoring work or you can hire a third party who will focus on mentoring full-time. No matter what you choose to do you must make sure your organisation understands the following points:

• Your employees need to be able to clearly identify the paths they want to take in their own careers.
• Your employees must feel like a valuable part of the overall team.
• Your organisation must be ready to spend time on training your employees so that they can reach their individual career goals.
• Your organisation must be willing to look internally when it is time to hire for new positions rather than immediately looking to hire from the outside.
• Your employees must feel as though the company cares about their futures.

Is your organisation willing to make a few changes in both mindset and procedure in order to help foster the growth of your current employees? They should. After all, it costs less to keep an employee than it does to hire a new one. Keep that in mind.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

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