Stress is a normal part of everyday life. We all feel stress at some level, whether we’ve simply gotten out of bed a little bit later than we should have or have a pressing deadline in the office. It helps to understand that there are two very different types of stress: eustress and distress.

What is Eustress?

Eustress is a very positive type of stress. For example, you may feel a little nervous yet elated about your upcoming wedding, a newborn baby, or a brand new job. The stimulation you are experiencing causes your adrenaline to begin flowing, but more often than not positive stress is pretty easy to deal with. It’s a sensation that most people welcome.

Understanding Distress

Distress, or negative stress, obviously isn’t as welcome. Perhaps knowing you’re going to start a new job isn’t as exciting as you thought. Instead you spend your nights wondering if you’re good enough, if you’re going to be late on your first day, or if you’re going to make a fool out of yourself during your first meeting. This type of stress may make you want to run away from the situation and may even cause physical reactions such as fatigue, dizziness, and anxiety.

Stress is stress, regardless of which type you’re experiencing. In the end, however, stress is a result of the way you choose to react to a situation. While it may seem uncontrollable, you certainly have the tools to maintain a healthy mindset throughout any challenge, just as you have the ability to use anger management techniques when you feel upset.

Over the coming weeks we’ll take a closer look at stress and some of the things you can do to control and manage it. Until then, have a relaxing weekend!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Let’s be honest. There is no way you’re going to be lucky enough to develop a team of employees in which every member has the exact same learning style. Therefore, you must be able to adapt your training methods so that they resonate within each individual.

The Honey and Mumford learning cycle states that an individual won’t actually learn anything from an experience until the teacher has come full circle and illustrated the ultimate conclusion. Therefore, showing an employee a series of steps in a process will mean nothing to him if he is unable to see firsthand what the end results are going to be.

There are, of course, different types of leaning styles. According to Honey and Mumford, these include the following:

• Activists are ready and willing to perform shorter tasks in the present. They enjoy lectures, reading, exercises, and activities in which they don’t have to be immediate leaders.

• Reflectors don’t like to participate while they are learning. They’d prefer to sit and watch first, let the information absorb, plan their own course of action, and then implement the new techniques they’ve learned.

• Theorists prefer models, theories, and anything that presents an idea in an organised fashion. The models don’t even have to be realistic as long as they make a point.

• Pragmatists search for realistic examples that relate directly to the task at hand. They don’t want to waste time with hypothetical situations when they could be learning how to apply something directly to their own job tasks.

Most people lean strongly towards one style of learning or another while maintaining the ability to learn from others. You must simply be prepared to work with your employees to determine which method of learning is best, especially if you see that he doesn’t understand a concept as it was presented.

Each employee is an individual and should be treated as such, even in a learning situation.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

The topic of politics in the workplace refers to one or two different subjects. The first is whether or not it is appropriate to discuss political beliefs (ie. the outside government) during work hours. The second refers to the political workings within your organisation.

Today, however, I want to focus on the first topic – the discussion of personal political viewpoints within the workplace. While this may seem like a relatively innocent topic of conversation amongst adults, especially given the time of year, politics is a sensitive subject that has the ability to make many people very uncomfortable.

It’s natural for people to watch debates, read political interviews, form opinions, and then want to have a discussion. But where do we draw the line between appropriate and inappropriate? How do you ensure that none of your employees become uncomfortable within the workplace during what may possibly be one of the most historic election years in history?

Some offices limit discussion of politics to lunch breaks and request that employees not place banners or signs relating to their political affiliations on their desks. Others simply let the discussions slide as regular workday gossip and only get involved if a debate becomes heated. I don’t recommend, ever, that you allow an employee to attempt any sort of political recruitment in the office, regardless of his affiliation.

Please sound off – how do you handle politics within your workplace. Do you think discussing politics displays poor ethics in the workplace? Is it something you encourage, discourage, or ignore?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

As a manager, you’ll want to ensure that your employees are as productive as possible and in order to be productive they must feel motivated. The Hertzberg Motivational Theory, developed by Frederick Hertzberg, is actually a very simple and realistic view of how employees are motivated.

He broke his ideas down into two main categories: hygiene and motivation. Hygiene refers to workplace environment and includes things such as working conditions, salary, job security, rules and regulations, and anything that contributes to the way a person feels about the job itself.

The motivation part of Hertzberg’s theory refers to whether or not employees feel a sense of achievement, whether or not they’re being recognised for their work, and how interested they actually are in their tasks, amongst other things.

The hygiene factors don’t really impact motivation, but if they aren’t in place your employees won’t really be happy with their jobs. The elements contained within the “motivation” part of the theory will drive an employee to move forward.

Both categories, however, work hand in hand. If people feel as though they’re being treated well they’ll be more likely to focus on their progressive goals. They end up motivating themselves and moving forward as opposed to staying stagnant.

The better an employee feels about his job, the better his chances for growth and success. Are your employees both happy and motivated? It’s time to find out…

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Some leaders are born, while others are created. It’s often difficult, especially as a manager, to convince others to follow in our footsteps, but it is possible. Whether you’re a natural born leader or not, the following qualities can and should be nurtured in order to enhance your leadership abilities.

Vision

Do you have a vision and are you able to share that vision with your team? Having a vision means you know what path you want to take in order to achieve optimal end results. Your communication skills must be strong enough to effectively convince your followers that your path is the right choice given the current situation.

Dedication

Are you really dedicated to your work? Are you willing, if necessary, to spend extra long hours at the office to get the job done? Your dedication will inspire your team members to share the same level of enthusiasm.

Humility

Humility means being able to recognize that you are no better off than anyone else on your team, regardless of your salary or job title. You’re all human and you all make mistakes. Your job status doesn’t exempt you from error.

Fairness

A good leader needs to be able to make fair decisions regardless of how he or she may feel personally about a given situation. Fairness means looking at the facts, not each team member’s personal opinions about them, and then making an educated decision.

Humor

Let’s face it – laughter is the best medicine. People are happy when they are laughing, and laughter eases tension and increases productivity (in moderation, of course). Those stuck in a boring or hostile workplace won’t accomplish much. Put your sense of humor to work and keep the entire team happy.

These are, of course, only a few leadership qualities you should keep in mind but they offer you an excellent place to start. Take a look at your day to day interactions with your team and determine whether or not you need to tweak your leadership style. Good luck!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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