In this unprecedented time, one thing is for sure; business will never be the same again, and with respect to your department budget, this will more than likely be the case!

It’s unlikely that the company will increase the overall budget available. It is more likely that you will be competing for the same pot as everyone else looking to protect their budget. So you must build a strong case and be prepared to fight your corner.

If your manager has no real budgeting authority then it may be difficult to pin them down on this topic. Remember if your company budgets top-down then no matter how much involvement you or your manager have in the budgeting cycle, you will still end up being given a figure and it may be less than you were hoping for.
What to do?

Firstly, put your budget cut into perspective.

How does it compare to other departments? Are your cuts deeper or the same as others? Or are getting off fairly lightly in the overall scheme of things?

So ask yourself:
“How does the cut I’m being asked to take compare with cuts elsewhere in the business?”

If it’s less than others, thank the boss! If it’s deeper, find out why the differential has been made.

Secondly, if you’re able to carry out an analysis between your budget and your required revenues to carry out a great job, you should be in a position to justify a higher budget figure. Ask yourself whether your boss would be more impressed with revenue gain than cost-cutting. If so, ask:

“If I could show you that increasing our budget would generate more revenue than the budget cut, would you approve it?”

This also proves your value to the company, as all senior managers would welcome a critical and creative thinker when it comes to investment in their business.

Thirdly, even after proving your worth and legitimising a better budget figure, you still may be forced to accept a change in what you are able to work with. In this case, you need to be open with your team members and ascertain where their help might prove worthwhile.

In meetings with your team, generate some ideas on where they see value could be enhanced in the business by savings or improvements. Often, team members close to the ground can come up with ideas you hadn’t thought of. Ask:

“What can we all do to save or make money in the department?”

If this is done in the right spirit, with people understanding the reasons for it, motivation won’t suffer, and all input will be assessed and valued.

After you’ve analysed the situation, you have to decide how much effort you want to spend in defending your budget. It’s important that you fully understand the chances of success before you start this; the most sensible approach may be to accept that you will not get the funds you need to carry out all that you had planned this year.

Redirecting your efforts into reviewing what you can do rather than what you will not be able to do might be a far more sensible approach.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Manager Training

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

You’ve decided that two candidates for an important role in the department should be invited back for a further interview. Both have similar experience and backgrounds…both would fit in well with your team. Here are some questions that might help you differentiate between them.

“You need to convince me you’re the right person for the job. What can you tell me that would make me say ‘yes’?”

This will prove their selling-of-self abilities. What you want to hear is why not hiring them would be the biggest mistake of your life. You’re listening for passion and enthusiasm for the future role they will play for you. Listen out for the skills, qualities and abilities that would make a real difference to your team. If they are just a clone of what you already have, maybe you need to probe deeper to find the value in hiring them.

Another question that might test them is: “How do you think our company values and vision sets us apart from our competition?”

This deeper question will tell you how much preparation they have made and how they think they can fit in with the culture of your company. It also provides insight into how they view your strengths and weaknesses against the competition.

You want to employ people who go beyond the typical preparation of their own strengths and weaknesses. You want people who have already shown commitment and forward-thinking by highlighting their value to you and your team.

You also want to see how the candidate’s reaction to adversity might have affected them, as this may differentiate personal qualities you are seeking. So, asking what some setbacks in their past may have taught them helps you identify how robust they might be in dealing with difficult situations within their role.

You might ask, “What have any major setbacks you’ve experienced taught you?”

Be prepared for silence after this question, as they may have to dig deep. But wait for their response, as it will tell you how they learn from experiences, just the kind of person you want in your team. By the way, if they say they can’t remember any setbacks, probe deeper, as a person who hasn’t been taught lessons from something going wrong may not have the characteristics or thinking skills to help the department steady itself after problems are encountered.

The answers to these questions just might help you differentiate the candidates, and give you an insight as to who would prove more valuable to you in the long run.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD

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

Imagine what’s going on in the mind of your new employee when they come to work on their first day.
“Have I made the right decision? I wonder what they have planned for me. I’m excited but really nervous. Will I make a good impression? I hope I don’t mess up on my first day”

What can you do to ensure these natural concerns are dealt with immediately?

Professionally organised and delivered induction training is your new employees’ first proper impression of you and your company, so it’s also an excellent opportunity to reinforce their decision to come and work for you. Proper induction training is increasingly a legal requirement. Employers have a formal duty to provide new employees with all relevant information and training relating to health and safety in particular.

Creating and issuing a suitable induction plan for each new person will help them do their job better and quicker, and with less dependence on your time in the future. Employees who are not properly inducted need a lot more looking after, so failing to provide good induction training is false economy.

Here are some examples of how you can get the new person up and running as quickly as possible that can be used in addition to formal training programs:

•    on the job coaching
•    mentoring
•    delegated tasks and projects
•    reading assignments
•    presentation assignments
•    attending internal briefings and presentations, e.g. ‘breakfast briefings’ format
•    special responsibilities which require obtaining new skills or knowledge or exposure
•    videos and DVDs
•    internet and e-learning
•    customer and supplier visits
•    attachment to project or other teams
•    job-swap
•    shadowing (working with another employee to see how they do it and what’s involved)

Of course, induction training will have to include some fairly dry subjects, so anything you can do to add interest, variety, different formats and experiences will greatly improve the overall induction process.

Induction training must include the following elements:

•    General training relating to the organisation, including values and philosophy as well as structure and history, etc.
•    Mandatory training relating to health and safety and other essential or legal areas.
•    Job training relating to the role that the new starter will be performing.
•    Training evaluation, involving confirmation of understanding, and feedback about the quality and response to the training.

Remember, each new starter will have different learning styles, so ensure you include a lot of variety to cater for all styles and abilities.

Here are some tips to make sure you give yourself the best opportunity to create a successful induction:

•    Use a feedback form of some sort to check the effectiveness and response to induction training – whatever you choose as a format should be an evolving and improving process.

•    Involve your existing staff in the induction process. Have them create and deliver sessions, do demonstrations, accompany, and mentor the new starters wherever possible.

•    Make sure you involve a lot of contact with other staff for the new person. It’s important that they get to know the values and standards of the company by watching others and learning from them. It’s also a good task to set team members, as it brings home to them the responsibilities they hold as a key worker, and encourages them to share their knowledge.

•    Depending on the job role, the new person may not always be able to get out and about to introduce themselves, so make this a proactive task within the whole process.

•    Keep close tabs on the feedback from the new person, helping them to see how their role plays an important part in the company. Encourage them to ask questions and to be aware of the mentoring that is available to them.

For the first few days and weeks, your new team member will be looking for guidance and advice without asking for it. They are an ‘unconscious incompetent’ at this point (they don’t know what they don’t know). So speed up the contribution that the new person offers to you by proactively managing their expectations and you’ll see their learning and development quickly grow and they become a supportive and valuable member of your team. They’ll be glad they made the decision to come to work for you!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

Are you sending a team member on a training course soon?

Many delegates arrive on courses without knowing the objectives and the main reasons why they are there. You can get a great deal more commitment from your team member who is about to be trained by covering a few bases before, during and after the course, so you can be more sure of the results.

BEFORE THE COURSE

Go through why you have chosen the person to attend this course. What are you hoping they will do differently afterwards? Go through the logistics, so they understand the venue details, any traveling issues, expenses and so on.

Discuss what personal learning objectives the person will have

Confirm the objectives and content of the course, and cover those specific aspects that will mean the most for the person

Cover off any concerns the person may have about the course. Will others from your business be attending or are they the only one? Ensure any fears are dealt with

What benefits will the person gain in the long term? How will it affect their future within the company?

How will the person’s job load be covered while they are away? Confirm you will only contact them in an emergency, or outside the course hours

Arrange a time and date for debriefing after they return. This shows how important you consider their development

DURING THE COURSE

Ensure their colleagues know why the person is going on the course and your expectations of them while the person is away

If they contact you or their colleagues while on the course, keep encouraging them to get the most out of it

FOLLOWING THE COURSE

Arrange to meet as soon as possible after the course, to discuss their action plans and what key learnings have been made

Go through the main points of the course, highlighting any areas that you had planned to cover in your briefing

Consider the action plan that the person made and flesh out the bones of how those plans can be implemented

Discuss how you and their colleagues can support their action plan

Set achievable and timely goals you would like the person to achieve as a result of the course

Discuss if any other members of the team would benefit from similar training

Place the training on their personal records and discuss what further development the person needs

By carrying out these tasks efficiently and professionally, you will show your team members how important you view their development and identify individuals who have the skills and abilities to go far in their roles and career.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

An interesting conversation on one of recent management courses revolved around the dilemma of a manager favouring one employee over another in their department. The manager on the course was discussing the impact this was having on another department within his company.

He mentioned that, even though it may have seemed a trivial matter to the manager concerned, the rest of his team members were taking it very seriously and much wailing and gnashing of teeth was surrounding the whole department.

The manager was obviously unaware of the perception that he was giving to the rest of the team by his favouring one team member over the others.

This is a subtle issue that can creep up on many managers, as we are only human, and we often have preferences for the way one team member works, as it complements our values and ways of working. But it can also affect the whole culture of the department.

Resentment can build quickly when favouritism is suspected. Resentment quickly becomes bitterness, and bitterness leads to all sorts of behaviour which can create problems within the department. Productivity can be affected, bitter infighting on a subtle level, divisions between the favoured employee and their team members, absenteeism and higher staff turnover.

So, Should all team members be treated equally?

Don’t get me wrong…I believe good performance should be rewarded. And a single management style won’t work with everyone. Some employees need extra attention to reach their potential, while others are more intrinsically motivated and can achieve great things without much outside influence. What we are talking about here is when an employee receives extra benefits or special treatment resulting from a ‘special relationship’ with their boss, rather than because of their observed and accepted excellent job performance.

And it’s the perception of the favourite employee that causes the damage, and this is just as damaging as the real thing. Don’t think that just because what others are saying about you can be defended by fobbing it off as jealousy or backbiting; perception is reality to team members, so how can you ensure this situation doesn’t raise its head in your department?

Here are some ideas that will keep perceptions going the right way:

1. With everything you do, make sure that rewards, promotions and perks can be measured by objective performance measurements
2.    Although you can’t treat people exactly the same, make sure everyone is treated fairly.
3.    Be open and objective in your communication style – this will build trust within the team
4.    Build a team environment that allows a culture of trust to develop, enabling team members to approach you with any concerns they may have
5.    Be aware of any actions you might be taking that could be misinterpreted as favouring one employee over another, and let team members know the reasons why that employee is being rewarded
6.    Create clear and objective measurements that all team members can recognise as achievable and fair, so all have the same possibilities of achievement.

By carrying out these ideas, you minimise the risks of the perception of favouritism being an issue within the department

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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