A quick management exercise to get those grey cells working…

When you have a coaching session with one of your staff, how do you wrap up the session?

Do you give a summary of what was said and who is doing what? Then, do you write the action points in an email or document?

If you do, I recommend that you flip this on it’s head and ask your member of staff to give the summary and to take ownership for the whole process.

Why?

Here are 3 good reasons:

1. It encourages ownership. You are not there to wipe their backsides. You are there as a coach and a mentor. It’s "their session" really.

2. It trains the member of staff to really listen all throughout the session. If they know that they are going to do the summary then they will really listen in for that if nothing else!

3. It reduces your workload.

I see all too many managers make the summary, write the action points, follow up on action points - my advice is to STOP this right now.

Create the ownership and enable your member of staff to do this - it will pay big dividends.

Live, love and laugh!

Sean Mc

Want a tip on how to build high performing teams?

…….have clear expectations!

What I mean by this is that as a manager and a leader you should be communicating clear expectations for your team’s performance and their expected outcomes.

Does every team member know exactly what is expected from them?

Do they know what a great job looks like?

Do they know what they CAN influence and what they CAN’T?

Does your team actually work like a team with effective communications between team members and an attitude of "I can help you with that too"? Or are they seperate workers working within "Your team"? There’s a big difference.

What support and development do you give your team? Do you know what support they need? Have you even asked them?

When all is said and done, setting clear expectations is a vital skill and activity for a leader. Indeed, CLARITY is always seen as one of the areas where companies fall down so don’t let that happen within your team.

Live, love and laugh!

Sean Mc

Check out our Essential Management Skills Workshop.

Here’s an email I received from Lee Braddock recently. It’s about that many people never actually "communicate" with one another but many people "talk" with one another.

There’s a big difference!

Here’s what Lee wrote:

Sean,
I read this last message concerning, Subject:  Do You Really Listen?.  I teach a course in Effective Communication/Relationship Skills and these are some of the same skills I teach.  I also have authored a book on personal development.  Isn’t it depressing that as we go through school, college, church, and then we enter the working world that people truly believe they communicate well.  I believe it is because we have gone to school and that "talking" is an accepted practice.  I have attempted several time to place my courses into junior colleges and in adult learning and powers to be in the areas of higher learning feel that the course I teach has little or no benefit. 

We are taught how to read, to write a sentence, a paragraph, even essays, but we are not taught how to effectively communicate with one another.
We are not taught how communicate our feelings to another, which is vitally important to sustain any kind of relationship.  We are taught how to preform math equations, but we are not taught how to effectively problem solve, nor are we taught how to properly decision make.

We have always been told that one should play fair and with sports, this is used to teach one to be completive, and to have good sportsmanship, but we are taught how to have a health relationship.  We are not taught how or why to be creative, or to respect oneself, or for that matter respect others.  These are the things I teach and I simply want to say that your information is wonderful, thank you.
Respectfully,
Lee Braddock, MA

How to take advantage of the office grapevine

In today’s dynamic world of constant career changes and promotion opportunities, grapevine is an effective communication channel that can be used to a great advantage by people indulging in it. Grapevine is an unofficial communication within the organisation, where the information is passed through word of mouth at informal gatherings, for example, during lunchtime, at tea breaks, or even at water-coolers. It is basically an office gossip, which one comes to know through friends and acquaintances in a confidential way. Generally gossip is considered to be damaging and is also unwelcome, but office gossip is something that can be used for personal benefits and gains.

Grapevine can be tactfully used by the employee for his professional growth.  It can be used as an effective agent for job search. Many a times, people get to know about openings in different companies through such unofficial lunchtime discussions. It is also helpful for those who are looking for a change as well as promotion within an organisation. People interacting from different departments can pass on useful information about possible openings in a department within an organisation, which otherwise is difficult to get.

Those looking for promotion can assess their capabilities based on these discussions that generally take place on personal and sometimes official matters, and preparedness of others competing for the same position. This platform can also be used by bosses, who are trying to make some judgment about their subordinates, and can get to know through trusted sources the information they would find difficult to get otherwise, but which may help in the employee’s assessment.

Office grapevine can be used to promote a personal agenda by employees. To climb the ladder of success, individuals must make everyone around them aware of their abilities. People around him should know what he is capable of apart from his assigned job. It can be used effectively if one is trying to make a move in terms of nature of job by passing on information about his strengths, potentials and achievements, which is likely to be captured through some complicated route by those who are responsible for making appropriate decisions in such cases.

Sometimes through office grapevine some useful inside information may be passed on that can be used to one’s advantage. However, it should be kept in mind that people should not over-react to information they get unofficially from such sources. They should appropriately react only after ascertaining the truth behind such information. For example, if one hears that he may be laid off because of the closure of a department or some policy change in the organisation, spontaneous action to this should be avoided. It is definitely a useful information for the employee and can help him adjust to the shock that would otherwise come if the same information were announced to him one fine morning by the management. 

But, instead of getting panicky and getting ready to look for a change straightaway, this information can be shared with one’s bosses and if some element of truth is found, one can negotiate his position through alternative means, either by a transfer of department or some other possible solutions.

Grapevine discussions sometimes revolve around the behaviour of a new person joining the organisation. It is always a good option to know in detail about any new person in the organisation, especially with whom or under whom one is likely to work. This can help in dealing appropriately with the person. If one is acquainted with the likes and dislikes, principles, style of working of the new person with whom he is going to work, then a good working relation can develop among them. It may also be a helpful tool for a manager or a leader who is going to head a new group. Information regarding the team members, as to whether they are happy with the change of guard or not, what type of relationship they shared with the previous boss etc, can be of great help, as he can plan an appropriate staff management strategy and decide how to get the best out of them, based on such information.

To take advantage of office grapevine, it is necessary that one becomes a part of it, and for that to happen, one should develop good contacts in the office. It should be kept in mind that it is not easy to get into a group, outside one’s own department. One requires constant work and it is not a single day’s job. Unless one becomes a part of the diverse groups indulging in such office gossip, one cannot make the best use of office grapevine. Only after this level of contact is developed, one can come to know about the confidential news of the office. Once you get a piece of confidential information, you can circulate it and get some more confidential information in return.

It is very important to realize the importance of networking in today’s world, which is always connected through Internet and connected to every one possible out there on the web. A person interacting with another person during lunchtime or over tea breaks can possibly have access to all the relevant information the other person has gathered through his contacts. Indirectly, one’s network gets extended immediately, even without realizing that he has added a few more contacts in his list of network.

Sean Mc