As a manager, you must act as a leader at all times. Your employees and team members will look up to you for advice, assistance, and sometimes to merely examine how you react to certain situations within the workplace. As you grow and evolve as a leader you’ll find that your employees are growing with you, so you need to set a positive example at all times. Here are a few leadership skills you should keep in mind and work to develop as time goes by.

Versatility

A good leader must be versatile enough to deal with a number of different personalities, learning styles, and challenges. You never know how many people you’ll have to lead, through what type of challenge, or for how long. You must learn to be strong and adaptable.

Personal Behaviour

Imagine that every single thing you say or do is being watched under a finely tuned microscope. Your staff will watch every action you make and upper management is likely watching you closely as well. Your verbal expressions, body language, and attitude will all reflect back on you as your team adapts. Do you have the type of attitude you want to see in your employees? If not, take action to change it soon!

Communication

We talk about the importance of great management and communication skills quite frequently, but what you need to remember is that your attitude and business ethic communicates just as much as your words and body language. Be consistent at all times, regardless of how or when you are communicating – casually, in a meeting, or in a conference.

Evolving Environments

Is your department a fun place to work, or do you have a reputation for harboring a stressful atmosphere? You need to take charge of not only delegating tasks but also of motivating your team throughout the day. Make your department fun with games, occasional casual conversation, or something creative.

You have control of how you are perceived as a leader. Carefully monitor your attitude and how you communicate with others and you’ll soon find your team members are looking up to you rather than wondering why you’re in charge!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
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Today’s management model is a little more complex than some of the others we have looked at. The Capability Maturity Model, also referred to as CMM, is sort of like a “Best Practices” model for the Information Technology industry. I’m sure you’re familiar with software programs that are released early for use, only to have a number of bugs and glitches that require multiple patches and upgrades within a short period of time.

Back in the early 1980’s the Software Engineering Institute began research to assist in resolving these issues. They came up with the Capability Maturity Model which encourages software development companies to use processes that are mature, or that have been tested and are known to have a high level of results and a low risk of unknown complications. A mature process was necessary not only to save money on fixing glitches and bugs, but also to keep customer service satisfaction levels high, as they had begun to suffer from all of the necessary problems and the work involved in finding a solution.

These same problems can have a significant impact on the workplace as well. Imagine installing new software on each employee’s computer only to have slow down your workforce by 50% or more because of problems or glitches. Most of your employees were likely resistant to the change to begin with and presenting a program that gave them troubles only compounded the reasons they had for their fears.

Does your office have a mature method for implementing change? Do you research the possible outcomes in an attempt to determine which have the highest probability for success with the least amount of problems? This concept can be applied to the new employee hiring process, to training, and to everyday client-problem solution scenarios.

Take a look at your workflow and determine whether or not you have a mature process for solving problems or if you simply grasp at straws. What changes can you make to improve the way your business functions?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

The term “continuous improvement” refers to taking the products or service we give to our customers and making them better all of the time. A continuous improvement plan revolves around your ability to maintain the high levels of service, productivity, or performance you’ve already achieved while finding ways to enhance your results.

Of course, whatever plan you implement is not just a one-time occurrence, but a long-term commitment to a method that will produce measurable results over time. You, your fellow managers, and your employees must all work together to understand what problems exist within your organisation and to determine which actions would best solve those problems.

Your continuous improvement plan will help with team building as well because it will not only encourage you to work together in order to evaluate and analyse a situation, but will also promote teamwork as you organise and plan your course of action. Every business will have different problems, thus requiring a different continuous improvement plan. Remember, however, that a continuous improvement plan is something that must carry you far into the future. It may be changed or modified as necessary, but the need for continuous improvement will never disappear!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

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

I can see you right now. The thought of delegating your authority and assigning tasks to others leaves you white-knuckling your file folders in fear. Will the job be done correctly? Will the work be done on time? Stop the negative thought process right now. After all – if you really feel this way about delegating your authority you need to assess whether or not you have the right people on your team to start with.

Take a deep breath, relax, and prepare to alleviate part of your workload. Here are three things to keep in mind as you assign work to a team member or employee:

• It’s easier to complete a project if you’re working on, or at least know about, the entire project. Don’t give pieces of the project away unless you’re willing to tell your team member about the scope of the overall project. The lack of communication from not sharing this information may result in a project that doesn’t in with the rest of the puzzle.

• Do you have a vision for the outcome of the project you are giving away? Your vision and his vision may be different based on the description you give. Speak up and tell your employee what your expectations are for the project. If you don’t speak up, don’t complain about the end result not being as you expected.

• Be sure to clearly identify the timeframe within which you expect the project to be completed. Let your employee know how often you want status reports in order to ensure the project stays on track.

Delegating your authority by assigning projects doesn’t mean simply throwing a task on someone’s desk and letting the cards fall where they may. You have the responsibility to clearly communicate your expectations and work with your team member to achieve positive results.

Give it a try – I think you’ll like the results!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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

While everyone works for a paycheck, it’s not secret that most employees prefer to be acknowledged with rewards and motivational incentives as well. Applying incentive programs above the annual pay raise can be a tricky task.

There are three main concerns when it comes to determining whether or not implementing a reward system will hinder or help your business:

1. Will an employee’s attitude change? While it is possible for an employee to produce high-quality work with a not-so-wonderful personal attitude, he will, more often than not, have a better attitude if he feels his work is appreciated.

2. Will your employees begin to exhibit behavioral changes? The hope is that they will because employee reward programs will keep them satisfied. They’ll be less likely to call out from work, waste time, or look for new jobs. Of course, your employee rewards have to be worth their efforts or they’ll become disgruntled and stop trying to achieve the goals you’ve set.

3. Will the rewards you choose have a motivational effect? In the end your employees will work harder not only because they want rewards but because they know their work will be evaluated often.

In the end, it comes down to whether or not you are able to implement an employee reward system that is favorable to both your organisation and the employees themselves. What are some of the ways you reward your employees for their hard work and dedication?

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

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