I’m delighted to let you know that we now have our own channel on youtube!

We’ve currently got 20 short training tips on the channel, with more being uploaded every week.

So when you need a quick dose of training in specific subjects, hop over to our MTD channel and download one of our programmes.

http://www.youtube.com/user/mtdtraining

With subjects like The Seven Deadly Sins of Emails, Running Effective Meetings, Effective Listening Skills, How to use the 7S Model, and many more, it’s a goldmine of bite-sized information that can be viewed whenever you have a few spare moments.

Watch out for new titles every week!

That’s
http://www.youtube.com/user/mtdtraining

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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

Follow us here on Twitter

The Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum levels help us determine at what levels we should delegate authority to our team members.

It all depends on their aptitude, competency and motivation, but if we get the level of delegation right, we can achieve great results and encourage our team members to take on more responsibilities. Here are the levels that Tannenbaum and Schmidt covered:

1. The Manager decides and announces the decision.

The manager reviews options in light of aims, issues, priorities, timescale, etc., then decides the action and informs the team of the decision. The manager will probably have considered how the team will react, but the team plays no active part in making the decision. The team may well perceive that the manager has not considered the team’s welfare at all. This is seen by the team as a purely task-based decision, which is generally a characteristic of X-Theory management style.

2. The manager decides and then ‘sells’ the decision to the group.

The manager makes the decision as in 1 above, and then explains reasons for the decision to the team, particularly the positive benefits that the team will enjoy from the decision. In so doing the manager is seen by the team to recognise the team’s importance, and to have some concern for the team.

3. The manager presents the decision with background ideas and invites questions.

The manager presents the decision along with some of the background which led to the decision. The team is invited to ask questions and discuss with the manager the rationale behind the decision, which enables the team to understand and accept or agree with the decision more easily than in 1 and 2 above. This more participative and involving approach enables the team to appreciate the issues and reasons for the decision, and the implications of all the options. This will have a more motivational approach than 1 or 2 because of the higher level of team involvement and discussion.

4. The manager suggests a provisional decision and invites discussion about it.

The manager discusses and reviews the provisional decision with the team on the basis that the manager will take on board the views and then finally decide. This enables the team to have some real influence over the shape of the manager’s final decision. This also acknowledges that the team has something to contribute to the decision-making process, which is more involving and therefore motivating than the previous level.

5. The manager presents the situation or problem, gets suggestions, then decides.

The manager presents the situation, and maybe some options, to the team. The team is encouraged and expected to offer ideas and additional options, and discuss implications of each possible course of action. The manager then decides which option to take. This level is one of high and specific involvement for the team, and is appropriate particularly when the team has more detailed knowledge or experience of the issues than the manager. Being high-involvement and high-influence for the team this level provides more motivation and freedom than any previous level.

6. The manager explains the situation, defines the parameters and asks the team to decide.

At this level the manager has effectively delegated responsibility for the decision to the team, albeit within the manager’s stated limits. The manager may or may not choose to be a part of the team which decides. While this level appears to gives a huge responsibility to the team, the manager can control the risk and outcomes to an extent, according to the constraints that he stipulates. This level is more motivational than any previous, and requires a mature team for any serious situation or problem.

7. The manager allows the team to identify the problem, develop the options, and decide on the action, within the manager’s received limits.

This is obviously an extreme level of freedom, whereby the team is effectively doing what the manager did in level 1. The team is given responsibility for identifying and analysing the situation or problem; the process for resolving it; developing and assessing options; evaluating implications, and then deciding on and implementing a course of action. The manager also states in advance that he/she will support the decision and help the team implement it. The manager may or may not be part of the team, and if so then he/she has no more authority than anyone else in the team. The only constraints and parameters for the team are the ones that the manager had imposed on him from above.

So, identify at what level your team member works best at, and create a willingness for them to achieve results at that level.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

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

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Appreciative Inquiry is a newer term not many of you may be familiar with. It is, in short, the act of learning about and appreciating the values that those around us have to offer.

You’ve heard the phrase “find the best in others.” That’s exactly what appreciateive inquiry is about. In business, and as a manager, it’s your responsibility to work with people until you uncover their positive traits – the traits you and your team can use and appreciate.

According to Carol Wilson, there are four main stages when it comes to appreciative inquiry. They are:

1. Discovery
2. Dream
3. Design
4. Destiny

You start by discovering what you have – learning about what is working for your team right now and what could potentially change based on the traits and skills you have uncovered. You then take the time to think about (or dream up) the best possible outcome possible. After you have an idea, you have to design a plan that will bring those dreams to fruition. You then determine the destiny by figuring out exactly how your design can most naturally exist, combining both new and existing resources without upsetting the old systems.

You must evolve and emerge.

Appreciative inquiry isn’t about forcing change. It’s about learning about the traits, skills, and characteristics of your team members you didn’t realize existed and allowing them to evolve naturally into your processes – with a little encouragement, of course!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

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

John Adair, one of the most respected leadership trainers in the world, spent years developing what is now known as Adair’s Action Centred Leadership Model. The model has three main parts, of which any good manager or leader should be familiar with. As a manager, you’ll need to be able to use all of these elements in your decision making process in order to control situations, keep things in balance, and get the results you ultimately desire.

The three components of Adair’s Action Centred Leadership Model are:

• Task achievement
• Team management, and
• Individual management

You have sets of responsibilities within each component of the model. Let’s start with your responsibilities as a manager in charge of achieving a task. Just a few of these include:

• Properly define the scope of the task
• Identify which tools and resources you need to complete the task
• Create a plan to achieve the task
• Set controls and standards
• Monitor and report on progress
• Review and adjust the plan as appropriate

Your next step is to take a look at the group participating in the project with you, helping you to bring it to fruitition. When you look at the group in general you must:

• Establish standards for communication, style, culture, and approach
• Monitor the groups behaviour and establish boundaries for ethics, culture, discipline and conflict
• Modify the dynamic of the group as necessary
• Make sure the group is able to cooperate and work as a unified team
• Lead the group towards the ultimate achievement of its goals

Finally you must look at each individual member of the group separately. This involves:

• Understanding the needs and strengths or weaknesses of each person
• Helping each person to define his own unique goals
• Set responsibilities and objectives and reward them for being met
• Develop strengths and utilize them with proper training

In all three categories you can see how important it is for you to be active in your approach. There’s no passive method for dealing with employees or projects with Adair’s model. No matter what model you follow, you’ll find that dealing actively with employees is a far more effective, proactive approach.

Thanks again

Sean
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Training

Telephone
0800 849 6732

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I’ve found over the course of my career that there are three main types of decision making models or methods a manager will use when attempting to make a decision. While every individual manager will follow his own process, all tend to follow into one of the three following categories:

• Rational/Logical Decision Making
• Intuitive Decision Making
• Predisposed Decision Making

Managers who follow the rational or logical decision making model tend to gather facts, thoroughly examine situations, and make logical decisions based on all that they know on a given subject. He does as much research as possible and leaves nothing to chance. This is the most recommend method of decision making for those in management positions.

Intuitive decision making involves not the use of statistics and data but a manager’s gut feelings. While this method isn’t necessarily bad it can lead to disaster as one’s gut, or instinct, should never be the sole factor in the decision making process. It’s better to use past experiences, insight, and statistics together to make the right choice.

The worst decision making model is the predisposed method. A manager will make a snap decision based on his personal preferences and opinions and will work to find data that backs up what he wants to do, regardless of whether or not his decision is actually right. He tends to ignore important information merely because it doesn’t support his agenda.

It’s important for you to identify what type of decision making model you usually follow. Is the one you’re using most effective? Do you tend to act in a predisposed manner? Figure out where you stand on the decision making grid and then decide if you need to make a change. The future of your department may depend on it.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

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