Posts Tagged ‘manager’

Unclog Your First Level Leadership Skills

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

When your direct reports are overwhelmed and think you aren’t doing enough to help them with their workload, it is an indication that you are missing a fundamental managerial skill.

Here are some more indications that you haven’t mastered this skill:

  1. You look upon questions from your people as “interruptions.”
  2. Instead of teaching your direct reports to work properly, you fix their mistakes.
  3. You don’t take the ownership of the success of your direct reports.
  4. You keep away from their challenges and failures.

As a first level manager, you need to change your mental paradigm

You are no more an individual contributor. In order to help your direct reports, you have to pay close attention to what is getting done and how is it getting done. You have to ask questions to find out what’s getting in the way of completing daily tasks.

Don’t just take notes

The information gleaned out of these questions should be translated into a balanced feedback. Give a pat on the back frequently.

The simplest skill is – just being available

As an individual contributor you never valued this skill. Being available is more of an attitude rather than just keeping your door open. People can sense when you are approachable just by looking at your body language. Make yourself available physically and emotionally.

Follow these tips and you will be able to unclog your First Level Leadership skills.

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As a Manager How do You Combine The Roles of Evaluator and Coach?

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Isn’t it a paradox that as a manager, you have to act as an evaluator and as a coach at the same time? I am sure you feel the tension between the two roles.

Nevertheless the two roles are linked together

As an evaluator, you measure the performance of your direct reports. As a coach you look for areas of development. This combination is not only difficult for you but also for those you coach.

It is like a Catch-22

Your employees may be hesitant to bring their mistakes to your attention for fear of affecting their performance appraisals. If you don’t come to know about their shortcomings, you will never have a clear picture of what’s going on. This will adversely affect your ability to manage your group.

So what is the key to managing the dual roles?

The key to managing is creating an atmosphere of trust. Research has shown that employees learn best from managers who display sincere interest in their long-term career development. It has also been seen that employees learn best from those managers who provide both support and autonomy. Employees open up to those managers they trust.

Therefore, act as an evaluator and a coach at the same time by building trust. This will reduce the tension between the two roles and make you a more effective manager.

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Listening Skills: It’s About Effectiveness, Not Ego

Sunday, April 17th, 2011

Have you ever heard someone saying, “He listens too much”?

I haven’t!

However, I’m sure, like me, you have often heard the remark, “He talks too much.”

You must be thinking, “What is the relevance for me?”

When you are an individual contributor, you end up listening a lot to high-ranking folks, right?

You are the manager now,

You might be thinking it’s my turn to do the talking. Please don’t make the same mistake which your managers made.

Now, listening becomes even more important for you

Your success depends on your ability to listen to your employees and bosses alike. Tuning out can prove expensive.

Here are some useful tips, which can put you on the fast track, only if you remember to practice them

  • If you’re on the phone make sure to take notes. Instead of writing sentences just write one keyword that represents the main point. This keyword will help you to remember the topic.
  • Differentiate between 911 and 411 calls. It is a common practice for your employees to make their work look more urgent than any other work. You can only recognize the seriousness of the issue by listening well.
  • Try to listen for understanding rather than for agreement. Don’t shut down mentally if someone disagrees with you.
  • Irrespective of the conversation, attempt to get at least one new insight from every speaker. If you can’t, you’re wasting your time.

Place a reminder on your desk

Listening is a hard job – talking is far easier than listening. You cannot afford to fall into the trap of listening to your own voice.

Have you ever heard someone saying, “He listens too much”?

May be it’s YOU!

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A Simple Solution for Off-the-Cuff Meetings?

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

Most new managers who aren’t used to having meetings run off- the-cuff meetings. With time, they realize that such meetings turn out to be counter productive and a waste of time. They may put back too much on the attendees and lose control.

What can do you do to prevent it?

You have to focus on three areas – Before, During and After

Before the meeting

  • Narrow the scope.
  • Have an agenda that defines a specific problem and how the group can address it.
  • Do not overload the meeting with too many issues. Usually three is a good number-stick to a maximum of three agenda items.

What can you do during the meeting?

  • Greet people at the door rather than sitting in your chair.
  • Start with an overview and highlight key agenda items.
  • If you are looking for decisions fast – remove chairs so that everyone stands.
  • Distribute the agenda in advance so that people have enough time to deliberate on the topic. By this way, you will save time by not engaging in information sharing session.

If you really want to remain focused

Write the objective of the meeting on a flip chart.  I have personally found it to be useful. The writing on the wall / flip chart can act as a subtle reminder to everyone to stay on track.

What else you can do during the meeting?

Encourage and welcome questions. If the questions are off-track, you can always say that you could address them later if necessary. It is your meeting and you are responsible for its outcome, therefore,  keep a tab on the time.

End the meeting with action items, that is, who will do what by what date.

After the Meeting

Don’t forget to send a follow-up memo summarizing everyone’s action points.

Remember: Effective meetings are short meetings!

Practice these simple tips and you will transform wasted efforts into productive outcomes.

Next Step: Sign up for the First Level Leadership E-zine and get access to good information without any fluff right into your mail box. When You Subscribe to our audio e-zine, you’ll receive a FREE Audio Learning Program: “Seeds of Leadership.” Get your copy now.

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This Fair Exchange is the Key to Your Leadership. Do You Know About It?

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Can you be a leader without having group members?

I don’t think so…

If that is the case, then what should be the strategy, so that group members accept your directions and influence?

It sounds simple

but you must learn exactly what your group members need. The members of the group will only accept your direction if you help them to fulfill their needs.

This fair exchange is the key to your leadership

They can then decide what to do to satisfy those needs in exchange for performing certain duties for you.

Therefore, as a leader, you have a wide range of incentives to offer to the group

You must satisfy more than simply the financial needs of your people. You earn your position of leadership by doing things that give them hope – that their needs will be satisfied.

The understanding of the implications of these needs should be of great importance to you

I urge you to investigate the works of the psychologist, Abraham Maslow who created a five-tiered pyramid that represents the relative importance of five different levels of human needs. Combine your investigation with Frederick Herzberg’s two-factor motivation theory, and it will provide you with a greater insight into the needs of group members.

Next Step: Sign up for the First Level Leadership E-zine and get access to good information without any fluff right into your mail box. When You Subscribe to our audio e-zine, you’ll receive a FREE Audio Learning Program: “Seeds of Leadership.” Get your copy now.

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What is Your Leadership Style?

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Do you have a role model?

As a student of Leadership Styles, you must have a role model that is worth imitating. If you don’t, then please look for one.

You have to be very discerning about what you learn

In the luxury of retrospect, I can say that as a new manager or first level leader, you will be tempted to copy your role model. Without realizing, you may adopt the principle of parallelism – to be a replica of the leader you look up to…

I am of the view that:

1.      You must have a role model.

2.      You should be able to learn a lot from his leadership style.

However, there is a caveat–

1.      The role model should be worth imitating but should not be imitated.

2.      If you try to develop a style by imitating your manager, it might look flattering to him initially, but soon you will graduate into a constant irritant with no identity.

If you are trying to be a clone,

You will always be an inferior quality of clone. Interestingly, and at every level of hierarchy, the quality of the clones will deteriorate.

Don’t graduate from the School of Parallelism

I know there is another school of thought that promotes parallelism. However, I am of the opinion that it is not a good strategy. Your role model may have a force of personality that makes him successful in spite of the flaws in the personality. What has worked for him may not be sufficient for you.

You are unique,

Therefore, discover your own leadership style. When developing a unique leadership style, imitation is NOT the best strategy.

Finally,

Your actions should reflect your deep-rooted values and attitudes and not of someone else.

Next Step: Sign up for the First Level Leadership E-zine and get access to good information without any fluff right into your mail box. When You Subscribe to our audio e-zine, you’ll receive a FREE Audio Learning Program: “Seeds of Leadership.” Get your copy now.

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Before moving into your new leadership role, know this…

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

If you’re a first level leader, then you are in this position because you must have been an excellent individual contributor… right!

The technical expertise remains a critical competency but no longer defines your role

Now you have to play a larger role than before. Therefore, the qualities that got you here will help you very little in this new role.

What should you do?

Devote some time in planning to develop new skill sets required for the new leadership role. This will put you on the fast track!

Don’t get me wrong by thinking that planning is merely deciding what to do in the future.

Let me clarify – planning is deciding what you have to do now in order to have a future.

How you manage your time now becomes a key to your managerial future

Therefore, investment theory comes into action. If you do not invest time now in planning to develop your leadership and managerial skills, you will soon struggle.

Time equals money

We have all heard the statement a zillion times. It is a resource with unique properties. You can only use it at a constant rate and it gets eroded at a constant rate-60 minutes an hour… the irony is that we don’t know how much time we have.

Are you willing to sacrifice…

Some of your present time, energy and instant gratification in order to invest for the future?

If yes,

Please take a stock of things you don’t know and get on with it before it’s too late.

Make a plan to update your knowledge and then try to put it into action. Nothing happens until something moves. Make mistakes quickly (fast-forward your failures) so that you can  succeed quickly.

And don’t forget – the qualities that got you here will help you very little in this new role.

I am tempted to share a quotation by Dwight D. Eisenhower:

“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”

Next Step: Sign up for the First Level Leadership E-zine and get access to good information without any fluff right into your mail box. When You Subscribe to our audio e-zine, you’ll receive a FREE Audio Learning Program: “Seeds of Leadership.” Get your copy now.



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A Simple Advice For Stressed Out Managers

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

Imagine the pilot of the aircraft you are traveling on says that –

He is stressed! Will you travel on that aircraft? Probably not…

Similarly as a leader, if you discuss your personal problems with your colleagues,

and look stressed, will they feel confident traveling with you? Probably not…

What happens when you share a personal problem with your colleagues?

You actually open the door to your personal life. And if you happen to talk about all your problems all the time, then you look:

1.      Out of control

2.      Indecisive

3.      Vulnerable

4.      Not dependable

5.      Like a nagging problem to everyone around

Therefore, come what may,

Please keep your personal problems far away from your professional playground. Exercise extreme restraint regarding what you share with your colleagues. Even if you are going through a difficult time, don’t succumb to the temptation of sharing your grief.

And if you have a psychological need to discuss,

Please park your problems elsewhere. Consult a doctor or a counsellor, talk to a friend, read a book, watch a movie, go for walks … whoever or whatever can help you, but keep it away from your workplace.  It is a losing game, so don’t play it in your professional playground.

Next Step: Sign up for the First Level Leadership E-zine and get access to good information without any fluff right into your mail box. When You Subscribe to our audio e-zine, you’ll receive a FREE Audio Learning Program: “Seeds of Leadership.” Get your copy now.

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Three DON’TS when you become a manager

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
  1. Don’t be a part of the office gossip anymore. I know the temptation is too high but refrain from participating in such conversations. Moreover, your role now is to support everyone on the team.
  2. Don’t fall into the usual “boss bashing” activity that goes on in most offices in the coffee room. You lose credibility, you lose control and above all you lose reputation. You are a part of the management now.
  3. Don’t take your new role to the extreme. In other words don’t project the attitude of one-upmanship that you’re better than your former coworkers. The biggest disadvantage of such an attitude is — you lose all the home court advantages that promotion from within can give you. In the bargain you create distance, distrust and greater challenges in managing the same group.

Next Step: Sign up for the First Level Leadership E-zine and get access to good information without any fluff right into your mail box. When You Subscribe to our audio e-zine, you’ll receive a FREE Audio Learning Program: “Seeds of Leadership.” Get your copy now.

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