Archive for Management
Taking Over a Position
Posted by: | CommentsUnless you’re starting a new department with a new team, chances are you will be taking over manager position.
Taking over an existing team after their previous manager leaves has different challenges than getting a team that has never worked together as a team before.
In fact, there are pros and cons to taking over either a team that had a good manager or a team that had a bad manager.
Taking Over for a Good Manager
If you are taking over a team that had an effective supervisor, you could be in luck, and you could be facing some tough challenges.
An effective supervisor knows how to motivate employees. Therefore, you might be inheriting a highly motivated team, already working well together, already producing as expected or better than expected.
The downside of taking over a previously well-managed team is that you naturally want to keep that momentum going, but you, especially if you are a brand new supervisor, have big shoes to fill. The team might hold you to the level of the previous manager. They’re used to things being done a certain way, so when you come in and change things, you might meet with some resistance.
Why change things that are working for your sake? One thing a manager must be able to do, adopt new ways of doing things. It’s more difficult for a group to make a change than for you to make a change. If they don’t like what you do they will most likely make things difficult so if it’s not broke don’t fix it!
It’s really important how you tread. You can set yourself up for a lot of problems right away, especially if you aren’t really a people person in the first place.
Take notes of things the manager did that was effective. Were they promoted? Then it’s a good time to look yourself in the mirror and make some changes to your style if need be.
And there’s more…
Remember, every time you go to a new department, company, etc., it’s a time to re-invent yourself. Just make sure you can pull it off and stay consistent.
Don’t rock the boat too early… (Usually)
Fit in, learn the social hierarchy. In every group there are some dominant personalities and it’s not necessarily the oldest or the supervisor.
You need those people in your corner whether you like it or not. They are a treasure trove of information and suggestions, ask them for theirs. They will typically spout off some things they didn’t like about the previous manager, don’t take the bait. Just let the comments fall and DO NOT repeat them. They are testing you.
Everyone probably has suggestions. Whip up a questionnaire on your computer if your company will allow and give them out. Make sure you ask your new people what their career goals are. Do they know how to get promoted? When did they have their last performance review? What do they feel they need to work on? What do they love about their job? Do they know all the benefits the company offers?
All those questions? You will learn a lot as you gather the information for them, information you need to know anyway! And don’t tell them where to get it. It’s your great opportunity to earn valuable good will with them. They need to talk to the HR manager for some of the answers? Great! Make an appointment with the HR person for them and walk them back there when they are scheduled and say to the HR person the question, etc.
Taking Over for a Poor Manager
Let’s say the team you’re taking over had a poor manager before you were hired. As you might expect, or have already found out, they may be unmotivated, sub-par performers. And they may be looking at you with a suspicious eye, wondering if you’re going to be more of the same poor leadership they’re used to.
On the other hand, a team that had a poor manager might also be very ripe for good leadership skills. Even if you don’t have leadership or management experience, you can still come across as a confident, experienced manager and your team doesn’t have to know any different.
This is a great opportunity for you to shine in your company. People will typically not be willing to welcome you with open arms. You will need to get out there, smile, talk to people, chat, be the nice human you are. Let it show. Carry a small note pad down so you can write things down about people, hobbies, kids, interests, etc. Also write down questions the employee has that may need follow up. Don’t trust your memory, you’re overwhelmed, you will forget things.
Ask your boss for suggestions, they are sure to have many. Ask them what they think some of your first priorities need to be, second, etc.
It will come up…
The elephant in the room… The things the bad manager did that made everyone indignant. Don’t gloat. Try to have private conversations with the vocal people. Don’t commiserate with them. Just tell them you are sorry and hope to move forward and would like them to be on board with you. Then move the conversation forward. Ask them for suggestions about something, anything at that point to turn the conversation forward.
If you are a manager you are not perfect, no one is. For all your strengths that others may appreciate this other manager was most likely good at some things you aren’t. You never know who you may work with again, don’t say anything. Many people have made the mistake and regret it for years.
Some First Steps…
No matter how you’re coming into your new manager position, one of your first priorities should be to hold a “one-on-one” meeting with each team member. Use this one-on-one time to get to know your team members individually. Ask them questions about their take on the team as a whole, how they fit in, the effectiveness of the team, what they like and dislike about their job, what they’d like from you, etc. Use the questionnaire idea mentioned above if need be.
But, be careful not to come across like you’re looking for “dirt” on other team members or their previous manager.
A one-on-one session might also be a good time to establish your expectations for them and the team. Of course, you should follow up your expectations with the team as a whole, in a team meeting. But a one-on-one meeting lets you get to know each other and can give you valuable information as to what the team expects. This information can go a long way to making your transition as their new supervisor a seamless transition.
A Career in Business Management
Posted by: | CommentsThinking of making your career business management? Or maybe you’re taking over a manager position?
I would have to say business management is the most rewarding, fun, dynamic and exhilarating job imaginable. I often find myself missing the “team” aspect of having a staff, deadlines and of course the thrill of developing others to be great leaders! Which is why I do what I do now. But I miss the pressure and fun you have when you are managing a large team.
We offer career and business management online classes to teach you about management styles and give you the supervisor skills you will need to become an effective supervisor.
Management Styles
There are several career business management styles you can adopt. You might have the choice to choose what works best for you and your company, or you might have to follow the management style set forth by the company you work for.
- Participatory – giving each team member a specific task to complete
- Directing – telling employees what must be done, when and how
- Teamwork Style – knowledge is pooled and tasks completed as one group
- Authoritative – decisions are made by the manager alone, or within the senior management group
- Democratic – decision making is influenced by the input of the employees, too.
Supervisor duties are many and varied, but good supervisors should always be willing to do the very thing they’re asking their employee to do. Leading by example goes a long way towards becoming an effective supervisor.
Development Ideas
On the job training is only as effective as those training you. You might learn good skills, but if you have a bad supervisor yourself, you’re apt to learn bad skills.
However you can learn a lot of great things from a bad supervisor. I always said I learned the most from the managers that I had the greatest challenges with and it’s true. It depends on what you do to gain the upper hand.
There are several things you can do to improve:
- Journals are a great tool to grow as a manager, they help you understand when and how you have been mismanaged and work through more constructive ways to handle it.
- There are many great books as well, too many for me to list here. It also depends on what your growth opportunities are.
- A support group or a career coach can be a great tool to help you grow.
You need someone that will help you find your internal compass to navigate trying situations and help you develop clear action steps for the journey ahead.
Business management classes are important but they aren’t a cure all. Some people have certain drives and knack’s for doing things that transcend schooling. A lot depends on your learning style and your personality type. There are many great personality assessments that can help you determine whether school is a good fit or maybe you are a “fly by the seat of your pants” type person and can’t stand school.
Find Your Strengths
Know what kind of person you are and what motivates you. I would recommend school to anyone that is at a point they can do it. It gives you so much discipline and ability to follow up with projects and deadlines that may catapult your career. Even if you don’t know your specialty it’s best to go ahead and get a basic degree, it’s a lot harder to go back than to finish in the first place.
Great Books Can Help
You can read books and grow if you are self motivated and have a learning style that enables you to read and take action. A powerful combination is a combination of books and coaching. It is so much easier to create actions and you retain so much more from what you read when you have the opportunity to discuss it with someone else.
Some great books that are easy reads are:
Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This book, if you buy it new, also comes with an assessment you take online. It’s a great tool.
Some of his research done with the Gallup organization is staggering. Here are some numbers:
- They found that out of a 1000 people who feel strongly that they don’t get to do “what I do best”, EVERY person was disengaged from their job.
- Those that have the opportunity to focus on their strengths are 6 times as likely to be engaged in their job and more than 3 times as likely to report having “an excellent quality of life in general”.
- If your manager primarily ignores you the chances of you being actively disengaged are 40%.
- If your manager focuses primarily on your weaknesses the chances of you being actively disengaged are 22%.
- If your manager primarily focuses on your strengths the chances of you being actively disengaged fall to 1%.
The power of a supervisor’s role on their staff can not be underestimeated. And also of parents and teachers, the book goes on to talk about how their research shows that 77% of parents believe the lowest grade deserves the most attention and time instead of investing more time in the areas where the child has the greatest potential.
Emotional Intelligence
The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves is excellent. This book also comes with a free assessment as long as the book is new and someone hasn’t used it. Emotional Intelligence, also referred to as EQ, has been a fairly new component of understanding work place environments and productivity.
The book describes the difference of IQ from EQ.
Your IQ never changes and stays the same. They have done studies and found that two people with the same IQ can have completely different levels of success. Also your IQ is your ability to learn and it does not change over time.
On the other hand EQ can be developed even if you are not born with it. Your senses enter your brain through your spinal cord and must travel through the limbic system before you can think rationally about your experience. Emotional intelligence requires smooth communication between the rational and emotional centers of the brain. When you practice emotional intelligence, the traffic flows smoothly in both directions.
By the way, with EQ, women and men are basically even, so the idea that women have more EQ is wrong.
- Women scores higher in Social Awareness and Relationship Management
- Men scored higher in Self-Management
- The sexes were almost tied for Self-Awareness but men had a slight edge.
The four emotional skills they identify is: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Understanding how they work and how they interact is important at gaining EQ.
Leadership in a Nutshell
Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard, Patricia Zigmarmi and Drea Zigmarmi. All the One Minute Manager series are excellent but this one help new managers understand how they need to manage people differently. This book would work for experienced managers as well. “Different strokes for different folks” as the authors described it.
The book is simplistic but very easy to understand and gives great examples of how leadership styles effect your ability to get things done and how your staff reacts to you.
Another book that is a compelling true story, an easy read and is aligned with many larger corporations way of thinking is, It’s Your Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. This book has some great stories and real life examples of how, even in the military, accepting how something is done just because “that’s the way it’s done” is a narrow way of looking at things. There are ways to do things better.
Business Management Classes
Post-secondary education in business management is widely available. And management training companies are abundant, as are online business management classes through colleges such as the University of Phoenix.
Careers in business management can be gained with a bachelor’s degree, or even an associate’s degree, but an MBA (Masters Business Association) will open up even more doors since the focus of an MBA degree is the science of management. I have never seen a MBA graduate manage better than any other manager so this depends on what you want to do with it.
Business management classes will cover such topics as time management in the workplace, managing difficult employees, managing change in the workplace, managing conflict at work, managing ethics in the workplace, and managing workplace stress.
Management is not the only career business management colleges will prepare you for. After taking business management classes, you might feel less suited towards managing people directly, and more suited towards human resources, retail services, benefits administration or communication, to name a few.
Corrections
Posted by: | CommentsThe dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. – Vincent Lombardi
You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do. – Henry Ford
As a leader in your team be careful what you send out. Negatives can bring the whole team down, squish energy 
and a bunch of other stuff.
Sending global angry emails to your group is never ever productive. Pick up the phone in those circumstances. Email can build hard feelings and mistrust if you use it poorly.
Group correctional emails are also not usually productive. You need to use them sparingly (like almost never). Have a meeting with a few of your people that are messing up whatever it is, but don’t penalize the whole group for a few people.
If you need to send a directional email that is fine, like a reminder that everyone needs to be on time or park in designated parking or whatever. Make it positive and even toned. Give the offenders a reminder while reminding everyone, they will know who they are.
What if my boss sends me negative emails?
I would recommend NOT forwarding them to your whole team unless it really applies to them. Even then try to have a group meeting, print the email and go over it as a group. Why? As a group you can brainstorm ways to make it happen. Then you are creating an opportunity for positive growth.
Getting nasty emails about sales being down? Do you think forwarding your emails to your team will motivate them to do better? It won’t. You are the manager. You take the heat. Don’t use the “my boss is on my case for us to improve”. Does that make you look like an effective leader? No.
How about having a meeting, ask the group how they are doing then move the meeting forward. Say something like, “Team, we have some real challenges with sales right now. Let’s come up with some ideas to improve.” Guess what? You got the negative email, you don’t need to share it… And guess what, you turned it into a positive!
If you have a developed team working for you and need to come up with some new ideas for something it works best to send them a head’s up a couple days ahead so they will come up with ideas and it won’t be a surprise topic at the meeting. Try this…
“Team, as you know we are facing some challenges right now with sales. I am looking for some fresh ideas we could use to improve. We are going to have a meeting on Wednesday at 2:00. Please come prepared with your ideas.”
Sounds easy doesn’t it? It is. Maybe if your company allows you can also say the winning idea gets lunch with you. Or maybe make the meeting a pizza party so you are sure you will have great participation.
Global Communication
And if that weren’t enough for you to master, consider how global changes are affecting communication in business. Now you’re not just dealing with your business in Ohio, but you might also have technical support sites in India, parts suppliers in China, and manufacturing plants in Mexico.
It’s bad enough when a mis-communication between you and your team means they have to re-work a project, causing another day of work. Now consider a mis-communication between your Mexican manufacturing plant and your Chinese supplier who ships 100,000 of the wrong parts.
Poor communication in business is costly!
The Personal Cost of Poor Communication
Besides costing money within the company, poor communication in business can cost you the job you’re seeking.
Because communication is going to be a part of your job, whether small or large, companies look at your communication skills – written and verbal – during the hiring process.
The National Commission on Writing estimates that American businesses spend $3.1 billion dollars annually just training their employees to write.
Let’s say it again – poor communication in business is costly!
If your business communication skills are higher than those around you, you’re in a better position to get the job, get the promotion, be more productive, and save the company money.
Taking steps to improve your business communication, both written and verbal, will bring you benefits now and throughout the rest of your career and life!
Communication in Business
Posted by: | CommentsCommunication in business is critical to success in business; but not just any business communication, you need effective business communication. How you communicate in business is just as effective as what you say.
Communication among friends and family used to be limited to verbal face-to-face, written letters, phone calls, and the subtle (or not so subtle) non-verbal signals and body language. Add to that now text messaging and email. It’s a little more complex, but still not unmanageable.
Communication Complexity
Communication in business, however, incorporates so many more aspects, creating a complex skill to master. Businesses communicate through print media, television, radio, billboards and signs, advertisements, internet, email, and even word of mouth.
The reasons behind business communications are numerous, too: marketing, branding, public relations, corporate communication, employee engagement, customer relations, and more.
Communication in business is used to advertise services, woo clients, smooth ruffled feathers in customer service, explain team directives, present annual reports, deliver personnel reviews, set attainable goals, and even more.
Communication and Your Team
There are many important aspects of using emails and communication to help your team. Let’s say you have a couple hundred employees, or even a handful, one of your people sends an important instructional email that was a great snapshot of an important change.
What do you do? Just read it and keep going? How about sending them a “Thank You, Jim!” “That’s a great help!” or forwarding it to the team and supporting “Jim” and putting a note from you saying “Team, these are some great points” and mention one of the points.
What does that do? It starts of empower your team and makes them feel valued. It also validates what they are doing to others that may help ensure your team follows the tips. It ensures everyone is looking at the emails. They may not read emails from others but they most definitely read yours, having your name on something puts an extra weight behind it.
Just forwarding an email doesn’t have the same effect. I’ve tried it and so had a lot of other people.
In fact, years ago when I was a middle manager running the Administrative end of a $40 million a year business I used to send out updates to changes in policy or whatever. I made it short, with bullet points so the staff didn’t have to try to read a long memo and figure out what it means to them (which was what I did).
Well……. My boss sometimes would forward the emails I sent out to my peers. That was okay, but guess what? I didn’t feel appreciated and no one paid much attention. So a few years later when I was an executive level manager and I had Admin staff doing the things I used to do, I supported them. When they would send an update I would use my “muscle” to help them get “buyin” and say,
“Team, this is important. Steve makes some great points. Any questions on this please see Steve or myself. Make sure to imform your teams. Thank you Steve for taking the time to send this out.”
Thank people for sending out communication in business. Make a big deal of it with your whole staff and they will all start communicating more effectively. They will all start to look for ways they can get “a pat on the head”, some recognition, or as I used to call it, a “Skoobey Snack”.
Soon my whole staff was doing extra things and working together. Was that the only thing I did to get that to work? No, of course not.
Some other stuff
Be consistent with your praise. If you give one person recognition and miss another that person WILL feel slighted. You are also once again limiting the synergy and momentum that can build in your team.
Think of it this way….
If you have a team you are trying to build up you need to make big deals of every positive change.
Imagine a baby taking it’s first steps, as a parent or relative your face lights up and you make a big deal don’t you? What does that do? Encourages the baby to try again, they smile with glee when you make a big deal out of their accomplishment.
What happens after awhile? The little steps become bigger and longer steps and soon it’s automatic and you are on to something else to get excited about in the babies development. The same kind of encouragement works with teams. Don’t believe me? Try it. I have run many successful teams in several different industries, I promise it works! IF you are consistent!
Effective Communication
Posted by: | CommentsPoor workplace communication from employees to customers results in hard feelings, frustration between each other, 
and even losing customers if they have another place they can go to get the items or service you offer.
You’ve experienced this if you’ve called for technical support to nearly any major company in the past few years. With so much outsourcing to other countries, it can be a huge struggle for both parties to understand each others’ accents. In this case, the poor communication is due to language barriers, but that doesn’t negate the consequences.
On the other hand, effective workplace communication from employees to customers makes happy customers. And happy customers are repeat customers.
Effective communication within the business is crucial as well. Perhaps you’ve had a boss who was too vague in describing exactly what he wanted you to do on your latest project. You think you heard “do XYZ” and later he says, “No, I told you to do ABC.” Time is wasted, you’re both angry and frustrated with each other, and it may even put your job on the line.
Based on your perceptions and your view of the job, you might actually have heard “do XYZ”. Likewise for your boss, who has another scenario in his head that fits with you doing “ABC.” But without the communication to explain thoroughly what expectations are, disaster isn’t far away.
Your experience with your emotions and understanding your control is an important element. There are assessments to find out and some great books to help. Understanding your role with emotions and how they play into other lives can help you have a better impact on your career and personal life. It makes for better communication skills in the work place and others.
Business Communication
Business communication in its simplest definition is just what it says: communication in business. But because people are so different and the business workplace is often so hectic and bustling, effective workplace communication can be difficult to achieve, let alone master.
Consider, too, that workplace communication is no longer only through meetings, phone calls, or memos posted around the water cooler.
When email became the main course of communication in the workplace, misunderstandings and hurt feelings arose. Why? Because missing in email (and other written communication, too) is the tone of the writer, the non-verbal cues, the body language. People tend to read into an email based on their current state of emotions and their relationship with that person.
A message as simple as “Good one” can be misunderstood. Is it a compliment or a sarcastic retort? But, “Good one. The client was really pleased!” makes the message clear and it takes only a few seconds more to clarify.
There is so much emphasis on communication in every aspect of our daily life it’s really important to understand the impact. A mumbled “thank you” with no eye contact has no meaning. An enthusiastic “Thank You!” with eye contact and a nod, wink or smile can move mountains.
When you get an email that makes you feel hurt or angry, before you type a long outcry take a moment and talk to the person when you aren’t feeling so hurt or angry. Maybe wait an hour or maybe a few hours. Many times people type a long response to something that they perceive is a wrong without thinking it through. Emotional outbursts even in email form don’t really have a place in the work place.
There are many employees out there working everyday to do well in their jobs and make a difference, they diligently send out department or company emails with instructions or information, often they feel they are sending the information to a void. Take the 5 seconds and send them a “thank you, I really appreciate you getting this out to everyone” and follow up with your subordinates if you have any. You have no idea how affirming it is to them, to be acknowledged and feel appreciated, and what did it take from you?
Any communication sent your way is usually a time saver for you. Decide how to best use it. Don’t assume your people read their emails. Typically as people move up their reading comprehension becomes more important, it’s important to develop those skills in your people and yourself.
Effective workplace communication
One of the biggest stresses for employees is often they feel “out of the loop” or like they aren’t told anything. This is a morale killer among a lot of other things. It is critical for you to develop a way to get information to your people. Or maybe you can do it for your supervisor. There is no perfect method, find something easy to maintain and understand.
Communication Skill Builders
Your communication skills, like your leadership management skills, can always benefit from a refresher course, from a session of communication skill builders, or from other communication exercises.
Aside from taking communication building courses, you’ll find a slew of communications management magazines, websites, seminars and courses online.
It’s also maybe a good idea to understand some of the reasons there are problems with communication. The book “The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book”, by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, gives a great insight to some common errors and misunderstandings. The book also comes with a free online assessment, that is if you buy it new and no one has used the code yet. It is a great tool to get started.
And for the serious communication buffs, a degree in organizational communication might be in order. This would open up career doors in areas such as management, human resources, training, consulting, and more.
