Posts Tagged ‘manager’

A quick way to improve your listening skills

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

We all know what a powerful tool listening is. We know that when people feel listened to they also feel valued, respected and engaged. Yet, I’m often told by the clients I work with that they don’t feel listened to at work. Of course there are many barriers to listening effectively. For example, have you ever found it difficult to listen to someone when a) you know the solution to the problem they are talking through or b) when you fell sure you know what they’re going to say next or c) when you can see they are missing the point?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, or you know you could listen better some of the time, you could try this simple technique taught to me some years ago by a wonderful man called Alan Mumford. At the time Alan was coaching me in facilitation skills and talking about how to judge when to speak out (make an intervention) and when to keep quiet. His advice was;

‘The first time I feel I want to intervene, I keep quiet. The second time I feel the need, I do the same. If I feel for a third time that I need to say something then, and only then, do I speak up. Very often if I wait until the third time, I won’t need to speak at all’

Here’s a way of applying this technique in a one to one conversation

Step One – the first time you want to speak, hold your tongue. If the other person has ‘dried up’ ask a question instead of offering an opinion or solution eg Tell me more about …

Step Two – the second time you want to speak, do the same. If another question isn’t appropriate, try reflecting back what you’ve heard so far and asking the other person to check that you have understood them eg So I think what you’re saying is that…Have I got that right?

Step Three – If you still want to speak then go ahead. A way to keep the conversation flowing and to help you stay in ‘listening mode’ is to frame your suggestions as questions rather than directions eg ‘have you thought about involving your team in this’? then ‘how do you think you can best do this?’ rather than ‘you need to involve the team and here’s the best way to do it …’

This technique works well in any situation where it’s important to give another person the opportunity to work out a solution for themselves, or when you just want to give someone some good quality ‘air time’. It’s a neat technique – easy to learn, easy to apply, and very effective.

Tags: listening skills, management style, management training, manager, managing
Posted in Insights | Comments Off

My staff member is boring! What can I do?

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Some time ago I was asked by Colin, the Head of a large secondary school in London, to give him some advice and guidance on dealing with a number of staff performance problems. We talked about a number of issues and finally he began talking about a teacher he labelled ‘mind bogglingly boring’ Here’s how the conversation began;

C Now this staff member is driving me nuts

J What is she doing, or not doing, that is giving you a problem?

C It’s just that she’s such a boring teacher

J Give me an example?

C OK. I dropped into one of her lessons this week as part of my observation schedule. Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen such a set of bored pupils in my life. Half of them were asleep, a group of them were writing SOS messages on the window (in their own blood) and one kid was trying to make an escape tunnel, using a biro

J Really?

C Well no, but not far off. Now I’m guessing you’re going to say to me ‘Oh for crying out loud Colin, just sit her down and tell her she’s boring’

J Do you think that would work?

C No

J Me neither

C Ha! I knew you wouldn’t be able to help me with this one

Putting aside Colin’s clear lack of confidence in my abilities (oh yeah of little faith), it’s not

uncommon for managers to decide that some performance problems are just too difficult to

address. These issues then get put in the ‘too hard tray’ and left, often to fester

Of course telling someone ‘you’re a boring teacher’ or ‘the pupils find you boring’ won’t work. Feedback on personality traits or characteristics is just too hard to understand and too hard to accept (I talk about why in the blog ‘How to give positive criticism – with the focus on behaviours’ http://www.10mmt.com/how-to-give-positive-criticism-with-the-focus-on-behaviours/ ).

So what do you do?

The first step is to articulate the behaviours – not your interpretation of the results of those behaviours (as Colin had)

The question I asked Colin was What are you seeing the teacher doing, or not doing that has led you to label her as ‘boring’?

Here’s some of what he came up with;

She did not;

1. Make enough use of the available IT facilities – minimal use of the interactive whiteboard to show videos, on line resources etc

2. Use enough research / problem solving exercises

3. Explain the learning intention – what she expected the pupils to be able to do as a result of the lesson

4. Use enough group discussion techniques

How does this help?

By thinking ‘behaviours’ we can now move from the highly subjective and judgemental statement / thinking

‘My staff member is boring’

To the much more objective and non judgemental statement / thinking

‘My observation is that my staff member is not demonstrating the use of a number of tools and techniques designed to engage the pupils’

Which means we can move from feeling, as Colin did, that the situation was too difficult to address – who would be prepared to tell someone they were ‘boring’, or that ‘clients find your presentations boring’? - to seeing that when we talk behaviourally no performance issue is ‘out of bounds’

Tags: 'giving criticism', management training, manager, managing, performance, supervision
Posted in Managers Questions | Comments Off

How can I learn how to motivate my staff to high performance – for free?!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Simple! Visit the ‘Watch Videos’ page here http://www.10mmt.com/previews/

Just click on ‘Register’ and then enter our member’s area where you can learn:

How to use a three step process for getting really clear on what you want from your staff

Great for:

· Testing the level of clarity you have with your staff (because your staff can’t give you what they don’t know you want!)

· Identifying why you don’t always get what you want from your staff

· Finding information than can help you describe what you want – without reinventing the wheel

Learn this technique in the video ‘Motivating your staff with powerful performance objectives. Session One‘

How to hold a motivational performance review (or appraisal) meeting

Including:

· How to put together the meeting agenda

· How to deal with any disagreements when reviewing performance – the easy way

· 5 top tips for reviewing performance – quick and easy ways to improve your review meetings

· Using ‘dual value’ for selecting development activities

Learn this in the video ‘Motivating your staff by monitoring and reviewing performance. Session Three

How to prepare to give positive criticism

Including:

· Exploring the difference between personality traits and behaviours – and why this is important

· Understanding the difference between facts and assumptions

· How an iceberg can show us why giving criticism is such a challenge – and what to do to meet this challenge

· How to describe the criticism in clear, objective, non-judgemental language so that it is easy to understand and easy to accept

Learn this in the video ‘Motivating your staff to improve their performance with positive criticism. Session One’

Tags: improving performance, management training, manager, managing, skills, supervision, training videos
Posted in Managers Questions | 2 Comments »

Using video in your blended learning solutions

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I’ve recently been asked by a HR Manager to design a blended learning solution to help managers learn how to motivate their staff to improve their performance with positive criticism. She specifically wants a solution which includes;

1. A motivational element – engaging managers in the ‘why’ and the benefits

2. Self managed learning using the 10MMT video workshop

3. Support in applying learning into practice

Here’s the solution

STEP ONE – MOTIVATION

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP

A two hour, high energy, motivational workshop to engage managers in understanding;

Why dealing with under-performance is a critical issue for the organisation, team, staff member and for you as the manager

The benefits of dealing quickly and effectively with under- performance, and the cost of not dealing with it

Why managing under-performance is challenging and how those challenges can be met

Why under-performance happens

How to develop a range of strategies for improving performance

The 10 Minute Management Toolkit – how it works and how you it can be used

STEP TWO – SELF MANAGED LEARNING

SELF MANAGED LEARNING

Managers watch their individual copies of the DVD ‘Motivating Your Staff to Improve Their Performance with Positive Criticism’ designed as easily digestible, bite sized sessions – around 10 minutes long – that managers can stud

Where they want

When they want

At the pace they want and

As many times as they want

This means managers can use the videos, and the downloadable workbooks, to learn in a way that:

Best fits their style and preferences and

Best fits into their working day

STEP THREE -SUPPORT

INDIVIDUAL TELE-COACHING SESSIONS

Each manager receives three x 30 minute telephone coaching sessions:

Session One. Planning how to use the 10 Minute Management Toolkit techniques. Laser coaching on specific performance improvement issues

Session Two. Reviewing application of the models. Outcomes from applying the techniques , drawing conclusions and learning

Session Three. Further support and coaching on any issue relating to improving staff performance for up to 6 months after completion of the workshop.

Summary

So often traditional management training courses concentrate on motivation and imparting knowledge and then ….. that’s it!

In this blended learning solution the manager is also helped to apply the knowledge they gain, and to significantly develop their skills

The outcome? Not only will the manager improve their own performance, they will improve the performance of their staff members. High impact, flexible training that really makes a difference

Joan Henshaw is the author and presenter of the video management training series ‘The 10 Minute Management Toolkit’ – the flexible, cost effective and time effective way to help managers, team leaders and supervisors learn how to motivate their staff to high performance.

Tags: blended learning, improving performance, management training, manager, performance, training videos
Posted in Using the 10MMT | Comments Off

Using video in your in-house management training

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Why use video in your in-house management training?

Short answer? Using a video such as the 10 Minute Management Toolkit saves you time. As a learning or training professional I feel sure you could research, design and deliver any number of management training workshops – if you had time. And of course you could buy in a whole range of management training programmes – if you have the budget. The purpose of the 10MMT is, simply, to save you time and save you costs in providing engaging, effective management training

So how can we use the 10MMT in our in house management training?

Some options;

1. As a series of short, focused management training courses

Each video workshop comprises three sessions which take around 10 minutes to watch. With time for group review of exercises and discussion you could estimate 45 minutes. Just about right for a ‘breakfast briefing’ or ‘lunchtime learning’ session

Short, effective, engaging training with minimum preparation

2. To enhance your current training programmes

This is about using the videos as an expertise resource. Here’s an example. You are delivering some training on project management (your area of expertise). Maybe there needs to be a short session on what to do when a project team member does not perform effectively. If this is not one of your areas of expertise you could use ‘How to motivate your staff to improve their performance with positive criticism’ to cover that session

In short, the videos could be used to compliment or augment your current training programmes with your ‘plug in and play’ subject matter expert

3. As a ‘co-trainer’ in your management training programmes

For a change of pace, a change of face, a different style and a different medium. You can use the videos to support your learning objectives and to illustrate your key learning points – with a co-trainer you can use only when you need them

A flexible, easy way to achieve higher learner engagement by appealing to different learning styles and preferences

Tags: management training, manager, managing, training videos
Posted in Using the 10MMT | Comments Off

Using video in your management coaching

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Why Use Video in Your Management Coaching?

Here’s a scenario. You’ve been asked by a manager to help them work out how to deal with a ‘difficult staff member’ – a staff member who’s been upsetting clients. You’re glad to help. In the initial meeting you identify that the manager needs to understand how to a) describe in clear, objective and non judgemental language what the staff member is doing that’s causing a problem b) explain the results and consequences of those behaviours –so that the staff member can see the need for change and c) structure a performance improvement discussion. In short, before you can begin your coaching, they need some training. Assuming there isn’t a handy training course available in the next couple of weeks, what should you do?

You could train the manager yourself. Here are a few questions to help you decide if that is the best option;

Is training is an effective use of your coaching time?

Is training is an effective use of your coaching skills (isn’t coaching more about helping the manager explore, plan, take action and reflect)?

Are training and coaching one and the same thing – so there’s no great benefit keeping them separate?

Does the manager want you to train them, or coach them?

Here’s another idea. Why not use a management training video to provide the practical training, while you focus on the coaching?

Here’s how it could work using, as an example, the 10MMT DVD ‘Motivating your staff to improve their performance with positive criticism’

How to Use the 10MMT in Your Management Coaching

1. Coaching session One – Agree the purpose of the coaching and the coaching plan

Purpose – ‘to learn and apply a structured approach to giving positive criticism in order to gain agreement from staff member A to improve their performance ’

Coaching plan – as follows

2. The Manager watches the 10MMT DVD

When they want and at their own pace

3. Coaching session Two – Planning to apply the learning

The Manager talks through their A.R.C. plan and shares the supporting documentation. The Coach tests and challenges any lack of clarity. The Manager talks through the planned structure of the performance improvement meeting and describes the strategies they plan to use for overcoming difficulties and gaining agreement. The Coach supports, challenges, advises etc

4. The Manager applies the learning

By undertaking a performance improvement discussion

5. Coaching session Three – Reviewing the outcomes and next steps

The Coach guides the manager to reflect, draw conclusions and learning from the experience of undertaking the performance review discussion and the outcomes. Any further coaching needs identified and a plan agreed on how these will addressed

In Summary

It’s all about you, as the Coach, focusing your time and attention on what you do best and what best meets the needs of manager, with the training taken care of my the 10 Minute Management Toolkit

Tags: management training, manager, managing, skills, training videos
Posted in Using the 10MMT | Comments Off

Why use videos for self managed learning?

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

What’s the purpose of self managed learning?

It’s all about meeting the immediate training and development needs of, for example, managers, supervisors and team leaders. Needs that might be expressed as;

I’ve just been promoted to team leader. The next management training course is in 6 months time. What can I do in the meantime? How can l learn the basics of how to manage people – quickly?

I’m based in an overseas office. I just can’t get to the UK for management training .How can I access some management development training here, at my office?

I need some ideas on how to tell my staff member they need to improve their performance. How can I gain their agreement to improve?

It’s appraisal time again. I need a quick reminder of how to prepare and how to deal with any disagreements. My first appraisal meeting is next week. What can I do?

How does video training meet these needs?

Let‘s take the example of the 10 Minute Management Toolkit (so there’s a surprise!). The 10MMT is a series of three management training video workshops designed to enable you to provide flexible, cost effective, and time effective management training – on demand. Each video workshop provides proven, practical training on how to manage and motivate staff to high performance

Each of the training workshops are broken down into easily digestible, bite sized sessions – around 10 minutes long – that managers can study

Where they want

When they want and

At the pace they want

This means managers can use the videos, and the downloadable workbooks, to learn in a way that

Meets their immediate needs

Best fits their style and preferences and

Best fits into their working day

Newly appointed managers can begin their management training on day one. More experienced managers can access some refresher training or gain some new tools exactly when they need it. No more waiting for the next available training course and using ‘trial and error’ (often with the emphasis on error) in the meantime

For learning and training professionals it’s about having a flexible resource that saves you time and still get’s great results

But will managers use videos to learn?

Self managed learning is self driven. It’s about managers, supervisors and team leaders accessing the management training they need and, more importantly, want. If they know how to access the training they need and want, they will use it – again and again

Tags: management training, manager, skills, training videos
Posted in Using the 10MMT | Comments Off

Why don’t managers get more feedback on their management style?

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Some years ago I worked with the MD of a commercial publishing business. I had spent a day facilitating a business planning session with him and his senior management team. At the very end of the day, and apropos of nothing as far as I could see, he did the following;

1. pushed back his chair onto two legs, opened his own legs thereby elevating his crotch area to roughly the eye level of his team sitting opposite (I know this sounds unlikely, but he managed it)

2. held out his arms and made ‘come on’ gestures with his hands (hold arms straight out, palms upwards, and flex fingers repeatedly towards palms – give it a try and you’ll see what I mean), frowned and then said

3. ‘feedback, now, from you to me. Tell me what you think of me’

Stunned silence

After the senior management team (sans delivery of feedback) had left, he said to me

4. ‘D’you know. That always happens. Why don’t people ever want to give feedback to their managers?’

What’s the problem?

a) If you’ve managed to visualise the body language from my description, you’ll have noticed some pretty obvious lack of congruence between that body language and the verbal message. Clearly, there’s little point asking for feedback if your body language is screaming ‘don’t tell me, don’t tell me, I don’t want to know’

b) The ‘what do you think of me’ question is just too tough. With a question like this you are asking for feedback on yourself – your characteristics and personality. The ‘what do you think of me as your manager’ is a little better, but not much. Most people find it difficult to give this type of feedback because it’s just too personal

So how can I ask for feedback on my management style?

The answer is, make is easy (or at least easier) by making the question ‘low risk’. You do this by asking for feedback on your behaviours – what you do, not who you are. Here’s a really neat way to ask for feedback from your staff;

‘I’d really appreciate some feedback on the way I’m managing you. So, is there anything I could do differently that would be helpful to you?’

Not only are you asking here for behavioural feedback, you’re asking for a way forward by asking what they would like to be ‘different’

And, of course, you’ll be using congruent body language because you’ll be genuinely interested in the response

Joan Henshaw is the author and presenter of the video management training series ‘The 10 Minute Management Toolkit’ – the flexible, cost effective and time effective way to help managers learn how to motivate their staff to high performance. Want to learn more about how to motivate staff to high performance? Watch videos and claim your free e-book at http://www.10mmt.com

Tags: management style, management training, manager
Posted in Managers Questions | 2 Comments »

Helping your managers embrace their right to manage

Friday, January 15th, 2010

So frequently the managers I work with seem to feel the need to gain permission to undertake probably the most important part of their role – managing their staff’s performance. They clearly know there are expectations of them as managers but they don’t feel they have somehow earned the right to manage. Here’s an example:

“I don’t feel managing performance is appropriate for my staff, some of them are more experienced than I am – who am I to say what good performance in their job looks like?”

Employees’ rights at work are a well debated and largely well understood concept. Most managers have some understanding of the organisation’s legal duties with regard to the care of employees. And rightly so. Many managers, however, spend little time thinking about their rights as managers of people’s performance. Here are some of the rights I believe managers must have:

The manager’s rights

· To explain and agree standards of performance for the job

· To expect their staff to consistently meet the agreed standards

· To monitor performance against the standards

· To give focused specific feedback on performance – the positive and less positive aspects

· To identify areas of under performance and to address those areas of under performance with their staff member

· To expect the staff member to take agreed actions to improve areas of under performance.

I’m guessing you can think of more.

Can I bring your attention to the word ‘agree’ in the above statements? I’m not suggesting here that managers have the right to coerce or bully good performance out of their staff. That would be daft. I am suggesting that managers have the right to explain clearly and directly their expectations of their staff and to have positive assumptions about their staff’s willingness to perform to a high standard.

And The Practical Application?

You could:

Open a conversation with the managers in your business around the issue of the right to manage – what they perceive to be their rights and identifying any barriers to asserting those rights

Agree what rights the managers your business have and what asserting those rights would look like in practice

Develop a ‘managers rights’ charter

Use the concept of the managers rights in coaching sessions with managers who appear reluctant to manage

I’ve introduced the concept of ‘management rights’ to many managers and many of those managers have told me that understanding this concept has had a profound impact on their confidence. If we don’t believe we have the right to do anything, are we ever going to do it consistently and well?

Joan Henshaw is the author and presenter of the video management training series ‘The 10 Minute Management Toolkit’ – the flexible, cost effective and time effective way to help managers learn how to motivate their staff to high performance. Want to learn more about how to motivate staff to high performance? Watch videos and claim your free e-book at http://www.10mmt.com

Tags: management training, manager, performance, skills
Posted in Managing the Manager | Comments Off

How to describe what you want from your staff using ‘reverse thinking’

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Research consistently demonstrates that staff members who know what is expected of them are both more productive and have higher levels of job satisfaction than those who don’t. Clarity – about what our specific contribution to the organisation needs to be and why our contribution is important – is highly motivational and leads to improved performance

Here’s one technique you can use to clearly describe what you want. It’s based on the ‘spooky but true’ principle that it’s often easier to describe what you don’t want rather than what you do want

What you might call ‘reverse thinking’. Here’s how it works

STEP ONE

Describe what you don’t want

· What would this look like done really badly?

· What would other people be saying about them, if they were doing this badly?

· What don’t I want to see?

An example

Imagine we are aiming to describe to our staff what we mean by ‘open to change’ Here’s what I would expect to see if my staff member was not open to change;

Open to Change (the reverse)

· Doesn’t demonstrate any interest in proposed changes

· Doesn’t plan to incorporate changes

· Doesn’t try out new things

· Doesn’t give feedback on the changes

· Gives in as soon as there are any difficulties implementing change

STEP TWO

Of course you then need to reverse the description!

An example

Performance objective – Open to Change

· Seek information on the proposed changes

· Plan to incorporate the change

· Actively seek to experiment with changes

· Objectively evaluates changes and gives feedback

· Seeks to overcome any difficulties implementing change

· Helps others to come to terms with change

So, a quick and easy way to describe what you do want – by firstly describing what you don’t!

Would you like to see more descriptions of behavioural performance objectives? Then take a look at my ebook ‘Instant Performance Objectives’ at http://www.performance-objectives.com A gold mine of information and a quick and easy way to describe what you want from your staff so that you can get what you need from your staff

About the author: Joan Henshaw is the author and presenter of the 10 Minute Management Toolkit

Tags: management training, manager, managing, performance, skills
Posted in How To | Comments Off

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