‘If you don’t respect yourself ain’t nobody gonna give a good cahoot’ is one of my all-time favourite song lyrics (from The Staple Singers brilliant ‘respect yourself’) but it only occurred to me recently how relevant it is to management. Say what? Yep, I know it sounds random but (to badly paraphrase) if you don’t… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Management Skills
Management Skills: Agile Culture and Agile Behaviour
In a neat article by Jim Harter for Gallup ‘Why managers are Central to an Agile Culture’ he says: Only half of employees globally clearly know what’s expected of them at work — it’s hard to respond quickly and nimbly when you’re not sure what your responsibilities are. Interesting isn’t it? Depressing too? Or at… Continue Reading
Management Skills: What Are You Doing Right?
I think it’s fair to say that I spend a significant amount of time talking about what I think managers should do more of or differently when it comes to management skills (for example ‘Helping your stars to sparkle’ or ‘How to share performance feedback’’) But what about what you, as managers, are already doing… Continue Reading
Management Skills: Do You Have a ‘Hardening of the Oughteries’?
I was recently reminded of a great saying (though not in the context of management skills – but bear with me!); ‘he’s suffering from a hardening of the oughteries’ Basically this usually relates to the tendency many of us have to live our lives driven by our ‘oughts’ e.g. I ought to lose weight, I… Continue Reading
Management Skills: Are You Helping Your Stars to Sparkle?
In a neat book by Tim Hindle ‘Guide to Management Ideas and Gurus’ he says (within the context of a chapter on the management skills of mentoring) ‘Stars need others to help them retain their sparkle’ It’s so obviously true that we need to pay attention to our ‘Stars’ – those employees who consistently… Continue Reading
Management Style: Are you using the ‘Pendulum’ approach?
Which management style are you using today? Which did you use yesterday? Not sure? OK how about trying these questions 1. Have you undertaken any people management activities today – or yesterday? 2. Have you found yourself frustrated today – or yesterday – by your staff, and have you shown that frustration by either shouting… Continue Reading
Evaluating Your Management Skills: What Would Your Employees Say?
How do you think your employees would evaluate your management skills? How do you think they would evaluate how you apply those management skills into practice? Do you think there would be a difference between what you understand as ‘management’ and what your employees understand as ‘management’? In a recent research report by the… Continue Reading
Management Skills: Managing the ‘Halo Effect’
In an excellent book by Tim Hindle ‘Guide to Management Ideas and Gurus’ he talks about (amongst many other things) the ‘Halo Effect’. He says The so called halo effect is the phenomenon whereby we assume because people are good at doing A they will be good at doing B, C and D … I’ve… Continue Reading
Management Skills: Do Managers Know What Their Staff Really Want?
Why are the management skills of knowing what the staff in our organisation really want so important? Why would the managers in our business need to even care? Well, quite simply, because when managers meet the needs of their staff – their job satisfaction needs – then they motivate those staff to high performance. It’s… Continue Reading
Management Skills: What (more) do our staff members want?
One of the most valuable management skills we can have is the aptitude for understanding what our staff want and need in their working lives. In my blog ‘Management Skills: What do our staff members want?’ I looked at how the management skills of clarity, honest feedback and respect can have a hugely positive… Continue Reading