Management. Michael Heath
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Название: Management
Автор: Michael Heath
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Зарубежная деловая литература
isbn: 9780007358878
isbn:
Dealing assertively with conflict is an important skill every successful manager must master.
People used to worry about keeping their desk tidy. Now it’s also about keeping the computer desktop tidy. Then there are the interruptions, the telephone, the meetings…Follow these nine tips to get rid of the time robbers in your life.
1 Be clear about what you want to achieve. Do the one minute wonder exercise opposite.
2 Plan your work. Write down your goals and break each goal down into sub-tasks. Give start and finish dates to each task.
3 Book appointments with your work. If a report is going to take two hours, then make an appointment with that report as if it were a real person.
4 Deal with tasks as soon as you can. If it’s an unpleasant task then do it first thing.
5 Be ruthless with time – but courteous with people. But don’t over-socialize either face to face or on the phone. Remember you’re eating into other people’s time as well!
one minute wonder Write down your job purpose. Then write the five activities that help you achieve this job purpose. Rate each activity 1-5 according to how happy you are with the time you spend on each (1=low, 5=high). Now get those low – rated activities into your diary!
6 Deal with your email three times a day. First thing in the morning, mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Turn off the pop-up that tells you when an email has just come through.
7 Deal with interruptions. Ask the interrupter if it’s quick or if it can wait until later. If interrupted at your desk, then stand up to keep the other person focused.
8 Deal with your in-tray once a day. Take each item and: deal with it; delegate it; file it or dump it.
9 Plan your telephone calls. Save them up and do them in a block so they’ll be quicker and more focused.
The worst feeling as a manager is when we think that the workload is too much for us. These nine tips make sure that you stay in control and go home each evening feeling on top of your workload.
Being a great time manager leaves you with more time for your people.
Now it’s time to turn to the people you are managing. This chapter asks you to think about the individual interactions you have every day. Coaching and training are key managerial behaviours. Keeping your staff motivated is also crucial. Also included are secrets to dealing with tricky situations that, if handled badly, may lead to poor performance from your employees.
Everybody in your team is different. One might have more ability; another might have a better attitude. Some you can leave to get on with tasks; others you need to oversee more closely. Because each person is an individual, you manage each in an individual way.
The managerial approach laid out here is adapted from Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey’s Situational Leadership model. If you’re a new manager, then it’s a great starting place. You’ll find their book in the ‘Further Reading’ section at the back.
Say to yourself: what is it my employees need from me? They need direction and they need support. Sometimes I give both, at other times only one, and sometimes neither!
What is it that helps me decide?
■ Assess personal confidence. I first assess how high their confidence is in a situation. If it’s low, then I’ll consider how best I might support them to build their self-belief.
one minute wonder How much does your managerial style vary from employee to employee? How much direction and support have you given to each? Does it respect their different needs? Have you ever used the wrong behaviour when responding to an employee?
■ Assess personal ability. How competent are they in this situation? Have they got the skills? Do I need to think about training or offering advice?
What if I have a person who lacks confidence and is also not yet competent? Then I use a style that gives a clear direction, yet is also supportive and encouraging. A newly promoted person often needs this. Of course, as their competence grows, so will their confidence.
Perhaps someone is confident but has done something wrong? Then they only need direction. I might coach them. Work with them to make sure they see where they might have got it wrong. You’ll get people who are great performers but who lack confidence. Here I’m supportive. I remind them of what a great job they’re doing.
Of course you sometimes use all four different approaches with the same person. That’s the skill. Seeing the situation clearly and choosing the right managerial behaviour.
What does a high flyer need? Not much really, but I’d take the time to let them know I appreciate them. They don’t need more self confidence or direction – they probably need promoting!
Your management style must respond to each individual’s ability and self confidence.
2.2 Know the ‘High Five’ that will motivate
A motivated team looks at obstacles as things to be overcome. A demotivated team sees the same obstacles as proof of the pointlessness of their efforts. Here are my ‘High Five’ tips to deliver sky-high levels of motivation.
1 Give recognition and praise for what your people achieve. Catch people doing things right. Give the praise quickly and make sure you say why it was important.
2 Make the work challenging. People who are stretched maintain higher levels of motivation than people who are underused. Get your people out of their comfort zones!
3 Make the work interesting. We all find different work interesting. The trick is to get to know what work is interesting to each individual in your team.
“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great” Mark Twain, American writer
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