Steps to Becoming a Great Manager – The Team Builder

Management, Team Building No Responses »

May 172013

Yesterday we discussed the Great Manager as a Great Communicator. Today we look at the natural results of great communication. You might want to grab a pencil and paper or open your favorite note taking app. This post is sure to make you think about the investment you are making in your team.

Great managers build great teams. As a manager your role as team leader is vital to the success of your department and to achieving your company objectives. Teaching those that report to you to function as a team is an essential operation of your position. Your commitment to your team and their success is just as important as your commitment to your own personal success. You must understand and believe that you will never accomplish on your own what you can as part of a well-trained, committed team.

The foundation of all team building is having shared goals to which all team members are committed. Team building is productive when it establishes and builds on those goals. Establishing ownership of common goals is the fundamental key to building a successful team.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Michael Jordan

As I have worked with managers over the years it always surprises me when I meet with someone who feels threatened by talented people. This is obviously an insecurity that must be overcome at all cost. The truth is that when you promote and recognize the talent on your team you will be recognized and a key component of that talent.

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Steps to Becoming a Great Manager – The Communicator

Communication, Leadership, Management No Responses »

May 162013

A few weeks ago I posted an article called What Makes a Good Managers Great? Since that post I’ve been working with some really great people and I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about what makes a truly great manager. Today I’m beginning a new series called Steps to Becoming a Great Manger. I will cover one topic each day over the next two weeks some that we can concentrate on one thing at a time. This would be a great time to sign up for my mailing list so that you don’t miss any of the helpful content that we cover together. Sign up Here

As the title of this post indicates the first step to become a great manager is to become a great communicator. This doesn’t mean you should focus on your oratory prowess. But rather, become a master communicator in every aspect. Communication is so much more than what you say. It’s also how well you listen to others. Communication is the process of transmitting a message to someone else. This isn’t always done verbally. It can be through body language or written communication. It can be passive or assertive. The way we communicate is largely dependent upon our personality so we all develop our own unique style of communicating as managers.

According to a recent study by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, communication skills, including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factors in leadership success. In this article I want to break down some key elements that contribute to successful communication practices for managers.

What Makes a Good Manager Great

Leadership, Management No Responses »

Apr 292013

Have you ever worked for a bad manager or a really bad manager? Most of us have, and if you’re anything like me it was easy to point fingers at failure when I wasn’t the one in charge. I remember when I got my first promotion to management. I thought, finally I get to make the right changes around here. Well, someone once told me that experience is the best teacher. That is so true.

When I got that first management assignment I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to make changes to some of the things that I thought needed to be improved in my facility. Lucky for me I had a boss who understood our business and understood what it takes to run a successful team. As I thanked him for the opportunity to run the show, I also expressed some of my ideas about a few of the changes I planned to make. He listened patiently before saying politely but firmly, “don’t change anything yet”. He went on to explain that the facility I was managing was operating with very good results. He explained that making changes could disrupt the business and that the best thing for me to do was to observe the operation before changing anything. It was a little disappointing, but I listened. And I’m glad I did.

In those first six months as a new manager I learned so much from not changing things that I probably would have missed if I were busy with projects that I thought needed to be a priority. The initial desire to change things is natural but usually not necessary. I remember feeling like I owed it to the company to step up and prove myself. I thought they promoted me because I had great ideas and I because I could get things done. The truth is that most managers get promoted because they did their job better than others. The problem that many new managers face is that being the best at producing widgets or selling gadgets doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be the best manager.

How to Process Your Email Inbox

E-Mail, Planning, Productivity, Time Management No Responses »

Apr 242013

Guest Post By: Jeremy Roberts

There has been plenty of discussion about Inbox Zero since Merlin Mann first presented the concept and yet it’s still relatively unknown as to what it actually is and how to achieve it. Merlin has blogged that Inbox Zero is not about emptying your inbox. That it is not about waiting for email to arrive so that you can do something about. He writes that it is a state of mind. A sense of freedom. That you are not your inbox.

And yet how does one free themselves from the daily flood of emails to be able to focus on what is real work? By abandoning what’s happening in the Inbox the dam will eventually burst and drown you in information. Here follows one approach to control the flood, to filter it off into a number of smaller, manageable channels.

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Building a Customer Centered Culture – Measurement that Counts

Customer Service, Leadership, Team Building No Responses »

Apr 152013

Service Measurement This is the third part in a three part series on building a customer centered culture. In our last discussion we covered how to recruit for service brilliance. Today we look at how to measure the efforts and results of your service centered team.

Ken Blanchard said “Making a big deal out of the little things makes the little things a big deal”. Every business needs to measure the results of their staff. The question is how can you build and customer centered culture by measuring the same things that every other business does? As your business grows and takes on the service culture that you are promoting; the need for a new, or at least an additional set of measurement metrics need to be introduced.

BUILDING A CUSTOMER CENTERED CULTURE – RECRUIT FOR SERVICE BRILLIANCE

Attitude, Customer Service, Leadership No Responses »

Apr 112013

This is the second instalment of a three part series on building a customer centered culture. Monday we looked at the need for a service commitment from the leadership of any organization that wants to build a customer centered culture. When a company’s leadership decides that service will be the cornerstone principle in which everything else revolves around, remarkable things happen.

The next area to focus on in the quest for a customer centered culture is the recruitment process. Most companies hire for technical competence alone. This is understandable however, if your company goal is to become a service leader in your industry, it’s time to place at least an equal priority on your candidate’s service competence. I would actually go as far as elevating the priority of a service attitude to the top skill for your current staff as well as incoming new hires.

This is true not only for positions that serve your paying customer but also for internal support positions. Hire and train people who find satisfaction in providing others the highest level of customer service. When a customer calls your business or walks through your doors your staff that is responsible to take care of their needs should have a “here to help” attitude. By the same standards, the only way to elevate your service culture is to expect and provide the same service attitude between departments.

How frustrating is to think that an internal roadblock may be slowing growth because you have people on the payroll that aren’t expected to find a way to meet the customer’s needs with a willingness that goes beyond a job description. This kind of attitude can only grow when it is born out of a leadership commitment that looks for that same commitment at every level of the organization. Believe me, I’ve been a part of this kind cultural of overhaul, and it can be a hard hill to climb. You may very well have long term personnel that give lip service but struggle with action service.

BUILDING A CUSTOMER CENTERED CULTURE – THE LEADERSHIP FACTOR

Customer Service, Leadership No Responses »

Apr 082013

Commitment from Leadership

This is the first post in a series of three articles that focus on building a customer centered culture.

Every leader knows that the customer is at the heart of their business. In fact it’s plain that business only thrives when customers use, re-use, and recommend the products and services of a business. Therefore, it stands to reason that “Customer Service” should be a strategic value for any business that sells products or services.

The concept of customer service is simple to understand because we all are customer that buy products and services in our own lives. We all know the power that we yield with our decisions to buy and shop with the companies that we chose to patronize.

Hiring – It’s a Question of Behavior

Hiring, Management, Team Building No Responses »

Apr 072013

Let’s just cover it up front… Hiring a new employee is not a manager’s favorite activity. In fact the pressure behind hiring a person to fill a position on your team can be very deflating. In this post we will look at a process that provides clarity and focus when that inevitable time comes.

Most managers use a process that I will refer to as a trait based questioning interview. That is to say, the manager asks questions in an effort to find a person that is qualified for the position they are trying to fill. The biggest problem that you face in this type of interview is that the people applying for the job are all preparing by reading the same books focused on how best to answer these questions.

In order to focus on the role you have to fill instead of the interview itself, I want to introduce a different way of looking at interviewing. The best indicator of future performance is past behavior. I have used and taught the Behavioral Interview technique for a long time now and in most cases it is a far more effective method that the traditional question based interview.

Essential Management Skills

Management, Team Building, Time Management, Training 2 Responses »

Mar 292013

What are the essential skills that all managers must possess to succeed in business today? The answer to this question varies depending upon which expert you read. While I have no degree or college education on the subject, I have been in management in some capacity for more than twenty years. With that understanding up front, my hope is that you will be able to benefit from the experience that I have gained as a working manger and corporate trainer.

As you research the subject you will find most if not all of the skills of management within the different lists that come as a result of your search on the internet. My goal is to narrow the list of key words, based on my experience and that of those that I have has the privilege to coach and train in the areas of leadership and management.

It’s hard to put these skills in an order of importance, so let me suggest that each is an equal in priority. I’ll start with the skill that allow you to gain better control over your own actions and impact in relation to the metrics that you are measured by.

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Why I’m Organized

Organization, Planning, Productivity No Responses »

Mar 252013

I’ve been doing it for so long you would think it would be second nature, and most of the time it is. But the fact is that I am by nature a messy mind. If you’ve been reading my work for long you may have read it before. I have to work at being neat and organized. Yesterday I mention that Brian Tracy has been a business mentor for me for many years. Well this is another area where his words ring in my head almost daily. He refers to it as “The Neatness Habit”.

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