Beliefs

Jan 18 2016

The ‘Key’ strengths of Successful Management … Prt 1of2

Whether you have been promoted, gone straight into the role or found yourself suddenly responsible for those around you, the majority of us like that feeling of being noticed for what others perceive us to be capable of. And what of those who manage on your behalf? What of their style? How does the team(s) look or regard them?

Due to the complexities involved in becoming a respected and admired manager, this feature will be in two parts with the second being a fortnight from now.

We begin this new adventure full of enthusiasm, clear in the knowledge that we will be successful in our endeavours. Then the honeymoon period is over. Demands upon you have increased, those around you approach you differently, the anticipated respect you thought you would obtain is absent. Worse still… you find yourself alone!

So, the happy world of management! It’s great isn’t it? Well it can be, but let’s first look at the areas that help towards creating this ill-feeling and then we’ll look at ways to move forward:

Trying to please everyone – Most of us in management have fallen into this trap but understand that you will need to make decisions that not everyone will like or appreciate!
Make time for managing – Management is about processes, structure, order and not about how much work you do compared to others! Knuckling down to get the job done doesn’t engage others and lack of ‘management’ results in both disengagement and disinterest from those who answer to you.

So where do we go from here? Having learned through education, experience and seeing historic examples from poor managers I followed in my career, I’ve developed a list to aid obtaining that respect a great manager deserves, while I also learned a lot about how management and projects work.

Set the standards – Raise the standard of work, demeanour, attitude and professionalism for all to aspire to.
Open-mindedness – For others to ‘invest’ in what they do. Take an approach of thinking ‘Yes’ before ‘No’ and that the initial idea is just the beginning thought, a small acorn from which greatness may develop. Encourage ideas.
Communicate – Knowledge is NOT power if retained by one person! Develop your communication skills and open that office door. Consider all the means of communicating: Emails, Skype, Written reports, Seminars, Meetings and yes, speaking to one another! Be seen as being approachable and rather than harbour ill-feelings towards someone, put it on the table for discussion.
Problem Solver – Look at a situation with the aim of finding a solution and asking for ideas is a great trait for others to aspire to.
Listen – “Seek first to understand, Then to be understood”, Stephen Covey states as #5 in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (a good read if not done so previously!). The best way to manage this is to listen. Your team may see things that you don’t and respect will be gained if you’re willing to lend an ear.

This is but a start. 3 more areas and another 6 management considerations will be highlighted in the next feature. See how you or the managers under your remit get on with these and here’s to wishing you all the developed success this will bring until the next instalment.

Should you look to gain further professional help, Coaching to success specialise in Management (Procedure) & Leadership (People) and whether it be yourself looking to get that edge over internal or external competition or simply looking for better ways to help manage the business, contact us by calling Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

Nov 10 2015

To Analyse is to Strategies! Move forward by finding out what are the others up to

It amazes me how disorganised some companies are, yet they still manage to keep their head above water. Those that engage with a mentor, business coach or such like then gain clarity of direction and whatever the set benchmark, production/sales/profits improve exponentially.

Fighting the internal battle is only the first step … Next you have to worry about what the competitors are up to, especially the ones that have the edge on you! Who knows, they may well use a strategy tool created by Michael Porter known as ‘Porter’s Four Corner Model’.

A leading authority on company strategy, Michael Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School (highest professional recognition that can be awarded to a Harvard faculty member). His model is a framework to look at what’s going on behind competitor’s doors, the strategy they are likely to adopt and key factors that will probably influence their decision making:

To begin, consider a 2×2 matrix. Top left is ‘Corner 1: Drivers’ (Motivation), Bottom left ‘Corner 2: Assumptions’ (Motivation), Bottom right ‘Corner 3: Strategy’ (Actions) and Top right ‘Corner 4: Capabilities’ (Actions).

DRIVERS: These are what Motivate your competition. Areas such as what drives them forward? What are their values? And really, what makes them tick? Understand what ‘motivates’ them and you can start to see where the energy lies.

Including Financial goals, Business philosophy or Leadership background.

ASSUMPTIONS: This isn’t your assumptions, this is their Belief about themselves! Look at how they perceive their competition (including you). What assumptions do they make and how do they perceive themselves compared to others within your business arena. How do they assess their own strengths and weaknesses against their rivals? Do they become defensive or aggressive in their approach, are they pro-active or reactive? Consider company’s perception of its strengths & weaknesses, Belief about competitor’s goals or Organisational value.

STRATEGY: This is all about how they compete in the marketplace! There could be a difference between what is their ‘realised’ strategy and the ‘intended’ one as laid down in their annual reports. Now this is where it’s important to see if this occurs and with some research, can be found. If their strategy appears to be yielding a good return, then it is safe to say they will continue doing what they do best, nonetheless, is it still abiding by its intended strategy and could further improvements be met? Look at how they create value, established relationships or where investment is made.

CAPABILITIES: Here you assess how the competition acts! It may well have the motivation/drive to initiate a strategic plan but the question is are they ‘capable’ of seeing it through? How will they react when your market share or another group’s start to grow? Will they simply start to slash prices or do they take a different approach of aggressive marketing campaigns? Taking from the SWOT analogy, what are their strengths and weaknesses? Look at training, financial strengths, marketing skills and Leadership qualities of senior management.

With this information set in your armoury, you can now analyse this framework to plot both the ‘Offensive’ and ‘Defensive’ scenarios of your competition. Carry out the same exercise internally and see the areas of difference emerge and then formulate a plan based on actual data rather than guess work!

Coaching to success help organisations, such as yours, to plan ahead and then create staged plans to achieve organisational objectives that will be met. This is in part, due to the motivation offered while the sense of ownership being established through being held responsible to someone else! The first thing to do is contact Neil directly on 07761 187238 or email neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to have a complementary and confidential discussion or meeting to see how we can help you grew your business through market and, more specifically, competitor awareness and strategy planning.

Sep 14 2015

The Power of People’s help via successful delegation!

Often delegation can help relieve an element of stress. The reverse can be said when you try to handle it all and everything then seems stuck or at least moving only in first gear.

Delegation sounds easy, after all, you pass what you don’t want to do onto others … simple! The true art of successful delegation is not that easy. But done correctly, successful delegation build teams, strengthen the business, improve productivity/profit making for a more pleasant working environment.

So let’s start by ascertaining some reasons ‘Why’ as in why people don’t delegate!

No-one has the same level of knowledge.
It takes time to explain what is required – quicker to do it myself!
Fear of delegating yourself out of a job.
Your lack of trust in others’ capabilities.
You don’t know how!

You have progressed to a level but now can’t move forward as your workload eats into your time and more! So how do we get around this? It will be easier to break this into sections.

WHEN to delegate

Your own skill sets can be enhanced or new ones developed by passing other tasks on
Ascertain if this ‘Truly’ has to be done by yourself or whether someone else can manage it
A chance to improve another’s skill-set by them taking it on board

Some of this takes being honest with yourself. There may be tasks which take you out of your comfort zone so you avoid them and, worse still, avoid delegating them for fear someone will know notice!

WHO to delegate to

Check the current workload of the person. It’s no more beneficial to the organisation if you simply pass it onto someone in similar situation.
Skill set. Do they have the skills or how long would it take for them to grasp its importance?
Up-skilling may be a great opportunity for a person to start the promotional ladder!

HOW to delegate

Clarity, from Stephen Covey “Begin with the end in mind”. Insure the person knows when the work is to be completed by. Where they can get resources and what the expected outcome is.
Authority – again, make it clear who has overall responsibility and if this impacts on others, make sure they know too.
Matching workload – insure you delegate to the lowest level. Make sure the work is appropriate to the level of the individual. If anything, give it to someone who will need to stretch a little to achieve it in order to raise their skillset!
Motivation – never underestimate the value of positive motivation. A simple “Well Done” can carry so much weight. Recognition that they have been selected or promoted may be a sufficient reward in itself.
Results – Focus on the outcome. They may have a different, potentially improved productive means of carrying out the task. Assist when required but also allow them to self-develop as you too may learn something.
Support – It’s never wise to ‘Micro-manage’ people, but in the same degree, to leave them completely to their own devices with a new task is equally wrong! Be available to answer questions. Arrange update reports/meetings to allow them to raise concerns and questions.

CONTROLLING the task

Create a delegation log sheet. Indicate who you’ve given a task too and expected completion dates.
Allow them room to find their own way of doing things.
Explain why they have been chosen. This should be done to promote their emotional attachment.
When completed, set time aside to go through the objectives and outcome. Allow lessons to be learned if areas haven’t been done.

Although there is still a lot more to be learned, the above steps will at least set you on the right path towards some of the elements involved with positive delegation.

Coaching to Success specialise in gaining clarity and responsibility. Should either yourself or a member of your team want to enhance your delegation skills to get the best out of your team, please contact Neil by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or call 07761 187238 to arrange an complimentary meeting and if you’re online, have a look at his interview video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco where you’ll be assured a warm welcome to discuss how we can help.

Aug 31 2015

Change is a necessity in our lives but how do we handle those we didn’t wish for?

Often the pleasant things that change go un-noticed while those which go against what we’ve been used to can cause fear or trepidation. Consequently, if you are in the throes of change that is out of your direct control, rather than rebel, look at it from a positive manner, adjusting your own preconceptions as to how it may work out.

To begin, actually adjust your thinking

Reframe – Look to encourage new experiences to get you out of the ‘Norm’ rather than the ‘How will it affect me’ in a negative sense. Give it some positive meaning.
Process orientated – Any Great British Bake Off fans? Well think of change like baking! Stick with me on this … whether it be bread or cakes, there are many ingredients and steps to ultimately produce the wonderful results. It takes time and patience. Change is no different, it needs to be worked through. No ‘Knead’ for any other analogies here!

Okay, now that’s set the way of thinking, let’s move on to territories we experience in change.

Change is inevitable – Changes occur frequently throughout the day and we handle them without a thought. A pen and it runs out, we change to another without thought, a minor change. You see a building site going up, a major change now for those working there and the soon to be new residents It doesn’t affect you, nonetheless, accept change happens.
Change is just learning! – So it’s something you’re not familiar with? Think of some major but pleasurable changes you’ve undertaken. , it was all new to begin but now you’ve probably settled into it quite well now. A little like driving, the first responsibilities at a new job etc. Enjoy new experiences through wanting to learn rather than fearing the unknown.
Address your feelings – Especially when you have no choice. Try avoiding the victim approach of “This isn’t fair, why me?” If it’s out of your control, the decision has been made so start searching for the positive elements. This will be hard to begin but with enough practice, you’ll search the more comfortable way of travelling your new direction. Positive thinking assists in building bridges or opportunities!
Opportunity – welcome change as such. You’ll spend less time fighting it and while you’re searching, write down the positive experiences you’ve found that will open these doors to opportunity.
Notice enjoyable changes! – consider all the areas where positive outcomes can be found in change. When was the last upgrade of your mobile? How many new great features does your new phone now offer. Think of how we used to listen to music and how portable it now is! These are enjoyable changes but even so, they are changes!
S.M.A.R.T. Goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Time-bound. My clients will tell you how important I believe this to be. “A dream is a dream but a goal has a time limit!” Create an accurate goal with start, middle and finish. Each component having clear settings with time against each and the most important thing is to establish when you will START and not when to be done BY!

One of the biggest helps is your ability to find a supportive network. Whether this be in your workplace, home, family or friends, look to someone who may have had similar experiences and how they overcame their initial concerns.

Coaching to Success understands change is inevitable. As George Bernard Shaw put it “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” And this is where we specialise, in helping you find new paths and then embracing them as you do.

With the change of mind-set, you can achieve almost anything and for those really difficult situations, contact Neil by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or call 07761 187238. If you’re online, have a look at his interview video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco where you’ll be assured a warm welcome to discuss how we can help.

Aug 03 2015

‘Procrastination’ – Why do today what you can put it off until tomorrow?

How often do you find that you are about to start something with the best intentions only to find … sorry, hang on a minute, let me just read this email, oh, I better have a look into this… and sometime later we’re back to writing this feature!

There are several reasons we (and I include myself in this!) let procrastination get a grip. These may include:

Waning interest – This is sooooo boring!
Motivation – The Mojo has taken a holiday!
Skill factor – Umm, how do I do this?
Rebel – Don’t want to do it and I’ll prove I don’t have the time!
Failure – What if I can’t do this?
Success – If I do well, will they expect more?

There will be more but I have found that these 6 normally top the bill, so let’s look at them individually.

Waning interest – If, like me, when doing something that’s not that interesting, the ping of an email or something irrelevant but enjoyable suddenly seems to take precedence … STOP! Find somewhere without the distractions and concentrate.
Motivation – Do you believe you need motivation to begin a task? How about this for a radical idea, start the task and then find it! Even the initial steps to beginning a task can promote the somewhat lacking motivation. Set yourself up with a reward once complete, after this feature, a nice inexpensive filter coffee and half hour read of a book will be mine!
Skill factor –Sometimes it’s our own beliefs that hold us back. As a coach, many of my clients hold unfounded beliefs until we establish exactly where the problems lie and look at ways to overcome them. Consider breaking tasks into manageable parts. What is the starting point and the desired end goal? See what areas you are competent at, others may require some additional training or even delegating.
Rebel – Predominantly another ‘subconscious’ level barrier generated from power struggles. I was amazed how when someone gave me a task I didn’t wish to carry out I managed to find every reason for not accomplishing it on time, whereas, jobs I did enjoy, would be cleared straight away! Remove the ‘Emotional’ attachment to the task and look at it from a practical sense. How much trouble would I be in if I don’t complete it? How will this benefit my business by completing on time? Only you can know the truth of this and letting the emotional attachment go will give a much clearer picture.
Failure – None of us set out to fail, nonetheless, it is something that we learn from. Each step we take we learn something new or to persevere can win out in the end. Take J.K.Rowling for example, she got rejected by numerous publishers while working as a waitress. Her break came from the publisher’s 8yr old daughter begging him to publish it! Sometimes it’s simply down to timing!.
Success – “Now if I do this right, they’ll expect me to continue or even improve!” Maybe expectations of you will be increased? And with each successful outcome, you raise your standards once again. Consider each and every task on its own merits WITHOUT considering where it may lead.

There are many tools that can help with procrastination, however, the biggest obstacle is ourselves! Until we start to realise what our own barriers are, procrastination will let its tentacles stretch out and feed on our daily distractions.

Coaching to success work towards breaking down barriers, opening up confidence levels, assessing what’s ahead and planning to succeed in whatever goal their clients wish to attain. To improve your own levels of procrastination or focus, take the first step by contacting Neil on 07761 187238 or email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk and if you’re online, have a look at his interview video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco where you’ll be assured a warm welcome to discuss how we can help.