2 more management styles you want to discourage in your business or organisation

Ever heard of “blind spots” in human beings? Ever wondered why some individuals who have previously been incredibly successful performers, shown infallible performance and been real “go-getters”, get promoted and then increasingly “derail”, flounder and fail to live up to their potential?

The  phrase “blind spot” is used to describe a situation where an individual behaves in a certain way, but is unaware of the impact of that behaviour on others.

We all have them – some to a greater degree than others! Whether the impact we’re having on others is positive or negative it is really useful to understand  it: if we’re having a positive impact, then clearly we might choose to continue or even increase that type of behaviour to keep getting that positive response! However, some blind spots can be more damaging to relationships than others – and a lack of awareness here can have serious consequences in terms of performance in any team.

Some blind spots can be devastatingly damaging to those who become managers – one, ironically enough seems to be emerge from the drive to succeed – but taken to a dangerously damaging degree.

In an intensive study of 40 senior executives whose drive to excel was actually damaging their performance  and prospects, Robert  Kaplan identified behaviours  which were threatening to derail teams. In his book “Beyond Ambition”, he describes these behaviours, and sets out to show how personality traits can be  changed so people can achieve more effective performance as leaders.

Last week’s post looked at the first two damaging styles. (If you missed it, click here)

Let’s look at another two:

3) Unrealistic goals
As the name suggests, this style sets overly ambitious, unrealistic goals for the group or the organisation and is unrealistic about what it will take to get the job done.
Often unwilling to listen to what is perceived as “negativity” from staff or colleagues, they dismiss concerns or fail to give opportunities for staff to share their ideas  and experiences about how they might be more effective in achieving their aims.

4) Relentless striving
This is the manager whose compulsive hardworking is often at the expense of everything else in their lives. They work long hours. They run on empty. They are vulnerable to burnout. And one of the biggest problems with this “type” is they are irritated when others fail to work as hard as they do.

Do you recognise any of these traits in some of your managers? Are you sometimes guilty of this yourself?

Developing self-awareness is a key skill of emotional intelligence: a skill increasingly recognised as being FAR more important in managers than IQ or other skills.

Want to know more?  Our next VIP programme: “How to be an Outstanding Manager” begins in October, and is specifically designed to help managers increase this core skill, as well as some other core people management skills.

To find out more click here.

And if you want to make sure you find out what the other 4 unhelpful management styles are look out for the next blog post!

If you’re a member you’ll get it automatically – if not, why not sign up to basic membership here. It’s free, gives you access to lots of free articles and resources and puts you on our mailing list so you won’t miss any of this blog series.  

What style of management is your organisation cultivating? – Eight management “types” you might want to avoid

Anyone who knows me knows I’m passionate about the importance of managers to the success of an organisation.

If you have any doubts that the quality of management can make a significant difference to your bottom line, just take a moment consider the devastating effects of poor management:

• demoralised staff;
• high staff turnover;
• high incidences of tension, conflict, absenteeism and stress related problems;
• difficulty recruiting into the team and
• low productivity.

No matter how good that manager is at strategy, planning, focus or getting things done, if he or she is having a negative impact on morale and key working relationships, then employee motivation and performance will suffer.

In this and the following 3 blog posts, let me share with you 8 types of management styles Kaplan discovered and discussed in “Beyond  Ambition”, which, if they exist in your organisation, could be having devastating effects on your bottom line.

Kaplan’s research revealed some of the most common and highly costly “blind spots” in 42 otherwise highly successful executives.

Do you recognise any of these manager styles? Let’s look at the first 2.

1. Blind ambition
   This manager has to appear “right” at all costs.
   He/she competes instead of co-operates
   They exaggerate their own value or contribution to any tasks
   They are often boastful or arrogant
   They see people as black or white – as allies or enemies
2. Unrealistic goals
   This manager sets overly ambitious, unrealistic goals for the group or organisation
   They are unrealistic about what it takes to get jobs done.

Now ask yourself:

• Do I recognise any of these traits in any managers in my organisation?
• Do recognise any of these traits in myself?
• What might the impact be on those who work for or alongside a manager who behaves in this way?

Developing emotionally intelligent managers can help you avoid these negative “types”

I believe a key skill of any Outstanding Manager, is their level of Emotional Intelligence.

Why? Because emotionally intelligent managers are aware of the impact they might be having – and when they realise it may be having a negative impact, they tweak and adapt their behaviour in order to change the impact to a more positive experience.

Why would they do this?

Because they know ultimately –everyone wins: the staff, the organisation through better performance – and themselves in terms of kudos.

VIP programme: How to be an Outstanding Manager

Our final VIP open programme for 2011; “How to be an Outstanding Manager” begins in October and is specifically designed to help managers increase this core skill, as well as some other core people management skills. Not for every manager; this is a programme which encourages and expects application of the learning, and which is a mix of face to face, intensive workshops and 1-1 coaching.

Because we only want serious managers, committed and passionate about becoming even more effective at managing people in all situations, participation in this programme requires completion of an application form.

To find out more click here.

And if you want to make sure you find out what the other 6 unhelpful management styles are look out for the next blog post!

If you’re a member you’ll get it automatically – if not, why not sign up to basic membership here. It’s free, gives you access to lots of free articles and resources and puts you on our mailing list so you won’t miss any of this blog series.  

They just made me the boss….now what?

Effectively Managing Former Peers
Becoming a boss can change almost everything – and it can change nothing. Sure, you have more power. And you can influence your former peers in ways that you've never imagined before.

But you're still the same person, just with a bit more authority. Suddenly, though, the things you say have more importance, and your former teammates look to you for answers, not just ideas.

What do you do with this newly found power?

How do you get the balance right between retaining those friendships you  had with those former peers and getting things done?

It may be tempting to make the changes that you always wanted, order what you want to be done, and feel good about your new promotion. However, this type of behavior may not win you much respect or cooperation. How you approach change can make all the difference to making those changes a success or failure.

But you probably don't want to use the opposite approach either. A new boss who tries to remain "one of the guys" and an equal part of the team can end up frustrating everyone. There needs to be a balance between how you establish and maintain relationships and maintaining your focus on results.  Poor decisions are usually inevitable if the relationships you build don't maintain that balance between being supportive and "human" but clear about performance.

If you're afraid of being called "bossy," you may not hold people accountable, or you may avoid making unpopular decisions. Being a leader isn't always about being liked.
So, how do you manage the difficult learning curve of becoming a boss, and the delicate balance of leading former peers?

There's no immediate or easy solution, and you won't be perfect. However, by understanding the challenges and keeping an open mind, you can develop new ways to relate to your team that are effective and produce results. Let us help you in your new role!

———————————————————————

You'll find lots more information about how to establish yourself in a new management role in our comprehensive on-line library. Simply click on the link below and you can find out more about how to join and access this highly valuable resource.

And for more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these other great resources:

———————————————————————

Are you a leader that people want to follow?

Most of us have heard of "authentic leadership." Books, leadership courses, and even entire businesses have been built around this idea. But it's often easier to identify authentic leaders than define what makes them that way.
What do the words "authentic leader" actually mean? What truly makes one, and why is it worth the effort to become one?

Why Authentic Leadership?
Leadership today is very different from leadership in our parents' generation. The old style of "top down" management just doesn't work anymore. Workers generally want to be fully engaged, and committed to what they're doing. They want to feel as if their work matters. And they want to believe in the people who are in charge. Respect needs to be earned - it isn't a right given at the same time as you reach a more elevated position!
Because of these higher expectations, it's vital for leaders to know how to inspire passion and confidence in the people they're leading. When people work alongside a truly authentic leader, they'll often give their whole hearts and minds to the cause. Authentic leaders have strong beliefs - and are willing to communicate these to their people AND live them out in their own, everyday behaviours. It's this consistency, passion and  personal drive which inspires and encourages others to respect and follow.

In these situations, a spirit of teamwork and loyalty can spread throughout an organization, resulting in higher morale and greater productivity.
Authentic leaders inspire trust in their teams. People are more willing to be open about problems, which means that those problems are more likely to get fixed, instead of ignored.

Let me ask you a question: have you ever "gone the extra mile" for someone in authority? Ever remained within a team, (despite being offered a promotion with better money) because you are really happy in the team you're in, with the manager you have? (or know someone else who has?)

If you have, take a moment to visualise that person - because, they were really quite clever weren't they? They managed to get you to do something you didn't need to do, or made you want to remain and work with them.

How  did they do that? Whatever you answer to that question, is likely to give you an insight into what works and what doesn't; what makes for authentic leadership and what doesn't.

So how do YOU measure up?

———————————————————————

You'll find lots more information about authentic leadership, performance management, and dozens of other topics on people management,  in our comprehensive on-line library.  Sinply click on the link below and you can find out more about how to join and access this highly valuable resource.

And for more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these other great resources:

———————————————————————

Encouraging Employee Attendance – would this work for you?

With some sources suggesting that as many as 50% of all employee absences are not taken because of genuine illness or other bona fide reasons, and with literally hundreds of millions of work days being lost each year in the US and the  UK, it's essential that organizations establish absenteeism policies which let their workers know precisely what's acceptable and what's not. However, there is perhaps an even more basic decision that companies need to make, and that concerns whether they wish to adopt a policy which punishes poor attendance or rewards good attendance.
Studies have shown that companies who have rewarded good attendance, by offering either cash or non-monetary incentives or privileges, have experienced varying degrees of success. While many have demonstrated that reward systems are often more effective than those which seek to punish or penalize ‘offenders’, one of the biggest difficulties with reward systems is that, typically, employees who abuse sick leave tend to value the time away from work more than the financial reward, and so they're simply not motivated to change their behavior.

What can you do to improve employee attendance?
Two examples of systems which have worked well to encourage better employee attendance  take very different and opposite approaches to the problem.

One tactic is known as: "Paid Time Off", which lumps together vacation, personal and sick leave but allows for all the time off to be allocated to vacation.  For some organisations, this has proved to be highly effective in discouraging periods of short-term sick absence (whether bona fide or not), which are some of the most disruptive to their employers. Basically, given a choice between taking the odd day off sick when the individual might actually be well enough to attend work and adding that day on to the allocation for legitimate annual leave, most prefer to do the latter.
Another method works by holding employees themselves accountable for their unscheduled absences. In the case of the ‘no fault’ system, each employee is allocated a certain number of days for unscheduled absence, but the reason for the absence is completely disregarded by the employer. Once the allocation is used up, the company would then be free to bring its disciplinary procedures into play and to dismiss the individual if it needed to come to that.

Of course there are numerous different systems and programs which companies can adopt to discourage absenteeism, and you may look at these and think "these won't work for me", but if you're experiencing high absenteeism which  you suspect includes a lot of absences which are not really genuine, maybe it's worth looking into your current practises and asking: is this working? What might work better?

What is essential is that whatever you decide you  publicize your policies so that no employee is left in any doubt as to the consequences of taking unauthorized leave.

———————————————————————

You'll find lots more information about dealing with employee attendance, performance management, appraisals, and the all -important skills of giving and receiving feedback, in our comprehensive on-line library. Sinply click on the link below and you can find out more about how to join and access this highly valuable resource.

And for more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these other great resources:

———————————————————————

« Previous Page — Next Page »