MANAGEMENT ARTICLES.
We have a constantly growing bank of articles giving tips and techniques for dealing with some of the most commonly asked questions managers have. Each of these articles is placed in a specific category for ease of use.
A limited number of these articles are open to anyone who visits the site. Some articles are free to basic members. Some are only available to our paying members. Simply click on the article you’d like to read and you’ll see a message explaining how you can access the information.
Employee motivation
5 key mistakes managers can make which kill staff motivation, morale and engagement
Can a manager improve morale regardless of circumstances?
Yes. I believe they can.
But there are some “morale killers” which can seep inadvertently into a team or organisation which will make it an uphill struggle for even the most committed manager. what are those “morale killers”?
Read on to find out what they are, so you can identify and weed them out of your team. more…
How a manager can unwittingly de-motivate his team
The final quarter of a year is always busy for anyone in an organisation – and particularly so for those of you who manage others. Eyes are focused on how you’re doing against targets, and on achieving that final “push” to realise the organisation’s goals. If you’re a little behind target, the pressure is on. And if those targets aren’t hit, the eyes of the wider organisation fall on you, first and foremost. “Kitchen and heat” come to mind! more…
How to maintain motivation through unsettling change
Some managers ride the storm of change better than others, managing to keep their staff on-side and positive, despite the circumstances. For others, managing change is a difficult and tricky process. So how do you increase the engagement and morale of your people, reduce tension and conflict, and increase your chances of hitting targets when you’ve got massive change going on? Here are three critical things you need to focus on if you are managing others through a period of intense change. more…
How to give constructive feedback without de-motivating someone
Do you find it difficult to tell a member of staff when there’s a performance issue? Does it leave you feeling uncomfortable – or worrying that it might compromise the working relationship you have with them? Do you know you should perhaps praise people a little more – but you can’t just go round saying “well-done” all the time?
Here’s a basic, 5 point structure you can use to help you make giving feedback a more positive experience, increase performance, and maintain a good working relationship with your staff. more…
The 3 secrets to motivating your team
We talk a lot about motivating our staff – but do we really know what motivation means and how it works? Whilst there are a number of techniques you can use to increase motivation, here we explore three fundamental principles behind motivating staff at work. more…
Is money the answer to motivating your employees?
I spend a lot of my time helping managers understand how to get the best out of others; how to successfully motivate, engage, enthuse, inspire and influence those around them, so they get more done and achieve better results. more…
Performance Management
Managing underperformance – the first 5 traps managers can fall into
How do you feel about managing underperformance? Nervous? Uncertain how to tackle? Perceive it as hassle you could do without?
It’s never a manager’s favourite task, that’s for sure! But before you actually tackle the underperformer, it’s worth knowing that sometimes, inadvertently, managers can fall into some traps which hinder, rather than encourage better performance.
Read on and see if you recognise yourself falling into any of these 5 traps. more…
4 secrets to pain free performance reviews
How do you and your staff feel about appraisals? One of my clients talked about the “corporate groan” which could be heard the moment appraisals were mentioned or imminent! And yet surely, they were not set up to become some “monster” which people dread? You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater – but some simple tweaks in how you approach appraisals might just make it a more pleasurable, enriching and useful process for everyone involved! more…
Outsourcing and Virtual Teams: The Secret Behind the Most Successful Smaller Businesses
Walk into any large organisation and you’ll find people! Dozens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of them; doing a range of roles but all there for one reason: to help that organisation not only maintain its position in the marketplace, but to grow. Whilst people are the most expensive resource a business has, these businesses know that, without the support of committed and skilled people, across a whole range of roles, they cannot survive or thrive. more…
How Good Are You at Performance Management? – 4 critical factors to getting it right.
I’ve been doing a lot of work for clients recently around the whole issue of performance management. It’s a topic which can spark a range of reactions from managers – and not all of them positive! For many, those two words are synonymous with appraisals or “performance reviews” – the process so many employees go through once, twice or even more times per year and those reviews are often associated with a lot of rather complicated paperwork and time-consuming form filling. more…
Employee surveys and building a great workplace culture
How to create a positive corporate culture
What exactly is “culture”, and how can you turn yours into one which is positive?
If a visitor stopped any member of your staff on the corridor and asked them, “What’s it like to work here?”, what do you think they would say? What would you want them to say?
In this article we explore just what culture really is, and some key principles it’s worth remembering if you want your staff to answer, “This is a great place to work, because……” more…
9 reasons your staff engagement survey doesn’t work
Does your organization have a staff survey? What do you, and your staff think about the process? How helpful is it? Like anything else, workplace surveys can be a really useful tool to help you engage staff and build a better workplace – but like any other tool, unless you know how to use them properly, they’re not all that effective. Find out why your staff might be cynical; why you don’t get 100% responses; why nothing really seems to change. more…
Simple techniques to keep staff loyalty
When you’ve had to let some staff go because of hard times, how can you keep the remaining staff loyal? With some new CIPD research showing one third of workers intend to leave their current job once the recession is over, managers need to know how to maintain the loyalty of these staff. Here’s some simple techniques you could implement immediately. more…
Managing conflict
Can a manager create a conflict free team?
Sometimes managers can end up with a team which seems to be tearing itself apart; where there are cliques, or where folk just don’t seem to be able to work together . Is conflict an inevitable part of having a group of people working together? Or is it possible to improve working relationships – and if so, how? more…
How managers can reduce gossip, tension and back-biting in their team
Sometimes managers can end up with a team which seems to be tearing itself apart; where there are cliques, or where folk just don’t seem to be able to work together. How do you deal with this? Here’s 3 steps you can take. more…
What to do when in-fighting threatens your team performance
Sometimes managers can end up with a team which seems to be tearing itself apart; where there are cliques, or where folk just don’t seem to be able to work together. How do you deal with this? Here are 4 tips. more…
Managing your talent in an organization
Talent management – what every manager needs to know about talent before they manage it!
There’s much talk of talent management in organisations these days, and HR and L & D departments wrestle with the most effective way of developing a talent management programme which truly delivers the required outcomes. So if you’re a manager, and you want to develop and encourage excellence in performance, where do you start? more…
Talent management – how managers can master the art of placing square pegs in square holes
Have you ever managed someone who you felt was in the wrong job? Try this 3 step approach to help you place people in a position where they will play to their strengths more than their weaknesses. more…
I’m hoping you’re reading this because the title piqued your interest – because, to be honest, if I’d called this “Change Management” or “How to Manage Change”, you’d probably have switched off and got on with the hundred and one other more important things you could be doing right now. more…
Emotional Intelligence in the workplace
Why increasing your emotional intelligence will increase your success as a manager
When you become a manager, is it your IQ, your technical skills and your knowledge of the industry you’re in which is paramount – or your ability to influence, inspire and engage others? Or do they both matter equally? more…
Emotional intelligence and management – the second skill you need to get good at
Do you ever feel frustrated or annoyed with your staff? Do you sometimes find yourself reacting to a situation in a way which is perhaps not conducive to maintaining good relationships, but your frustration or other negative emotion just seems to spill out regardless?
Self-control, the second skill of Emotional Intelligence, is perhaps one of the hardest to master, but the most beneficial if you can!
In this article, you can learn two of the most common mistakes managers can make in terms of self-contgrol, and five tips to help you gain more mastery in this area. This isn’t just good for the relationships you have with your staff; it will prove useful for your career prospects too! more…
Getting “Down and Dirty” with Emotional Intelligence
(How emotional intelligence can help you manage change)
Anyone who knows me, or who’s been to one of my workshops knows I’m a simple girl!
I love learning! But if I’m learning something that could help me get better results, then I want to actually give it a go and see if it works! What’s the point of theories or models if we don’t actually get our hands dirty and try them out? See if they work in the real world? more…
Change Management
How to manage change effectively
What changes are you going through in your organisation at the moment? Re-structuring? Shedding staff? Asking staff to work reduced hours? Changing processes? Changing environments and work spaces? Docking bonuses?
How do you manoeuvre these tricky waters? How do managers handle the process in a way which reveals our humanity and which helps bring people through the changes in a constructive and caring manner? more…
Resisting change – Are you a manager who believes if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
I’ve recently been watching some re-runs of a Mary Portas series where the outspoken retail expert looks at some of the major retailers on the high street, challenging them in terms of their customer service and how they do business generally. more…
General Management skills
Are we undervaluing management skills?
There’s much emphasis these days on leadership skills. Almost every organisation talks of the need to develop these; and almost every manager or aspiring manager is encouraged to develop them. But in the race to invest often huge sums of money and time into leadership development programmes, have we forgotten or somehow demeaned the critical skills of managing others? more…
Are you cut out to be a manager?
Are there some people who really shouldn’t be managers? And if so why? Read on to find out! more…
How to successfully manage your boss
Many of the managers who attend my workshops want to know how to more effectively motivate and influence not just their staff, but their line manager too. Managing upwards requires even more skill and care. Do it well, and you’ll shine. Do it badly and you could muddy your reputation and find yourself being passed over for advancement.
To help you make the right impression, here are four simple rules to remember, which will move you in the right direction. more…
How to manage a difficult or bully boss
If you’ve ever worked for someone who made your life a misery; who didn’t understand you; who seemed to give no recognition of the work you put in, or who undermined you or bullied or intimidated you, I should imagine you’d probably find, not just you, but a whole team working at sub-optimal level.
As a coach, I know this means you’ll do just what you need to to keep out of trouble – and no more. And your eye is on the exit. more…
Why managers with great soft skills are essential in hard times
People tighten their belts and do their best to weather the storm, and businesses focus an even more critical eye on their spending. Often, one of the first things to come under scrutiny is training and development, and decisions are made to put anything other than “essential” training on hold. “Soft skills”, (also referred to as “People Skills”) often seen as the “fluffy bunny” stuff of development, is the first to be dropped. But how effective is this strategy in reality? more…
Coaching skills for managers – where do I start?
Coaching is becoming a bit of a buzz word in business these days, and as is often the way with any perceived new approach, it soon seems to build into some complex process of theory and learning which leaves managers feeling overwhelmed at the amount of knowledge and time it seems is necessary before they are able to coach their staff. In many cases, this is time they feel they just don’t have.
But the truth is, any manager can coach, given a few ground rules.
Conversely, ignore those ground rules and you’ll do more harm than good.
So what are those ground rules? Take a look at the following list, and see if you feel you have what it takes to be a great coach. more…
5 tips to help you become a more confident manager
How confident are you as a manager? What situations make you feel a little unsure, uncomfortable or less confident about how to handle? Here are three key areas many managers say they wish they were more confident in, and some tips to help you build your confidence so you feel you can handle any people situation. more…
People skills training for managers – can you afford not to?
My focus on people skills developed because the problems, issues and challenges which people presented me with were all challenges caused by lack of confidence or skill in dealing with people. I found managers struggling with apathetic staff; with “difficult” staff; with de-motivated staff; with underperforming staff; with appraising staff, with recruiting the right staff; with how best to develop their staff and even with unsupportive line managers of their own! more…
4 common mistakes managers make when it comes to giving staff feedback
Giving feedback – particularly when it might be perceived as negative or criticism by the other person – is never easy! It is, however, probably one of the most important skills a manager needs to have in his “toolkit”. Before you even begin to think about how you’re going to give anyone feedback – beware of these 4 major mistakes which might cost you dear… more…
What top managers know about discretionary effort
Has there ever been someone in authority over you; a teacher, lecturer or boss, for whom you’d have “gone the extra mile?”
Most of us have experienced working with at least one person in our lives, where we’ve given this additional effort.
In the workplace, if you could tap into even just 10% more of your staff’s “discretionary effort”, what impact might this have on performance and results?
In this article, I explain a little more about what discretionary effort is, and give you 4 specific actions you can take to tap into more of the discretionary effort of your staff.
more…
Why the “f” word is important if you want motivated employees and strong teams
Read on if you want to know what “f” word we’re talking about, and to see 2 great videos which help illustrate our point! more…
Manager as coach and “Walking the Talk.” Why my trip to Ireland will help me “walk my talk”! If you think you are ready to “Walk the Talk” then take a look at this article for some effective methods. more…
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