Leaders and Managers
Posted by Chris on 27/11/2009

Leaders and Managers - Thought to inspire

The way you feel today is dependent on what you think about.

1. If you have a mind filled with thoughts of doom and impending disaster, then you will feel anxious and worried.
2. If you have a mind filled with thoughts of future success and achievement, you will feel stronger and more confident.

So it is important to plant the seeds of optimism into your brain, and into the brains of others, so that seeds might flourish and produce a more positive attitude.
(read more)

Management training: How to develop trust
Posted by Chris on 20/11/2009

Trust is a vital element in the relationships within a team.
Trust is an emotion.
You trust other people to the degree that you believe they will do all that they say they will do.
 
And
You trust other people to the degree you believe they will NOT do what they promise they won’t do.
 
Trust is a highly regarded quality
We want to be trusted and we want to be able to trust the others. A lack of trust in a team  is a recipe for disaster.  Without trust, all chance of success will be obliterated.
(read more)

Managers are stressed
Posted by Chris on 13/11/2009

Read the following and see if this rings bells with you.

During a course last week I had a conversation with a manager, called Mark, and he was explaining to me the stress he was under.

Mark said “I am a manager of a large team, and some of the people in my team are very difficult.

They seem to go out of their way to be troublesome.

They keep avoiding work and when I pick them up on it, they claim that I am BULLYING them and threaten to go sick with stress.

Some of the worst offenders, even complain that I am victimising them, if I try to manage their performance".

I sometimes lose my temper and end up shouting at them. Of course that makes matters worse.

So presently, I am the subject of a disciplinary action against me and that is why I have been sent on this conflict course.

I said, “Mark, you are right. Some people are dishonest and use the organisational systems which were designed to help the weak, to their own dishonest advantage.
(read more)

Time management skills
Posted by Chris on 05/11/2009

A Time management question relating to office gossip

On the last presentation of the effective leader manager course, one delegate asked me an interesting question that you too, might have wondered about.

During the time management section of the course, we were talking about "the best use of your time" .

I was suggesting the idea that distractions can steal too much productivity from your day, and that we should reduce the amount of time given over to chatter and gossip.

One of the delegates, a lady by the name of Tricia, asked:
(read more)

Change Management Training
Posted by Chris on 27/10/2009

Change is the only universal constant
You can be certain that the current situation will not last.
It will be swept away and replaced by a new situation.
That can be either a source of comfort - or a warning.

The certainty of change as a comfort.

If the current times are difficult for you, then take heart: the pain is NEVER permanent.

I know that because nothing is permanent.
If you keep working and keep improving those things that you can improve, then eventually the wheel of fortune will turn and you will see the sunshine once again.
(read more)

Time Management Training Tips
Posted by Chris on 22/10/2009

Time wasters: The Butterfly mind

Last week, during the Effective leader manager course, in Birmingham, we discussed this important time management question:

“What personal habits do YOU have, that causes you to waste your OWN time?”

One delegate, Toni answered:

“I have a “butterfly mind”.  I keep losing my mental focus. My mind wanders off what I supposed to be doing.

What can I do about it, Chris?”

I said
(read more)

How do I delegate?
Posted by Chris on 19/10/2009

Delegation
Delegation: is the act of entrusting a task to another person.

• You cannot do everything.
• So you should do only the highest value things on your list.
• What should you do with the lower value items?
• You should delegate them to others.

There are good five good reasons to delegate some of your work to others:

1. To give you more time for to do higher value work

2. The person you delegate to may be the best person for the job.

3. Delegating tasks evens the lead across the team

4. Delegating tasks may be seen as a form of training

5. Delegating tasks may be seen as a motivating factor as it shows trust.
(read more)

Improve my management skills
Posted by Chris on 12/10/2009

All good management is based on a “Success Formula”

It is a formula for all successful action and it looks like this:


The success formula
The five steps of the success formula are as follows:

1. Name a clear purpose
2. Formulate your best, written plan
3. Take decisive action
4. Gather the feedback: both on target and off target
5. Change in the light of off target feedback.

(read more)

Change management
Posted by Chris on 02/10/2009

Change Management

There is a management puzzle for you to solve:

1. All the improvements that you wish to make imply making changes to your current methods.

2. But many people do not like making changes to their current methods: change unsettles them.

3. So many people DO NOT WANT TO MAKE THE IMPROVEMENTS necessary because that will mean they have to accept change - which they do not want to do.

Change
(read more)

Development of good management skills
Posted by Chris on 21/09/2009

WHY Should I develop my management training skills?

Why should you expend effort to develop your management skills?
After all, many people do not bother.

“WHY?” is an all important question.

We have four answers to the why question:

1. If you are in business, you are in the businesses of people.
People are your primary resource. People are your customers, suppliers, financiers and workers. To get the most from your business, you need to get the most from people. Our training is about getting the most from people.

2. In business, you cannot force people to do anything.
(read more)

Management training skills - A good sense of humour
Posted by Chris on 14/09/2009

A good sense of humour is important.

You have heard that it is good to laugh.
That you should not take yourself too seriously and that you should be able to laugh at yourself.

Yet surprisingly, the ability to laugh is NOT a universal good.

As a leader manger you need to be able to discriminate between the proper and the improper uses of humour.

It is true that your good humour is an important attribute.
It is one of your assets.

Let us give it some thought and discriminate between the proper and the improper uses of humour.
(read more)

Time Management Planning
Posted by Chris on 03/09/2009

When on time management training I often suggest to delegates:
“Always work to a detailed written plan.”

That often stimulates a response from at least one delegate who says:
 “I prefer to improvise.  I don't like to plan because, where I work-it so chaotic, making a plan is useless. So I prefer to improvise.”

This is a common interjection.
Yet it is faulty.

Why?
Because “Planning” and “improvisation” are not opposites from which you must choose.

The choice is NOT :
(read more)

Six things that will destroy your brain
Posted by Chris on 26/08/2009

A warning for managers

There are certain things that will harm your ability to think straight.
It would be good to avoid them.
In order to avoid them, you must first recognise them.

Here they are: Six things that will destroy your brain.

High carbon monoxide
Your brain demands 30% of all the oxygen you breathe. If it becomes short of oxygen will not work properly.
Oxygen is carried to the brain in the red blood cells via a protein called “Haemoglobin”
(read more)

Management Skills: Creative problem solving
Posted by Chris on 17/08/2009
Right now, you are probably facing problems.

How did I Know?

Because we all are.

The question is: are you able to solve the problems that face you?
Or not?

Problem solving is the MASTER LIFE SKILL
(read more)

More advanced communication skills
Posted by Chris on 07/08/2009

More advanced communication skills - How to get to the truth

Introduction

I was in SAUDI ARABIA this week running a management course.  We were discussing the problem of asking incisive questions to discover the truth, or specific facts.

Mohammed, a delegate asked me: "Have you got any tips on how to get at the truth, when interviewing another?”.

I said "Yes".
He said “What are they?”

I said … “There are three categories of thought on this issue:

1. Things to ask about
(read more)

Conflict Management Skills
Posted by Chris on 03/08/2009

Notes on Compromise

During a course in Manchester, England, Sam x, a perplexed middle manager of seven years experience asked me

“I am wrestling with a question. Can you help me with it?
Should I always “compromise” and find the middle ground?
I feel like I should, but I don’t always want to.
What do you think?

I said “What do you mean by the term “compromise”, Sam?

There are two distinct meanings to the idea of compromise.

One is good and the other is bad.
(read more)

Motivation for managers
Posted by Chris on 28/07/2009

Introduction

In any context, people’s reactions will be driven by two major influences:
• Their knowledge
• Their emotions

This article is about their emotions.

How can you inspire people to gain the best result possible?

If people feel de-motivated, they will not even attempt to win.

If people are inspired to feel motivated, they are capable of amazing feats.

So it is vital for you to be able to motivate others.

How can “the science of human motivation” benefit us?

Let us examine the facts…….
(read more)

How some managers fail
Posted by Chris on 19/07/2009

How some managers fail (and how to avoid the same mistakes)

The five part success formula is:

1. Develop a clear purpose
2. Formulate an intelligent plan
3. Take decisive action
4. Gather and analyse the feedback
5. Change in the light of feedback

The failure formula is the opposite method:

1. Have a lack of purpose
2. Have No plan
3. Suffer with a lack of action
(read more)

Assertiveness
Posted by Chris on 10/07/2009

People often ask me how they can tell the difference between “Assertiveness” and “Aggressiveness”.

1. You need to be assertive

2. You must not be aggressive

So, you should know the difference.

Assertiveness 
Assertiveness is a form of communication that is rational, based on a logical interpretation of the facts and implies a willingness to negotiate.
(read more)

Time management skills training
Posted by Chris on 05/07/2009

Here is an important question

Are you trying to do too much?

Many people think that "there is too much to do".

The truth is that:
They are trying to do too much.

Here is the solution to your problems
Stop trying to do too much!

Here is another question

Should you try to do it all?
There are two possible answers to the question
1. Yes - I should try to do it all
(read more)

Improve the management team
Posted by Chris on 30/06/2009

What is a manager for?
Your managers are there to achieve one goal:

To improve productivity.

They do that by adding value to your organisation in three ways:
1. Managers are the members of your team who are primarily responsible for the creation and communication of clear goals,
2. Then, they should have the ability to build intelligent plans that will achieve the goal in the quickest and most efficient manner possible.
(read more)

Better Time Management
Posted by Chris on 29/06/2009

Beat the BIG THREE time wasters

Introduction

To a certain degree everyone wastes time.

The reason is:
there are THE BIG THREE time wasters that effect everyone.

The big three are:

1. Other people
2. Your own bad habits
3. Poor systems

If we each could beat these three, we would have more productive days.

Let’s take a closer look at the big three time wasters and see if we can make some progress.

First of the big three: Other people

Are there other people in your work that occupy your time but without any added benefit?

One of these people may even be a colleague.

This person talks too much about the wrong things.

He-she has the ability to distract you-
(read more)

Clarify your communication
Posted by Chris on 17/06/2009

Four ways to clarify your communication

Clear communication is essential to your organisation.

Communication is the transfer of information.
Mis-communication causes a loss of information.
Mis-communication will cause you to lose.

How can you gain greater accuracy in communication?

1.Focus on delivering an affirmative message
Say what you want
Telling people what you do not want is only useful if it is immediately followed by an accurate description of what you do want.
(read more)

Conflict communication skills
Posted by Chris on 10/06/2009

Conflict communication skills

Introduction

You have to manage different character types.
Some people are easy to manage and some people are not easy.
You may find some people difficult to manage; especially in a conflict situation.

Let us think of a continuum with extremes of character on each end.

1. On one end are the “toughies”.
2. On the other end are the “softies”.

The toughies are:

• More confident
(read more)

Emotional Management
Posted by Chris on 01/06/2009

Emotional Management

We all need to manage how we feel.
We want to feel stronger and more confident.
So, we need to learn the art of emotional management.


Emotional Management is the art of controlling the focus of your mind and the physical state of your body, so as to create optimum emotional responses appropriate to the circumstances that face you.

Do you want to know how to manage your emotions?
If, yes, read on…...

First Point to note:
(read more)

Leadership training
Posted by Chris on 25/05/2009

Common causes of failure in leadership

Good leaders and managers constantly improve their abilities in specific areas:  Particularly in communication, planning and motivational skills.

They do this in order to get the best from themselves and others.

Poor leaders, by neglect, fail to develop their skills.
As a consequence they pay a heavy price.

Below are the six common causes of failure.
Read them through and ensure that none of them apply to you:
(read more)

Management training
Posted by Chris on 21/05/2009

Management training
All good managers should be given sufficient management training so that they are able to give “constructive criticism”.
Not destructive.

Constrictive criticism is defined as:
“A specialised form of communication that identifies a wrong action and seeks to gain a commitment to change it to a right action, without causing offence”.

Destructive criticism is defined as :
“A corrupt form of communication that identifies a wrong action and seeks to emotionally undercut the person for doing it wrong”

Here are the steps to master in order to give constructive criticism.
(read more)

Time management training
Posted by Chris on 21/05/2009

Time management training

Good Time management boils down to this:
Operate according to your plan!

Not to your mood, nor to the moment.

Many people do not plan.
They are too busy mopping up after the mistakes caused by a previous lack of planning.
Leader-managers make a mental shift from the immediate moment into the middle future.
They need to be thinking now about things needed for next year.

That means rational planning. It takes effort and an act of will.

It also takes training.

Each individual must learn the principles of prioritising to allow time to plan.

Question
(read more)

Management communication skills
Posted by Chris on 11/05/2009

Management communication skills
Distinguish between reasons and excuses

Is there a difference between a “reason” and an “excuse” for not doing something? 
You bet there is a difference! A reason is true, logical, undeniable and unavoidable. 

An excuse is none of these. (i.e. an excuse is untrue, illogical, dishonest or avoidable). 
(read more)

How do I gain respect as a new manager?
Posted by Chris on 30/04/2009

How do I gain respect as a new manager?

On courses, I am constantly asked the very similar questions from various people, who work in very different types of business.
The product the business supplies have little to do with the daily troubles some people have managing others.

The problems/ challenges are similar because the common denominator is “human beings”

• Managers manage human beings
• Managers are (for the most part) human beings themselves.
(read more)

Management Question:
Posted by Chris on 30/04/2009

Management Question:
I know I should delegate; but I don’t. Why is that?

Answer
There are three common reasons people give for not delegating when they should. All of them are false
Read the following three excuses and ask yourself which ones are yours:

Excuse one: by the time I have explained it would be quicker to have done it myself.
The truth is you have failed to recognise that although there is an upfront investment required to explain the task there is an ongoing benefit.
(read more)

Conflict management skills
Posted by Chris on 21/04/2009

Conflict management skills

Conflict management skills: Do you know any managers who mishandle conflict situations and make things worse?

They would benefit from learning how to handle difficult people with more skill.

They might benefit from learning how to apply the proper conflict resolution skills.

 
(read more)

People management skills
Posted by Chris on 20/04/2009

People management skills 

“People management skills” are both the art and science of managing your own behaviour so that you are able to get the best responses from other people.

“Get the best responses”, in a business context means:

“To inspire actions that harmonise with the stated goals and values of the organisation.”

There are many “People management skills” to develop, but they may be thought as being of three general types 

1.    Communication skills
(read more)

Train to gain leadership and management courses
Posted by Chris on 17/04/2009

Train to gain leadership and management courses

 

Train to gain: what is it?

“Train to gain” is a pot of government funding for your business to help with the costs of training key staff.
 

It amounts to £1000 of matched funding to go toward relevant training.
(read more)

Personal Management
Posted by Chris on 08/04/2009

Personal Management

1.      Live life on your own terms
a.      Don’t be a victim 

2.      Realise that you can control only one thing: The content of your mind.
(read more)

Managing the team
Posted by Chris on 23/03/2009

Managing the team

Three facts about good teams

All great teams share the same three qualities.

1. Great teams form in the pursuit of a clear worthwhile purpose.
2. Great teams have the ability to write practical plans.
3. Great teams remain positive during difficult times.

Great teams form in the pursuit of a clear worthwhile purpose.
(read more)

Communication skills
Posted by Chris on 13/03/2009

Communication skills

If you want to improve your management ability, you may wish to master this important communication skill

Notice the distinction between

1.     An answer to a question 

2.     A response to a question

(read more)

How to build successful teams
Posted by Chris on 05/03/2009

How to build successful teams

Success is not an event
It is a process 

It is a five-part process that can be boiled down to five steps: 

1. Purpose
2. Plan
3. Action
4. Feedback
5. Change

Let’s look at the five part Thomas Edison Success formula:
(read more)

Managers and leaders need to be confident and optimistic during tough times
Posted by Chris on 19/02/2009

Managers and leaders need to be confident and optimistic during tough times

The emotions of confidence and optimism tend to improve performance.
They allow you to think and solve problems more effectively.

By contrast, the emotions of fear and pessimism reduce performance by interrupting the ability to think and solve problems.

When tough economic or market conditions arrive, they represent major problems.

So, it is AT THAT MOMENT, important to create MORE confidence and optimism.
(read more)

The ten commandments of Time management
Posted by Chris on 10/02/2009

Time management is about doing the right thing in the right order

That calls for accurate thinking

1. Accurate thinking habits lead to good time management decisions.
2. Poor thinking habits lead to poor time management decisions.

Here is a list of positive affirmations and action plans designed to improve your effectiveness.

1. Memorise this list
2. Then erase this file
Tell nobody about this material!
(read more)

Management training
Posted by Chris on 27/01/2009

Seventeen Personal skills of the effective manager 

The management of others depends primarily on the management of yourself.

Here is an interesting list of seventeen personal management skills.

Read them through.

 

As you read, ask yourself,  

1. Which ones am I doing?
2. And which ones am I NOT doing?

Make your analysis an honest one, and you will identify at least two aspects of your performance upon which you should focus your attention.

 

Remember:  Your goal is to succeed.

 

To succeed, you would profit by:

1. Identifying any errors
2. Replace them with skills

With that in mind, here is a list of seventeen skills.
(read more)

Positive Leadership and Management: Training the attitude:
Posted by Chris on 16/12/2008

Have you ever thought of the effects continual repetition of negative predictions for 2009 may be having on the minds, and therefore the actions of those who listen?
I would like to suggest that it is the job of leaders to promote a Positive attitude regarding the future.
Also to refrain from doing anything that unnecessarily induces feelings of fear, doubt or pessimism in the minds of colleagues or customers.

 A “Positive attitude” has a definite beneficial effect on the country and its economy,
By implication, a “Negative attitude” is a threat to the country’s economy.

The general atmosphere in the minds of many people in the country for 2009 is uncertain and lacking in confidence.
(read more)

Leaders and managers
Posted by Chris on 26/11/2008

Sometimes, leaders and managers have to do public presentations of ideas their ideas to .
But some leaders and managers are not comfortable in their role as public speaker.
To those of you who quake at the thought of public speaking, I address the following notes to you.

Ten top tips for presenters

1. Structure your presentation
Gain a clear mental grasp of your material.
Decide what points are the "fundamental issues".
What points are the main themes?
(read more)

How to be an Effective Leader Manager
Posted by Chris on 11/11/2008

Two day management development programme

All effective leader-managers share certain characteristics. In order to improve your abilities as a better leader and manager, we suggest that you should focus on developing six specific characteristics.
(read more)

Confident leaders and managers
Posted by Chris on 28/10/2008

Manage your team through a Positive Mental Attitude

 I want to show you a powerful eight-point plan for developing a positive mental attitude.
If you take these ideas and apply them you will very rapidly achieve excellent results.

1. Set achievable goals and makes written plan for their accomplishment
Nothing succeeds like success. When you choose a goal and you see yourself achieve it, your confidence in the future strengthens

2. Seek out the company of positive people
(read more)

How to Manage Constructive Criticism
Posted by Chris on 15/10/2008

“Critical feedback” is built into the success formula.
For some people, criticism is a painful experience.
Therefore, for some people, the success formula is a painful experience!
Some people cannot take criticism because they mistake all criticism as “a put down” or an insult- i.e. something to be avoided.
All Champions (like us) distinguish between feedback (which they welcome) and insults (which they ignore).
So now, read the following examples and distinguish insults from feedback:

(read more)

Successful Leadership Questionaire
Posted by Chris on 20/05/2008

All successful organisations have effective leaders and managers.

All effective leader-managers display six key virtues.

Check against these questions and give a score out of ten:

1. Do all your leader-managers have a “clear vision” for the next six months and beyond? (10) Or is there an element of “drifting”? (1)

2. To what degree is the communication in your organisation “clear and accurate”? (10) Or does a lack of clear communication cause frustration and problems that can slow things down? (1)  

3. To what degree do your leader-managers plan ahead? Do they have written plans of action? (10) Or are they more often driven by events, on the back foot, reacting to crises situations? (1)

4. Do emotional upsets, character clashes or “big egos” sometimes interfere with productivity? (1) Or are conflict situations managed rationally and without fuss? (10)

5. Are your leader-managers able to manage their emotions and present themselves positively (goal focused, enthusiastic and confident)? (10) Or is their mood up and down, dependant upon external events? (1)

6. To what degree are your leader-managers able to inspire positive feelings and confidence in others? (10) Or are some of them un-inspiring or even cynical? (1)

Add up the scores and mark your leader-managers out of a possible sixty.
(read more)

Management Development Skills
Posted by Chris on 04/04/2008

Management Development Skills - Six key attributes of leadership

A theory for effective action

In order to do well in life, we must engage in certain virtues and refrain from certain vices.
Of the many virtues required for success, six in particular are crucial. These six can be summarised in just three words.
They are clarity, reason and emotion.
I call these the primary virtues.

Clarity
Clarity relates to developing internal mental clarity.
(read more)

Six motivators
Posted by Chris on 18/03/2008

Motivation is an important but complex issue. Here are six ways to motivate others.

Money
Money motivates most people.
Why? Because it allows people to buy the things they need (shelter, food, electricity) and want (fancy car, clothes, perfume).

However, money may not be enough, on its own, to carry us through any particular day.
People are more complex than that. They need more!

Security
Once we have enough money to take care of our immediate needs, we turn our attention to keeping what we have.
(read more)

An Effective Manager
Posted by Chris on 09/01/2008

Effective leader managers share common key skills and abilities

Here are some of them:

(Note:  All references the effective leader manager as a “He” denotes also “She”)

Appearance
A leader manager is aware that he is judged partly on appearance
So he looks professional. That does not mean, “flash”.
It means well groomed, clean and functional.

Knowledge of products and systems
(read more)

For all your training enquiries please call: 01452 856091

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