Chris Farmer's Blog

How to delegate

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How to delegate

Delegation: the act of entrusting a task to another person.
Delegate as many lower value tasks, as you can, to the right people, for the right reasons, using SMART.

Delegate by means of SMART Targets
Smart targets allow you to communicate the task with greater accuracy and understanding to the other person. SMART means:

Specific – Use numbers. Describe the task by always making reference to numbers. Example:
Rather than saying: “Would you get some milk?”
Say “Would you get two pints of milk when you go out?”

Measured – Name the way the other person will be judged.
Decide: Which numbers are you going to track?
If you are giving someone a task, you should have a brief conversation about HOW the success of the task will be measured: By what standard?
Example: If I delegated my Web site optimisation to you, what indicators should I be studying to determine whether this was proceeding well, or not?

Achievable – By reference to the person’s skills and knowledge.
Link the task to the person with the skills.
Don’t ask people to do what they cannot do.

Realistic – By reference to the person’s current context.
Remember to take into account practical constraints.
Example:
Remember that you gave the same person 16 tasks last week!

Time deadline – Put a deadline on it. If you do not, people will procrastinate.
Always put a deadline on the task.
If you say “If you get a chance, would you phone Bill with this message?” then you may assume that Bill won’t get the message.
In order to give them some urgency, you MUST put a deadline on tasks.
Because, if it has no deadline, it has no urgency, and it is more likely to be left for another day in the indefinite future.

Three occasions to use SMART Targets
1. To delegate tasks to another
2. As a series of questions to ask when another person delegates to you
3. As a way of setting your own targets for yourself

There are good reasons to delegate some of your work to others:
• Delegation frees you up for more valuable tasks
• Delegation helps to develop their skills and confidence
• Delegation shares the load more fairly
• Delegation matches the task to the right person

There are many bad reasons for delegating your work to others:
• You have neglected the task and it has a disaster which you pass on to another
• You cannot be bothered to do what you should do, so you delegate it
• Punishment

Here is the point to remember:
Delegate as many lower value tasks, as you can, to the right people, for the right reasons, using SMART.

For more information about time management training visit the Corporate Coach Group website

How to give constructive criticism

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How to give constructive criticism and praise

There is a difference between constructive and destructive criticism isn’t there?

It is the same distinction that exists between giving:

· Valuable feedback and
· Painful insult

You should give feedback. You should not give insults

Some people do not know the difference, and so....

They mean to give feedback
But it sounds more like an insult

Exercise

Read the following statements

Label each one either

Insult
Feedback

Depending on your assessment.

Here goes.....

You act like an idiot sometimes in the office (insult or feedback?)
You allow people to take advantage of your kind nature by giving them too many concessions when they should have done the work you originally asked for. (insult or feedback?)
You are badly organised. (Insult or feedback?)
You spend too much time complaining (Insult or feedback?)
You are a foul mouthed ape
You come to work wearing flip flops and shorts
You spend too long talking without the conversation adding any value
You don’t turn up on time for meetings
You are bad tempered
You come to work looking a right mess
You are a pushover
You swear too much, too often and too loudly,
You are too tired some mornings to be capable of any productive thinking
You look like you are half asleep most mornings
You told the caller to “get lost!”

Now here is the important question:
What criterion are you using to make your distinction?

What are the distinguishing characteristics that separate in your mind?

1. all the Feedback messages from
2. All the insult messages?

Memorise this list!

All Feedback messages are:

Objective
Specific
Non- emotionalised
Non- opinionated
Sensory verifiable
And do suggest a clear corrective action

As opposed to insult messages:

All insult messages are:

Subjective
Vague
Emotionalised
Opinionated
Not verifiable by direct sense perception
Does not suggest a specific corrective action

Example:
If you say” Your attitude is unacceptable”, that is practically of zero value to you, or the other.

Because the phrase” Your attitude is unacceptable” is:

Subjective
Vague
Emotionalised
Opinionated
Not verifiable by direct sense perception
Does not suggest a specific corrective action

You would have to reduce the statement back down to the sensory evidence that gave rise to it:

Such as:

· You are late to most team meetings

· You don’t answer the phone when it rings

· You make sexist comments to Rachel

· You leave dirty coffee cups all over the office

Other than that.... he is fine!

Learn the identity of “proper praise”

There is such a thing as meaningless praise.Learn the difference between giving “Meaningless praise” and “positive feedback”

Praise should also be specific, and honest.

Example: “That cover design was imaginative and eye catching. You are very good at this!”

Do not use vague and empty praise

Examples:

· “You’re The CHAMP!”

· You’re great

· You look nice

· Fabulous

· Great, smashing, super!

Proper positive feedback has the following five characteristics

Give specific praise, not general praise
Make your praise sincere. Don’t fake it
Separate praise from reprimands (don’t praise then immediately reprimand)
Separate praise from delegation (Don’t praise as a prelude to dumping a job on someone)
Become the type of person whose praise is likely to be valued

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information about our Management Training Courses

Online training

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Thu, 8 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Online training

Advances in technology make your life better.

For example
If you assume that the first technological advance was the taming of fire:
Just think how thankful your ancient ancestors were when, in the middle of a freezing winter, one of them found the first box of matches!
That night there was much rejoicing.

Later, the Greek, Archimedes, invented the lever and its sister invention the pulley: now you could lift four times your own weight, which can be useful.

Later, James Watt perfected a steam engine that revolutionised agriculture, manufacturing and shipping. As a result British industry, manufacturing, and the British navy dominated the world!

Michael Faraday invented the electric motor, which made mowing the lawn a lot easier for him.

Then, Karl Benz invented the motor car; which made shopping at Tesco much easier for Mrs Benz

James Babbage invented the computer: which makes doing your sums easier. Can you imagine calculating without a calculator? (I don’t know how people managed!!!)

Recently, Tim Berners Lee invented the internet: which has led to a revolution in the lives of everyone.

The internet is changing the way you do business. And will continue to do so.

It is important for you, that you join in the revolution!

For example:
Now, the internet has made it possible for you: to get into individualised learning.

Now, you do not have to travel to night school in order to take a class.

You can have the class come to you, by means of the internet.

More and more, educators have placed their expertise on-line. You can now learn;

• At a time that suits you
• At a place that suits you
• In sessions that last only as long as you want
• Only in the subjects that interest you

In the past, it is true that most people were put off learning by their experience at formal education in school.

For many people their school days were characterised by:

• Boring lessons
• On subjects which are irrelevant to normal life (I was made to learn Latin)
• Given by inept teachers

As a result of your experience, you may have been glad to finish school.
And “finish school” meant for many: “finish learning".

But now, thanks to the web, and the concept of online training, you can continue to advance, practically forever.

Online training can help you to improve your:
1. Language skills
2. Knowledge base
3. Practical Skills
4. Personal Confidence

Online training gives you access to the very best teachers, from anywhere in the world.

Online training can revolutionise your life.

Example
I’ve been studying maths on line by following Professor Richard Delawares YouTube lectures.
I have made more progress with on line learning than I ever did in school, with all its distractions and interruptions.

Example
We have developed our own e learning courses covering the material that we normally do in seminars across the UK. Now, anyone across the world can pick up on the learning we offer.
You too.

Here is a word of warning
Your earning capacity is dependent upon your level of skill, knowledge and intelligence.
If you are not improving your stock of saleable skills, then your value to the market place is going down.
As technology advances, your skills are in danger of becoming obsolete.
If you are adding to your stock of knowledge, by continuous study, then your value in the marketplace continues to climb.

Here is a word of advice
Take advantage of the web and reignite your desire to learn. Access new knowledge. Engage yourself in e learning.

It is important to your future prosperity and security; don’t wait!
Decide what it is you would like to learn, today, and then....

Get cracking!

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information about our Online Training Courses

How to give staff appraisals

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How to give staff appraisals

Why appraisals are important
Appraisals are the time when you are asked to give feedback to others.
Feedback is a subset of the Continuous improvement cycle.
1. Set the goal
2. Write the plan
3. Take the actions
4. Give feedback on the actions
5. Change and adapt according to the feedback

The value of accurate feedback
Feedback is a specialised form of information that:
1. Tells you how you are doing up to now, and
2. Informs you of your next actions needed to achieve your goals

Feedback can be in three forms:
1. You have taken action and find that you have made good progress.
2. You have taken action and find that you have NOT made good progress.
3. You have taken action and find that you have gone backwards (got worse: regressed).

Friend and colleague
There is a need to overcome your natural reluctance to critique a friend.
Many people like their colleagues and the thought of critiquing a friends performance to too much for some to bear.
So they FAIL to give the proper feedback.

This failure is to the detriment of:
1. The friend
2. The organisation
3. The customer
4. Yourself

Be prepared to give honest and objective feedback to a friend.

Distinguish between
1. Insult and feedback
Insults are defined as “vague, subjective, emotionalised and NOT containing a specific corrective action.”
Example “You are a clown”.

Feedback is defined as the opposite: “Specific, objective, NON emotionalised and containing a specific corrective action”.
Example: “You are unshaven. In your role: You need to come to work well groomed”.

2. Meaningless praise and feedback
Praise should also be specific, and honest.
Example: “That cover design was imaginative and eye catching. You are very good at this!”
NOT vague and empty “You’re The CHAMP!”

Proper feedback has the following four characteristics:

1. Objective
Feedback should be objective:
That means:
• Evidence based: Linked to specific named instances.
• Accurate: Corresponding to the facts.

2. Brief
Feedback should be brief.
Short.
NOT unduly extended beyond necessity, with too many words, that could more easily have been said with a phase that was much shorter than this one!

3. Developmental
Feedback should provide solutions to any problematic errors.
Every weakness should be accompanied by an action plan to correct it.

4. Fair
• Feedback illuminates the good
• Feedback that identifies the NOT so good
• Feedback that examines the BAD
• Feedback that corrects

Summary
Appraisals are the time when you are asked to give feedback to others.
Feedback is a specialised form of information about the next actions needed to achieve your goals.
Sometimes you will need to critique a friend.
Distinguish between: Insult and feedback.
Distinguish between: Meaningless praise and feedback.
Develop your ability to be objective, brief and fair.
Ensure that you always come up with workable and agreed action plans.

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information about our Management Training Courses

Stress management training

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Stress management

Stressful situations are common

They are most often triggered by threat situations.

If you percieve no threats to your continuued prosperity and health: you feel no stress.

If you percieve there are threats to your continued prosperity and health, then you DO feel stress.

You cannot wish the threat away, so instead you should:

1. Deal with your emotional reaction: the internal situation.

2. Deal with the facts of the case: the external situation.

How should you deal with the feeling of being stressed?

Follow these steps

Guard your thinking

Keep your immagination under control and stop it from dreaming up multiple scary scenarious that have not yet happend (and propbably never will) but have the capacity to smash your confidence
and keep you awake at night.

Guard your language

Don’t talk yourself out of all your confidence
Don’t say things destructive to your confidence.

Instead, Say things that imply you are on the verge of a breakthrough.

Find reasons to be optimistic and talk about those to everyone you can find.

This will tend to take the mental pressure off a little. (Though it is not enough, in itself, to cure the situation).

Guard your habits

Dont let the stress situation be the trigger for destuctive habits such as:
• Excessive alcohol
• Bad temper tantrums
• Poor diet
• Arguments with important people in your life.

Reverse this list and instead

• Drink plenty of water
• Stop complaining
• Eat well
• Be kind to your family.

How should you deal with the situation

Follow these steps

1. Sit down with a note book and pencils and a few well chosen, positive and well motivated
people
2. List all the facts of the stress situation.
3. List all the things you can do about it.
4. Strike out all the things you could do, but are not really a very good idea.
5. You are left then with a shorter list of all the things you could do and are good ideas.
6. Put this list into order and call that your “plan of action”.
7. Start immediately to implement your “plan of action”
8. Repeat the above steps every day until you either:
• WIN
• or Die trying

Memorise these words of Winston Churchill

“This is the lesson:
Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information about our stress management training courses

Communication skills

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Tue, 8 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Communication skills

Improve your use of language

Some say “Judge not, lest you be judged”.
But the truth is, you will be judged by others.

People must make judgements about you:
• Whether to believe you or not.
• Whether to treat you well or not.
• Whether to give you the position or not.

So prepare to be judged.
Do everything you can to help them make a decision that is good for you and your family.

Here is the truth:
People make judgements based on the evidence of their senses:
They go on what they:
• See
• Hear
• Feel
• (And smell)

We call this the other persons “Impression” of you.
Their impression of you could be:

• Good
• Bad
• Indifferent

You want to make good impressions: therefore you should practice the art of impression management.

This blog article is about your use of language in the marketplace:
Later blogs will discuss body language and voice tone. This blog is about your use of words.

Here are four notes for you to consider.

Notes on your use of language.

1. Don't talk too much
Don't tell people
• How sick you have been
• How badly you have been treated by another
• All your troubles
• Don’t bombard them with stories of your aches and pains, upsets and injustices.

Also:
Don’t self depreciate
For example: avoid saying things like:
“I've got the world’s worst memory for names!"

Don't run yourself down- even as a joke
For example “I used to be indecisive, but now I not so sure!"

This type of talking instils doubt in the mind of the listener.
• If you go on about your bad luck- maybe you are not good to have around.
• If you go on about your ill health- maybe you are contagious.
• If you bad mouth your last boss- maybe you will bad mouth me.
• If you tell me you have a poor memory- maybe you will forget what I tell you.

2. Limit what you say to positive things
Instead talk about the things that you can do and will do.
Prepared yourself to be ready to talk about:

• Your strengths
• Your creativity
• Your resourcefulness
• Your ambitions for the future
• Your ability to add value to their organisation

Let people feel you are a force for good.

• A source of solutions.
• A great person to have around.
• An asset.

3. Keep to the point
In normal conversation you can drift from one subject to another and end up way off track.
In a business context, however, train yourself to stick to the point and focus on one thing at a time.
Fragmented, wandering conversations are a fruitless waste of time.
Countless hours are wasted every day in businesses all over the country, in poorly conducted meetings.
Don't ramble on about related but useless details.
Answer the question they ask and then stop.

4. Distinguish between being funny and being silly
Humour is an important asset.
You should develop a ready humour and a keen wit.

• But do not confuse witty with silly.
• Enjoy a joke- but don’t become a joker.
• Laugh but don’t become laughable.

Remember that the “court jester” is NOT the same person as the King or queen.
Nobody would trust a clown with an important project.

Display a sense of humour BUT do not overplay it or you will seem silly, stupid, and inane.

Be witty but don't be a clown.
Strive to be a serious contender but with a sense of humour.

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information on effective communication skills.

Managers: How to think and grow rich

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Creativity as the sources of new profits

There is one thing that will be the source of your greatest profits in the future: your MIND.

Your minds capacity to imagine, and create new ideas, that can be sold can create fantastic wealth.
It has not always been that way: In the past wealth has been defined by many things.

In early history (even up to the present time) Food production was the source of wealth. If you could grow enough food, you were wealthy. If not you were poor: Many went hungry and even starved.

But now in this country, finding enough food is not the problem (overeating is more likely to be the problem).

Later, wealth was determined by the acquisition of land. The landed gentry were the wealthy (and still are). Owning land gave you the rights to all the products of the land:
Crops
Rent
Minerals and metals

Owning land is still a good measure of wealth- probably always will be.

But, come the industrial revolution, the landed gentry were joined by a new breed of wealth creator.

The engineer

The Victorian engineers became the new breed of wealth creator who were able to exploit their Knowledge of:
• Chemistry
• Engineering and
• Mathematics to generated abundant wealth

Men like
• Isambard Kingdom Brunel
• James Watt
• Richard Arkwright

These men were not born rich but made themselves rich by the application of intelligence and were excellent examples of a new trend.

The trend towards the mind as the source of wealth.

This trend started in the Victorian age, has continued to grow.

These people of creative genius were the driving force of wealth creation in the 20 century.

The creative men of engineering were joined by creative men of other kinds.

This new breed used their creativity to generate unbelievable wealth for themselves and others
People such as.

• Charles Chaplin
• Walt Disney

This type were not engineers but they were people of Imagination.

And it made them fortunes.

We have now reached the point in economics where you do not need to be born rich to become rich.
Because, if you do not have the money to start with, you can instead become creative and imaginative.

Your capacity to imagine and create what you have imagined can unlock doors of wealth that are unlimited.

Examples of this type are:

Larry Page and and Sergey Brin who joint founded Google on September 15, 1997.

And in 2007 Google made $5,787,938,000

So you can see, these guys are doing better than we are!

But what about tomorrow?

Somewhere in your brain lies the seed of great wealth creation.

It is in the form of a great idea.

Your job is to have great ideas turn them into a reality, and sell them.

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information about our Management Training Courses

Change management

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Change management

Change is in the air: Change of economic condition; climate change; political change.

The Laws of Darwinian evolution demand that you adapt and change.

There are two kinds of change:
1. One is good
2. The other is not so good

Here is the good change:
Change in behaviour that is intended to result in you arriving at a specific place in a specified time.

Here is the not so good change
Change that is intended to get you anywhere (change for change sake).

Change for change sake is a common error.

Charlton Ogburn, Jr. (1911-1998) wrote:

"We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we
would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by
reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.

Change for change sake is dangerous
This kind of change is caused by the false logic that says:
1. All improvement implies a change
2. This is a change
3. Therefore this in an improvement

Do not change for its own sake
Change is expensive tiring and upsetting to most people.
Change is unavoidable.
So make change purposeful.

“A person in danger should not try to escape at one stroke. He should first calmly hold his own,
and then be satisfied with small gains, which will come by creative adaptations.”
I Ching

Make change comply with the following conditions

1 Make your change goal directed, purposeful; intended to deliver you to a place of your choosing.

2 Make your change organised according to an intelligent, written plan.
Change is stressful enough without adding disorganisation into the mix.

3 Make change unceasingly
Never stop adapting, growing and improving.

4 Make your change in good spirits
Don't begrudge change. Even BAD roads can lead to peaceful, golden beaches.

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information on change management.

How to gain confidence

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A simple way to gain confidence

There is a two word phrase that you can use to be the source of confidence The same phrase can also be the source of desperation.

If you use this two word phrase positively- it can breed confidence, success and happiness.

If you misuse this two word phrase -it will cause you anxiety, pain and fear.

The phrase in question is:

"WHAT IF.....?"

Let us see how "what if" can be used to create fear.

Fear is a negative emotion that clouds the brain and causes people to act in ways that are often counter productive.

The cause of fear is a specific thought process.

Thoughts of a threatening or bad future trigger emotions of fear.

Such thoughts are easily created by the misuse of the phrase "WHAT IF".

Using "What if" one can bring to mind any conceivable but arbitrary scenario.
Then, that scenario will form in the imagination a series of mental pictures.

The mental pictures will be of:
* Disaster
* Loss
* Pain

As a result, fear is triggered and it feels real!
Examples of "WHAT IF?" statements that you have heard recently that are likely to induce fear, include:

What if the ice caps melt?
What if the Tories get in power?
What if Labor retains power?
What if the volcano goes on forever?
What if I lose my job?
What if it all goes wrong?

Fear thoughts are a powerful stimulant.

They stimulate the body to produce stress hormones that interfere with your digestion and your brain function.

Fear can make you sick!
Fear is the cause of much sickness. AND it is fed by a continuous flow of negative suggestions in the form of "WHAT IF" statements.
(by the way there are an infinite number of possible "what if scenarios"�and the press make up new ones every day in order to create good copy.

Be careful of an overdose of fear by over use of the phrase WHAT IF .. (Plus any arbitrary statement).

Keep your negative imagination under control.

Let us look at how WHAT IF can be a force for good!

Did you know that you can you can use WHAT IF statements as a positive stimulant instead of a negative one?

You can trigger creative thinking and confidence by asking positively charged WHAT IF questions about any situation.

For example, try these:

WHAT IF I asked them for a chance to try it?
What if I put my plan into operation and it worked?
What if I asked her and she said YES?
What if I tried one more time, and this time I succeeded?
What if we tried a different way?
What if we looked at this from their frame of reference, instead of ours?

Positive emotions and practical plans of action can be stimulated by the phrase WHAT IF.. (Plus any positive suggestion).

Then, by the same process but in a different direction, the mind makes mental pictures that could be the start of something good.

The least that will happen is a greater feeling of confidence and optimism.

Remember Fear can make you sick!
So keep fear in its place by the proper use of your positive imagination.
Switched positivity on by using the correct form of "WHAT IF"?�

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information about our Management Training Courses

How to improve your communication skills

Chris Farmer info@corporatecoachgroup.co.uk — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

How to improve your communication skills

An easy way to improve your communication skills

Here is an easy way to improve your communication skills by a factor of two!

USE NUMBERS

Let me explain...

Everyday speech is filled with vague terms that are easily misunderstood

Terms like:

As soon as possible:
• Better
• Worse
• Fast
• Slow
• Good

This language introduces ambiguity.

Ambiguity can be defined as “a word or phrase that can be properly interpreted in more than one way".

Politian’s use ambiguity ON PURPOSE, because they cannot afford to be too specific:
Instead, their main task is to have universal appeal.

So, they use vague words.

In order to it play safe, Politicians choose words like:

• Change
• Fair
• Right
• Social justice

You can’t disagree with empty words but they LACK meaning i.e. their words mean whatever the listener thinks they mean: which is why the politician repeats them so frequently.

But you will never get a specific definition of any of these terms from a politician.

Consequently politicians fail in their objective of universal appeal.

Because of their forked tongues, we suspect that they lack credibility:

But
Assuming that you are not a professional politician

And that you live in "the real world" where words should have a specific meaning.

Then too much ambiguity will cause:

Misunderstandings
Confusion

At work ambiguity will cost you!

Specificity should be your communication goal.

How can you make yourself more specific?

Use NUMBERS:

1. Get into the habit of thinking and speaking using numbers.
2. Get into the habit of asking for numbers from others.

For example

Rather than:

“I need you do it as soon as possible.
Say “I need it before 5:30PM tomorrow.

Rather than saying “more".
say “25% more.

Rather than say "worse".
Say "Down by two hundred and twenty".

Formulate your statements into numerical quantities:

Would you get some milk?
Becomes: would you get two pints of milk?

“Make sure you have got enough money with you."
Turns into “Make sure you take at least £200 with you when you go."

“Show me some consideration
Turns into: “Text me at least one message every day when you are away”.

USE numbers
Numbers cause you to think quantitatively.

Quantitative statements are more specific.

Specific language is the goal.

So, numbers will make you at least three times more specific than the average politician.

This would be at least twice as good for business

Visit the Corporate Coach Group website for more information on effective communication skills.