The Power of the Listening (Progressive) Manager

We need to stop being helpful.
Trying to be helpful and giving advice are really just ways to control others.
Advice is a conversation stopper…we should substitute curiosity for advice.
Do not tell people how you handled the same concern in the past.  Do not immediately offer the text book solution to the problem – unless you want [...]

Without Valleys There Can Be No Mountains

I am not sure where I first collected this quote but the more I think about it the more I see its relevance to effective management.
To me it means that wherever there is a great strength there is also a great weakness.  You cannot have one without the other.  Ying and Yang. I think this [...]

Communication – whose job is it?

“I have worked here for 6 months now, and still no-one has told me about what other parts of this organisation do.”
This complaint was aired again at a recent organisational get together that I helped to facilitate.  It is a common complaint – very common.  In essence it says ‘you the management don’t give me [...]

The Many Roles of the Manager

“People placed in management roles must become translators, delegators, motivators, trainers, mediators, planners, listeners, organizers, problem-solvers, example-setters, cheerleaders, budgeters, ambassadors, regulators, counselors, and more, all while remaining diligent workers.”

Dan Bobinski
So it is no wonder that so many new (or not so new) to management roles find the transition hard.
You can read more from Dan here.

Managing in a Poor Culture

What do yo do when you are managing in an organisation that has a poor culture?
This is the subject of a great post by Miki Saxon.
She makes the point that the starting place has to be a conscious decision that this is a place where you want to be and do great work – in [...]

Putting it into Practice

The new year has started off with a couple of interesting management development contracts.  One in an FE/HE college and one in a housing association.
In both cases the reaction to the training has been very positive.  Managers have started using 121s which I am really pleased about – but once again – have found it [...]

2. Say ‘Thank You’ and Smile…

When someone pays you a compliment.
Most of us are lousy at taking compliments.
We often  respond by down sizing our achievements;
‘Oh really it was nothing’
or
‘I was just doing my job’.
This down sizing achieves nothing worthwhile.
First of all it negates the judgement and the goodwill of the person  who offered you the compliments making it less likely [...]

1. Say ‘Thank You’ and Smile…

When one of your team members offers you a suggestion that you have already thought about but discounted.
Instead of saying thank you and smiling, many managers will respond to this situation by giving way too much information. For example:
“Yes I had thought about that but decided with the current focus on xyz now would not [...]