Tips and Techniques to Apply for Motivated Staff and More Sales

The Next Great Leader

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I will be speaking at this event on ‘How to Deal With Difficult People’

I look forward to meeting you there

THE NEXT GREAT LEADER

Leadership and Management in a Changing World:

Igniting the Passion WithinEMPOWER! ENGAGE! TRANSCEND!

 

February 22 – 23, 2012
(8:30 AM to 5:30 PM)
CSB HOTEL – International Conference Center,

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Malate Manila

We recognized that many teachings from ancient philosophy are imperatives in today’s dynamically-driven management.Consistency, fairness, self-discipline, industry, leading by example, responsibility and accountability are living values and time-tested principles that thrived in the ancient way of life and are, as well, alive in today’s organizations and business leaders.

In the aftermath of the world financial crisis, simultaneously with the significant changes taking place in the global economy, within the confines of the enterprise, these ideas have grown to even greater importance.

Drawing attention on central management areas, this conference will introduce innovative Management and Leadership approaches and developments enlightened by philosophical considerations from diverse schools of thought. It endeavors to surface key ideas of the classic school and traditional philosophy; and relate them to modern Management and Leadership principles in a cross-cultural perspective. The conference further aims to discuss how substantial improvements in management practice can be realized.

Managers, Policy Makers, Educators, and Students will significantly benefit from this conference participation. It will also help new and seasoned managers enrich collective skills required to successfully lead and motivate a team to reach their set objectives and exceed goals!

Whether it is inspiring teams, working with the boss or using technology to achieve optimized results, this conference will definitely arm delegates the fundamental information and knowledge to help them excel in the coming years!

The conference gathers a great pool of speakers who will unselfishly share innovative ideas in the realm of Leadership and Management.

 

So….. let go of your managers and supervisors, get them ready to boost up! 

Convention Highlights:

Plenary Sessions

Session 1:Future Leaders as a ‘Sustainable Talent Generation’
Session 2: Managing Line and Team Leaders: Bridging Strategy and Action

Session 3: Enhancing Emotional Intelligence to Drive Performance

Session 4: Moving from being a Traditional Manager to a Strategic Leader

Session 5:Building Resilience in Your Staff and YourselfSession 6: Dealing with Difficult People and Different Personalities

Session 7: Enriching Assertiveness & Self Confidence at Work

Session 8: Unleashing the Best and Igniting Passion in People

Breakout Session 1:
Track A: Creative Thinking: Unlocking the ‘Genius’ in You!
Track B:Developing Your Personal Brand and Professional ImageTrack C: Management Skills for New Managers

Breakout Session 2:

Track D: Change Leadership: Getting the “Buy-in”
Track E: Connective Leadership in an Ever-changing World
Track F: Innovative Entrepreneurship Leadership: New Directions and Development
Breakout Session 3:
Track G:Coaching and Counseling towards Outstanding Job PerformanceTrack H: Risk Management: Reducing Challenges-Maximizing Results

Track I: Middle Management Lean Six Sigma: Strengthening the Leadership Pipeline

Some of the rave reviews from the previous run of Annual Convention for Leaders & Managers
“All of the topics are relevant to our business. The convention was well organized. I liked the constant follow-up communication via email

and text.”
- Ronald R. Dee

 

 

 

 

 
“I liked best the speakers with excellent ratings and as well the topics discussed. 80% of the speakers gave very inspirational, informative talks with very good presentation materials. As always, ARIVA! staff are very lively, friendly and well organized. Very good, very recommendable.”
- Rubi J. Dacillo

“Very organized, very friendly and cordial, very professional. It was a successful and great convention. Thank you and more power to ARIVA! God bless you more!”
- Josephine O. Lopez

 

 

 

 

“I liked the Samurai Leadership presentation, I learned

a lot. Songs of the Christian fellowship with prayer in between and Pido Aguilar’s inspirational words, easy to apply in daily life. Ricky de Vera’s the best speaker. I love Pido! ARIVA!’s SMS reminder were good! Useful.”
- Suzanne Kattleya Liwanag
“No bad comment. I have always been amazed with how ARIVA! organize

their events compared to other seminar organizers such as Mansmith and Salt & Light. Your people and marketing efforts are very visible before, during event proper and after.”

- Shellah Marie “Ella” Pabalan

 

 

 

 

 

“I liked the resource speakers, Ricky, Pido and Abbygale. They made the audience interact/ response. It was a well orchestrated convention set-up from the ushers in the street to registration, to food serving complemented by end-of-day awards/ freebies. It well prepared, systematic and a complete package. Overall, ARIVA! gave the best convention I ever attended. Excellent choice of resource speakers, venue, food, audio-visual set up.”
- Reginald Arizabal Tagavilla
“Speakers are very skilled and topics are very informative. Speakers were able to deliver their topics with clarity and very well delivered. The style of speaking/ lecturing was not boring. It was a well organized event, program well arranged.”
- Johara D. Gurat

 

 

“ARIVA!’s an excellent organizer, very organized and complete package with entertainment. Really recommendable to all my friends. All speakers are good and knowledgeable. Everything is excellent, perfect, we learned a lot.”
- Steve A. Tamayo
 

 

 

“ARIVA! you’re the best! More good seminars to come. I am hoping for more of this seminar, gathering all the best speakers ever. I was inspired and motivated of the overall seminar and I’ve learned a lot.”
- Kim A. Caravana
“Great combination of topics and speakers. Good job!”
- Anonymous

 

“The event was well organized and really informative. All of the speakers are knowledgeable, experienced and interesting. I am looking forward to attend another event/ program of ARIVA! The experience was great!”
- Rosalinda M. Asuncion
 

 

 

“Kudos to Sir Pido, one of the best speakers I’ve encountered in my life and Ms. Abbygale Arenas too. The convention was very helpful and informative. It helped us understand more of our roles not just as managers/ supervisors but as employees as well. It helped us more to be an effective and efficient managers/ supervisors. ARIVA! knows what customer service is all about. Serviced with a smile. Accommodating and approachable.”
- Joy Yatco

 

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW! CALL US AT

 

 

ARIVA! Events Management, Inc.
895-8058 / 895-9527 / 890-9651
Call/Text: 0917-3257870
Duo #: 022114363

Email:
SuccessSeminars@Ariva.com.ph

R E G I S T E R   O N L I N E:
www.Ariva.com.ph

 

 

JANUARY 2012
3rd Business Economic Briefing Conference 2012

Date: January 26, 2012

Fundamental Selling Strategies and Techniques

Date: January 27, 2012

Collaborative Leadership Skills for HR Professionals

Date: January 27, 2012

FEBRUARY 2012

Strategic Talent Acquisition: How to Find, Connect & Engage Top Talent

Date: February 9, 2012

Purchasing and Supply Chain Management: The Purchasing Functions and Processes

Date: February 16, 2012

 

THE TRAINER’S TOOL KIT: Training The Non-Trainer to Become Professional and Extra-Ordinary Facilitators
Date: February 16, 2012

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE: How to Win and Keep Customers Coming Back

Date: February 17, 2012

3rd Annual Convention for Leaders & Managers

Date: February 22 – 23, 2012

MARCH 2012

Sharpening Work Skills for Better Secretarial & Administrative Performance

Date: March 8, 2012

Competency-Based HR Management Series 1:

Date: March 8, 2012

How to Be a Motivational Manager: An Essential Guide for Leaders and

Managers Who Need to Get Fast Results with Minimum Stress

Date: March 9, 2012

EVENT MANAGEMENT THAT WORKS!: How to Manage Corporate Events Successfully

Date: March 15 – 16, 2012

Effective Collection Strategies and Receivables Management
Date: March 16, 2012

EXCEPTIONAL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: Mini-MBA for Executive Assistants, Secretaries and Admin Professionals
Date: March 16 – 17, 2012

Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers
Date: March 21 – 22, 2012

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Discover What Makes Good Managers Good

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I’ve spent many years studying successful managers whether they were in business or in sport, trying to establish what makes the good guys so good. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that these managers and coaches know:

  1. How to do all the business parts of the job
  2. How to do all the human parts of the job

There’s no doubt that a manager can have a certain level of success if they’re good at the business part of the job, but not so good at the human part. Some managers can go through their whole career by being competent in all the business and technical aspects of the job.

It takes more

Does a sales manager need to know about selling, of course she does. Does an IT manager need to know about computer hardware and software, of course he does.

Does a football coach need to know how to play football, of course he does.

It’s going to be pretty difficult to manage your team if you don’t know how to do what your team members do. However contrary to what some people believe; the successful manager doesn’t have to be as good at the job or as knowledgeable as their team members.

If you look at the careers of some of our successful sports coaches you’ll find some guys who were pretty average players. Many of them were nowhere near as good as some of the star players they coach today. However that hasn’t stopped them becoming successful as coaches and managers.

It’s important to have the knowledge about the industry or business that you’re in, and understand how your team members do their job. However that’s not what will ultimately determine your success as a manager.

Mike Krzyzewski the basketball coach, says in his book ‘Leading with the Heart’ – “It’s important for a leader to focus on the technical details of his industry or business. But it’s vital to focus on details related specifically to people in the organization.”

People make profits

To be a successful Motivational Manager you’ve got to know the business you’re in, but more importantly you’ve got to know how to get the best out of your people.

In my career I worked for seven companies, three of which I joined as an experienced manager. Of the three I joined as a manager, one sold car maintenance products, the next one sold tools and industrial supplies and the last one sold beer. Three totally different industries with different customers and cultures.

I can remember some of my new team members saying to me at each company I joined, “It’s different in this business, you’ll find it difficult because it’s not the same as you’re used to.” (Do you think they were pleased to see me?)

Of course it was a different industry but managing the team members wasn’t different, and that was what I was hired to do.

At interview stage, even senior managers had reservations about my lack of knowledge of their industry. However, when I joined these organisations I made it my business to find out as much as I could about the industry and the products. I never became an expert in the products or services, but I sure knew how to manage their people, communicate with them on a human level and bring in the sales.

The ironic thing is that most organisations will help managers become better at the business factors, but do very little if anything with the human aspects.

Managers have traditionally developed the skills in finance, planning, marketing and production techniques. Too often the relationships with their people have been assigned a secondary role. This is too important a subject not to receive first line attention.

William Hewlett (1912-2001, American businessman, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard)

Make no mistake about it; if you want highly motivated employees who deliver business results, then you better spend more time on the human and less on the business aspects. Because people make profits!

To listen to this article or download it; please click this link

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Win Customers Who – Stay – Say – Pay

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Do you want customers that stay with you and don’t buy from your competitors? Do you want customers who say nice things about your business to other people? Do you want customers who pay you on time, and accept the fact that you might be a bit more expensive than other suppliers?
Of course you do, but how do you perform this miracle? It’s dead easy really; you only have to consider two factors: be Reliable and be Likeable.

Reliable products and service are not enough

It almost goes without saying that it’s vital to have a reliable product or service. Most businesses spend a great deal of time and money ensuring that their product does what they say it’ll do, and striving for exceptional customer service. However, if you do this consistently, don’t expect any ‘brownie points’ and it won’t ensure stay, say and pay.

Providing reliable products and service is vitally important, however after a while, customers start to take it for granted.

I can remember the days when a motor car was difficult to start on a winter’s morning. When a telephone engineer took a week to fix your phone, and a retail store wouldn’t take back an item you’d purchased. Yeah, I really am that old!

Nowadays, cars start first time, engineers fix your phone remotely on the same day (well sometimes) and retail stores replace, or give back your money immediately.

We now take this kind of reliability and service for granted.

It’s  nice to be nice

To give your business the competitive edge and ensure stay, say and pay, you, your business and your people need to be likeable. Too many organisations forget that their customers are humans and the thing about humans is – they don’t always make decisions logically.

Customers are driven by their emotions and they make decisions about organisations based on their interaction with the people in the business. They’ll even forgive your mistakes if they like your people and your business.

10 Tips

So what do you need to do to ensure the likeability factor? Run your eye down the following list and see how many you can tick off:

  • We always have a genuine smile for every customer
  • We are warm and friendly to all customers
  • We listen carefully and make it obvious that we’re listening
  • We use the customer’s name and our name appropriately
  • We give the impression that we care and are interested in the customer
  • We empathise with problems and complaints and respond quickly
  • We occasionally do something to pleasantly surprise the customer
  • We always keep our promises
  • We give the impression that we’re fun to deal with
  • We treat the customer the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated

(The We means everyone in the business, be they sales people, delivery drivers, accountants, engineers, managers or directors.)

How well did you do? If you’ve got lots of ticks then you probably have lots of customers who like you.

Just a word to the managers and employers amongst you; run your eyes down the list again and replace the word customer with the words employee or staff colleague.

How many ticks did you get this time? Lots of ticks mean your staff like you and it probably follows that your customers do as well.

Have you noticed how being likeable cost so little? A lot less than advertising or other promotional activity required to replace lost customers.

Working a little bit harder on the emotional connection with your customers will increase your likeability factor and ensure they – stay, say and pay.

If you wish to listen to this post or download it to your MP3 player; please click this link.

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How to Manage Difficult People

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Do you have any difficult employees in your business? Managing people and particularly difficult ones, is the hardest job in the world. No one shows you what to do; there are very few training programmes, and most people believe it is just something you can or can’t do.

The reason it’s such a hard job, is that every human being is different. Just because you successfully manage one in a particular way, does not mean to say you’ll be successful with others. Humans are the most complex and complicated pieces of equipment you’ll ever have to deal with. Many of them have similarities but every one of them is different and they all work in a slightly different way. They are totally driven by their emotions and are unlikely to respond to any logical argument.

Who are they?

So, what do we mean by a difficult person? It could someone who bullies, manipulates, annoys you and causes you unhappiness and stress. They say or do things you don’t like or find offensive and unacceptable. And, of course, this creates problems in the workplace. There are a whole range of behaviours that we may classify as difficult. I could list at least sixty, but not all of these are difficult for everyone. Some people may regard a complainer as a difficult person, whereas others couldn’t care less if someone complains or not.

Why tell me why?

You’ve no doubt asked yourself why some people are difficult. Stress can cause people to be difficult and they get stressed for all sorts of reasons. Often it’s just their inability to deal with aspects of their job and their personal life. They tend to blame other people and circumstances, but most often they have the answers within themselves.

It’s fair to say that people sometimes have problems that are out with their control. A death in the family, breakdown of a marriage or a relationship, problems with children, or they may have health issues.

It’s often the case in the workplace, that people find difficulty in doing their job and finding help. Although they may not admit to this, they might feel inadequate and express their frustration by complaining, being negative and difficult.

Some people are not conscious of how they’re perceived by others. They believe that their behaviour is quite normal and are unable to understand why some people see it otherwise.

We all see the world differently from each other. But some people’s programming causes them to become annoyed when others don’t see it as they see it.

Some people’s lack of self-confidence and belief in themselves, often causes them to be angry at the world. They believe that other people are out to do them down and that everything is against them.

Acknowledgement will help

Are you frustrated by that difficult employee who never seems to do things quite right and takes up so much of your time and attention? It’s very easy to fall into the trap of condemning that person as a no-hoper or a problem child. But have you ever considered why they might be behaving badly? It could be that they have a massive need for acknowledgement.

A human’s need for acknowledgement is so strong that they’ll sometimes behave badly to get that acknowledgement. I’m sure you’re aware of children who behave badly in school just to get attention – well, adults do it too.

Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It can be physical such as – a pat on the back, a touch or a handshake. It can also be psychological such as – a word of praise, a compliment, even a “hello!” It can also just be time spent with the person.

Physical and psychological attentions are absolutely vital to human beings. We all need it and we need it every day. However, it must be said that every human being has a different level of need for acknowledgement. Some people need a lot, others less so.

You get more of what you reward

Here’s one way to manage a difficult employee. Try concentrating on what they do well and tell them about it. Spend less time with and even ignore them when they behave badly. It’s not uncommon for managers to invest 90 per cent of their energy responding to negative performance and only 10 per cent strengthening positive performance. If you reward good behaviour – you’ll get more of it. If you reward bad behaviour – you’ll get more of it.

Don’t let them get to you

Prevention is always better than cure and can make your life a whole lot easier when managing difficult people. As stated earlier; human beings are almost totally driven by their emotions. It therefore makes sense to communicate on both a human and business level when dealing with another person. This is about all the simple things like using their name, being warm and friendly; listening and showing that you’re listening. It’s about increasing your likeability factor. It’s not about be nicey-nicey; it’s just harder for people to be difficult if they feel that you genuinely care and are interested in them.

It’s also important not to get hooked by the other person’s behaviour. Stay out of it emotionally and don’t rise to the bait.

Some words are better than others. Telling the other person to calm down or that they can’t or that they’ll have to do something, can often exacerbate a situation.

It’s also important to be aware that the other person may not see a situation they way you see it. They see the world differently from you and believe that what they say, how they behave, and their expectations are all acceptable.

Managing difficult people is a challenge we all face at some time in our life and prevention will always be better than cure. It’s important to choose your behaviour and not allow the difficult person to choose it for you. Don’t allow yourself to be Hooked by what other people say or do; always think before opening your mouth or taking action. Choose to be Assertive when you need to; allowing yourself to be Submissive or Aggressive, will make life much harder for you.

When faced with a difficult person, be it a colleague or a customer; always be aware that they may see the world differently from you. Empathise with their viewpoint and offer solutions that ensure a win-win outcome.

If you want to know more, then check out the book –

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3 Secrets of Team Motivation

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Do you want a highly motivated team who don’t take time off work, don’t keep looking for other jobs, and make a positive contribution to your business? Well there are three things you need to do:

1. Spend some quality time

I didn’t say “quantity time” I said “quality time.” One or two minutes of quality time on a regular basis are far more productive than a one hour review every year.  You need to get to know the individual members of your team better, and they need to get to know you. It will help you build a relationship with the team member. You’ll gain a much better understanding of them, and how they’re handling the job. It will also give the impression that you care about them and show that you’re there to help with problems both personal and business.

Spending quality time will encourage opinions and ideas to flow from them, and allows you to explain the company’s mission. It gives them a feeling of being in on things which is a big motivator. It will also help you build an early warning system of any problems both business and personal.  Finally, it builds team spirit and morale.

2. Give feedback and coach

You need to regularly tell each member of your team when they’re doing well and when not so well. I read some recent research that suggested 65% of employees in the US received no recognition at work in the past year. My experience tells me that it’s much the same throughout the world and much worse in some countries. Some managers still believe – “Why should I praise people when they’re only doing what they’re paid to do.”

It’s also important to tell people when they’re not performing. There are too many managers who either ignore poor behaviour or come down on the person like a ton of bricks when they do something wrong. There are particular ways to give feedback and coach and they need to be learned.

3. Be a believer

We’re now getting into the area of empowerment which was first introduced in the 1980’s and became a bit of a management buzzword. However, I believe that it’s one of the most promising but least understood concepts in management today.

I’m a fairly down to earth practical sort of person; I’m not big into management theories, unless I can see the benefits for me – I see a great deal of benefit for managers and team leaders in Empowerment.

It’s about utilising the knowledge, skill, experience and motivational power that’s already within your people. The majority of people in teams and organisations throughout the world are severely underutilised.

Your team have probably more to offer in terms of skill, knowledge and experience, and if you utilize that, you will achieve your business goals and you’ll motivate them.

To listen to this article or download it; please click this link.

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Managing Difficult People – You get what you reward

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Have you ever considered that you might be rewarding difficult people for their behaviour? These could be customers, colleagues or members of your staff.

A few years ago there was a documentary programme running on BBC Television called – “Little Angels.” It was a series that offered help and advice to parents who were experiencing behaviour difficulties with their children. I’m sure there are similar programmes in other parts of the world. The children are often out of control, won’t do what they’re told, and generally dominate the family.

Part of the programme shows the parent dealing with the child while receiving instruction from a clinical psychologist through an earphone. The psychologist watches what’s happening on hidden cameras, and constantly tells the parent to reward the child, with words of support, when they do something well. When the child misbehaves, the instructions are to ignore, and leave them alone.

There is a huge temptation for the parent to reprimand the child but this is not permitted by the psychologist.

Are you giving them what they want?

There isn’t a whole lot of difference when dealing with adults who misbehave. If you’re a manager of people, think for a moment about that difficult employee who never seems to do things quite right and takes up so much of your time and attention. Maybe that’s just what he or she wants – your time and attention; and as long as they continue to get what they want – they’re going to continue being difficult. You are in effect rewarding them!

Concentrate on the positives

If you have a difficult team member or employee, try concentrating on what they do well and tell them about it. Spend less time with and even ignore them when they misbehave. It’s not uncommon for managers to invest 90 percent of their energy responding to negative performance and only 10 percent strengthening positive performance. If you reward good behaviour – you’ll get more of it. If you reward bad behaviour – you’ll get more of it!

Put this to the test right away and it should make your life a whole lot easier.

If you want to listen to this or download it to your MP3 player, please click this link

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Successful Managers Don’t Get Stressed

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Firstly we need to consider what we mean by a successful manager. I believe that there are two factors that identify a successful manager:

  1. A manager who gets the job done
  2. A manager who does it in the easiest and least stressful way possible.

Let’s be totally clear about point 1: – as a manager you’ve got to achieve your target, your production figures or whatever it is that your organisation requires of you. Its one thing to have a happy motivated team; however it’s another thing if they’re not doing the business. If that’s the case, then you’re not a successful manager.

You also want to be able to go home at night in the knowledge that you’ve done what was required of you. That can be a great confidence booster and it also makes you feel good about yourself.

Don’t kill yourself

However I’m sure that in being a successful manager and achieving your business goals, you don’t want to kill yourself in the process. Too many managers are suffering from stress, losing sleep and damaging their family life. That’s not what success is all about and I’m sure it’s not what you want. Some managers seem to believe that stress and hassle is all part of territory, and that they should just accept it.

I’ve known successful managers in terms of achieving their business targets who were not successful in their personal life. How many marriages have suffered because one of the partners was spending too much time being successful in their job?

How often has the relationship with our children suffered because of a lack of quality time spent with them?

I’ve know managers who’ve collapsed in the workplace due to stress. I’m sure you’ve also heard of sports coaches who’ve suffered heart attacks while watching a game.

It’s been said that success has to come at a price, however that price should not be paid in terms of a troubled personal life. We can pay the price of success by changing our viewpoint, increasing our knowledge of human nature and making changes to the way we lead our teams.

John Wooden ex UCLA Basketball coach was voted the best sports coach of all time in a recent poll.

“I had a successful basketball career,” he wrote in his 1997 book Wooden. “But I believe I had an even more successful marriage.”

Successful managers get products out the door or hit their sales target and if they’re in sports, they win the championship. However they also do it at the lowest possible personal cost to themselves and their families.

If you want to know how to do this, then read my book – How to be a Motivational Manager, or keep following this blog.

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Dragon’s Den

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I enjoyed ‘Dragons Den’ last night as usual! 

But I get so frustrated with the poorly prepared business people. Many have a good product or service, but haven’t a clue how to ‘sell’ it to the world or to an investor.

It’s the same formula as shows like The X Factor, America’s Got Talent, and the Apprentice.

Throw in a few nutters,  no-hopers, and a couple of genuine cases.

It’s good television!

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Middle Managers Make It Happen

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Cover of "How to Be a Motivational Manage...

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What if I told you – 70% of people don’t leave their job; they leave their manager!

This came from research conducted by the Gallup Management Journal a few years ago, and not much has changed.

Middle managers and supervisors are the most important people in any organisation. You’re the person who has to get the best out of your team every day. However, your team’s performance is determined by the relationship they have with you. I did the job of a manager for fifteen years and I know what’s involved.  You’re the one stuck in the middle between the team member and your manager, and that can be a hard sandwich to digest.

Be a Team Leader not a Manager

I’ve used the words managers and supervisors, but I believe you need to think about yourself more as a Team Leader. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Sales or Customer Service or in a production situation, you’re responsible for a team of people and you’re expected to achieve results through them.

What are the challenges?

The majority of managers that I’ve worked for, and with, were mediocre. Some of them were very poor, and only one or two could be described as good. This isn’t a personal attack on these people; it’s just what I’ve experienced as a team member and colleague of these managers. If you look back over your career then I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences.

Why is this?

I believe that there are four reasons:

  1. Because it’s such a difficult job
  2. Nobody shows you what to do or gives you the right training
  3. The media and our culture send the wrong message
  4. Some people don’t have what it takes to be a manager.

It is difficult – deal with it

So it’s a difficult job, but also very rewarding if you do it well. If you don’t get a buzz out of seeing a member of your team, or the whole team doing well and being successful, then you’re in the wrong job.

You do need training

Pester your manager for leadership training or do your own studies. For some reason or other, many organisations and senior managers believe that training isn’t required, and you’ve either got it or you haven’t.

Ignore the media

The media sends the wrong message about how to be a good leader.

We’ve all heard the old cliché ‘nice guys don’t finish first’ and that has a huge impact on how some leaders deal with their people. We’re led to believe that successful leaders are tough, courageous ‘no nonsense’ type of people. And if you’re weak or soft with your team, then you’ll get walked on and taken advantage of.

A leader will often look at ‘successful’ leaders in business or sport to try and understand what makes them successful. The media often portrays these people as tough guys who drive their people by the force of their personality, shouts and threats – no wimps allowed!

Trust me – tough guy leaders will always have problems with their teams

Maybe you do, maybe you don’t

Of course people can improve with training but we have to accept the fact that some will not. You can send a poor manager on a training course but they’ll either reject everything they hear, or they’ll realise that they’re in the wrong job.

You may be starting to feel that perhaps being a manager or team leader is not for you and that may be the case. You’ll obviously make your own decision about what track your career will take, but I would ask you not to give up too easily.

Some managers are in the wrong job, but they tend to be in the minority. If you feel that you’re not having the success you should have, ask yourself if you’ve ever received any help.

I think you’ll find that like many managers, you’ve been left to get on with it. That’s why I wrote – ‘How to be a Motivational Manager.’ Read this book, or any other that suits you, before you make any decisions about your career as a team leader.

The way you treat your staff is the way they’ll treat your customers.

Karl Albrecht

 

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Dealing with Difficult People – Count to 2 Before You Speak

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Do you remember being told to count to 10 before you lose your temper with someone else? The idea being, that if you think before you speak, then you are less likely to say something you’ll regret at a later time.

Well, I’m suggesting you count to 2 before responding to almost anything, anyone says to you.

Too often we don’t think and just react to how we feel, and say the first thing that comes into our head. The successful business person doesn’t react – they think!

How you think, your relationship with yourself is what’s going to decide how well you communicate with your customers, relate to your staff and everyone else in your life.

The most important relationship you’ll ever have is the one you have with yourself, so you’ve got to get that right.

According to Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, that’s why so few people do it.”

Successful people have a deep understanding of their own minds. They’re aware of their needs, their strengths and weaknesses, and their emotions. They’re honest with themselves and resultantly, with their customers, their colleagues, and their staff.

You have to decide who runs your mind, is it you or is it somebody else?

Let me give you an example:

I’ve always had a thing about good timekeeping; it’s something that’s been programmed into my brain. If you agree to meet me at 8.30 in the morning, I‘ll be there at 8.20; I will always do my utmost be on time.

So I used to get angry when a member of my team would show up late for a meeting or an appointment with me.

When I got angry, I’d get stressed and end up saying something that I regretted later. Therefore, I learned to start thinking about the situation and try to see it from their point of view and not let my programming run my brain.

That doesn’t mean to say I ignored the lateness or did nothing about it; I thought very carefully about what I wanted to say and spoke to the team member about how we would resolve this situation.

The point is this – I’m not prepared to allow that team member’s behaviour to run my mind. Getting angry and stressed is not good for your health and it isn’t a productive way to manage a difficult person or motivate your team.

Successful people have the courage to challenge what they hear in their own mind and also what they hear from other people.

Put this to the test right away; count to 2 and think before you speak or take action.

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