management – Success Strategies

Social Distance. 5 Ways To Greet Safely…

Here’s a hug for you, and for you, and one for you.

But Hold up! With the advent of the Corona virus we are not supposed to be hugging right? It’s called keeping your social distance. We are now forced to find new ways to greet others at social gatherings such as in the networking sphere.

5 Ways To Greet Safely

Here are 5 Ways:

Look the person in the eye and use your feet to greet (shown in video). It’s called the Wuhan Shake.
Wave to say hello
Fist Bump
Head nod
Just say hello

There are tons more circulating but for now as we battle the Corona health pandemic, these should help bridge the gap.

Cheers!

Leadership Is Foresight…

Being a leader is 24-7 job, and educational opportunities to improve yourself are everywhere. Learn from your friends and family and sometimes complete strangers, and you’ll find opportunities at every turn

– Byron Scott and Charles Norris

Leader

Where are you now and where do you want to be? In the book Slam Dunk Success, Magic Johnson articulated in the Forward that most people think you win then you become a leader. But it’s the other way around. You’re a leader first, then you win.

Leaders Are Everywhere

Leaders are everywhere and so are leadership opportunities. Punctured or not, Magic urged that you may be an entry-level employee or a middle manager, but not to worry. Every department is looking for a leader. To have the courage to stand up and take the lead, you will become successful.

Leadership is Innate

Leaders are constantly changing the world around them. They may be involved in business or in the community. Opportunities abound.

Leadership Is Foresight

Manage yourself. Think of where you are now and where you want to be. Then take the steps ….one at a time. Try. Learn. Fail. Get back up and do it again. You will succeed with hard work and persistence. As always, don’t give up.

Cheers!

13 Things I Learned From Working With A Micro Manager…

team pic

Give me guidance, not micro management

Micromanagement. It’s negative. Besides the organizational impact of higher turnover, stress, lowered productivity, team members suffer dire consequences when being micro-managed. We dare say that many still practice it… but is it wise? Is there a basis for micromanagement?

Micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes and/or controls the work of his/her subordinates or employees. Micromanagement is generally considered to have a negative connotation, mainly due to the fact that it shows a lack of freedom in the workplace

Below are some simple examples of reasons learnt from working with a Micromanager.

Not to micromanage
It’s frustrating
Time goes by slowly and you long for weekends and holidays
It induces lack of confidence
You question yourself “am I doing it right?“
You double and triple-check your work to make sure there are no mistakes
You become insecure, often asking yourself; “am I going to lose my job today?”
Productivity increases when the boss is absent because employees are ‘happier’. The opposite is also true because employees feel relieved, relaxed and become unproductive
The micromanager rarely gives praise because he/she is focused on finding mistakes
Micromanagement causes increased Stress which leads to health issues and absenteeism
Individuals make irrational decisions when they become frustrated. Some even throw in the towel and resign without knowledge of the next steps.
Turnover is high
The micro manager is a control freak because he/she is often insecure

Were you ever micro-managed? How did it affect you? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Listen Leaders, Listen…

If you only listen to one side, I’ll never tell you the other unless you talk to me. ~Dr.Shelly Cameron

17 Signs You Have A Bad Boss…

A Bad Manager can take a good staff and destroy it, causing the best employees to flee and the remainder to lose all motivation.

We have all had to deal with bad bosses at one time or the other throughout our career. We scream, complain, lose the Typical drive, become demotivated, do barely enough to get by, or inevitably jump ship. If you are dealing with a bad boss here are a few examples of characteristics that depicts the behavior.

Lack of vision and inability to communicate effectively
Micromanaging
Thinking you have all the answers and that you must have all the answers
Working late everyday
Poor Hiring Decisions
Failure to Admit Mistakes
Takes the credit but gives the blame
Provides little/no feedback or coaching
Shows favoritism
Task-focused vs team-oriented
Selects and leads based on “like me”
Ignores diversity of thought or varying opinions
Past focused vs present/future
Being a friend instead of a leader
Failing to delegate and demonstrate trust
Allowing ego and pride to get in the way of good decisions
Personal agendas/motives

If you are a new manager, reflect on these characteristics. Recognize the signs and plan to change. You will then be on your way to becoming a good leader.

Need help? Lets connect.

Cheers!

Managers Be Human – 4 Ways…

Are you a manager or leader of some sort? Harvard Business Review article shared 4 points to help managers be seen as more human. Here I share:

Be Personal
Be Self-Aware
Be Selfless
Be Compassionate

In my research on what makes leaders successful, self-awareness was one of the traits that stood out. But being of service to others depends on your own self-development.

Again, are you a manager, or leader of some sort? Take a moment and look at your leadership style. Do people working with you, whether at work or otherwise find you approachable? Easy to get along with? If not, you have some work to do. Enroll now. To be successful as a leader, your people should not fear you. So do what you have to do to improve.

Need help? Lets Connect.

Cheers!

On 2nd Thoughts: Leadership & Power

If you build it, will they come?

Leadership as the ability to cause other persons to act in desired ways for the benefit of the organization or group

As the citizens of the United States prepare for the passing of the baton to another President, it might be worth it to pause and reflect on leadership and power. Many are having Second Thoughts about what to do to influence the passing of the baton to another incumbent.

For that matter, our reflections turn to consider what is leadership? What is power? How can leaders positively influence the action of others? Is there a right way? Is there a wrong way? Does it differ at the worldwide level from that of the organizational and individual levels? These questions have tugged at my mind as I contemplated the sources of power and sought to identify individuals in organizations who exemplify these attributes.

Leading Leaders

Selacuse in his book “Leading Leaders” discussed the category of powerful people whom he defined as the ‘elites’. Despite the natural negative connotation derived from this term, these are individuals who have “more” – more education, more talent, more money and more clout than ordinary people. Their knowledge, skills, money or power give elites (customarily leaders) special privileges.

A Bushy Comparison

Persuasion before action

Moreso Selacuse defined leadership as the ability to cause other persons to act in desired ways for the benefit of the organization or group. He conveyed an interesting spin on contrasting leadership at the presidential level. A comparative analysis was done on the leadership style of President George H.W. Bush with the leadership of his son President George W. Bush. Father Bush strongly believed that if other nations were to join the coalition to drive Iraq from Kuwait, the United States had to take an active, energetic leadership role in convincing them to join the coalition. He believed that leadership required diplomacy across a broad front and exhibited this through direct contact with other world leaders. Moreover, he did this through diplomatic missions; through action at the United Nations and other international organizations; through foreign embassies in the United States; and through American ambassadors abroad – to build and maintain a coalition of nations united in their efforts to achieve the goal to drive Iraq from Kuwait. George H.W. Bush’s leadership was based on persuasion before action.

If you build it will they come?

In contrast to his leadership style, his son George W. Bush acted under the belief that other countries had no choice but to follow the United States. George W. Bush and his administration believed that leadership by the United States seemed to flow automatically from its status as the world’s only superpower. At the time, the administration made it publicly clear that if other countries did not follow the U.S. into the war against Iraq, they would go to war alone. That certainly deviated from the importance of creating a coalition. They believed that unilateral action by the U.S. would naturally lead to multilateral action by other countries. The “if you build it they will come” doctrine expressed the belief that the United States was a unique country not just in terms of its power but also its moral authority for using that power.

To summarize this comparative analysis, Bush – the father, had broad experience in international diplomacy and long-standing relationships with world leaders at that time. He intimately knew and was on a first-name basis with national leaders and used this to his advantage to influence worldwide leaders. On the other hand, his son had no previous diplomatic experience and did not know the foreign leaders. Therefore, he often delegated important tasks to other members of his administration. Naturally then, he did not have the influence that his father did. In my opinion, this was indeed an interesting view on the issue of leadership and power at the global nation-wide level.

Definitely something to consider as we step into the future of our country, organizations or at the individual level of leadership, power and success.

Choose wisely.

Being Micro Managed?

You Micro Manager! Yes you. Repeat after me…I will not micromanage. I will not micromanage. I will not micromanage. These are the best words of caution for new managers.

Micromanagement is a management style whereby a manager closely observes or controls the work of subordinates or employees. Micromanagement generally has a negative connotation. Wiki

I was asked the question why some managers feel it necessary to micro manage. Reflecting on that I decided to share through this post.

Managers who micromanage makes coming to work a nightmare. Micro Management is the practice of managing with excessive control or attention to detail. It tells employees that there is a lack of trust. Essentially that the manager has little confidence in his/her team and their capabilities. Often it drives the team away and what is worse, it is the organization’s most talented people who frequently walk away. The company is then left with those workers who will simply show up for a ‘paycheck’. No commitment, no care.

Signs of Micro Management

If you are a micro manager, Harvard Business shared signs that can be seen:

You’re never quite satisfied with deliverables
You often feel frustrated because you would have gone about the task differently
You laser in on the details and take price and/or pain in making corrections
You constantly want to know where all your team members are and what they are working on
You ask for frequent updates on where things stand
You prefer to be cc’d on emails

As a manager, this is certainly grounds for disaster. You will either drive your team crazy or stress yourself out with the inevitable burn out.

How to Manage:

As a new manager if you find yourself micro managing here are a few points to keep in mind:

Don’t be afraid to fail. At its very core is the feeling that if you don’t do things yourself, things are going to fail. Not so. This is a myth. Sometimes failure is good. It helps us learn and grow, and our teams may end up with the belief that you are ‘human’. They will work together with you to achieve the results. Essentially, you will win.

Focus on the ‘what’ not the ‘how’. I am a firm believer in sharing the organization and your department’s goal with your team. Doing so stimulates their creativity and provides solutions that you may not have considered.

Let it go. The difference between managing and micromanaging is in the ‘micro’. Let go of watching people. Here’s how:

-Look at your to-do list to see which task can be passed on or delegated to those reporting to you.

-Engage your team. Let them know what level of detail you expect from them and where they need to connect with you.

-Think Big. Focus on the big issues that you need to concentrate on and place your energy and attention on those.

Being Micro-Managed?

If you are being micro-managed, Research Psychologist Dr. Peggy Drexler suggests a few pointers you can use to remain sane:

Do your job well.
Ask how you’re doing
Be a proactive communicator. Copy supervisor on emails. Keep him/her up to date on your activities before being asked.
Teach him/her how to delegate. Volunteer to help with tasks or projects and keep your manager abreast of the progress.

Practicing these points will help you succeed. The converse is also true. Continuing to micro manage is Ancient…a thing of the past where autocratic leadership was game. Doing this now is sure grounds for disaster.

So it’s your choice. Choose wisely and experience success.

How I Became a Human Resource Manager

iphone pics 005

I never dreamed of a career in Human Resources. From an early age, I would look to the stars and dream of being involved in healthcare, or the airline industry. Of course these are two very different industries but my passion for people was evident from then. After graduating high school, I got the dream call for an interview as a flight attendant. I am always punctual, but for some strange reason I ended up being 10 minutes late for the interview, and was ‘disqualified’ from that opportunity.

I took it as a sign when I was hired by one of the nation’s big commercial banks. That opened the doors to human resource management for me; or as it was called back then—personnel management. I was exposed to benefits administration, performance management, and more. Being the fast learner that I am—I learned, and learned, and learned.

This boosted me into the next position with a major international pharmaceutical company, that further exposed me to human resource management at the global level. I learnt not only the facets of HR at the local level, but had to interpret laws and practices for different countries that fell under my portfolio of responsibility. In my job I had to travel across countries throughout the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Education

What about education? As I journeyed, I felt led to receive formal training. Armed with a Bachelors in Business Management, I pursued a Masters in Human Resource Management. I also decided to minor in HR Development, while studying Doctorate in Education, Major Organizational Leadership. This then propelled my current role as Coach, and Human Resource Consultant.

As laws, technology and people change, there is no doubt that it is an advantage to become a member of organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This syncs with organizations such as local Human Resource Associations. Personally, I continue to participate in local, and national conferences. These days I conduct personal development Success workshops, backed by my research and subsequent publishing of book on Leaders and Success Strategies.

Success and Challenges Along the Way

Naturally, there have been challenges along the way. My most challenging feat arose during my first encounter with an international merger, between two giant pharmaceutical companies. Embracing two different cultures, employee relations issues, diversity, compensation, and benefits management in different countries was a challenge, to say the least. But as I look back and reflect on the Employer of Choice award, I am pleased. This experience molded me into my love for change management today. This passion has taken me across different industries including healthcare, hospitality, and others to name a few.

Even though there have been ups and downs since then, I have never regretted my decision to enter this profession. Every time I help a client improve their business, it makes me feel totally satisfied. Hearing the frustrations in their voices when they first contact me, and then seeing the satisfaction on their faces when things improve… is exhilarating!

In addition, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shared the result of the annual compilation of the most in-demand jobs done by CareerBuilder, and Economic Modeling Specialist International. Not surprising, Human Resource jobs were included among the top 20 positions-yea! The article stated that Human Resource Managers require a college degree and that this career position has grown by over 14,218 since 2010. This confirms that yes, it is a fine time to get into Human Resources.

So if you have the people skills, the spirit of resilience, and other facets mentioned, then go for it! Despite the stresses of the position, the job is totally satisfying….and oh by the way, it pays too. So what are you waiting for? Get started today, and if you’re like me, you’ll have no regrets!

Interested in how others got into this profession, read SHRM’s https://shar.es/1CXf4p via @SHRM