Dr. Shailesh Thaker - Best Management Training Blog - Top Management Consultants

Archive for September, 2008

If you were making a pizza for dinner, but left off the sauce and cheese, you’d serve a bland lump of dough for family and friends. The same thing happens when you provide a leadership development program without the essential ingredients: Time, variety, and a personal touch.

Consider this scenario: A 300-employee Virginia-based data analysis company that served the transportation industry for more than two decades hit a speed bump in 2005. Its legacy computer system groaned under the weight of decades of patched code and costly outages were having a toll on customer service. Although the systems were rocky the employee-base was rock-solid. Most employees were incredibly loyal to the company with the average length of service topping more than 15 years. But the new corporate leaders brought in to upgrade technology platforms had misgivings about the managerial abilities of this legacy staff.

The challenge was that the management team capable of leading the organization’s old timers through a massive change? Leaders feared the new team wasn’t up to the challenge, so they hired me to help upgrade management skills. Immediately, I saw a group of eager individuals who had learned how to be managers primarily by trial and error. But they were willing to learn and – most importantly – they were dedicated to helping the company succeed.

Over the next three years, I worked closely with this slightly green management team to create a leadership development program designed to enable them to manage others through technological and organizational change.

• We dished out the program over a six-month period, providing half-day sessions to leaders once every six week.

• The extra time enabled me to develop programs based on each leader’s learning style.

• In between sessions, I had plenty of time to meet with each team member, which enabled me to develop a personal trust-based relationship with them where I could act as their confidante.

By the end of the project, leaders had a new perspective on what needed to be done to ramp up the company to meet new standards, and upgrade some of their outdated skills and perspectives.

I continue to put these ingredients to work to upgrade leadership skills to help the managers effectively empower the employees to cope with changes that are ahead. So make sure time is on your side. The traditional model for leadership development is to present employees with information about how to manage better. The information may be supplemented with interactive discussions and exercises, but is essentially a quick and dirty download of information that spans a few hours to a few days.

The problem with this one-time approach is that it does not build in time to think about how to use the new information back on the job. True learning only occurs when new information is tested for effectiveness and determined valid. People need time to absorb and apply new information.

That’s why I led a series of half-day workshops, once a month for six months, and got these results:

• The participants had the opportunity to take in the new leadership advice, and then apply their new skills over the course of a month.

• Since we met six times over six-months, the multiple sessions allowed them to explore their new skills and experience various business cycles and organizational changes.

• The managers were also able to bring back real examples of their successes and failures, and as a group we were able to talk through their experiences. In the end, everyone benefited from these candid conversations.

And do realize variety is the spice of life. Whenever I walk into a group leadership training session, I know there are at least six different types of learners sitting before me. Each takes in information and processes it differently. How can I reach everyone, in only a half day?

Although it can be tricky to teach to a variety of learning styles, as the facilitator I know I need to have a clear understanding of the individual learning styles represented in the group. So I pass out a questionnaire before the session begins so I’m prepared to teach each of them so they learn best.

Another great solution: Be a Confidante. I try this every time I walk into a new situation because I face the same dilemma: Within just a few hours I need to gain the trust of leaders so that they are engaged, interested, and open to learning. The truth is that I’m a stranger.

So I hold private, one-on-one coaching sessions in between the monthly classroom workshops so that the participants had time to ask more personal questions and have someone to confide in. In these sessions, I did not use formal coaching methods. Instead, I simply asked the managers to talk about what they would have / could have done differently in a variety of situations, which helped them consider whether their management behavior was effective.

Once they felt they had mastered a variety of situations using the principles from the program, I asked them to share that with the other participants at the next session.

Consider these results:

• One manager realized that her primary method of handling conflict with her boss was avoidance. After learning about the different conflict modes she was unaccustomed to use, she began dealing with disagreement with her boss and others much more effectively.

• A project manager used the leading change model to help a change resistant client adjust to an internal reorganization. He shared with the class that his biggest problem dealing with change was not with his project team – but with a resistant client. Once he identified the root of the issue, he was able to use one of the models he learned in the program to coach that client through necessary changes.

• Another manager expressed that she felt under-stimulated in her current role and was looking for more opportunities within and outside the company. We discussed various career options, but focused mostly on the positive and negative aspects of her current and past positions. When her boss approached her a few weeks later about a promotional opportunity, she was ready to seize it because she had spent the necessary time to decide what she valued most in her work.

In this, the final of three articles, Derek Stockley emphasis’s approaches necessary to achieve positive and sustainable change. Previous articles covered the importance of people and the need to consider all actions under the umbrella of performance. Although we may be tired of hearing about change, it is still a very powerful organizational reality, particularly as we continue to seek higher levels of customer service. Although many have experienced change, few can honestly claim that they have participated in a perfect, or near perfect, change implementation.

The change approach taken is often the reason for this lack of success. In my first article (first article in this series), I argued that the first step to a sound organization is to keep all programs and initiatives aligned to a framework of increased performance. Often initiatives such as total quality management, benchmarking and reengineering are regarded as separate programs. If these or other programs are treated as the ends rather than the means, then the overall focus on improved performance may be lost. In these circumstances, the programs you initiate to improve management and co-ordination end up managing you.

Many people talk about the successful implementation of staff development schemes or performance management processes. Implementing new paperwork is not success, until the associated processes lead to results. Increased understanding with staff; better relationships; better targeted training; and the like; lead to improved individual, team and organisational performance. If this happens, then success can be rightly claimed. The focus on programs rather than outcomes often leads to the misunderstandings described in the previous article (second article in this series). Participation and involvement is a key to achieving success in programs. People have to see how their actions relate to the bigger picture, particularly when coping with the changes being imposed from outside local government. Those forces have to be assessed and managed.

Every organization has the opportunity to learn from the experience of other enterprises in Australia and overseas. We need to avoid problems, and do things correctly. The previous article mentioned the emergence of research stating that restructuring and downsizing exercises overseas had failed to achieve long term gains. Have you considered what this means for your plans to restructure or downsize? We have to be careful how we use fashionable techniques. I remember reacting with some concern when I heard a senior Australian banker talking about benchmarking. He stated that compared to overseas banks, Australia had too many bank branches per thousand customers. Benchmarking is a wonderful tool, but you have to use it in the correct way. Given Australia’s population spread, a better benchmark would have been access to banking. Ease of access is critical to good service. You cannot consider aspects of service in isolation. The big banks closed many branches without ensuring the access points were in place. They still suffer form the bad will they created, even though they have now created the access points (internet, ATM’s, electronic funds transfer).

We have the opportunity to learn from other experiences.

Many leading organizations are moving away from the ‘us and them’ contract model. Instead, they are forming strategic relationships or partnerships on the basis of what is good for one helps the other. ‘Us and them’ is becoming ‘we’. In a spirit of teamwork and cooperation, these organizations are constantly searching for better ways. Outsourcing arrangements will only succeed if they are based on mutual respect and trust, and not on the strict legal interpretation of the “contract”. Changes forced upon organizations are inevitable. However, the nature and structure of the response can be controlled, particularly if sight of the bigger picture is not lost. Change can be managed, providing that there is a sound framework.

I have argued that the framework should be improved performance in all aspects of the organization’s operation. Any program or activity must have a place. Each should complement and build upon others. The focus should constantly be on the end result. The means should simply be the way of getting there. Within this framework, I have found the following to be critical to successful change implementation:

Recognise that you have to have realistic goals and objectives for the change AND for the change process. For example, if you are introducing a new information technology (IT) system, then your expected outcomes and benefits from that system should be clearly stated and pursued. In addition, you should have clear goals and targets for the steps involved in introducing the system. For example, active involvement and participation in the development process by end users will be a goal that increases the chance of successful change. As another benefit, the final IT system is likely to be better too.   Successful change programs ‘piggy back’ on existing systems. As soon as possible, they are integrated into existing activities and methods. For example, the allocation of accounting codes and funds in the budget make it much easier to start and keep the program going (it does not get lost in accounting and funding problems).

Successful change programs are open/participative/involving/rewarding. They let people know what is happening. They use the contributions of the people affected. They include reward systems that encourage involvement.  Successful change programs recognize that organizational politics exists. This means seeking key support and using the existing power structure. It also includes consideration of the timing of actions.

By: Derek Stockley.

Introduction

Appreciation, awards, recognition, respects and love, everybody needs these things in life. They are the heart, soul and life of Human Beings. Is there anybody among the readers, who can say with confidence that these things are materialistic and they can survive and live without these things? We need appreciation, we need respect and we have seen that some, in fact, many people can go to any extent to get noticed; to get appreciated and get respected. Hosting parties and functions is one such common and mostly used tactic to show-off to people, get noticed and appreciated.

Ladies are known to use all the possible ways, tricks and tantrums to get noticed, particularly then when they buy new dresses and jewelry, to make sure that they get noticed and appreciated. There are many stories revolving around various villages which show such desperation among females and one such story talks about a lady who put her house on fire to show her diamond ring to people.

It is not that males don’t need attention and they don’t do such tantrums or dramas. When they buy new bike, new car, new house, even new shirt…they make sure that people notice them and appreciate them.

Same is true for respect. Most of the time and at most of the places, it is forced respect. Armed forces and companies of Old Economy are examples of such “Forced Respects”. Thanks to our urge to copy the western culture and New Economy Companies that now people can address their seniors by their first name.

I am not writing this write-up to discuss as what people do in their personal life, if their behavior is good and acceptable or not. Neither, I am trying to compare males and females, who seek more attention. I am very much focused and will be discussing about such things at workplaces and the role of HR.

Importance of Appreciation and Respect

Appreciation is related to motivation. We all know that few words of appreciation can go a long way to motivate a person. Similarly, respect is associated with self-pride, more knowledge and experience in company, family and team. But, is it necessary to ask people to appreciate you and respect you? Do you think that the respect or appreciation that you will be getting by asking for it will be true and genuine? Why not earn your respect, deserve appreciation and face the truth? Let your work; let your personality and not your position earn the respect for you. That reminds me one of the dialogues from one of famous Hindi Movie, (Kabhi Khushi, Kabhi Gam), “Paisa to har koi kama leta hai; izzat kamana har kissi ke bas ki baat nahi” (Anybody can earn money but earning respect is that much difficult).

I have seen people at work-places, blunt and straight forward enough to ask for appreciation. They ask their clients, colleagues and subordinates to write appreciatory mails to their bosses and seniors. Other, who are a bit intelligent and shy, they keep on reminding you about the good things that they have done; about their achievements; about the manner in which they have helped you, till the time you acknowledge it and appreciate it.

Respect

Respect can be classified into two – Respect for the position and for the person. I can have high respect for someone who is younger to me and have achieved a lot and is successful in his life; a person with high integrity and credibility. I might not respect a very senior or elder person for his arrogance, ignorance and ego.

Suppose, there is a person who is a CEO of the company and he has been positioned on that post just for the fact that his father owes the company. He don’t know much about the business, have no leadership skills, unlike is father, he is not a visionary; I don’t think that his “employees” will be able to give him the actual respect. They might be respecting the position but not the person.

Ours is a society, wherein we have been taught to respect the elders for their experience and age. Doesn’t matter if their experience is worth to learn from or they have just piled up the years of experience. Doesn’t matter if their knowledge is still relevant or has become obsolete. Doesn’t matter if they have ego and arrogance and they have stopped learning… way back. In armed forces, an experienced solider, who have 30 years of experience and have faced two wars is expected to respect and obey his senior but young officer who is fighting the first war and is not even aware of border areas. Respect, should come from the bottom of your heart and should not be just a gesture or a word in the mouth.

Appreciation

In Bhagwat Gita (One of the most sublime of world scriptures), it says, “Karam Kiye Ja Phal ki eecha mat kar aie insaan; jeeisa karam karega weisa phal deega Bhagwaan” (Work is worship. Do your work sincerely and don’t bother about the rewards). We all know that proper appreciation motivates a person but choice of appreciation is also important. Let me explain. During the year, you have been assigned 12 assignments and you did extremely well in each of the assignment. You exceeded the expectations and in the process, also benchmarked your own performance. You set the example for others to emulate.

Your boss appreciated you, after the completion of each assignment by sending you appreciatory mails, marking copies to all the team members. He also announced some ad hoc bonus for you.

Or, you want to get loads of appreciation at the time of appraisal for your perseverance, along with exponentially high increment, with promotion; best employee award (mentioning about your importance and achievements in front of all the employees) with a holiday package. Which one of these will keep you motivated for a long duration?

In appreciation, for it to have longevity and effectiveness, time of appreciation; manner of appreciation; platform of appreciation and the person who is appreciating you are equally important.

You have done a great job; you are happy about your work; you are feeling satisfied…its good but might be your work is not “exceptional” to get any appreciation; might be it is not as per the set guidelines; might be you took lots of time or your boss need to give you many inputs to help you… in such scenarios you won’t get any appreciation.

You have achieved something big; you are on seven sky; you are delighted; you want to share your achievements with others…its OK. Go ahead. But can you ask people to accept your achievement and appreciate you for that. I don’t think so. For example, I appeared on TV, covered by some channel for some good things that I did in my life or career. I am thrilled. In the interview, I was sitting next to Karan Thaper. So, what? I should not expect others to appreciate my achievements or recognition. I should not “ask” them to acknowledge and appreciate me. Should I?

Role of HR

HR people are expected to be generous with their appreciation, while appreciating others work, particularly the youngsters and fresher. In the case of fresher and employees of other departments, the chain should be like… Acknowledge every effort Appreciate the result or completion of the task Celebrate the exceptional achievement In case of HR Professionals and other seniors the chain should be like… Acknowledge the result or completion of the task. Appreciate the exceptional achievement and celebrate, when such exceptional performances are repeated again and again over a period of time.

Regarding respect, in companies and corporate…it is advisable to go by the culture and value system of the company but in civil life you can choose as whom you like to respect to whom you don’t want to respect.

Conclusion

Asking for appreciation or forced respect reduces your status. You become like a beggar on the bank of Ganga at Sangam in Uttar Pradesh, who beg for money, if you don’t give, he start following you and irritate you and if you still don’t give, and then they pronounce some ill-wish for you. So, deserve your appreciation and earn your respect. These are some of the thoughts and views that I thought of sharing with you. You may agree or disagree. Choice is still yours whether you like to ask or earn. Looking forward to your comments and feedback!

Regards: Sanjeev Sharma

Hiring employees is a huge responsibility. Before hiring anyone, be sure to carefully analyze your needs in terms of extra assistance.

Once you’ve gotten through the hiring process, there’s still much more you must do now that you’ve become an employer. If you’re like most small business owners, you just don’t have time to do all you’re supposed to be doing when it comes to managing your employees.

The article aims to outline five steps you can take right now to better manage your employees. Failure to complete these steps may one day lead to trouble for your business - trouble that could easily have been avoided.

Step #1 - Publish a Company Handbook

Most employers do nothing more than chuckle at the mere mention of a company handbook. Who has time for such frivolousness? Besides, no one reads them anyway. If these are your thoughts, then think again. Make time to create a company handbook and then make every employee read it. Also have every employee sign a statement saying that they have read the handbook. Place the signed statement into their personnel file where it will remain should you ever need it.

Step #2 - Create Files for Sensitive Employee Data

You will have a lot of employee-related documentation to keep track of and you must have a place to store it all, safely, and away from prying eyes. Payroll information, health insurance information, certifications including expiration dates, performance reviews, and kudos from happy clients as well as negative comments from clients or supervisors are just some of the documentation you need to maintain.

Step #3 - Create a Schedule

If you operate a business with “normal” business hours and just a few employees, you might think that creating a schedule is unnecessary. But unless there is a schedule, you can only assume that your employees know when they need to show up to work. Creating schedules is a good habit to get into, especially if you plan to have a lot of employees on your payroll. Create a work schedule for your employees and put it where they will see it.

Step #4 - Perform Periodic Employee Evaluations

Employee evaluations or performance reviews tend to be more important to the employee than they are to the employer. Employees want to know how they are doing and when they’ll be eligible for a pay increase. There are so many reasons why it’s important to complete employee reviews, including legal ones. An employee review is one of the few things you have, in writing and signed by employee and employer, that clearly describes an employee’s performance on the job. Should you ever need to let the employee go or take other action, you’ll have this documentation to back up your decision.

Step #5 - Keep a Safe Work Environment

Sure you need to keep your fire exits clearly marked and free of clutter. But there are Federal and state laws with which you must comply covering everything from the storage of hazardous chemicals to the posting of bulletins in common areas where employees congregate. Comply with these regulations before you end up on the losing side of a lawsuit.

Properly implementing these five steps seems like a lot of work especially when you have little spare time. One way you can manage your employees and still have time to do all your other tasks is to purchase software that has been designed to help manage employees. Spending the time and money to better manage your employees now will keep you from spending even more time and money later on, after you’ve been hit with an employee-related lawsuit!

Author:  Cavy Stewart.

Here are the 7 life-changing lessons from the story:

Lesson #1:

Don’t look for worshippers; Look for true friends instead. Not all friends are created equal. Some friends are just fans. They admire you. They flatter you. They fear you. They benefit from you. But when you need them, they’re not there. Choose true friends over fans anytime. When you have a problem, they’ll stick there by your side.

Lesson #2:

The best way to look for a true friend is to be one. Are you a true friend? Do you care for people? Do you go out of your way to express your love for them? The best investment you’ll ever make will be in your relationships. There lies your true gold.

Lesson #3:

Bullies are weak. Avoid them or face up to them, but never be afraid of them. Do you have bullies in your life? You’ll always cross paths with bullies. Bullies intimidate people. Bullies want you to fear hem. They manipulate you to follow them. Depending on the situation, you can avoid them or face up to them. But never be afraid of bullies. Because all bullies are fake. With their outward force, they cover up their weakness. But deep within, a bully is a fragile child with lots of fears.

Lesson #4:

When someone doesn’t like to be your friend, just walk off and go on your merry way. Life is too beautiful to be sad at one person’s rejection. People-pleasers want to please everyone. And when one person rejects them, they die within. Because people-pleasers need to be needed. When a person rejects them, they get hurt deeply-and carry this hurt wherever they go and allow this hurt to affect their lives forever. What does a mature person do when they receive rejection? They get hurt like everyone else but they don’t carry the hurt. They shake the dust of their feet and move on. They love themselves. They love life.

Lesson #5:

When someone is angry with you in an unjust way, pity that person. He will be hurting himself. Don’t pity yourself when you suffer unjust anger. Remember that unjust anger destroys the person who is angry, not you. Pity him.

Lesson #6:

Always be good and kind to everyone whether he is a king or a beggar. Every human being you meet in life is God’s child. Whether he sits on a throne or lies on the mud, it makes no difference. That person is your family.

Lesson #7:

Your true size is measured by your courage, wisdom, and love. Are you a big person? Measure your courage and wisdom. By how you love, you shall know whether you have matured in life or not.