Management Capsule - 100 Day Wonder (Day 6 to Day 20)

DAY 6

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND THE THREE-FACTOR THEORY

The three things that matter most to people at work

The factors that influence employee engagement combine in different ways and at different times for each person. Obviously, pay and leadership are important - with a direct relationship between pay and effort and the quality of leadership being critical to employee engagement. In addition, people like to do work that has meaning and purpose.

Following international research, Sirota Consulting developed the Three-Factor Theory, addressing employee engagement by addressing three basic needs: equity, achievement and camaraderie.

Leaders need to engage, inspire and energize their people. Gaining commitment and getting people to acquire new skills and achieve their full potential leads to ongoing improvements in performance, benefiting all concerned - individuals, teams and companies. The Three Factor Theory establishes a self-sustaining cycle of effective employee engagement by ensuring that practices and policies focus on equity, achievement and camaraderie.

Equity

People need to feel they are being treated fairly - especially in relation to others both inside and outside the company. This includes:

·         physical aspects - for example, working in a safe environment and being physically able to do a job

·         economic factors - people need to feel that their pay, benefits and job security are fair

·         psychological issues - including being treated with respect and consideration.

Achievement

People work better and achieve more if they believe in what they are doing and have confidence in the direction they are going. In short, they work best when they feel they are achieving something. Six issues influence this:

1.       Having challenging work and being able to use their skills

2.       Having the opportunity to develop their capabilities and to take risks

3.       Having the resources, authority, information and support to work effectively

4.       Knowing that the work is important and has value and purpose

5.       Receiving recognition - both financial and non-financial

6.       Having pride in the company's aims, ethics, products and brand values.

Camaraderie

It is important for individuals to have good relations with co-workers. This requires congenial, co-operative, interesting and supportive relationships at all levels, with the most immediate ones being the most significant. This involves relationships:

·         with co-workers

·         within the business unit

·         across on-site departments

·         across the whole company.

SKILL CAPSULE: THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

·         Some managers believe a formal grievance procedure weakens their authority. 

·         OMBUDSPERSON

·         Complaint officer

·         Top Management eyes and ears

·         Uncover scandals in their organization.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION AND OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS

PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIERS

Ø  Personal Emotion

Ø  Biases

Ø  Lack of  trust

Ø  Premature Evaluation.

Ø  Expert Language

Ø  Sign & symbols

PHYSICAL BARRIERS

Ø  Geographical distance

Ø  Mechanical failure

Ø  Physical obstruction

Ø  Technological malfunction

Ø  Time lag

ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS

Ø  Rules & Regulations

Ø  Policies

Ø  Hierarchy

Ø  Culture

Technical Barriers:  Environmental barriers to communication are referred to as technical barriers.

Timing – the determination of when a message should be communicated is timing.

Information overload- The condition that exists when an individual is presented with two much information in too short a time is information overload.

Cultural differences- Middle East, giving another person a deadline is considered rude and the deadline is likely to be ignored.  If a client in U.S. is kept waiting the client is perceived to have low status.  In Japan delays mean no slackening of interest and delay is often a negotiation tactic.  Indians conduct most business at an interpersonal distance of five to eight feet; a distance of one to three feet suggests more personal.  Spacious, well-furnished and located on the top floor it conveys an aura of prestige.  In the Middle East décor of the office mean little, in France  Managers likely to be located in the midst of their subordinates in order to control them.

Language Barriers

Vocabulary  - type of audience,

                        - vocabulary sets

        - tailor the message to match the knowledge base of the receiver

        - concentrate their messages in the common vocabulary base

Semantics – JARGON is a special language that group members use in their daily interaction. Many firms provide new employees a list of definitions of terms associated with the particular industry.

Psychological Barriers

Ø  Information filtering – The process by which a message is altered through the elimination of certain data as the communication moves from person to person in the organization is Information filtering. Has two purpose:1) Management Control    2) Evaluate Performance

Lack of trust & openness

Ø  Receptive to employees ideas

Ø  Order should never be questioned, communication tends to be shifted.

Ø  Japanese business success :Managers trust their peers and superiors, simple organisation structure.

 Jealousy

Ø  Managers competence may actually be viewed by peers and superiors as a threat to their security.

        Preoccupation

Ø  Respond in certain predictable through in appropriate ways. 

Hearing

Ø  Hear what we expect to hear, not what is actually said.

Perception set differences

Ø  A fixed tendency to interpret information in a certain way is a perception set.

Noise

Ø  Anything that interferes with the accurate transmission or reception of messages is NOISE.

Barrier to Effective Group Communication

Ø  Parties with a competitive attitude

Ø  Win-lose

Ø  Own objectives

Ø  Own needs but publicly disguise

Ø  Aggrandize their power

Ø  Threats to get submission

Ø  Overemphasize own needs, objectives, positions

Ø  Exploiting the other party

Ø  Superiority of their own position

Ø  Isolate the other person

Ø  “We they” perspective

OVERCOMING BARRIERS (ABC of Constructive Communication)

Ø  A Approach

Ø  B Build Bridges

Ø  C Customize your communication

Approach is the manner of addressing both the person and the subject

Building Bridges: Respect, Trust, Commonality

Customize: Seek first to understand, before being understood

DAY 7

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: THE NINE PRINCIPLES OF MOTIVATION

Creating the right environment

So much in business depends on motivating others. There is only so much any one person can do, so getting the most out of others is crucial to success. This all begins with winning trust - everything else follows.

Motivating others is an essential part of leadership. Your ability to motivate others relies on what they think of you and how they think you view them. This requires planning and vigilance and knowing that different people are motivated by different things. To motivate effectively, you need to know what motivates each person, the pressures they face, what influences their decisions and thinking, and how you can make a difference. These nine principles of motivation will help you to help your colleagues.

1.      Be motivated yourself

Self-motivation rallies others. People will 'step up to the plate' if you do so yourself. Knowing what motivates you will help you to motivate others.

2.      Recruit people who are highly motivated and assign them to the right position

Match people's motivation to their job. Some are motivated by making sales while others are motivated by following processes, building teams or pursuing new ideas.

3.      Treat people as individuals

We all have different values and personalities. What works for one may not motivate another. So, tap into what motivates each individual to improve performance.

4.      Set challenging but realistic targets

Nothing is more demotivating than unachievable targets. Nothing is more motivating than achievable, we-can-beat-the-competition targets - they tap into our competitiveness and desire to produce something to be proud of.

5.      Focus on progress - it motivates

Everyone responds to a pat on the back - they've earned it and deserve it, so make it happen. The result: an upward spiral of people wanting to achieve more.

6.      Develop an environment that motivates people

Eliminate or minimize anything that blocks motivation - from bureaucracy and unnecessary procedures to lack of resources. Provide training and coaching to develop skills and to make people feel valued.

7.      Ensure that people receive fair rewards

Promotion, pay rises, sales commission, profit share, work benefits, additional responsibilities: these motivate people. They give people a reason to stay and to help your company excel.

8.      Recognize people's work

We all want our efforts to be acknowledged. Recognition is needed to maintain commitment.

9.      Be honest about your intent

Honesty lies at the heart of motivation. Be clear about what your intentions are. People will be motivated only by those they can trust.

SKILL CAPSULE: INFORMATION EMPLOYEES WANTS TO KNOW

·         How their jobs should be performed.

·         How effectively they are performing their jobs?

·         How much they will be paid?

·         Company policies and rules that directly affect their jobs.

·         Changes in conditions within the firm that might affect them.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

You can have the greatest ideas in the  world, but they are no good to your company, or your career, if you can’t express them clearly and persuasively

7Cs of COMMUNICATIONS

• Credibility
• Capability
• Content
• Context
• Channel
• Consistency
• Clarity

Features of Effective Communication

o   Active Listening

o   Eye contact

o   Posture

o   Simple language

o   Questioning skills

Benefits of effective communication

o   Quicker problem solving

o   Better decision making

o   Steady work flow

o   Strong business relations

o   Better professional image

When Communication will be Effective?

In Downward Communication.,

•         Job instructions are clear

•         Important points repeated

•         Bypassing formal communication channels

In Upward communication.,

•       Understand the requirements of the superiors

•       Relevant aspects of the information are       sent

•       Quantified data is sent rather than subjective information

In Horizontal Communication.,

•       An atmosphere of openness and trust is created

•       An atmosphere of team spirit is established

In Diagonal Communication.,

•       When information, data, facts and figures are easily available to both parties

•       When both parties understand what is expected of them

•       When both parties are on mutually helping tendency

In External Communication.,

•       When proper communication channels are established

•       When every member of the organization knows those channel

IMPROVE EXISTING LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION

•       Improve your general knowledge

•       Improve your language.

•       Improve your pronunciation.

•       Work on voice modulation.

•       Work on body language.

•       Develop habit of reading

•       Listen more

•       Interact with qualitative people.

•       Improve your friend circle.

•       Improve on you topic of discussion,

•       Practice meditation & good thoughts.

•       Think and then speak.

•       Do not speak too fast.

•       Use simple vocabulary.

•       Do not speak only to impress someone speak sense.

•       Look presentable and confident

DAY 8

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP (LEADERSHIP STYLES)

Adapting your approach

Situational leadership improves your ability to lead others and to respond effectively to situations.

Different leadership styles

By adjusting your style to match each challenge, you are more likely to achieve your desired outcome. To decide which approach is best, you need to consider the issues, what needs to happen and the people involved. To develop your situational leadership, you must be self-aware and understand your own style and how it impacts others.

The model of situational leadership developed by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson identifies and details the different leadership styles.

Leadership style	Characteristics
Directing ………..telling	Centres on structure, control and supervision and one-way communication Effective for teams that are new, temporary or forming A hands-on, decisive and involved approach that directs and emphasizes tasks and deadlines
Coaching ……….engaging	Focuses on directing and supporting - using teaching and guiding skills Works well with teams that have worked together for a period of time Promotes a balance between short-term and long-term needs - such as monitoring target achievement while developing longer-term priorities
Supporting ……....developing	Involves praising, listening and facilitating development Appropriate for teams that continue to function well Leaders are no longer involved in short-term performance and operational measures Long-term aspects are more important, with a focus on individual and team development, planning and innovation
Delegating …….hands-off …….facilitating	Responsibility for routine decisions is handed over Works best with a highly experienced, successful team when little involvement is needed The focus is on working externally for the team by developing networks, securing resources and sharing best practice Intervention is usually at the request of the team wanting support and advice with defining problems, devising solutions or handling problems

Using the right style

Each situation should use the most appropriate style. For example, directing is useful in exceptional circumstances such as a crisis requiring people to follow a particular course of action or when handling difficult personnel issues.

To decide which style is appropriate, assess the competence, ability, confidence and motivation of those involved. For example:

·         Low confidence may indicate reduced commitment, so a supportive and encouraging style is appropriate.

·         Low motivation requires a listening approach, to identify the causes and change the situation.

SKILL CAPSULE: HOW TO ASSESS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Culture - values, behaviors, beliefs, and norms - expressed through words and behaviors

Cultural Indicators. - How you are treated? What phrases are frequently used by the interviewers? Is there a theme or unspoken tone to the questions you're asked? How doe s the environment feel to you? How prepared are the interviewers? Are they on time? Were you given an interview schedule? Were you treated like a prisoner or a guest? Are your responses to their questions treated with suspicion or professional curiosity? How considerate is the company recruiter?

Questions Please describe the company or department culture in three words or three phrases.- How does t he company (team) handle conflict or differing opinions?- How does the company recognize employee accomplishments?
- Does the company have a "Code of Ethics?- Please describe the leadership or managerial style at your company?- What qualities do the most successful employees in your company possess?- What is the company's attitude towards professional and educational advancement?

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATIONS IN A COMPANY

Definition.  Communication is the transfer of information, ideas, understanding or feelings among people.

Importance.

• Most Important subject (both personal & professional).
• Not taught but learned (eg Gandhi).
• Not theory but practical.
• Norms for communication laid down in a company - Rules for the class.
• Affects Productivity & profitability affecting.
• Not only speaking but written, e mail, phone call, body language

DAY 9

 MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: THE JOHN WHITMORE MODEL

Are you setting the right goals in the right way?

Sir John Whitmore gave us the GROW model for coaching and he also highlighted a model for goal-setting that is SMART, PURE and CLEAR, ensuring that you and your colleagues have goals that are appropriate, achievable and successful.

Goal-setting is vital whenever you need to focus someone (including yourself) on a specific objective or series of objectives - for example, at an annual appraisal, when someone starts a new role, or simply at the start of a new project.

               

When developing people, it is important to provide a focus for action and to ensure a sense of purpose. This is the value of the John Whitmore model: it provides a checklist for goal-setting. So, when you are goal-setting, keep it simple and check that each goal meets the 14 criteria in Whitmore's model.

Specific	The right goal	Challenging
Measurable	Positively stated	Legal
Attainable	Understood	Environmentally sound
Realistic/Realistic	Relevant	Agreed
Time- constrained	Ethical	Recorded

When goal-setting, distinguish between end goals and performance goals:

·            End goals are the ultimate objective. They could typically be to gain promotion or additional responsibility or to complete a major project (e.g. I need to achieve sales of £300,000 this year').

·            Performance goals establish the level of performance that will help an individual to achieve their end goal. Performance goals include such elements as quality standards, time management and production targets (e.g. 'I need to develop my negotiating skills').

Think about a current goal you have or one you want to address in the future. Answer the following questions to assess the robustness of your how approach to goal setting, monitoring and achievement. Also comment on how you could improve your approach.

·            What is your goal? ·            Is it specific? What, exactly, will success look like? Is it an end goal or a performance goal? ·            Is it measurable? How will progress be measured and monitored? ·            Is it attainable? Do you have the skills and resources needed? ·            How will you succeed and what will you do? What could go wrong? What are the risks? ·            Is it realistic? How does it relate to other people and activities? Are these links understood and could this goal benefit from other activities or expertise elsewhere in the organization? ·            What is the timescale? Are there milestones or dependencies in the plan? ·            Is the goal stated as positively as possible, in a way that will engage and encourage people? ·            Is it understood - is there a clear vision and view of what success will look like? ·            Is it relevant - how well does it relate to other issues and priorities? ·            Is it ethical? ·            Will it provide the right level of challenge? ·            Is it legal and are there legal (or regulatory) issues to consider? ·            Is it environmentally sound? ·            Is everyone agreed or is more agreement needed? ·            Has the goal been recorded and is it being monitored, with progress assessed and lessons learned?

SKILL CAPSULE: NEGOTIATION SKILLS

What is Negotiation?

Negotiation occurs when conflict exists between groups and both parties are prepared to seek a resolution through bargaining

Conflict & Negotiation

Conflict can be solved through negotiation when:

·         There are two are more parties

·         There is a conflict of interest between the parties

·         The parties are willing to negotiate to seek a better position

·         Both parties believe that entering negotiations as a better solution than breaking contact

When do we Negotiate?

·         When we need someone’s consent

·         When the time and effort of negotiating are justified

·         When the outcome is uncertain

Levels of Conflict

·         Intra-Personal

o   Conflict exists within the individual

·         Inter-Personal

o   Conflict that exists between individuals

·         Intra-Group

o   Conflict exists within a small group

·         Inter-Group

o   Conflict exists between groups

Types of Negotiations

·         Day-to-Day Managerial

o   Job Roles

o   Pay

·         Commercial

o   Contracts

o   Quality

·         Legal

o   Compliance with Governmental Regulations

Some decision making tools for negotiation:

Persuasion: Usually the first method we choose when we want something. Useful when interests or opinions are the same. 

Giving in: This is not the easy way out, and sometimes it’s just not worth continuing if the cost (in any terms) is too high.

Coercion: This could simply be stating your options, ‘I could take my business elsewhere’.  It could also be gentle reminders or unspecified consequences right up to threats. Threats are not useful in a negotiation situation as they erupt in full blown battles.

Problem Solving: Works well when both parties have a strong relationship, where you trust each other, and share the problem.

Negotiating Behaviour

Gavin Kennedy (The New Negotiating Edge) describes 3 types of behaviour that we can display and encounter when in a negotiating situation

                RED                                      BLUE                                    PURPLE

RED Behavior

·         Manipulation

·         Aggressive

·         Intimidation

·         Exploitation

·         Always seeking the best for you

·         No concern for person you are negotiating with

·         Taking

People behave in this manner when they fear exploitation by the other party, but by behaving this way to protect themselves, they provoke the behaviour they are trying to avoid.

BLUE Behavior

·         Win win approach

·         Cooperation

·         Trusting

·         Pacifying

·         Relational

·         Giving

Kennedy talks of a ‘behavioural dilemma’, do you cooperate (blue) or defect (red)? Can you trust the other person? And to what extent?  Trusting someone involves risk, on the one hand being too trusting is naïve and on the other, not trusting at all can create deceitful behaviour. The answer is to merge blue and red behaviour into purple.

PURPLE Behaviour

·         Give me some of what I want (red)

·         I’ll give you some of what you want (blue)

·         Deal with people as they are not how you think they are

·         Good intentions

·         Two way exchange

·         Purple behaviour incites purple behaviour

·         Tit for tat strategies

·         Open

·         People know where they stand

·         Determination to solve problems by both sets of criteria of the merits of the case and/or the terms of a negotiated exchange

To the red behaviourist the message is loud and clear, ‘You will get nothing from me unless and until I get something from you’.

The Four Phases of Negotiation

·         Plan

·         Debate

·         Propose

·         Bargain

Closing the Negotiation

Summary Close: Summarise the details of the conditions and the offer, and ask for agreement.

Adjournment Close: Useful where there remains some small differences.  It gives both parties time to consider the final agreement.

Final offer close: Make it clear that this is your final final offer by choosing the right words, tone and body language.  Create an atmosphere of decisiveness, gather your papers together as though getting ready to leave.

Dealing with Difficult Negotiators

·         Intimidation

·         Domineering

·         Bullying

·         Threats

·         Focusing on their own interests and not yours

These are typical RED behaviours. Be careful to distinguish those who always behave in a RED way, to those who are just having a bad day.

The man you are negotiating with has a bombastic and rude manner.  He interrupts constantly and loudly and at a pace that does not allow interruptions to his flow.  He is emphatic and threatening and shows no interest in your point of view.  Do you:

a.        Retaliate in kind with matching behaviour?

b.       Wait for an opening to say your piece?

c.        Agree to what he wants.

a.          Retaliation is a challenge.  He is not intimidating you enough – he will put on more pressure.

b.          Yes.  But only if you are clear that his behaviour will not affect your focus on the outcome.

c.          Never! Do not give him the satisfaction, by giving into a bully and their intimidation.

The financial director of a large customer is an abusive and domineering person, who has a repertoire of swear words and will not accept ‘No’ for an answer.  She expects you to sit there and take it and theatrically waves her arms about and throws papers around when she wants to make a point.  Do you:

a.        Behave in a contrasting manner and keep your cool?

b.       Agree to what she wants?

c.        Wait to say your piece?

a.          To contrast her behaviour only shows her that her behaviour is working, she’ll put on more pressure until you give in.

b.          Never! Do not give in to her intimidation.

c.          Yes, but only if you are sure her behaviour will not affect the outcome.

So what can you do about it?

Ø  Do not let their behaviour affect the outcome – that is what they want.  They know if they behave in this way they will get what they want because the other party will back down.

Ø  Do not react to their behaviour- that is what they want.

Ø  You need to ignore their behaviour, this is what they choose – not you.  Be focused on the outcome and do not let their behaviour influence you away from this.

Ø  Focus on the merits of both cases

Ø  Consider what ‘trades’ you are going to make.  What you give up reflects consideration of the merits of their case, in exchange for what you insist on getting from them.

Ø  This shows and forces them to give recognition to the merits of your case.

Ø  In short, continue with your PURPLE behaviour, using the condition and offer,  ‘If … then’ strategy.

DO NOT LET THEM GET TO YOU!!

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: WHAT MANAGERS NORMALLY HAVE TO COMMUNICATE?

·         Announcement & Spokes Persons.

·         Motivating Lecture.

·         Explaining Plans, Decisions, Method, Problems, Help, feedback

·         Applications, Memos, Proposals, Condolence, Requests

·         Informal & Semi Official Letters

·         Phone Calls & Video conferencing.

·         Negotiations, Seminars, Presentations.

·         Appreciations / Warnings / Counseling, Grievance Redressal.

·         Party talk / Etiquette / Social skills, Dressing up / grooming.

·         Group discussions ,Debates & Public speeches

·         Interviews & interviewing (questionnaires, CVs, dressing, emotional preparation \

·         Appointments

DAY 10

 MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: ACTION-CENTRED LEADERSHIP

Managing the task, team and individual

John Adair's Action-Centred Leadership model views the role of leaders as integrating three areas: ensuring that the task, the team and the individual are working effectively and that their needs are met. Success relies on ensuring that all three responsibilities are mutually reinforcing.

Overview

As a leader, people look to you to set the direction, to support them, to help them achieve their goals, to ensure that team members work well together .and to make sure that the structures and procedures are in place (and working effectively). It is not enough to have a great idea; you are responsible for making it happen. In short, leadership is a total activity. If individuals aren't motivated, teams will not function well; if teams don't work well, tasks will fail and individual satisfaction falls, and so on. Whether you are leading one team, a business unit or an entire company, you need to provide for:

·         the needs of the task - provide the appropriate systems, procedures and structures

·         the needs of the team - promote team cohesiveness so that team members work well together

·         the needs of the individual - engage each person (by considering pay, their sense of purpose, their need to have achievements and contributions recognized, and their need for status and to be part of something that matters).

A functional approach to leadership

To provide for the needs of the task, team and individuals, John Adair out-lines eight leadership functions:

1.       Define the task. Everyone needs to understand what is expected, so be clear about the task at hand - make it SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-constrained).

2.       Plan. Identify options, look for alternatives, make contingency plans and test your ideas. Working with others in a positive, open-minded, constructive and creative way will help you to develop the best plan.

3.       Brief others. To create the right conditions and bring people with you, you have to keep people informed. Both teams and individuals will work well only if they have access to information and your thinking - without open communication, confusion or even distrust can seriously hamper business strategy.

4.       Control effectively. You need self-control and you need to positively control others. Put the right procedures and monitoring in place, delegate tasks and trust others to both take responsibility and deliver results.

5.       Evaluate. Assess likely consequences, measure and judge the performance of both teams and individuals and provide necessary feedback and training.

6.       Motivate. Motivate yourself - if you are not motivated, it will be difficult to motivate others. Recruit people who are highly motivated. Set realistic and achievable targets - people respond to doable goal Focus on progress, reward success and recognize achievements.

7.       Be organized. Be organized yourself and ensure that teams and individuals have the necessary skills, procedures, structures and resources in place for them to do their jobs efficiently.

8.       Set the right example. The example you set to others influences their behaviour, motivation and willingness to follow you.

SKILL CAPSULE: RAPPORT SKILLS

Rapport is a state of harmonious understanding with another individual or group that enables greater and easier communication.  In other words rapport is getting on well with another person, or group of people, by having things in common, this makes the communication process easier and usually more effective.

Sometimes rapport happens naturally, you ‘hit it off’ or ‘get on well’ with somebody else without having to try, this is often how friendships are built.  However, rapport can also be built and developed by finding common ground, developing a bond and being empathic. 

Rapport is important in both our professional and personal lives; employers are more likely to employ somebody who they believe will get on well with their current staff.  Personal relationships are easier to make and develop when there is a closer connection and understanding between the parties involved – i.e. there is greater rapport.

The first task in successful interpersonal relationships is to attempt to build rapport.  Building rapport is all about matching ourselves with another person.  For many, starting a conversation with a stranger is a stressful event; we can be lost for words, awkward with our body language and mannerisms.  Creating rapport at the beginning of a conversation with somebody new will often make the outcome of the conversation more positive.  However stressful and/or nervous you may feel the first thing you need to do is to try to relax and remain calm, by decreasing the tension in the situation communication becomes easier and rapport grows.

When meeting somebody for the first time some simple tips will help you reduce the tension in the situation enabling both parties to feel more relaxed and thus communicate more effectively:

·         Use non-threatening and ‘safe topics’ for initial small talk. Talk about established shared experiences, the weather, how you travelled to where you are. Avoid talking too much about yourself and avoid asking direct questions about the other person

·         Listen to what the other person is saying and look for shared experiences or circumstances - this will give you more to talk about in the initial stages of communication.

·         Try to inject an element of humour. Laughing together creates harmony, make a joke about yourself or the situation/circumstances you are in but avoid making jokes about other people.

·         Be conscious of your body language and other non-verbal signals you are sending.  Try to maintain eye contact for approximately 60% of the time.  Relax and lean slightly towards them to indicate listening, mirror their body-language if appropriate

·         Show some empathy. Demonstrate that you can see the other person’s point of view. Remember rapport is all about finding similarities and ‘being on the same wavelength’ as somebody else - so being empathic will help to achieve this.

Make sure the other person feels included but not interrogated during initial conversations, as you may feel tense and uneasy meeting and talking to somebody new, so may they. Put the other person at ease, this will enable you to relax and conversation to take on a natural course.

Non-Verbal Rapport Building

Although initial conversations can help us to relax, most rapport-building happens without words and through non-verbal communication channels.

We create and maintain rapport subconsciously through matching non-verbal signals, including body positioning, body movements, eye contact, facial expressions and tone of voice with the other person.

Watch two friends talking when you get the opportunity and see how they sub-consciously mimic each other’s non-verbal communication.

We create rapport instinctively, it is our natural defence from conflict, which most of us will try hard to avoid most of the time.

It is important that appropriate body language is used; we read and instantly believe what body language tells us, whereas we may take more persuading with vocal communication.  If there is a mismatch between what we are saying verbally and what our body language is saying then the person we are communicating with will believe the body language.  Building rapport, therefore, begins with displaying appropriate body language - being welcoming, relaxed and open.

As well as paying attention to and matching body language with the person we are communicating with, it helps if we can also match their words.  Reflecting back and clarifying what has been said are useful tactics for repeating what has been communicated by the other person.  Not only will it confirm that you are listening but also give you opportunity to use the words and phases of the other person, further emphasising similarity and common ground.

The way we use our voice is also important in developing rapport.  When we are nervous or tense we tend to talk more quickly, this in turn can make you sound more tense and stressed. We can vary our voices, pitch, volume and pace in ways to make what we are saying more interesting but also to come across as more relaxed, open and friendly. Try lowering your tone, talk more slowly and softly, this will help you develop rapport more easily.

Helpful Rapport Building Behaviours

·         If you are sitting then lean forward, towards the person you are talking to, with hands open and arms and legs uncrossed.  This is open body language and will help you and the person you are talking to feel more relaxed.

·         Look at the other person for approximately 60% of the time.  Give plenty of eye-contact but be careful not to make them feel uncomfortable.

·         When listening, nod and make encouraging sounds and gestures.

·         Smile!

·         Use the other person’s name early in the conversation. This is not only seen as polite but will also reinforce the name in your mind so you are less likely to forget it!

·         Ask the other person open questions.  Open questions require more than a yes or no answer.

·         Use feedback to summarise, reflect and clarify back to the other person what you think they have said.  This gives opportunity for any misunderstandings to be rectified quickly.

·         Talk about things that refer back to what the other person has said.  Find links between common experiences.

·         Try to show empathy.  Demonstrate that you can understand how the other person feels and can see things from their point of view. When in agreement with the other person, openly say so and say why.

·         Build on the other person’s ideas.

·         Be non-judgemental towards the other person.  Let go of stereotypes and any preconceived ideas you may have about the person.

·         If you have to disagree with the other person, give the reason first then say you disagree.

·         Admit when you don’t know the answer or have made a mistake.  Being honest is always the best tactic, acknowledging mistakes will help to build trust.

·         Be genuine, with visual and verbal behaviours working together to maximize the impact of your communication.

Offer a compliment, avoid criticism and be polite.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION

• Formal Communication Channel :  Are the communication channel that are officially recognized by the organization. 
• Information Channel:  Are ways of transmitting information within an organization that bypass formal channels.

Formal Downward Channels

• Chain of command,
• The House Organ,
• Letters and Pay inserts,
• Loud speaker systems,
• Annual report, Employee Hand Book & Pamphlets etc.
• Chain of Command
• Face-to-face interaction.
• Ask questions.
• Written documents
• Letters & Memorandums
• Middle level managers -Translation into the languages of subordinates
• Permanent information such as policies, procedures and rules

The House Organ

News letters or newspapers – contains new products, how well the company is doing, about the policies. Has wide readership.  Depends a lot on Personal interest

Formal Upward Channels.

 Participative management requires a two way communication. These channels are necessary not only to determine if subordinates have understood the information set downward but also to satisfy the need of subordinates to be involved.  A communication effectiveness survey of thousands of employees showed that only half believed that significant upward communication was present.

Informal Communication Channels

• Either lateral or diagonal
• Benefits from established personal relationships and mutual trust.
• Productivity
• Not an automatic process, trust must first develop
• Immediate supervisors might take offense.

Grapevine :

• Transmits information more rapidly, sometimes not as accurately.  Primary sources of current information.
• Basic characteristics: Every Direction.
• Who receives the information.  Some people are tuned into it and some managers are not even aware of the grapevine.
• Beyond the formal organization.
• Communication Networks - The pathways through which messages between and among people in organization flow are Communication Networks.
• Identifying the predominant structural configuration however, helps explain or predict.
• The links of the wheel, chain and Y receive less information than the links of the circle and the completely connected network.
• Completely connected, Feedback, Sharing of the leadership responsibility and decentralization.
• Newly formed a wheel configuration.

DAY 11

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: THE SIX STEPS OF DELEGATION

Developmental, productive - the cornerstone of leadership

Without delegation, leaders cannot lead and managers cannot manage. Delegation develops skills, challenges and retains great people, and in-creases productivity. Yet many people have difficulty delegating. These six steps will help you to delegate effectively.

Delegation requires empowerment and trust. You need to empower people give them the skills and confidence to act and take risks. You need to trust them and accept that mistakes will happen - mistakes that can be rectified and learned from and that are more than made up for by the progress that is achieved. Delegation is essential precisely because it goes directly to the bottom line - it has a huge impact on productivity, innovation and employee engagement and retention.

Delegation can be learned but, to be successful, it rests entirely on having the right mindset. It is about bringing people with you. While experience helps, what is more important is attitude, good communication skills and confidence in yourself. These six stages provide a framework to help you delegate successfully:

1.      Prepare to delegate

Know what you want to achieve. Be clear about goals and priorities and decide how these can be achieved. Plan what needs to happen, and when, and bring people along with you. Winning hearts and minds and making sure people know the reasons for your plan and what is expected of them are essential.

2.      Match the person to the task

Know your people. Understand what they can do, their potential, what would challenge and stimulate them. It also helps to understand their future career plans. Make the most of each person's abilities. Look for potential and take risks. With encouragement, training and trust, you will get more from each person.

3.      Discuss and agree objectives

Engage people with the task that needs to be completed. Everyone needs to understand your thinking, agree with the plan and be clear about what needs to be done and when. Consider constructive criticisms because it can improve your plan and gain the buy-in of others.

4.      Put resources and power in place

Provide the necessary resources and authority. In this way, your people can make decisions and act. Support your people whenever this is needed - they need to know you are behind them.

5.      Monitor progress

Ensure that people are accountable for delivering what is expected of them. Having overall goals and interim targets will help people to stay focused, to meet deadlines and to ensure that standards and results additional art met. The goal is to keep people motivated and on track and to provide support where needed.

6.      Review progress

Learn from experience and feedback. Compare and discuss results and objectives with those involved. Look at what worked well and what could have been done better. Use this to improve future plans.

SKILL CAPSULE: CORPORATE ETIQUETTES

Why is etiquette important?

•          Good manners help you make a positive impression

•          Knowing that you are behaving appropriately helps you feel relaxed and confident so you can focus on business

•          Good manners save you time - you won’t have to spend time soothing hurt feelings or making up for damaging mistakes

•          People like to do business when you make them feel comfortable

Successful Encounters

SMALL TALK SKILLS

Tuning-In Techniques

•          Smile - friendliness / receptivity

•          Open posture - attentive

•          Forward Lean - alert (arm’s distance)

•          Tone - show interest

•          Eye Contact - direct without staring

•          Nod - understanding

Listening Manners

•          Create a setting in which you can listen

•          Tune out internal distractions - (worries)

•          Monitor your body language - receptive

•          Do not interrupt

•          Repeat or paraphrase what was said

Your turn to talk

•          It is appropriate to respond to what someone else has said

•          If you need to start - topics may include: Weather, Sports, Traffic, Business Events, Books, Movies, TV Shows, Meeting Place or City (whichever is appropriate)

•          It is gracious to call the person’s name during the conversation

Your turn to talk - Opening Lines

•          Upbeat Observation – “This is very impressive. It looks like…..”

•          Open Ended Questions - “What do you think of…..?”

•          General Questions - “Where are you from?”

UNDERSTANDING BODY LANGUAGE

o   Person turns away or averts his eyes

(disagreement / annoyed/ distracted)

o   Person turns to face you

(interested)

o   Slouching

(loosing interest)

o   Raising hands to his chest

(honest)

o   Wringing hands, nail-biting, foot tapping, shaking legs

(nervous)

BEHAVIOR         Talks too much                Ignores others Interrupts                           Only discusses work

IMPRESSION CREATED Nervous/Insensitive Snobbish Rude Too serious

IMPRESSIVE INTRODUCTION

o   First impressions can be lasting ones

o   Say the name of the person who holds position of most authority and importance first

o   Keep it basic - say the name only once

o   Clarify - some information about the person - keep it short

o   When in doubt do not use first names

o   Admit that you have forgotten the name - rather than guess!

o   If someone neglects to introduce you - go ahead and introduce yourself

o   When you are introduced stand up and shake hands

TIPS ON TIMING

o   It is rude to be late

o   Apologize for your delay when you arrive

o   Schedule meetings farther apart

o   Estimate duration of tasks

o   Be more organized

o   Don’t overstay your welcome

PHYSICAL DISTANCE - REASONABLE PROXIMITY

o   In a business setting, you should rarely, if ever, touch a person

o   Comfortable distance - 3 feet - or an arm’s length away

o   It can help to keep your professional reputation intact

OFFICE PARTY MANNERS

o   Be on time

o   Treat your managers with respectful friendliness

o   Look as if you are having fun

o   Don’t flirt

o   Don’t get drunk

o   Don’t gossip

HANDSHAKES

•          Handshakes are the only acceptable physical conduct for men & women in the business arena.

•          Handshakes are the universally accepted business greeting.

•          Hugs & kisses are a taboo in the business arena.
You are judged by the quality of the handshake.

A good hand shake

•          Fingers together with the thumb up and open

•          Slide your hand into the other person’s so that each person's web of skin between the thumb and forefingers touches the other’s

•          Squeezes the hand firmly-Is firm but not bone-crushing

•          Lasts for about 3 seconds

Includes good eye-contact with the other person an is released after the shake, even if the introduction continues

CARD ETIQUETTES

•          Always have an ample supply of easily accessible cards

•          Place them ahead of time in a coat pocket or purse so that you may have them ready to hand at a moment’s notice.

•          Present your cards face up so that to those whom you are giving it can easily read.

•          When handed a card, take the time to read it and check to make sure you have proper pronunciation.

•          Never turn down a card someone gives you.

•          Be selective with distributing cards

•          Include cards with business correspondence.

•          Don’t be anxious to distribute cards

•          In social functions be unobtrusive while giving cards

•          Business cards should not surface during meals , -be discreet
Using two hands to present and take the cards looks elegant

THUMB RULES FOR INTRODUCTIONS

•          Use full names and no “nick“ names

•          Use title where ever applicable “ Dr. “

•          In social settings add a personal interest line along with the name and designation

•          In official settings full name and designation is important

•          In gatherings make an effort that very one is introduced

•          Open doors and let ladies walk in first

•          With a revolving door the male walks in first and hold it for the woman

•          In the escalator male enters first faces the woman to help

•          In a lift the woman gets out first , but while getting out he should be out and make sure the door is open for her.

•          If a man is driving he should open the door for the lady before sitting. At the end there is no need to rush and open

•          Men should volunteer to carry heavy packets of the women

•          There is no rule that only a man should pay when the two go out

•          Never ask women personal questions

GIVING COMPLIMENTS

•          Be consistent - compliment everyone who deserves it

•          Be specific - be direct

•          Don’t confuse praise with feedback

•          When appropriate give praise in public or in writing

•          Be timely

 ACCEPTING COMPLIMENTS

•          Acknowledge the compliment - say “Thank You”

•          Don’t argue with or attempt to qualify the compliment

•          Even when you genuinely disagree with the reason for the compliment, don’t insult the speaker

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: HOW MANAGERS CAN BECOME BETTER COMMUNICATORS

Breakdowns in communication, lowered productivity.  Communication skill can be learned.  Empathy, Listening, Reading skills, Observations, Word choice, Body languages and Action are all involved in improving communication.

Empathy

Does not mean you necessarily agree, understand why that person speaks and acts in a certain way.  “feel” the bitterness. 

Listening

Constant talking interferes with listening and learning.  Average speaking speed is about 120 – 200 words per minute.  Comprehend words is more than four times the speed at which the words are spoken.

Evaluate listening – free time is devoted to evaluating the speakers remarks.

Projective listening – To fully utilize their time, project themselves into the position of the speaker.  Carl Rogers suggested “Each person can speak for himself only after he has related the ideas and feelings of the previous speaker accurately and to that speaker’s satisfaction”.

Reading Skills

Through Training, Reading speeds can be doubled and tripled with little or no loss in comprehension.

Observation

Some Managers are adept at assessing the atmosphere of an organization merely by strolling through its work place.

Word Choice

Simple and Common words.

Body language

90 percent of first impression.

Crossed legs or ankles and folded arms – indicate a defensive posture or a dislike of the situation.  Open position may indicate the opposite as may leaning forward or backward in a relaxed manner. 

A worker facing away, hands in pockets – negative posture. 

Free use of hand gesturing – indicates highly emotional, animated or relaxed relatively carefree.

o   Tense individual – body rigid.

o   Hard gestures – Positive attitude

o   Facial expression is usually understood.  Emotions like anger, interest, happiness, disgust, contempt, surprise, fear and love.

o   A frown, a sarcastic smile, a blank stare and mean to the employee that the manager is not interested.

o   Sweaty hands or nail bitting may mean that the workers feel ill at ease.

o   Actions

o   Desk moved

o   Deliberately restricting their output.

o   Machinery that could do the work of this crew.

o   Guidelines for Dealing with Communication

o   Have a plan.

o   Get organized.

o   Develop the message from the receivers point of view.

o   Select the best way to communicate the message.

o   Look for feedback.

o   Follow up.

o   Do not assume too much.

o   Be a good listener.

o   Use language that other can understand.

o   Observe non verbal cues.

DAY 12

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: KOTTER’S EIGHT–STAGE PROCESS FOR LEADING CHANGE

Achieving progress and getting the right things done in the best way possible

The eight-stage process of creating major change was first outlined by John Kotter in his bestselling book Leading Change; it describes what the leader needs to do to ensure that beneficial change is achieved.

1.      Establish a sense of urgency

As a leader, you should initiate or take control of the process by emphasizing the need for change. The more urgent and pressing the need, the more likely people will be focused. Usually, the leader's role is to stay positive and build on success. However, it can also help to emphasize failure - what might go wrong and how, when and what the consequences could be. You can also emphasize positive elements such as windows of opportunity that require swift and effective change.

2.      Create the guiding coalition

The guiding coalition needs to understand the purpose of the change process. Members should be united, coordinated and carry significant authority. The coalition needs to have the power to make things happen, to change systems and procedures, and to win people over.

3.      Develop a vision and strategy

The guiding coalition needs to create a simple, powerful vision that will direct and guide change and achieve goals. You need to develop a detailed strategy for achieving that vision. The strategy needs to be practical, work-able, understandable, simple and consistent.

4.      Communicate the change vision

Use every means possible to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies. This will build pressure, momentum and understanding, sustaining a sense of urgency. The guiding coalition should lead by example and act as role models for the behaviour expected of employees.

5.      Empower broad-based action

The leader and the guiding coalition cannot achieve change in isolation - it needs the commitment and effort of others. Provide a blame-free and supportive environment and empower your people by removing obstacles, changing systems or structures that undermine the vision and encouraging risk-taking and non-traditional ideas

6.      Generate short-term wins

These produce momentum and provide an opportunity to build on success. To do this, plan for visible improvements in performance - or 'wins', create those wins and recognize and reward people who make wins possible.

7.      Consolidate gains and produce more change

Once the excitement of the start-up phase has passed, the successes have been built and people know what is needed, people can tire and problems can arise. The key is to move steadily: maintain momentum without moving too fast. You need to continue by using increased credibility and understanding of what is still needed, hiring, promoting and developing people who can implement the changes and reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes and change agents.

8.      Anchor new approaches in the organization's culture

A key danger in managing change is to finish too early. The best situation is often where change, development and continuous improvements become the norm. What matters is making changes that are firmly grounded in the organization. This requires you to explain the connections between the new behaviours or actions and success.

SKILL CAPSULE: QUESTIONING SKILLS

Gathering information is a basic human activity – we use information to learn, to help us solve problems, to aid our decision making processes and to understand each other more clearly.

Questioning is the key to gaining more information and without it interpersonal communications can fail.  Questioning is fundamental to successful communication - we all ask and are asked questions when engaged in conversation. 

We find questions and answers fascinating and entertaining – politicians, reporters, celebrities and entrepreneurs are often successful based on their questioning skills – asking the right questions at the right time and also answering (or not) appropriately.

Although questions are usually verbal in nature, they can also be non-verbal.  Raising of the eyebrows could, for example, be asking, “Are you sure?” facial expressions can ask all sorts of subtle questions at different times and in different contexts.

Critical questioning is an art.  It's the basis of learning. It's also the basis of leadership, decision making, negotiations and practically every other soft skill.

Why Ask Questions?

Although the following list is not exhaustive it outlines the main reasons questions are asked in common situations.

·         To Obtain Information:

The primary function of a question is to gain information – ‘What time is it?’

·         To help maintain control of a conversation

While you are asking questions you are in control of the conversation, assertive people are more likely to take control of conversations attempting to gain the information they need through questioning.

·         Express an interest in the other person

Questioning allows us to find out more about the respondent, this can be useful when attempting to build rapport and show empathy or to simply get to know the other person better.

·         To clarify a point

Questions are commonly used in communication to clarify something that the speaker has said.  Questions used as clarification are essential in reducing misunderstanding and therefore more effective communication

·         To explore the personality and or difficulties the other person may have

Questions are used to explore the feelings, beliefs, opinions, ideas and attitudes of the person being questioned.  They can also be used to better understand problems that another person maybe experiencing – like in the example of a doctor trying to diagnose a patient.

·         To test knowledge

Questions are used in all sorts of quiz, test and exam situations to ascertain the knowledge of the respondent.  ‘What is the capital of France?’ for example.

·         To encourage further thought

Questions may be used to encourage people think about something more deeply.  Questions can be worded in such a way as to get the person to think about a topic in a new way.  ‘Why do you think Paris is the capital of France?”

·         In group situations

Questioning in group situations can be very useful for a number of reasons, to include all members of the group, to encourage more discussion of a point, to keep attention by asking questions without advance warning.  These examples can be easily related to a classroom of school children.

How to Ask Questions

Being an effective communicator has a lot to do with how questions are asked.  Once the purpose of the question has been established you should ask yourself a number of questions:

o    What type of question should be asked?

o    Is the question appropriate to the person/group?

o    Is this the right time to ask the question?

o    How do I expect the respondent will reply?

When actually asking questions – especially in more formal settings some of the mechanics to take into account include:

Being Structured

In certain situations, for example if you are conducting a research project or you work in a profession that requires the recording of information, it may be necessary to ask large numbers of questions. 

In such cases it is usually a good idea to inform the respondent of this before you start, by giving some background information and reasoning behind your motive of asking questions.  By doing this the respondent becomes more open to questions and why it is acceptable for you to be asking them.  

They also know and can accept the type of questions that are likely to come up, for example, “In order to help you with your insurance claim it will be necessary for me to ask you about your car, your health and the circumstances that led up to the accident”. 

In most cases the interaction between questioner and respondent will run more smoothly if there is some structure to the exchange.

Use Silence

Using silence is a powerful way of delivering questions. 

As with other interpersonal interactions pauses in speech can help to emphasise points and give all parties a few moments to gather their thoughts before continuing.

A pause of at least three seconds before a question can help to emphasise the importance of what is being asked.  A three second pause directly after a question can also be advantageous; it can prevent the questioner from immediately asking another question and indicates to the respondent that a response is required.

Pausing again after an initial response can encourage the respondent to continue with their answer in more detail. Pauses of less than three seconds have been proven to be less effective.

Encouraging Participation

In group situations leaders often want to involve as many people as possible in the discussion or debate.

This can be at least partially achieved by asking questions of individual members of the group.

One way that the benefits of this technique can be maximised is to redirect a question from an active member of the group to one who is less active or less inclined to answer without a direct opportunity. Care should be taken in such situations as some people find speaking in group situations very stressful and can easily be made to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or awkward.

Encourage but do not force quieter members of the group to participate.

Critical Questioning vs. Creative Questioning

Creative questioning is the use of curiosity and imagination to generate a productive flows of questions.
Creative questioning is a somewhat vague term. It has evolved because people feel that "critical questioning" sounds too negative.
Critical questioning is a more defined technique that has roots extending back to Socratic Questioning (a method of critical questioning developed by Socrates).

How to Use Critical Questioning

Critical questioning relies on your listening and interpersonal skills. It's pointless to question someone if you're not actively listening to them.
Critical questioning cuts quickly to the heart of ideas. It can easily be perceived as hostile. Use your social skills to soften questions. Add humor or friendly disclaimers.

Use combinations of the following techniques to critically question ideas:

1.      Establish Relevance
Why are we talking about this?

2.      Ask For Clarifications
What do you mean?

3.      Challenge Assumptions
What could we assume instead?

4.      Seek Evidence
Can you give me an example?

5.      Probe Alternatives
What about ...?

6.      Investigate Perspectives
How would .... feel about this?
Is there another way to look at this?

7.      Examine Implications & Consequences
What are you implying?
What does this mean to ....?
What's the global impact?

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: SPECIAL SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

Conversation Control

o   How to handle personal criticism

o   Put forward a proposal.

o   Register a protest.

o   Disagree without being aggressive.

o   How to be creative.

o   How to negotiate.

o   How to buy and sell.

o   How to interview and praise.

o   How to contribute to a meeting.

Importance of Conversation Control

o   Criticism with confidence

o   Get the correct information quickly

o   Talking to people in a convincing way

o   Objections and Opposition

o   Where people are coming

o   Interviewing and appraisal

o   Use the dynamics of conversation for both problem solving and social use with friends

Benefits of Conversation Control

o   Managers often tell that the major problems they face are in responding to the concerns and problems of others and trying to influence people.

o   To be able to manage conflict.

o   To negotiate more effectively.

o   To develop listening skills.

o   To persuade and influence

o   To get people to work together

o   To facilitate problem solving.

o   To get people to think more creatively about the job.

o   To get others more involved in planning and implementation.

DAY 13

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: SIX PRINCIPLES FOR GAINING COMMITMENT

Achieving employee engagement during times of transition

What is the goal of employee engagement? Quite simply: to maximize performance and profit. These will not happen if leaders don't have their people's commitment. Gone are the times when leaders simply informed others; nowadays a dialogue needs to take place. People need to feel valued and listened to, and leaders need to inspire, win hearts and minds, and harness talent and potential.

Successful transitions depend on gaining commitment. Without it, companies underperform and strategy is harder to achieve. John Smythe developed six principles to engage employees - releasing creativity, raising productivity and promoting commitment and loyalty. They give people a compelling reason to work for you, to excel, and to implement plans successfully. By listening, engaging, empowering and encouraging people to share ideas, you will build confidence, loyalty and camaraderie.

1.       Develop the right plan and make sure that everyone agrees

Ensure that the senior team has explored all options and developed the best strategy. While teams often agree on a plan, some people may have held back ideas or not been on board. Making sure that everyone at the senior level is on board is critical.

2.      Plan the transition process and prepare a timeline

When planning the timeline for implementation, consider the timing of all demands that will be placed on people, including emotional and motivational aspects.

3.      Decide who is to be involved - and how

Make sure that everyone is clear about who is involved and how and why they are involved - or affected. When people know what their role is and understand your strategy, they are more engaged, adaptable and committed.

4.      Set standards (including role modeling and measuring progress)

Putting standards and timed goals in place enables people to measure progress. The key is to win and maintain people's commitment: measures need to work with people; they should not demotivate. When setting goals, consider the people involved - ask yourself how they would respond.

5.      Connect with each person as an individual

Include opportunities for people to reflect, learn and enjoy working for your company. Implementing a new strategy should be enjoyable - emphasize the excitement, the potential and the opportunities. Include opportunities to celebrate past achievements - moving to the future without a nod to the past is discouraging.

6.      Tell and sell the new strategy

Tap into people's desire to be part of something and interpret situations from their perspective. Empathy is an invaluable tool for generating enthusiasm and commitment. Remember: the version of change you are giving is not the only one people hear. Be honest, keep people informed, and offer a better, more inspirational and convincing explanation of events and strategy.

SKILL CAPSULE: LEARNING SKILL

Almost every action we take is the result of past learning yet, for some people, learning still remains an activity undertaken in, or associated with, an educational context. As babies we learn to eat, to gain attention, to crawl, to walk, etc. and as we develop into children, and our bodies become more functional, we learn an inordinate range of skills. Traditionally, research and studies around learning focused primarily on early-years learning through childhood and adolescence.  However, it is now recognized that learning is a continuous process that commences at birth and continues until death; it is the process through which we use our experience to deal with new situations and to develop relationships. A lot of our learning occurs randomly throughout life, from new experiences, gaining information and from our perceptions, for example: reading a newspaper or watching a news broadcast, talking with a friend or colleague, chance meetings and unexpected experiences.

Many experiences in life provide us with learning opportunities from which we can choose whether or not to learn.  This type of experiential learning is in contrast to more formal approaches to learning such as training, mentoring, coaching and teaching, all of which have some type of structure in that they are planned learning involving a facilitator.

Teaching, training and other structured learning opportunities are activities that one person does to another, while learning is something we can only do for ourselves.

Learning involves far more than thinking: it involves the whole personality - senses, feelings, intuition, beliefs, values and will.  If we do not have the will to learn, we will not learn and if we have learned, we are actually changed in some way.  If the learning makes no difference it can have very little significance beyond being random ideas that float through our consciousness. 

Learning needs to meet some personal need and recognising and identifying such needs enables us to evaluate whether the learning has been worthwhile and successful.

Learning occurs when we are able to:

·         Gain a mental or physical grasp of the subject.

·         Make sense of a subject, event or feeling by interpreting it into our own words or actions.

·         Use our newly acquired ability or knowledge in conjunction with skills and understanding we already possess.

·         Do something with the new knowledge or skill and take ownership of it.

Key Principles of Learning

There are a vast range of theories that attempt to explain and demonstrate the way that people learn. 

Such theories can often contrast with each other depending on the type of learning they describe, for example traditional learning theories associated with children and adolescents engaged in ‘schooling’ may differ from theories associated with adult learning.

The following list is generic and identifies the key principles associated with all types of learning and can be applied to group situations as well as when learning alone or with a mentor, tutor or trainer. 

This list is not exhaustive but it should, however, help you to understand some of the key concepts of learning.

·         People learn best when they are treated with respect and are not talked down to or treated as ignorant.  Establishing ground rules at the start of a training session will reinforce this important principle However, for the training to be most effective and to involve full participation, the trainer should model such exemplar behaviour.

·         Learning opportunities should, when possible, be linked to previous positive experience - this involves self-awareness on the part of the learner and understanding and empathy on the part of any facilitator.  Learning can be blocked by past negative experiences - some people who hated school cannot bear to be in a classroom situation, for example.

• When possible learners should take part in the planning of learning activities.  Learners should be encouraged to be self-directing in terms of goal-setting since this usually improves commitment and motivation and increases participation.  Facilitators should examine the expectations of the learner at the start of a course or session to help to encourage self-direction.
• People learn best when their physical environment is comfortable.  In group situations a positive emotional and supportive environment is also important; individuals in groups tend to learn best when they can socialise and interact with other group members.
• Interaction with a facilitator is vital.  People need to be able to react, question and voice opinions on what they are learning.  Generally, in group situations, quieter members should be gently encouraged for their input.
• Learning activities and/or delivery need to be varied, to cover the range of different learning styles and help the learner maintain interest and motivation.  In a classroom setting, for example, including discussions or other activities, especially some sort of problem solving, as part of a lesson or lecture will enable learners to interact and engage with the subject. 
• Instant rewards help.  People learn best if the results and/or rewards of learning are made clear and can be demonstrated during or immediately after the learning experience.
• Self-evaluation and reflective practice is important.  Learners should be encouraged to reflect on what they have learnt and think about ways that they can further their knowledge.

The PACT Learning Cycle

Many attempts have been made by academics and others to map and explain the learning processes.  It is generally recognised that learning takes place in a repetitive cycle, an ongoing series of processes. 

The diagram below represents a generic learning cycle and uses the acronym PACT.  The cycle is relevant to all types of learning.

The PACT learning cycle stages are:

• Procure. New knowledge (theory) or ability (skill) is acquired.
• Apply. The new knowledge or skill is then practiced in some way.
• Consider. The results of the practice are evaluated and/or assessed.
• Transform. The original knowledge or ability is modified accordingly.

The cycle then continues and repeats.

The PACT cycle should help to demonstrate that learning is an iterative process: our learning evolves as we develop and we utilise early knowledge for later understanding.  There are many examples of these processes in action - usually we learn the basics of a subject or skill before progressing to intermediate , advanced and ultimately expert levels.  At each stage we build on the knowledge and experience we have already acquired, gaining further knowledge, experience or techniques and repeating the learning cycle.

Learning Capacity

Our individual learning capacity varies considerably and will depend not only on ability but also on motivation, personality, learning style and an awareness of our own learning processes. 

Working on an awareness of your own learning processes means 'learning how to learn'. For example, in university settings students are usually taught some study skills, which include learning how to seek information when needed and how to use it appropriately.

In Summary

Learning is an internal activity and a key personal development skill.

Learning is not something that can be directly observed in others.  We can, however, observe the results of learning in ourselves and others – this is why, in formal learning situations, assessment is such a crucial part of the teaching process. 

The results of academic assessment, essays, exams etc. are simply attempts to measure how much an individual has learnt but they cannot measure the actual process of learning.

Learning brings about changes in the way we act, think and/or feel about ourselves, other people and the world around us. Such changes may be permanent or temporary depending on our own perceptions of the importance and relevance of the gained knowledge.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: RECOGNITION OF CUES AND CLUES

All conversations and discussions are full of cues and clues as well as signs and signals.  Others who do not hear and see them will miss the opportunity and the conversation will probably fail.

Disguised Messages

·         Very often people give some of their most important clues through non-verbal behaviour.  The shrug, the hand over, the mouth, the lean backwards or forwards in the chair, clenched fist

·         A cue is a word or phrase you see when you want to give an indication that something is important to you.

·         A clue is a similar set of words, only the key point is that the words as spoken by someone else

Expect Cues and Clues

·         We all miss cues and clues because often we are not quick enough to observe and understand.  We need to listen to the important words people use.  Cues and Clues are difficult to handle because they are not always directly visible.

Identification of Cues and Clues  Basic principles are:

·         First, listen carefully when people use the words “I”, “Me” or “My”.  At that point they are speaking about the most important person in the world – themselves.

·         Second, listen carefully if people follow up comments about themselves with strong adjectives such as “disappointed”, “annoyed”, “worried”, “angry” etc.

·         Third, listen for words which imply the other person is under pressure to do or achieve something.

·         Fourth, listen when people express doubts and concerns.

Signs and Signals

·         Signs refer to the behavioral indicators such a the pointed finger to emphasize a point, the hands over the mouth to guard against the wrong word or the eyes looking forward to help are sings etc.

·         Signals refer to the behavioural indicators others give to you.  When a person is relaxed and at ease he will usually smile more and nod their head.  You can therefore observe, without a word being spoken, the attitude of the person.

DAY 14

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: BELBIN’S TEAM RULES

Building, managing and understanding teams and teamworking

R. Meredith Belbin identified nine ways people work together in teams. Understanding these types will help you build and lead better teams.

Leading a team

While people can have characteristics from different categories, one style tends to dominate. To manage teams effectively, you need to identify and understand the style each person uses. Knowing the type of person each team member is will help you to build the right team, get the most out of people, delegate effectively and manage situations successfully. The information can be used to motivate, secure commitment, encourage the behaviours and actions you are looking for, and help you understand when to challenge and when to hold back. This insight enables you to know what type of support to offer, as well as knowing how to avoid conflict or manage it effectively should it arise.

Belbin's nine team roles

Team role	Strengths - contribution to team-working	Weaknesses - problems for team-working
Plant	Plants are creative and imaginative individuals. Their approach can be unorthodox, unusual or freethinking. As a result, they are particularly effective at solving difficult problems.	A propensity to ignore details and become too preoccupied or-focused on one issue, hindering communication and collaboration.
Resource investigator	Typically resource investigators are outgoing, extrovert, enthusiastic and communicative. Skills include the ability to explore opportunities and develop contacts.	Over-optimistic and positive, rather than realistic or resilient. This can mean that they lose interest after their initial enthusiasm.
Coordinator	Coordinators are mature and confident, able to connect big-picture thinking with detailed implementation, good planning and organizational skills.	Too much delegation and co-ordination of others can be seen as manipulative, and they can sometimes be perceived as offloading work.
Shaper	Shapers are challenging, action-oriented and dynamic. Within teams they enjoy decision-making and problem-solving, and bring the drive and courage needed to overcome obstacles.	Prone to provocation, and may risk offending team-members' feelings with their focus on action and results (rather than people).
Monitor Evaluator	Monitor evaluators' strength is their sober, strategic and discerning approach. They contribute to team effectiveness by viewing all options and displaying sound, accurate judgement	An ability to monitor, evaluate and assess is not always dynamic, and their weaknesses can include a lack of drive and ability to inspire others.
Teamworker	Teamworkers are especially co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic. They complement a team with their ability to listen, build on ideas, promote collaboration and mutual support and avoid friction.	A key weakness is indecision in crunch situations, including those scenarios where there is no 'right' way forward.
Team role	Strengths - contribution to team-working	Weaknesses - problems for team-working
Implementer	Implementers contribute to teams by being disciplined, reliable and efficient. They are especially skilled at turning ideas into practical actions and results	Can slow down teamworking by being inflexible or slow to respond to new options.
Completer finisher	Completer finishers deliver on time and succeed by providing the team with a conscientious, anxious approach that looks for errors and omissions.	Completer finishers can worry unnecessarily or excessively and sometimes be reluctant to delegate.
Specialist	Specialists are single-minded, dedicated self-starters. who contribute to team effectiveness by providing valuable knowledge and skills.	The specialist's weakness is their tendency to concentrate on technicalities and they may only contribute in a single narrow area.

The diagnostic questionnaire for BeIbin's team role analysis is available at Belbin Associates' website (www.belbin.com).

SKILL CAPSULE: NUMERACY (NUMBER SKILLS)

Numeracy Skills Count

Improved numeracy skills lead to better paid jobs, greater well-being and a less stressful life.

Numeracy skills are not just for scientists, accountants and the tax man, many professions require at least a basic level of understanding when it comes to numeracy and mathematics. Take some time to develop your numeracy skills - it's never too late to learn.

Chris Humphries, Chairman of National Numeracy, talking to the BBC said:

“It is simply inexcusable for anyone to say ‘I can’t do maths.’”

He continued to suggest that many people cannot get jobs because they struggle to read graphs and interpret documents, while plumbers may find it difficult to do the necessary calculations to install a boiler and as a result lose income. 

Careers New Zealand suggests that basic numeracy, needed for the workforce, should include:

• Counting quantities for a customer.
• The use of percentages and subtraction when giving a discount.
• Using division when calculating costs per head.
• Measuring the area of shapes.
• Calculating fuel consumption.
• Understanding tables in reports and interpreting graphs.

It may come as a surprise that almost half of the working-age population (17 million) of England have numeracy skills equivalent to those expected for an 11 year-old child.

This problem is not unique to England or the UK.

In Australia business leaders were asked how poor numeracy affected their businesses.  Over three-quarters of respondents said that their businesses were affected with almost 40% reporting a moderate to high effect. 

In the USA over a third of all school-age American students are scoring 'below basic' on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Poor numeracy is a huge problem that affects people and organizations in ways that are not immediately obvious.

Adults with poor numeracy skills are twice as likely to be unemployed than those who enjoy some competency in numeracy.  Those adults with at least basic numeracy skills can expect to earn a quarter more than those who lack the necessary skills to solve basic mathematical problems.

Those with poor numeracy skills are less likely to be able to save money on day-to-day affairs, like a visit to the supermarket.Furthermore they are less likely to be able to find or negotiate the best deals on financial products and therefore more likely to pay higher levels of interest on higher levels of debt.   It is well documented that debt problems can lead to stress and/or depression.  Between a third and a half of people with poor numeracy skills have a desire to improve them and less than 4% have actually attended any numeracy classes.

 

Develop Your Numeracy Skills

We believe that everybody has the ability to master basic numeracy. 

We also believe that understanding basic numeracy and mathematics will make a huge difference in all aspects of your life: make you more employable, help you achieve a greater understanding of the world around you, save you time and money and may even improve your well-being and reduce stress. Through clear descriptions, discussion and examples we hope to give our readers a fundamental knowledge of 'Functional Numeracy'.  Our mission is to develop a library of informative, easy-to-follow guides covering the basics of functional numeracy skills - maths you can use every day.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: GROUP DISCUSSION

Purpose

Ø  Personality Traits Gauged in Group Discussion

Ø  Ability to interact in a team

Ø  Communications Skills

Ø  Reasoning ability.

Ø  Leadership skills.

Ø  Initiative & Enthusiasm.

Ø  Assertiveness.

Ø  Flexibility

Ø  Nurturing & Coaching Ability.

Ø  Creativity.

Ø  Ability to think in ones feet.

Types of Topics for Group Discussion

Ø  Factual Topics.

Ø  Controversial Topics.

Ø  Abstract Topics.

Ø  Political.

Ø  Economics.

Ø  Education.

Ø  Environmental.

Ø  Ethics & Law.

Ø  Technology Related.

DAY 15

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: DRIVERS OF TRUST AND THE TRUST CYCLE

What we look for when choosing to trust someone

The drivers of trust are the attributes that lead to effective relationships.

The cycle of trust is the process through which trust can be developed and maintained.

Overview

Trust matters because success can be achieved only by working through others. By inspiring trust, you will encourage those around you to be flexible and collaborative. Developing the drivers of trust and maintaining the trust of others will lead to productive business relationships.

The drivers of trust

The main drivers of trust are:

·         fairness ·         dependability ·         respect ·         openness ·         courage

·         unselfishness ·         competence ·         supportiveness ·         empathy ·         compassion

By promoting these qualities, relationships with colleagues, customers and stakeholders are more beneficial to everyone involved.

The reality of trust

In reality, the attributes we are more likely to encounter (the reality of trust) are:

·         likeability ·         dependability ·         critical ·         ambition ·         fairness

·         professionalism ·         competence ·         respect ·         controlling ·         predictability

The trust deficit

People look for the drivers of trust when deciding when, and how much, to trust someone. When people's expectations are not met, trust and indeed the entire relationship are seriously undermined. It would seem that without a concerted effort to develop and demonstrate these qualities we are unlikely to develop the rapport we need for good working relationships. Avoiding a trust deficit becomes all-important if we are to get the most out of business relationships. By understanding the drivers of trust, along with the cycle of trust, we can better shape the way we relate to others and build successful, reliable and productive relationships.

The Trust Cycle

Explore - understand the issues and priorities		Commit — agree what you will deliver, how and when
Confirm — check that delivery has met the person's expectations		Deliver — take action and achieve what you have promised

By continually following these stages, you will build and maintain the trust that is essential for effective, productive relationships. As trust is such a fragile commodity, failing to achieve any one of these stages will damage the relationship and require you to go back and rebuild it. For this reason, ensuring that trust is maintained - by continually developing the drivers of trust and following the cycle of trust - is less disruptive, less time-consuming and less stressful. It creates the positive and productive relationships that are necessary for success.

SKILL CAPSULE: DELEGATION SKILLS

One of the most important questions to answer if you want to delegate a task, whether at home or in the workplace, is ‘How much control do I want over the task?’.

The answer to this question will drive how you delegate the task, how often you meet with the person doing the work, and what level of detail you want to know about. It will also alter the leadership style that you adopt. What’s more, saying that you want one level of control when actually you want another, is likely to confuse your team and make them anxious and less effective, so it’s really important that you know what you want and communicate it clearly.

From No Control to Total Control

Think of control over the task as being shared in some way between ‘leader’, that is, the person delegating the work, and followers. The level of control can vary from the leader being in total control to the followers being in total control, with a whole spectrum of shared control in between. If the leader is in total control, the leadership style being used is likely to be Commanding  or Pacesetting. Shared control could be Authoritative/Visionary (the leader relies on the quality of their vision to bring their team along), Democratic, Coaching or Affiliative, all of which are very much linked to dialogue.

Total control lying with the followers is not often seen, because of the level of risk to the leader. It is more commonly described as Laissez-Faire leadership, which should give you some idea of the level of esteem in which it is not held by leadership gurus.

Nine Levels of Delegation

With the level of control in mind, we can then move on to think about how you delegate work or tasks. Tim Brighouse, the former Schools Commissioner for London defined nine levels of delegation.

They are:

1. Look into this problem. Give me all the facts. I will decide what to do.
2. Let me know the options available with the pros and cons of each. I will decide what to select.
3. Let me know the criteria for your recommendation, which alternatives you have identified and which one appears best to you with any risk identified. I will make the decision.
4. Recommend a course of action for my approval.
5. Let me know what you intend to do. Delay action until I approve.
6. Let me know what you intend to do. Do it unless I say not to.
7. Take action. Let me know what you did. Let me know how it turns out.
8. Take action. Communicate with me only if the action is unsuccessful.
9. Take action. No further communication with me is necessary.

It will immediately be apparent that there is huge potential for problems if you want to know exactly what is going on, but your subordinate has received the message that you don’t want any further information. Delegating work is obviously a lot more complicated than it looks at first sight.

Key Skills in Delegating Work

Delegating may be complicated, but there are actually only two principle skill areas needed for successful delegating:

1.       Be aware what level of control you want and need, which needs high levels of self-awareness. Good leaders are intrinsically self-aware, and understand how they like to work.

2.       The best leaders are also aware of how their subordinates like to work, and strive to find a balance between the two, to allow their subordinates to grow and develop in their work. You can find out how much control people like by asking them, and negotiating the level of delegation that you use with them so that both of you get some of what you want (and a win-win situation).

Make sure that you are absolutely clear with your subordinate what level of delegation you have used. This requires strong communication skills.

Like so many skills, delegation can be broken down into a relatively straightforward set of skills: in this case, communication and self-awareness. However, also like many others, it takes a fair bit of practice before you’re really comfortable. To get better, it’s a good idea to practise consciously using different levels of delegation, so that you become familiar with the type of language needed for each, and are able to use them comfortably. You will then be able to flex your style to fit the task and the person to whom you are delegating.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE GROUP DISCUSSION

Introducing the topic

Ø  Listening in & butting in.

Ø  Agreeing & giving examples, Disagreeing & giving examples.

Ø  Looking on both sides of a coin. Intervening to get a balanced view.

Ø  Intervening during a conflict, Co-operating & leading.

Ø  No cornering or making fun of participants

Ø  Intervening & giving a chance to a timid participant.

Ø  Giving examples & experiences

Ø  Concluding (has been vigorous, interesting not your own view, no final decision )

DAY 16

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: THE TRUTHS OF STRATEGY

Who, what, how: succeeding with business strategy

Developing a distinctive, successful business strategy is often over-elaborate and over-complicated. Strategy is simply about understanding where you are now, where you are heading and - crucially - how you will get there.

The idea

Strategy has three essential elements: development, implementation and selling (meaning, obtaining commitment and buy-in). Underpinning all three is choice, in particular the need to choose a distinctive strategic position on three dimensions:

1.       Who to target as customers (and who to avoid targeting)

2.       What products to offer

3.       How to undertake related activities efficiently

In practice

Strategy is all about making tough choices in these three dimensions: who, what and how. It means deciding on the customers you will target and, just as importantly, the customers you will not target. This issue requires a focus on customer segmentation and geography.

Delivering a successful strategy also means choosing the products or services you will offer and what product features or benefits to emphasize. Finally, strategy means choosing the activities you will use to sell your selected product to your selected customer.

This approach sounds simple but there are several key points to note to ensure a successful strategy:

·         Ensure that your strategy creates a unique strategic position. This is achieved by focusing on who your customers are, the value proposition offered to these customers and how you can do this efficiently.

·         Make distinctive, tough choices. To be distinctive and meaningful, strategy must make difficult choices and combine these choices in a self-reinforcing system of activities that fit. Common mistakes include: keeping options open; permitting incentives in the system that enable people to ignore choices; searching for growth in a way that forces people to ignore the firm's strategy, and analysis paralysis.

·         Understand the importance of values and incentives. In particular, the underlying environment of your organization creates the behaviours of that organization. The organization's culture and values, measurement and incentives, people, structure and processes all determine the underlying environment.

·         Gain people's emotional commitment to the strategy. Any strategy, however brilliant, will fail unless people are emotionally committed to its success.

·         Remember, understanding is not the same as communicating. Explain why the strategy is important to the organization and the individual.

·         Do not overlook the knowledge-doing gap. Individuals tend to do the urgent things and not the important ones. There is a gap between what they know and what they do. Remember, what gets measured gets done.

·         Do not believe that 'strategic' means important. Closely linked is the mistaken view that only 'top' people can develop strategic ideas. Ideas can come from anybody, anytime, anywhere.

·         Keep your strategy flexible. All ideas are good for a limited time - not forever. Keep checking the answers to the 'who - what - how' questions. Strategy does not need to be changed too often but it will occasionally require adjusting to suit external circumstances. So, give your people freedom and autonomy to respond and to adjust, without waiting for permission or instructions.

SKILL CAPSULE: INFLUENCING SKILLS

How often have you needed to influence others to do something?

It’s a situation that arises almost every day, whether it’s getting your teenager to tidy their room, or your pre-schooler to get dressed, or a colleague to attend a meeting on your behalf. Some people seem to be able to do it effortlessly, and almost without anyone noticing, whereas others fall back on the power of their position to enforce what they want.

Influencing skills can be learnt just like any others, and they are a key part of being able to influence others to achieve your goals and objectives.

Ways to Influence

Nagging

We all know people who aim to influence by talking constantly. They seem to think they can grind others into submission, by simply reiterating their point of view constantly. This, basically, is nagging. And it does sometimes work, of course, because their colleagues or family give in solely to get some peace. But as a general rule, others influenced in this way probably haven’t bought into the idea, and are not committed to it.

This means that when the going gets tough, the idea could easily just wither and die.

Coercion

Others fall back on the power of their position, and order others to do what they want. This, in its most unpleasant sense, is coercion. Again, their family or colleagues won’t necessarily like what they’re doing. If it’s hard, they may well give up. More orders will be issued, to rescue the idea, but again, may be unsuccessful, because those involved are doing it because they have to, not because they want to.

A Better Way

The ‘Holy Grail’ of influencing, then, is to get others to buy into the idea, and want to do it your way. And the best way of doing that is in a way that others don’t notice. But how?

The fable of the sun and the wind is a good example:

The wind and the sun decided to have a competition to decide once and for all who was stronger. They agreed that the winner would be the one who could influence a man to take off his coat. The wind blew and blew, but the man only held on more tightly to his coat. Then the sun shone gently down, and within minutes, the man took off his coat.

The moral here is that you can’t force someone to do what they don’t want; instead, the art of influencing is to get them to want what you want.

 

Barriers to Successful Influence

One way to think about what works in influencing others is to think about what doesn’t work first.

1. Thinking that you are better at influencing than you are, and therefore failing to hone your skills. Instead, take a long, hard look at yourself, and see where your skills need to be improved.
2. Trying too hard to influence. Seeming too keen probably puts people off faster than anything else.
3. Failing to put in the effort required to get what you want. Nothing, or at least not much, is free in this world.
4. Talking too much. Stop, and just listen to the people you need to influence.
5. Providing too much information, which just confuses people, and makes them think you are trying to blind them with science. What, they ask, are you not telling them?
6. Getting desperate. Like insincerity, people can spot fear at a distance, and don’t like it.
7. Being afraid of rejection. This can even stop people from trying to influence in extreme cases.
8. Not being prepared. You can’t ‘wing it’ every time. Your audience will see through you, and will think that you value your time more highly than theirs.
9. Making assumptions about your audience, and then not being prepared to reassess when new evidence emerges.
10. Forgetting that the whole conversation is important. You need to engage in order to influence, right from the beginning.

Successful Influencing

Research shows that there are a number of things that people like about successful influencers.

Kurt Mortensen’s research suggests that these elements are largely emotional. They include keeping promises, being reliable and taking responsibility, being sincere, genuine, and honest, knowing their subject, and believing in it, building rapport, and being entertaining, as well as not arguing and providing solutions that work.

The key skills for successful influencing, then, are pretty wide. First of all, successful influencers tend to have high self-esteem and good Emotional Intelligence more generally. They really believe that they will succeed.

You also need to remain motivated and believe in yourself and your ideas. Additionally, you need to understand how your audience thinks. Key skills here include Empathy, and good Listening Skills, including Active Listening. If you listen, your audience will usually tell you what and how they are thinking. It also helps to be able to build rapport; people like those who take time to become a friend, as well as an influencer. It follows, really: if we’re honest, we’d all much rather do what a friend suggests than someone we dislike, however sensible the idea. Building rapport also helps to build trust. Good influencers or influencers also have very good Communication Skills.

It’s essential that you can get your point across succinctly and effectively, otherwise you’re never going to influence anyone of the merits of your position.

The final skill of good influencers is being organised. They do their homework, they know their audience and they know their subject. They have taken time to organise themselves and think about what they want to achieve.

Conclusion

It takes time, but develop these skills, and you will start to develop ‘authentic power’, which means that you have power because people believe in what you’re saying. Once you have that, you are likely to be much more successful in influencing and influencing others, whether at home or at work.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: HOW TO PREPARE FOR A TELEPHONIC INTERVIEW AND COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Isolate yourself, make sure the caller can hear you clearly.
• Make sure at least 20 minutes is available or schedule another time for the call.
• Be sure who will call who. It is recommended that you offer to call the company.
• During the call standup, walk around and smile. All these things make a big difference
• At the conclusion, ask the interviewer about next steps and timing of their hiring process.
• If you are interested, ask for a face-to-face interview.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

        Tell Me About Yourself? - What do you know about our company? How did you learn about this position? What is our current salary? What are your compensation requirements?- Why are you looking for a new position? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?

QUESTIONS YOU MAY ASK

·         What is your position with this company?

·         How much time would you like to speak on the phone?

·         What position are you considering me for?

·         What are the key things you'd like to learn about my background?

·         What business imperatives are driving the need for this position?

·         What are the  top challenges that I'll face in this job?

·         What are the characteristics of people who are most successful in your company?

·         What are the key deliverables and outcomes that this position must achieve?

·         What additional information would you like me to provide?

·         What concern s do you have at this point?

·         When is the best time to follow up with you?

DAY 17

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: SWOT ANALYSIS

A valuable decision-making technique

SWOT analysis can work at many different levels: from the overall operation of the organization as a whole to the separate and independent issues affecting a department or a single product.

·         Strengths ·         Opportunities

·         Weaknesses ·         Threats

Internal sources of strength and weakness

These are typically found within an organization, whereas opportunities and threats are most often external. Some factors can be sources both of strength and weakness: for example the age of employees. Older employees may denote a stable organization, able to retain employees and maintain a wealth of experience, or it may simply mean that the organization is too conservative. Many factors can be either strengths or weaknesses and they can change from one to the other surprisingly quickly.

External sources of opportunity and threat

These are more difficult to assess than internal ones. Examples of sources of opportunities and threats are detailed below.

Sources of opportunity include: ·         new markets (including export markets) ·         new technologies ·         new products and product enhancements ·         mergers, acquisitions and divestments ·         new investment ·         factors affecting competitors' fortunes ·         commercial agreements and strategic partnerships ·         political, economic, regulatory and trade developments

Sources of threats include: •      industrial action •      political and regulatory issues •      economic issues •      trade factors •      mergers and other developments among competitors •      new market entrants •      pricing actions by competitors •      market innovations by competitors •      environmental factors •      natural disasters •      crises, notably including issues of health, safety, product quality and liability •      key staff attracted away from the business •      security issues, including industrial espionage and the security of IT systems •      supply chain problems •      distribution and delivery problems •      bad debts (resulting from the fortunes of others) •      demographic factors and social changes affecting customers' tastes or habits.

SKILL CAPSULE: STRESS MANAGEMENT

Effectively coping with stress, managing stress and finding ways to reduce unnecessary or unhealthy levels of stress are important life skills - skills that everybody needs.

Negative stress, tension and anxiety are extremely common problems in modern life - most people will suffer from potentially dangerous or debilitating symptoms of stress and stress related issues at some point in their lives.

This page (part of a series of stress management pages) provides an introduction or overview to negative stress, together with some of the most common causes of stress and the consequences of inappropriate levels of stress.

Stress is a response to an inappropriate level of pressure. You may encounter stress from a number of sources including:

• Personal Stress: which may be caused by the nature of your work, changes in your life or personal problems.
• Stress in family or friends: which in turn may affect you.
• Stress in your colleagues: which also may affect you.

Stress can be described as the distress that is caused as a result of demands placed on physical or mental energy.  Stress can arise as the result of factors including:

 

Anxiety

Anxiety is caused when life events are felt to be threatening to individual physical, social or mental well-being.  The amount of anxiety experienced by an individual depends on:

• How threatening these life events are perceived to be.
• Individual coping strategies.
• How many stressful events occur in a short period of time.

Tension

Tension is a natural reaction to anxiety.  It is part of a primitive survival instinct where physiological changes prepare the individual for ‘fight or flight’.  This sympathetic response, as it is known, results in a chemical Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) being released in the body and causes muscles to tense ready for action. 

Blood vessels near the skin constrict, to slow bleeding if injury is sustained, and to increase the blood supply to the muscles, heart, lungs and brain.  Digestion is inhibited, the bladder relaxes, the heart rate and breathing speed increase, the body sweats more.  The person affected becomes more alert, their eyes dilate and a surge of adrenaline gives rise to an increase in energy.

These responses are extremely useful in situations of physical danger but, unlike for primitive humans, many of the anxieties of modern life are not ones that can be solved by a ‘fight or flight’ reaction or by any physical response.

Modern day stressful situations tend to continue for much longer periods of time and an immediate response does not relieve the anxiety-provoking situation. Therefore, prolonged states of anxiety can lead to symptoms of stress which prevent the individual from returning to his or her normal, relaxed state. Prolonged stress can therefore be detrimental to health and wellbeing.

Physical Signs of Stress

                In addition to feeling uneasy, tense and worried, physical sensations of continued stress can include:

• Palpitations
• Dizziness
• Indigestion or heartburn
• Tension headaches
• Aching muscles
• Trembling or eye twitches
• Diarrhoea
• Frequent urination
• Insomnia
• Tiredness
• Impotence

People are often unaware that they are suffering from stress and visit the doctor with symptoms of indigestion, muscle pain, headaches, etc.  Severe stress can lead to panic attacks, chest pains, phobias and fears of being seriously ill.

Continued stress can lead to feelings of lethargy and tiredness, migraine, severe stomach upset and sleeplessness.  As with all such symptoms, you should seek the help and advice of a health care professional.  Once symptoms are recognised as being caused by stress it is possible to control and reduce stress levels. This can be done through learning a number of stress reduction techniques.

Stress-Inducing Events and Situations

Different people find different events and situations more or less stressful than others, individuals have a range of events or situations that are particularly stressful to them, most people would agree that major events such as losing a job, divorce or money problems would be stressful for anyone.

Many of the most stressful situations in live come as a result of unplanned changes in personal circumstance.

The following list is compiled from the answers given by a large number of people as to how hard it is to readjust to different life changing events.  A high score shows that people find it hard to readjust to that event, which in turn indicates a high stress factor.

Life changes can have a direct effect on health, either good or bad.  Of people who have a ‘life change score’ of 200-300, half exhibit health problems in the following year.  Of those with a score over 300, 79% become ill in the following year.  The most stressful change is the death of a spouse.  Widowers have a 40% higher death rate than normal and have high rates of illness and depression.

It is not only unpleasant events that can be stressful. Almost any change in circumstances can cause stress - as we readjust. If possible, it is wise to not have too many changes in life at the same time.

In addition to stress being caused by events, certain situations can lead to people feeling stressed; although as mentioned before the degree of stress will depend, amongst other things, on that individual’s coping strategies. 

The environment can make us stressed: for example, noise, crowds, poor lighting, pollution or other external factors over which we have no control can cause us to feel anxious and irritable.

Adjusting to modern-day life can also be a source of stress. We now communicate with people in many different ways, e.g. through the Internet, mobile phones, and various broadcast media, and the expectation of a quick response has increased. 

We also have many more commodities available to us and some people feel an expectation to maintain a certain lifestyle and level of consumerism.  In addition, for many women it is now the norm to manage a full or part-time job and to be the primary carer nurturing a family. All of these changes mean that stress is now unfortunately commonplace in both our personal and professional lives. 

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: COMMUNICATING ASSERTIVELY IN THE WORKPLACE

GETTING STARTED

 Do you find that people get the better of you at work, that you’re always the one that gets pushed around and ends up doing things that you’d rather not do? Does this make you resentful or unhappy because you feel helpless and unable to represent yourself strongly enough in the way you communicate?

Assertiveness is an attitude that honors your choices as well as those of the person with whom you are communicating. It’s not about being aggressive and steamrollering your coworker into submission. Rather, it’s about seeking and exchanging opinions, developing a full understanding of the situation, and negotiating a win–win situation. Ask yourself these questions to determine your level of assertiveness:

·         Do you feel “put upon” or ignored in your exchanges with coworkers?

• Are you unable to speak your mind and request what you want?
• Do you find it difficult to stand up for yourself in a discussion?
• Are you inordinately grateful when someone seeks your opinion and takes it into account?

 If you answer “yes” to most of these questions, you may need to consider becoming more

assertive.

FAQs

Won’t people think me aggressive if I change my communication style?

 There are four types of communication style:

·         aggressive—where you win and everyone else loses

• passive—where you lose and everyone else wins
• passive/aggressive—where you lose and do everything you can (without being too obvious) to make others lose too
• assertive—where everyone wins

If you become more assertive, people won’t necessarily think that you’ve become more aggressive because their needs are met too. All that will happen is that your communication style becomes more effective.

I have had a lifetime of being passive. How can I change that now?

 If you don’t change what you do, you’ll never change what you get. All it takes to change is a decision. Once you’ve made that decision, you’ll naturally observe yourself in situations, notice what you do and don’t do well, and then you can try out new behaviors to see what works for you.

I just don’t have the confidence to confront people. Will becoming assertive help me?

This is a bit like the “chicken and egg.” Once you become assertive, your confidence level will be boosted, yet you need to have sufficient levels of confidence to try it in the first place. Just try the technique out in a safe environment first so that you get used to how it feels, then you can use it more widely.

It’s all right for people who have presence, but I’m small so I’m often overlooked. How can I become assertive?

 Many of the most successful people, in business and in entertainment, are physically quite small. Adopting an assertive communication style and body language has the effect of making you look more imposing. Assume you have impact, visualize it, feel it, breathe it, be it.

I find it hard to say “no” to people. How can I change this?

 Until you get used to being assertive, you may find this difficult. However, one useful technique is to say, “I’d like to think about this first. I’ll get back to you shortly.” Giving yourself time and space to rehearse your response can be really helpful.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

Choose the Right Approach

 Becoming assertive is all about making choices that meet your needs and the needs of the situation. Sometimes it’s appropriate to be passive. If you were facing a snarling dog, you might not want to provoke an attack by looking for a win–win situation! There may be other occasions when aggression is the answer. However, this is still assertive behavior as you, rather than other people or situations, are in control of how you react.

You may find it helpful to investigate some specially tailored training courses so that you can try out some approaches before taking on a coworker or manager in a “live” situation. This sort of thing takes practice.

Practice Projecting a Positive Image

 Use “winning” language. Rather than saying “I always seem to get the bum deal!” say “I’ve learned a great deal from doing lots of different things in my career. I’m now ready to move on.” This is the beginning of taking control in your life. Visualize what you wish to become, make the image as real as possible, and feel the sensation of being in control.

Perhaps there have been moments in your life when you naturally felt like this, a time when you’ve excelled. Recapture that moment and “live” it again. Imagine how it would be if you felt like that elsewhere in your life. Determine to make this your goal and recall this powerful image or feeling when you’re getting disheartened. It will reenergize you and keep you on track.

Creating a Positive Impression Prompts Others to Take You Seriously

 This can be done through nonverbal as well as verbal communication. If someone is talking over you and you’re finding it difficult to get a word in edgewise, you can hold up your hand signaling “stop” as you begin to speak. “I hear what you’re saying but I would like to put forward an alternative viewpoint…” Always take responsibility for your communication. Use the “I” word. “I would like…,” “I don’t agree…,” “I am uncomfortable with this…” Being aware of nonverbal communication signals can also help you build rapport. If you mirror what others are doing when they’re communicating with you, it will help you get a sense of where they’re coming from and how to respond in the most helpful way.

Use Positive Body Language

 Stand tall, breathe deeply, and look people in the eye when you speak to them. Instead of anticipating a negative outcome, expect something positive. Listen actively to the other  party and try putting yourself in their shoes so that you have a better chance of seeking the solution that works for you both. Inquire about their thoughts and feelings by using “open” questions, that allow them to give you a full response rather than just “yes” or “no.” Examples include: “Tell me more about why…,” “How do you see this working out?”, and so forth.

Assertiveness also helps you learn to deal with people who have different communication styles. If you’re dealing with someone behaving in a passive/aggressive manner, you can handle it by exposing what he or she is doing. “I get the feeling you’re not happy about this decision” or “It appears you have something to say on this; would you like to share your views now?” In this way, they either have to deny their passive/aggressive stance or they have to disclose their motivations. Either way, you’re left in the driver’s seat.

If you’re dealing with a passive person, rather than let them be silent, encourage them to contribute so that they can’t put the blame for their discontent on someone else. The aggressive communicator may need confronting but do it carefully; you don’t want things to escalate out of control. One option is to start by saying “I’d like to think about it first”: this gives you time to gather your thoughts and the other person time to calm down. When you’re feeling put upon, it’s important to remember that you have as much right as anyone to speak up and be heard.

Conflict is notorious for bringing out aggression in people, but it’s still possible to be assertive in this context. You may need to show that you’re taking them seriously by reflecting their energy. To do this, you could raise your voice to match the volume of theirs, then bring the volume down as you start to explore what would lead to a win–win solution. “I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE UPSET and I would feel exactly the same if I were you…however…” Then you can establish the desired outcome for both of you.

COMMON MISTAKES

You Go Too Far at First

 Many people, when trying out assertive behavior for the first time, find that they “go too far” and become aggressive. Remember that you’re looking for a win–win, not a you win and they lose situation. Take your time. Observe yourself in action. Practice and ask for feedback from trusted friends or colleagues.

Others React Negatively to Your Assertiveness

 Your familiar circle of friends will be used to you the way you were, not the way you want to become. They may try and make things difficult for you. With your new assertive behavior, this won’t be possible unless you let them get away with it. If you find you’re in this situation, try explaining what you’re trying to do and ask for their support. If they aren’t prepared to help you, you may choose to let them go from your circle of friends.

You Bite Off More Than You Can Chew and Get Yourself into Situations

That Are Difficult to Manage

If this happens to you, find a good way of backing down, go away and reflect on what went wrong, rehearse an assertive response, and forgive yourself for not getting it right every time. The more you rehearse the more assertive responses you’ll have in your tool kit when you need them.

DAY 18

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: SCENARIO THINKING

Walking the battlefield before battle commences

Scenario thinking is a tool for exploring possible futures. It is used to stimulate debate, develop resilient strategies and test business plans against possible futures. It enables us to think innovatively and to develop strategy that is not constrained by the past. It provides the insight needed to manage uncertainty and risk, set strategy, handle complexity, improve decision-making, reveal current potential, promote responsiveness and control our future.

Overview

Scenarios inform and guide our understanding of possible futures that lie ahead and the forces contributing to those events. The outcomes of different responses to potential developments can be tested, without risk, through exploring various scenarios. The aim is not to predict the future accurately but to experience events before they happen.

Scenario thinking allows us to:

·         reveal new perspectives and identify gaps in organizational knowledge

·         challenge assumptions, overcoming business-as-usual thinking

·         understand the present and identify potential e promote awareness of external events

·         encourage people to share information and ideas

·         improve our responses to events

·         promote a shift in attitude and develop greater certainty

·         promote a shared purpose and direction.

The Strategic Conversation is an ongoing process of assessing the present, creating and testing scenarios, developing and analyzing options, and then selecting, refining and implementing the chosen options. Scenarios should:

·         Involve people at all levels

·         be relevant and valued

·         avoid existing biases

·         be rooted in a thorough analysis of the present.

Initial planning

Create a separate team to plan the process - preferably external people known for innovative, challenging thinking. They should:

·         identify gaps in knowledge, given the business challenges to be faced

·         agree the project's duration

·         interview members of the scenario workshop - asking each person for a 'history of the future' (what could happen and how it happened)

·         collate and analyze their responses in a report, identifying the main issues, ideas and uncertainties. (This will set the agenda for the first workshop.)

Developing the scenarios

The aim is to understand the forces shaping the future. The workshop should develop scenarios that create and assess possible events and their consequences. Participants should:

·         identify the forces that could impact a situation

·         agree two possible opposite outcomes (and the forces involved)

·         identify how these forces are linked

·         decide whether each force has a low or high impact and a low or high probability

·         develop likely 'histories' that led to each outcome, detailing the factors involved.

Analyzing and using the scenarios

Identify the priorities and concerns of people responsible for key decisions in the scenario who are outside the organization - including their likely reactions at different stages in the scenario. Then develop an action plan by working backwards from the scenario's future to the present in order to identify the early signs of change. These can be recognized and acted upon swiftly and effectively, thereby influencing the strategic direction of the company.

SKILL CAPSULE: TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Have you ever wondered how it is that some people seem to have enough time to do everything that they want to, whereas others are always rushing from task to task, and never seem to finish anything?

Is it just that the former have less to do? No, it’s much more likely that they are using their time more effectively and practicing good time management skills.

Time management is not very difficult as a concept, but it’s surprisingly hard to do in practice. It requires the investment of a little time upfront to prioritise and organise yourself. But once done, you will find that with minor tweaks, your day, and indeed your week and month, fall into place in an orderly fashion, with time for everything you need to do.

The Key to Good Time Management

Understanding the difference between Urgent and Important

‘Urgent’ tasks demand your immediate attention, but whether you actually give them that attention may or may not matter.

'Important' tasks matter, and not doing them may have serious consequences for you or others.

For example:

• Answering the phone is urgent. If you don’t do it, the caller will ring off, and you won’t know why they called. It may, however, be an automated voice telling you that you may be eligible for compensation for having been mis-sold insurance. That’s not important.
• Going to the dentist regularly is important (or so we’re told). If you don’t, you may get gum disease, or other problems. But it’s not urgent. If you leave it too long, however, it may become urgent, because you may get toothache.
• Picking your children up from school is both urgent and important. If you are not there at the right time, they will be waiting in the playground or the classroom, worrying about where you are.
• Reading funny emails or checking Facebook is neither urgent nor important. So why is it the first thing that you do each day?

This distinction between urgent and important is the key to prioritising your time and your workload, whether at work or at home.

Try using a grid, like the priority matrix, to organize your tasks into their appropriate categories:

Remember, too, that you and your health are important. Just because you have lots to do doesn’t mean that doing some exercise, going for a 10-minute walk or making time to eat properly is not important. You should not ignore your physical or mental health in favour of more 'urgent' activities.

Warning!

Urgency and/or importance is not a fixed status. You should review your task list regularly to make sure that nothing should be moved up because it has become more urgent and/or important.

What can you do if an important task continually gets bumped down the list by more urgent, but still important tasks?

First, consider whether it is genuinely important. Does it actually need doing at all, or have you just been telling yourself that you ought to do it?

Further Principles of Good Time Management

Keep tidy

For some of us, clutter can be both a real distraction and genuinely depressing.

Tidying up can improve both self-esteem and motivation. You will also find it easier to stay on top of things if your workspace is tidy.

If you have a system where everything is stuck on the fridge or notice board pending action, then take off anything that doesn’t need action and/or has been dealt with! That way, you’ll be able to see at a glance what needs doing, and you'll be less likely to miss anything.

Pick Your Moment

All of us have times of day that we work better. It’s best to schedule the difficult tasks for those times.

However, you also need to schedule in things that need doing at particular times, like meetings, or a trip to the post office.

Another useful option is to have a list of important but non-urgent small tasks that can be done in that odd ten minutes between meetings: might it be the ideal time to send that email confirming your holiday dates?

Don’t Procrastinate, but Do Ask Why You’re Tempted

If a task is genuinely urgent and important, get on with it.

If, however, you find yourself making excuses about not doing something, ask yourself why.

You may be doubtful about whether you should be doing the task at all. Perhaps you’re concerned about the ethics, or you don’t think it’s the best option.  If so, you may find that others agree. Talk it over with colleagues or your manager, if at work, and family or friends at home, and see if there is an alternative that might be better.

Don’t Try To Multi-task

Generally, people aren’t very good at multi-tasking, because it takes our brains time to refocus.

It’s much better to finish off one job before moving onto another. If you do have to do lots of different tasks, try to group them together, and do similar tasks consecutively.

Stay Calm and Keep Things In Perspective

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to stay calm. Feeling overwhelmed by too many tasks can be very stressful. Remember that the world will probably not end if you fail to achieve your last task of the day, or leave it until tomorrow, especially if you have prioritised sensibly. 

Going home or getting an early night, so that you are fit for tomorrow, may be a much better option than meeting a self-imposed or external deadline that may not even matter that much.

Take a moment to pause and get your life and priorities into perspective, and you may find that the view changes quite substantially!

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: HOW TO TALK ABOUT VARIOUS PRACTITIONERS

An ancient Greek mused about the meaning of life, and philosophy was born. The first Roman decided to build a road instead of cutting a path through the jungle, and engineering came into existence One day in primitive times, a human being lent to another whatever then passed for money and got back his original investment plus a little more — and banking had started.

Most people spend part of every working day at some gainful employment, honest or otherwise, and in so doing often contribute their little mite to the progress of the world.

We explore in this chapter the ideas behind people's occupations - and the words that translate these ideas into verbal symbols.

Ideas

1.       Behaviour

By educating and training, this practitioner is an expert in the dark mysteries of human behavior - what makes people act as they'd do, why they have certain feelings, how their personalities were formed - in short, what makes them tick. Such a professional is often employed by industries and institutions to devise means for keeping workers productive and happy and inmates contented. This person may also do private or group therapy.

A psychologist

2.       Worries, fears, conflicts

This practitioner is a physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist who has been specially trained in the techniques devised by Sigmund Freud, encouraging you to delve into that part of your mind called 'the unconscious'. By reviewing the experiences, traumas, feelings and thoughts of your earlier years, you come to a better understanding of your present worries, fears, conflicts, repressions, in securities, and nervous tensions — thus taking the first step in coping with them. Treatment, consisting largely of listening to and helping you to interpret the meaning of, your free-flowing ideas is usually given in frequent sessions that may well go on for a year or more.

                                A psychoanalyst

3.       Teeth

This practitioner is a dentist who has specialized in the straightening of teeth.

An orthodontist

4.       Eyes

This practitioner measures your vision and prescribes the type of glasses that will give you a more accurate view of the world. 

An optometrist or (ophthalmic) optician

5.       Glasses

This practitioner makes or supplies lenses according to the specifications prescribed by your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

A (dispensing) optician

6.       Bones and blood vessels

This practitioner is a member of the profession that originated in 1847, when Andrew T. Still devised a drugless technique of curing diseases by massage and other manipulative procedures, a technique based on the theory that illness may be caused by the undue pressure of displaced bones on nerves and blood vessels

An osteopath

7.       Joints and articulations

The basic principle of this practitioner's work is the maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of the nervous system Treatment, consists of manipulating most of the articulation of the body, especially those connected to the spinal column.

A chiropractor

8.       Feet

This practitioner treats minor foot ailments – corns, calluses, bunions fallen arches, etc.

A chiropodist

9.       Writing

This practitioner analyses handwriting to determine character personality, or aptitudes, and is often called upon to verify the authenticity of signatures, written documents etc.

A graphologist

10.   Getting old

This person deals with the economic, sexual, social, retirement and other problems of the elderly.

A gerontologist

DAY 19

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: THE BALANCED SCORECARD

Developed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton, the Balanced Scorecard is a valuable adjunct to traditional business measures that are limited by their focus on past performance. The Balanced Scorecard overcomes this limitation by providing a means of assessing future performance to better inform and guide strategic development.

Overview

The reason for its success is its ability to integrate measures of performance to present a balanced view of a company's overall performance and to pinpoint areas that need completion or further development. The process generates objectives in four areas - financial data, customers' perceptions, essential internal processes, and innovation and learning - and puts in place action plans and continuous assessment. It has been criticized for being too prescriptive and quantitative, but its use can be broadened to include qualitative aspects.

How to use the Balanced Scorecard approach

The approach taken will depend on the company's type, size and structure. However, there are five broad stages:

1.       Prepare, define and communicate the strategy - people need to understand the objectives and how to achieve them

2.       Decide what to measure - typical measures are shown in this table:

Area	Aim	What to measure
Financial	To increase ·         profitability ·         share price            performance ·         return on assets	·         Cash flows ·         Cost reduction ·         Gross margins ·         Return on capital / equity / investments / sales ·         Revenue growth ·         Payment terms
Customers	To improve: ·         customer acquisition ·         customer retention ·         customer satisfaction ·         cross-sales volumes	·         Market share ·         Customer service and satisfaction ·         Number of complaints ·         Customer profitability ·         Delivery times ·         Units sold ·         Number of customers
Internal processes	To improve: ·         core competencies ·         critical technologies ·         employee morale ... and to ·         streamline processes	·         Efficiency ·         Lead times ·         Unit costs ·         Waste ·         Sourcing and supplier delivery ·         Employee morale and satisfaction, and staff turnover ·         Internal audit standards ·         Sales per employee
Innovation and learning	To promote: ·         new product development ·         continuous improvement ·         employees' training and skills	·         Number of new products ·         Sales of new products ·         Number of employees receiving training ·         Outputs from employees' training ·         Training hours per employee ·         Number and scope of skills learned

3.       Finalize and implement the plan - this stage ensures that measures are workable, tailored and adopted. Essentially, this is managing by setting objectives.

4.       Publicize and use the results - being seen to act is important. Also, while ensuring that everyone understands overall objectives, decide who should receive specific information, why and how frequently.

5.       Review and amend the system - to solve any problems and to set new challenges.

SKILL CAPSULE: ADAPTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY

The world of work is changing at an ever increasing pace so employers actively seek out graduates who can adapt to changing circumstances and environments, and embrace new ideas, who are enterprising, resourceful and adaptable.

In our list of the top ten skills employers want, flexibility comes ninth.

Some people thrive on change and the unexpected and enjoy alteration to their their routines: they are naturally adaptable.

If you are the kind of person who always has a ‘to do’ list and doesn’t like it when something arises which isn’t on your list, then you probably aren’t naturally adaptable.

 

New graduates will increasingly be recruited for their adaptability

91% of HR directors think that by 2018, people will be recruited on their ability to deal with change and uncertainty says The Flux Report by Right Management.

60% of HR directors identified employee wellness and resilience as key to enabling organisations to achieve their strategic objectives. 53% said that employees’ ability to deal with unanticipated problems is THE key attribute for future business success.

49% of organisations had already introduced improved flexible working arrangements to help staff cope with flux. Other initiatives include increased internal communication from leadership to maintain morale (42%) and promotions but with minimal pay rises (36%).

The Report found that people in their 30s are perceived to be best equipped to deal with changes at work, whilst those in their 50s and 60s were considered least able to cope.

 

You can learn to cope with change

But you can also learn to become more adaptable and to develop your ability to cope effectively with change. You can learn how to become adaptable through experience.  You might even have the advantage over others as you will have used your planning and organising skills to change your behaviour.

 

Flexibility involves:

• adapting successfully to changing situations & environments
• Keeping calm in the face of difficulties
• Planning ahead, but having alternative options in case things go wrong
• Thinking quickly to respond to sudden changes in circumstances
• Persisting in the face of unexpected difficulties
• Anticipating & responding positively to changing environments
• Ability to adapt to change positively in response to changing circumstances
• Taking on new challenges at short notice.
• Dealing with changing priorities/workloads

How can you show a recruiter that you are adaptable?

It’s not sufficient just to say “I am adaptable”, you need to give evidence of your adaptability by giving examples. You can draw on situations like these to help you demonstrate your adaptability:

• Working in a part-time job whilst doing a degree
• Changing holiday plans at the last minute
• Living in another country.

You have to be able to prove to an employer that you can:

• Show willingness to learn new methods, procedures, or techniques and take on new tasks
• Show initiative & self-reliance.
• Look for new ways of doing things and to achieve objectives.
• Make suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of changes.
• Draw conclusions from new and changing information.
• Be resourceful with a positive, 'can do’ attitude to change.
• Respond with energy to new challenges, the unfamiliar and the unexpected.
• Look for ways to make changes work rather than identifying why change won't work.
• Adjust your methods to deal with a changing situation or emergency.
• Shift your priorities in response to the demands of a situation.
• Not be frightened to improvise. You are comfortable about moving into action without a plan: planning on-the-go.
• Be tolerant of time pressure, working well close to deadlines.
• Bounce back from setbacks and maintain a positive attitude.
• Keep an open mind.
• See the bigger picture.

• Like variety.
• Be good at multi-tasking (doing a number of tasks at once): juggling a number of balls at the same time.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: HOW TO TALK ABOUT VARIOUS SPEECH HABITS

Perhaps some of your richest and most satisfying experiences have been with people to whom you can just talk, talk, talk. As you speak, previously untapped springs of ideas and emotions begin to flow; you hear yourself saying things you never thought you knew.

What kinds of people might you find yourself in conversation with? In this chapter we start by examining ten types, discovering the adjective that aptly describes each one.

Ideas

1.       Saying little

There are some people who just don't like to talk. It's not that they prefer to listen. Good listeners hold up their end of the conversation delightfully — with appropriate facial expressions; with empathetic smiles, giggles. squeals, and sighs at just the right time; and with encouraging nods or phrases like 'go on!', 'Fantastic!'. And then what happened?'

These people like neither to talk nor to listen — they act as if conversation is a bore, even a painful waste of time. Try to engage them, and the best you may expect for your efforts is a vacant stare, a noncommittal grunt, or an impatient silence. Finally, in frustration, you give up, thinking 'Are they self-conscious? Do they hate people? Do they hate me?

The adjective: taciturn

2.       Saying little - meaning much

There is an anecdote about Calvin Coolidge, who, when he was president of the USA, was often called (though probably not to his face) 'silent Cal':

A young newspaperwoman was sitting next to him at a banquet, so the story goes, and turned to him mischievously.

Mr. Coolidge,' she said, 'I have a bet with my editor that I can get you to say more than two words to me this evening.' ’you lose’, Coolidge rejoined simply.

The adjective: laconic

3.       When the words won't come

Under the pressure of some strong emotion — fear, rage, anger, for example, - people may find it difficult, or even impossible, to utter words, to get their feelings unjumbled and untangled enough to form understandable sentences. They undoubtedly have a lot they want to say, but the best they can do is splutter!

The adjective: inarticulate

4.       Much talk, little sense

Miss Bates, a character in the novel Emma, by Jane Austen: ‘so obliging of you! No, we should not have heard, if it had not been for this particular circumstance, of her being able to come here so soon. My mother is so delighted. For she is to be three months with us at least. Three months, she says so, positively, as I am going to have the pleasure of reading to you. The case is, you see that the Campbells are going to Ireland. Mrs. Dixon has persuaded her father and mother to come over and see her directly. I was going to say, but, however, different countries, and so she wrote a very urgent letter to her mother, or her father, I declare I do not know which it was, but we shall see presently in Jane’s letter….

The adjective: garrulous

5.       Unoriginal

Some people are completely lacking in originality and imagination – and their talk shows it. Everything they say is trite, hackneyed, commonplace, humorless — their speech patterns are full of clichés and stereotypes, their phraseology is without sparkle.

The adjective: banal

6.       Words, words, words!

They talk and talk and talk — it's not so much the quantity you object to as the repetitiousness. They phrase, rephrase and re rephrase their thoughts — using far more words than necessary, overwhelming you with words, drowning you with them, until your only thought is how to escape, or maybe how to die.

The adjective: verbose

7.       Words in quick succession

They are rapid, fluent talkers, the words seeming to roll off their tongues with such ease and lack of effort and sometimes with such copiousness, that you listen with amazement.

The adjective: voluble

8.       Words that convince

They express their ideas persuasively, forcefully, brilliantly and in a way that calls for wholehearted assent and agreement from an intelligent listener.

The adjective: cogent

9.       The sound and the fury

Their talk is loud, noisy, clamorous, vehement. What may be lacking in content is compensated for in force and loudness.

The adjective: vociferous

10.   Quantity

They talk a great deal - a very great deal. They may be voluble, vociferous, garrulous, verbose, but never inarticulate, taciturn or laconic. No matter. It's the quantity and continuity that are most conspicuous.

The adjective: loquacious

               

DAY 20

MANAGEMENT SUBJECT: THE 7S MODEL

Assessing business performance

The 7S model is a framework for assessing the performance of a company. It views all seven elements as equally important because they impact on each other - with failure in one area undermining the others. By appreciating how they are related, and assessing performance from this perspective, companies and teams can better align activities to achieve goals.

Overview

First developed in the 1970s by McKinsey and refined by Tom Peters, Robert Waterman and Richard Pascale, the 75 model works from the principle that success relies on simultaneously pursuing a combination of seven hard and soft aspects of running a business. Known for changing people's thinking at the time, it still provides a useful framework for assessing and improving a company or how a team is working - identifying gaps and enabling adjustments to be made to ensure that all seven aspects are aligned, working together, and supporting and reinforcing one another. By knowing how things are interrelated, the framework raises awareness of the full impact of any changes.

1.      Strategy

These are plans that determine, define and outline how to fulfill the company's goals and purpose and to achieve competitive advantage.

2.      Structure

This is how the company is organized and how each part relates to the others.

3.      Systems

This is about how both formal and informal business processes function.

4.      Shared values (superordirlate goals)

These are the company's beliefs, values and guiding mission that draw people together and that directly influence their approach, thinking and actions.

5.      Skills

These are the capabilities of both the people and the organization.

6.      Staff

This concerns the nature, type and general abilities of the people employed.

7.      Style

This is the organization's culture and style of leadership that, along with having an internal impact, determine how people outside the organization view the company.

The main point is that all seven elements are interrelated, with each affecting the others. In this, it can be viewed as an early proponent of holistic business. Significantly - and this is of particular relevance to leaders today - it reveals how underperformance can be attributed to neglect in any one of the seven aspects, regardless of strong focus and capabilities in one or more of the others. Richard Pascale subsequently argued that, while it is generally important to view all seven as equally significant to achieving success, having shared values (superordinate goals) is the element that binds all the others together.

SKILL CAPSULE: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

As professional communicators, we can acknowledge and anticipate that conflict will be present in every context or environment where communication occurs. To that end, we can predict, anticipate, and formulate strategies to address conflict successfully. How you choose to approach conflict influences its resolution. Joseph DeVito offers us several conflict management strategies that we have adapted and expanded for our use.

Avoidance

You may choose to change the subject, leave the room, or not even enter the room in the first place, but the conflict will remain and resurface when you least expect it. Your reluctance to address the conflict directly is a normal response, and one which many cultures prize. In cultures where independence is highly valued, direct confrontation is more common. In cultures where the community is emphasized over the individual, indirect strategies may be more common. Avoidance allows for more time to resolve the problem, but can also increase costs associated with problem in the first place. Your organization or business will have policies and protocols to follow regarding conflict and redress, but it is always wise to consider the position of your conversational partner or opponent and to give them, as well as yourself, time to explore alternatives.

Defensiveness versus Supportiveness

Defensive communication is characterized by control, evaluation, and judgments, whilesupportive communication focuses on the points and not personalities. When we feel judged or criticized, our ability to listen can be diminished, and we may only hear the negative message. By choosing to focus on the message instead of the messenger, we keep the discussion supportive and professional.

Face-Detracting and Face-Saving

Communication is not competition. Communication is the sharing of understanding and meaning, but does everyone always share equally? People struggle for control, limit access to resources and information as part of territorial displays, and otherwise use the process of communication to engage in competition. People also use communication for collaboration. Both competition and collaboration can be observed in communication interactions, but there are two concepts central to both: face-detracting and face-saving strategies.

Face-detracting strategies involve messages or statements that take away from the respect, integrity, or credibility of a person. Face-saving strategies protect credibility and separate message from messenger. For example, you might say that “sales were down this quarter,” without specifically noting who was responsible. Sales were simply down. If, however, you ask, “How does the sales manager explain the decline in sales?” you have specifically connected an individual with the negative news. While we may want to specifically connect tasks and job responsibilities to individuals and departments, in terms of language each strategy has distinct results.

Face-detracting strategies often produce a defensive communication climate, inhibit listening, and allow for little room for collaboration. To save face is to raise the issue while preserving a supportive climate, allowing room in the conversation for constructive discussions and problem solving. By using a face-saving strategy to shift the emphasis from the individual to the issue, we avoid power struggles and personalities, providing each other space to save face. [5]

In collectivist cultures, where the community’s well-being is promoted or valued above that of the individual, face-saving strategies are common communicative strategies. In Japan, for example, to confront someone directly is perceived as humiliation, a great insult. In the United States, greater emphasis is placed on individual performance, and responsibility may be more directly assessed. If our goal is to solve a problem, and preserve the relationship, then consideration of a face-saving strategy should be one option a skilled business communicator considers when addressing negative news or information.

Empathy

Communication involves not only the words we write or speak, but how and when we write or say them. The way we communicate also carries meaning, and empathy for the individual involves attending to this aspect of interaction. Empathetic listening involves listening to both the literal and implied meanings within a message. For example, the implied meaning might involve understanding what has led this person to feel this way. By paying attention to feelings and emotions associated with content and information, we can build relationships and address conflict more constructively. In management, negotiating conflict is a common task and empathy is one strategy to consider when attempting resolving issues.

Gunnysacking

People may be aware of similar issues but might not know your history, and cannot see your backpack or its contents. For example, if your previous manager handled issues in one way, and your new manage handles them in a different way, this may cause you some degree of stress and frustration. Your new manager cannot see how the relationship existed in the past, but will still observe the tension. Bottling up your frustrations only hurts you and can cause your current relationships to suffer. By addressing, or unpacking, the stones you carry, you can better assess the current situation with the current patterns and variables.

We learn from experience, but can distinguish between old wounds and current challenges, and try to focus our energies where they will make the most positive impact.

Managing Your Emotions

“Never speak or make decision in anger” is one common saying that holds true, but not all emotions involve fear, anger, or frustration. A job loss can be a sort of professional death for many, and the sense of loss can be profound. The loss of a colleague to a layoff while retaining your position can bring pain as well as relief, and a sense of survivor’s guilt. Emotions can be contagious in the workplace, and fear of the unknown can influence people to act in irrational ways. The wise business communicator can recognize when emotions are on edge in themselves or others, and choose to wait to communicate, problem-solve, or negotiate until after the moment has passed.

Evaluations and Criticism in the Workplace

Mary Ellen Guffey wisely notes that Xenophon, a Greek philosopher, once said, “The sweetest of all sounds is praise.” [7] We have seen previously that appreciation, respect, inclusion, and belonging are all basic human needs across all contexts, and are particularly relevant in the workplace. Efficiency and morale are positively related, and recognition of good work is important. There may come a time, however, when evaluations involve criticism. Knowing how to approach this criticism can give you peace of mind to listen clearly, separating subjective, personal attacks from objective, constructive requests for improvement. Guffey offers us seven strategies for giving and receiving evaluations and criticism in the workplace that we have adapted here.

Listen without Interrupting

If you are on the receiving end of an evaluation, start by listening without interruption. Interruptions can be internal and external, and warrant further discussion. If your supervisor starts to discuss a point and you immediately start debating the point in your mind, you are paying attention to yourself and what you think they said or are going to say, and not that which is actually communicated. This gives rise to misunderstandings and will cause you to lose valuable information you need to understand and address the issue at hand.

External interruptions may involve your attempt to get a word in edgewise, and may change the course of the conversation. Let them speak while you listen, and if you need to take notes to focus your thoughts, take clear notes of what is said, also noting points to revisit later. External interruptions can also take the form of a telephone ringing, a “text message has arrived” chime, or a coworker dropping by in the middle of the conversation.

As an effective business communicator, you know all too well to consider the context and climate of the communication interaction when approaching the delicate subject of evaluations or criticism. Choose a time and place free from interruption. Choose one outside the common space where there may be many observers. Turn off your cell phone. Choose face-to-face communication instead of an impersonal e-mail. By providing a space free of interruption, you are displaying respect for the individual and the information.

Determine the Speaker’s Intent

We have discussed previews as a normal part of conversation, and in this context they play an important role. People want to know what is coming and generally dislike surprises, particularly when the context of an evaluation is present. If you are on the receiving end, you may need to ask a clarifying question if it doesn’t count as an interruption. You may also need to take notes and write down questions that come to mind to address when it is your turn to speak. As a manager, be clear and positive in your opening and lead with praise. You can find one point, even if it is only that the employee consistently shows up to work on time, to highlight before transitioning to a performance issue.

Paraphrase

If you are the employee, summarize the main points and consider steps you will take to correct the situation. If none come to mind or you are nervous and are having a hard time thinking clearly, state out loud the main point and ask if you can provide solution steps and strategies at a later date. You can request a follow-up meeting if appropriate, or indicate you will respond in writing via e-mail to provide the additional information.

If you are the employer, restate the main points to ensure that the message was received, as not everyone hears everything that is said or discussed the first time it is presented. Stress can impair listening, and paraphrasing the main points can help address this common response.

If You Agree

If an apology is well deserved, offer it. Communicate clearly what will change or indicate when you will respond with specific strategies to address the concern. As a manager you will want to formulate a plan that addresses the issue and outlines responsibilities as well as time frames for corrective action. As an employee you will want specific steps you can both agree on that will serve to solve the problem. Clear communication and acceptance of responsibility demonstrates maturity and respect.

If You Disagree

If you disagree, focus on the points or issue and not personalities. Do not bring up past issues and keep the conversation focused on the task at hand. You may want to suggest, now that you better understand their position, a follow-up meeting to give you time to reflect on the issues. You may want to consider involving a third party, investigating to learn more about the issue, or taking time to cool off.

Do not respond in anger or frustration; instead, always display professionalism. If the criticism is unwarranted, consider that the information they have may be flawed or biased, and consider ways to learn more about the case to share with them, searching for a mutually beneficial solution.

If other strategies to resolve the conflict fail, consider contacting your human resources department to learn more about due process procedures at your workplace. Display respect and never say anything that would reflect poorly on yourself or your organization. Words spoken in anger can have a lasting impact and are impossible to retrieve or take back.

Learn from Experience

Every communication interaction provides an opportunity for learning if you choose to see it. Sometimes the lessons are situational and may not apply in future contexts. Other times the lessons learned may well serve you across your professional career. Taking notes for yourself to clarify your thoughts, much like a journal, serve to document and help you see the situation more clearly.

Recognize that some aspects of communication are intentional, and may communicate meaning, even if it is hard to understand. Also, know that some aspects of communication are unintentional, and may not imply meaning or design. People make mistakes. They say things they should not have said. Emotions are revealed that are not always rational, and not always associated with the current context. A challenging morning at home can spill over into the work day and someone’s bad mood may have nothing to do with you.

Conflict is unavoidable and can be opportunity for clarification, growth, and even reinforcement of the relationship.

COMMUNICATION EXERCISE: HOW TO FLATTER YOUR FRIENDS

Words are the symbols of emotions, as well as ideas. You can show you feeling by the tone you use ('You're silly' can be an insult, an accusation, or an endearment, depending on how you say it) or by the words you choose (you can label a quality either 'childish' or ‘childlike’, depending on whether you admire it or condemn it – it’s the same quality, no matter what you call it).

 Consider the interesting types of people described in the following paragraphs, then note how accurately the adjective applies to each type.

Ideas

1.       Put the kettle on, Polly

They are friendly, happy, extroverted, and gregarious - the sort of people who will invite you out for a drink, who like to transact business around the lunch table, who offer coffee as soon as company drops in. They're sociable, genial, cordial, affable – and they like parties and all the eating and drinking that goes with them.

The adjective is: convivial

2.       You can't tire them

Arnold Bennett once pointed out that we all have the same amount of time - twenty-four hours a day. Strictly speaking, that's as inconclusive an observation as Bennett ever made. It's not time that counts, but energy - and of that wonderful quality we all have very different amounts, from the people Who wake up tired, no matter how much sleep they've had, to lucky, well - adjusted mortals who hardly ever need to sleep.

Energy comes from a healthy body, of course; it also comes from a psychological balance, a lack of conflicts and insecurities. Some people apparently have boundless, illimitable energy - they're on the go from morning to night, and often far into the night, working hard, playing hard, never tiring, never worn out or exhausted - and getting twice as much done as any three other human beings.

The adjective is: indefatigable

3.       No tricks, no secrets

They are pleasingly frank, utterly lacking in pretence or artificially in fact quite unable to hide their feelings or thoughts - and so honest and aboveboard that they can scarcely conceive of trickery, chicanery, or dissimulation in anyone. There is, then, about them the simple naturalness and unsophistication of a child.

 The adjective is: ingenuous

4.       Sharp as a razor

They have minds like steel traps; their insight into problems that would confuse or mystify people of less keenness or discernment is just short of amazing.

The adjective is: perspicacious

5.       No placating necessary

They are most generous about forgiving a slight, an insult, an injury. Never do they harbor resentment, store up petty grudges, or waste energy or thought on means of revenge or retaliation. How could they? They're much too big-hearted.

The adjective is: magnanimous

6.       One -person orchestras

The range of their aptitudes is truly formidable. If they are writers they have professional facility in poetry, fiction, biography, criticism, essays - you just mention it and they've done it, and very competently. If they are musicians, they can play the oboe, the bassoon, the French horn, the cello, the piano, the celesta, the xylophone, even the clavichord if you can dig one up. If they are artists, they use oils, water colours, gouache, charcoal, pen and ink - they can do anything! Or maybe the range of their abilities cuts. Across all fields, as in the case of Michelangelo, who was an expert sculptor, painter, poet, architect, and inventor. In case you're thinking 'Jack of all trades….’ you're wrong - they're masters of all trades.

The adjective is: versatile

7.       No grumbling

They bear their troubles bravely, never ask for sympathy, never yield to sorrow, never wince at pain. It sounds almost superhuman, but it's true.

The adjective is: stoical

8.       No fear

I here is not, as the hackneyed phrase has it, a cowardly bone in their bodies. They are strangers to fear, they're audacious, dauntless, contemptuous of danger and hardship.

The adjective is: intrepid

9.       No dullness

They are witty, clever, delightful; and naturally, also, they are brilliant and entertaining conversationalists.

The adjective is: scintillating

10.   City slickers

They are cultivated, poised, tactful, socially so experienced, sophisticated, and courteous that they're at home in any group, at under all circumstances of social intercourse. You cannot help admiring (perhaps envying) their smoothness an self assurance, their tact and congeniality

The adjective is: urbane