5 Tips for Managing People Who Don’t Like Managers

If everybody were the same, life would become dull pretty quickly. However, there are plenty of managers out there who wish they could pick and choose staff from a standardised ‘worker’ box. Barring complete automation of the workforce, this just isn’t going to happen.

Managers need to be able to handle all manner of people in order to get the results they, and their company, require. So, what do you do with those awkward souls who are supremely talented but see management as an authority to kick back against? You use the following five tips, that’s what! Let’s get started:

1) Put yourself in their shoes

Seeing things from the other party’s perspective may give you an insight into why they are so difficult to manage. Firstly, examine whether or not they have always acted in this way. Is it something that has started recently or have they always found authority difficult?

If it is a recent thing there may be an external factor causing the difficulties – it may even be your own management style! You need to be open and honest in order to work out what is happening here; it may not be the employee who needs to change.

2) Embrace conflict

Now this doesn’t mean you need to enjoy getting into squabbles with your staff, far from it, but you do need to make sure that you are addressing it in the right way. Conflict is inevitable in management; if the thought of it fills you with dread then you are likely in the wrong position.

Handling conflict in the right way means being fair and direct. Do not avoid it and definitely do not steamroller your way through it. Listen to the issues being presented and look for a constructive outcome that will resolve the problem at hand.

3) Make work goals laser focused

In order to remove any ambiguity that could result in a disagreement, it is important to set clear goals and objectives for your staff. Failing to do so leaves things open to misinterpretation and that could result in a member of staff feeling as though they are being poorly treated.

If your goals are clear-cut there is no room for argument, they’ve either been met or they haven’t. Setting proper targets for your staff lets them know where they stand and makes the job of evaluating their performance that much easier.

4) Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em

Computers in Personnel can help with the recruitment process but it takes time to find out exactly how someone operates in the field, as it were. Regardless of their talent, staff still need to be able to listen and heed what they are being told to do. If someone is being overly problematic you will need to evaluate whether or not they are becoming a liability to the business as a whole. It doesn’t take long for discontent to spread in an office environment; so bad apples need to be rooted out as soon as possible.

However, this doesn’t mean behaving like a dictator either. It simply means that if a member of staff has been given a fair crack of the whip and still continues to cause problems, you have to assess their worth to the company.

5) Be aware that management is never plain sailing

My final tip is not so much one for handling others as much as it is one for handling oneself. Knowing that management is a tough job will give you a better perspective on the task at hand. Management isn’t easy, but that’s why you are getting paid more than your team. Simply being aware of this fact can lighten the load considerably and free you up to do what you do best, managing people.

Are you an empathetic manager?

Are you an empathetic manager?

Empathy is the ability to walk in someone else’s shoes for a while and to see the world though their eyes! It means being able to suspend judgement, sharing their values and seeing things from their perspective. It is different from sympathy – it doesn’t mean feeling sorry for them. It does mean being able to understand what they are thinking and feeling and being able to establish trust.

The four different levels of Empathy

Classically there are regarded as being four different level of Empathy;

• Level 0 – this is when there is no evidence that the other person’s thoughts or feelings are understood. This can be despite the efforts of the person to explain what they are thinking and feeling. It can be shown most obviously by callous and unthinking remarks
• Level 1 – this is when there is some understanding but at a very superficial level. There is only partial understanding and the other person can feel confused and be lacking in trust as a result.
• Level 2 – this when understanding and acceptance are shown but there is not complete understanding or acceptance
• Level 3 – here there is complete understanding and acceptance for another’s feelings and thoughts.

Accepting that someone thinks and feels in a particular way, does not mean that you automatically approve of all behaviour which the individual thinks justified as a result. But it does mean that you can communicate with them and may be able to influence them in a positive way. It provides a basis for trust.

You cannot be truly empathetic with someone without listening, observing verbal and body messages and showing through your own voice and body language that you have understood. In other words you have to listen actively.

If you would like to know more about how a career coach can help your job and career prospects, please get in touch.

Warm regards
Wendy
wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com
http://wisewolfcoaching.com

Managing People – An Introduction to Performance Management

Managing People – An Introduction to Performance Management

This is an introduction to a series of videos which appear on YouTube but it also a good introduction to the subject.

You can find the rest of the videos at this link http://www.youtube.com/user/AgCareers?feature=watch. But I’ll be post them the rest of the series here anyway over the next few weeks on a Tuesday.

Thanks to http://www.agcareers.com/

Wendy is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com,  find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

Book a free trial/consultation to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home 

Management: Is exploiting your team in your long-term interest?

As a life and career coach I sometimes have clients who are unhappy at work. This can be for all kinds of reasons.  They may be in a job that doesn’t give them an opportunity to use their knowledge, skills and experience and they feel frustrated.  Or, perhaps,  they have been promoted to a new role that is a stretch too far and they are struggling.  Having too much to do and feeling stressed is a regular..  And of course we have all encountered difficult colleagues, to say nothing of unpleasant and demanding bosses.  But there is a point when an unpleasant and demanding boss can slip over the boundary into something much worse; the boss becomes just plain cruel.

Most of us have read about the vile over-seers in the factories of the industrial revolution. Certainly, in the UK, employment law has made their kind of cruelty a thing of the past.

No, what I’m referring to here is a new kind of callousness!.

The economic conditions of the last few years have put great pressure on organizations. For many, the ability to survive in the market place has become the overriding priority.  And the values of the organization become the values of their key employees.

Hard decisions have had to be made!  It can be difficult to hang on to your finer feelings when you have to grapple daily with who to keep and who to let go. For some, feelings for the staff they manage have coarsened.

Treating the team as something to be exploited to ensure your personal survival sounds pretty outrageous when put into words.  And there are lots of ways you can avoid facing up to what you are doing . But that is what I am hearing about from some of my clients.

People are being asked to cope with larger and larger workloads in often more unpleasant conditions.  For example, what started out as poor but passable accommodation for a call center now houses as well much of company administration including HR.  For some, natural light is becoming a luxury!

When you complain or ask for help, the manager or supervisor doesn’t want to know – they have their own problems keeping senior management happy.  You risk finding yourself on next week’s hit list of people about to leave.

But it is short sighted really! Bad times will come to an end. When the good times come, what do you, oh mighty manager, think those employees are going to do? Well, they are not going to hang around when they have other opportunities, are they?

At the very least give your employees a hearing and if you can’t do anything right now, have the grace to apologize. And next time you are about demand something from  an employee you know is outrageous, stop and think!  Is the short term gain really in your long term interest?

Wendy is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com,  find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

Book a free trial/consultation to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home 

Managing People – Delivering Feedback – Constructive Criticism

The world being the kind of place it is, sometimes even the most positive and fair minded manager finds they need to criticize something.  How can you as a manager do this in a way that is constructive, maintains the relationship and leads to improvement.  Here are some tips.

• Check the facts very carefully before you begin!
• Don’t judge the person, judge the behaviour.  A person’s behaviour is not who they are. And who they are, is not your responsibility.  Deal with what you have seen and have evidence for!
• Be clear, specific and factual in what you say.  Focus on what is happening now and how changes will affect the future. Dwelling on the past is unlikely to influence future behaviour
• Listen very carefully to the response. Pay attention to explanations and objections – treat them with respect even if you can’t accept them. Be alert to difficulties the person has experienced; listen out for training needs and follow them up.
• Acknowledge the response and make it clear that you understand what has been said! Be honest enough to admit it, if you got things wrong and apologize.
• Express yourself assertively – not with diffidence, nor with anger or aggression. Focus clearly on the change you wish to see.

Remember constructive criticism always has a positive goal and that is to make a change for the better – keep that in mind all the time you are giving feedback.

Wendy is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com,  find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

Book a free trial/consultation to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home

How To Manage A Virtual Team of Employees (And Be Successful!)

Do you really need to be in the same building as your employees? Unless you serve customers face-to-face, there’s no compelling reason not to have virtual staff. But virtual arrangements can be fraught with pitfalls. This video from Denise OBerry provides some really useful tips.

If you enjoyed this video, you can sign up for Denise’s free weekly small business advice at http://www.deniseoberry.com/tips

Wendy is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com,  find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

Book a free trial/consultation to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home and without risk. Don’t forget to ask about the Summer Special Offer 

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Managing People – Is Your Performance Review Really Necessary?

Lots of organizations carry out “performance appraisals.” Most people consider them a “good thing!” And there is lots of information around to help you do them well.

But there is more to encouraging and managing good performance than carrying out the annual performance review. Some people even question whether carrying out annual performance reviews does actually impact on the quality of performance.

Let us think a little about what the person being assessed usually thinks about when a review is due.  Here’s what it likely to be

• How is this review going to affect my bonus/performance related pay?
• How am I being assessed and is it fair?
• Is my contribution really going to be recognised and acknowledged?
• How does this review affect my chance of promotion?
• How well am I doing compared to my peers?

But if you think about it – this isn’t why as a manager you carry out a performance review. What you are concerned about is?

• How will you help the person understand what you think of their performance?
• What evidence is needed to support your view?
• If they are not meeting the standard, what advice should you give?
• What action should follow on from the review?

You are looking to do an assessment that helps your member of staff become more committed to your objectives and more motivated, accountable, reliable, creative, dedicated, and, yes, happy in the job!

Given the difference in perspectives, holding one annual performance review doesn’t really seem to meet either purpose really, does it? Surely what you need instead is a relationship and structures that support an ongoing dialogue?

No you don’t want spend every day discussing performance. Although there is much to be said about commenting very quickly on exceptions in performance – be they good or bad. Giving praise is as important as giving criticism.

Having a performance stock take once a month works for many! Certainly, having a more formal review quarterly where the question of the bonus isn’t part of the mix has worked for me. And then, at the end of the yea,r it is an agreed summary of those quarterly reviews that feeds into the financial reward system.

Developing an effective relationship and an open discussion about the quality of performance is much more likely to help you and your staff member achieve your goals, both corporate and personal.

Remember performance management is the process of creating a work environment or setting in which people are enabled to perform to the best of their abilities. Performance management is a whole work system that begins when a job is defined as needed. It ends when an employee leaves your organization.

With a performance management system that works and a well developed relationship, it becomes much easier to discuss career development and the opportunities for progression.  And guess what in this climate potential threats to good performance can be seen off before they become real issues and so everyone benefits.
Wendy is the Happiness Coach and author of  The Wolf Project and a new novel, Blood Brothers, to be published in Summer 2013.  As a life and career coach and blogger, she helps people reach their goals and aspirations. As a novelist she hopes to entertain. Oh and she writes poetry too! To find out more email wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation gives you an opportunity to try phone coaching without risk. Remember there are great benefits to be achieved by being coached in the comfort  of your own home by phone or Skype .

CV review and interview preparation a speciality

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Management:Some Good Thoughts On Giving Feedback

Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel, The Wolf Project.  Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find happiness at work and at home! To find out more emailwendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.  
A free trial/consultation allows you to give phone coaching a real trial without any financial risk. And remember there are great benefits to be achieved from coaching by phone or Skype.

CV review and interview preparation a speciality

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Management; 10 Tips for New Managers

Photo:wikipedia

Must dos for first-time bosses

With the right training and guidance, millennials can lead as well as managers wiser in both years and experience.

I think you will find this post by Jessica Harper on the  U.S. News Money website useful if you are just starting out.

“Who says 20- and early 30-somethings can’t be effective leaders in the workplace? With the right training and guidance, millennials can lead as well as managers wiser in both years and experience. Here are 10 tips for first-time managers who want to excel:

1. Seek a mentor. It’s generally easier to take on a managerial role with a sound support system in place. A little encouragement can yield immense benefits for novice supervisors. “Find a mentor and/or role model,” says Steve Bailey, president of the National Management Association. “Look at others who seem to be effective and happy in their work. Ask them for their advice,” he says. “People appreciate that.

2. Bridge the generational divide. In the current workforce, it’s not uncommon for a millennial to manage a baby boomer. But occasionally, an older worker might be less than thrilled with the idea of being managed by someone who was still in diapers when he or she was well into their first job. Bailey says young supervisors should prep themselves for that struggle. “Of course those conflicts can easily arise,” says Bailey. “And someone needs to tell the younger managers to expect them. More importantly, they need to be coached and taught the importance of emotional intelligence—that ability to read others, to show empathy, to listen, and to respect the experience of others.”

Misconceptions can also deepen the divide….

Read the rest at http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2012/07/12/10-tips-for-new-managers

Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel, The Wolf Project.  Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find happiness at work and at home! To find out more email wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.  

A free trial/consultation allows you to give phone coaching a real trial without any financial risk. And remember there are great benefits to be achieved from coaching by phone or Skype.

CV review and interview preparation a speciality

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Managing People – Know Yourself!

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Aristotle

I’ve been writing a lot recently about the personal development mindset.  A key part of the mindset is self-belief.  But before you can believe in yourself, you need to understand yourself; particularly your strengths, your weaknesses and your personality.  This is particularly important if you want to be successful at managing others!

I have important news for you – there are no perfect managers.  Managers have strengths and all of them have weaknesses too.  You are no different to the rest.  There will be things that you are good at and there will be other things that you might prefer not to talk about, or even to admit to yourself.  And every one of us has our own quirks of personality.  Believe me, you need to understand yours!  If you want to succeed as a manager, you need to be honest and, not least, with yourself.

Being a good manager doesn’t mean you need to be perfect or to know everything.  But, you do need to be good at covering the gaps; that only works if you know where the gaps are.  Then you have options.

You can:

• Put together a team that includes people who are what you are not and can do what you cannot. Sometimes this can be a challenge – often our first instinct is to recruit people just like us! If you are putting together a team for an important, business critical, task,  you need to have all the bases covered,
• Outsource/buy in the ability you need, when you need it, for example, HR advice when faced with a large-scale organizational change.
• Adapt the task so that it uses the skills and experience you have available. This may be negotiable more often than you think.  But without an honest appraisal of your own strengths and the strengths of the team, that would not be possible.

If you would like to understand yourself better then “Personality: What makes you the way you are” by Daniel Nettle comes well recommended.  Also, there are lots of free personality tests on line – HumanMetrics provides one of the more widely used ones.

Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel, The Wolf Project Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find happiness at work and at home! She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  She believes coaching requires compassion, warmth and empathy. Wendy helps people reach their career goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Some other articles you may enjoy

• Career Development – Preparing For Your Annual Performance Review
• WiseWolf on the Discuss HR Blog – Career Development for the Over 60s
• Career: Making the most of existing opportunities opportunities
• Drive and Motivation: The surprising truth about what motivates us
• What is personal development?

 

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