Leadership Skills
Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60% of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this and at such little cost.
Introduction
There is no doubt that the single most important aspect of a manager's job is the management of people. Of course, a supervisor must manage resources other than people. However, none of the other resources compare in importance to PEOPLE. The challenge to manage people effective is unquestionably the greatest of all the challenges that face all managers.
The problem with people
It is estimated that there are over 6 billion human beings presently living on our planet and there are not two of us who are exactly alike. In other words every one us is unique. One of the greatest mysteries has been, and still is, to fully understand how we work. It has obsessed scientists and the great thinkers since the beginning of mankind. Our progress has been minimal and maybe we will never know. A simplistic way for us to understand this complex issue is to consider a human like an onion with many layers. For example:
1. Hereditary traits
These are our genetic strings (DNA) that are passed down from generation to generation.
2. Personal values
These are created when we are children and are heavily influenced by our parents, etc.
3. Attitudes and beliefs
These are influenced by your personal values. It is what you think about things, situations and people. For example, you may enjoy romantic music but dislike noisy people.
4. Feelings
Feelings follow attitudes and beliefs. For example, you feel good when you hear romantic music.
5. Behavior
This is directly related to your feelings. For example, romantic music makes you smile, and people shouting makes you react angrily. One of the important challenges for the great thinkers has been to determine to what extent can the features of each layer be changed or manipulated. This single study area has proved to be minefield of differing views that has resulted in enough books to fill many warehouses.
For our purposes, we will assume that once someone has reached working age then he has unchangeable values, attitudes and feelings. In consequence, the only layer that we can work with as a manager is the final layer ? our BEHAVIOR.
However, it is important to understand how behavior has been influenced by the other inner layers.
Now that scientists have defined human DNA it is possible that future mankind can develop the perfect manager and then clone millions. However, in the meantime you will need this training manual!
The final factor in our simple equation is EMOTION, which has a profound effect on our behavior. It stimulates our love and caring behavior but also invokes violence and cruelty.
Statistic analysis
A lot of work was done in the 1960's to evaluate what really motivated workers. The responses of thousands of workers were tabulated and ranked in order of motivational influence. Not only did these studies solidly support the basic theory but an unexpected phenomenon appeared.
Although the relative rankings were consistent, there was always large gap between the top six factors and all the others.
These statistics are quite remarkable and have never been seriously contested. However, it is very important to realize that the above list is not based on importance because the low scorers are high potential de-motivators if not at acceptable levels.
Another important factor is that many of the early studies and the resulting statistics concentrated on what made people feel good and maintained morale. This has now become more objective with more emphasis on what motivates people to be more productive.
What is leadership?
It is a natural requirement of human beings, like most other animal groups, to have leaders. There are many excellent wildlife films that show the dramatic and tragic process of leadership challenges in the animal kingdom.
In caveman days we probably did much the same. Although the group was not directly involved in these struggles they obviously supported the outcome. When mankind developed from being hunters to being predominantly farmers the leader role became more sophisticated and different qualities were required.
The Holy Grail of management
Throughout the history of management science there has been an unrelenting quest to find the holy grail of management success - a one best leadership style. As a result several main theories have emerged: trait theory, behavior theory, X-Y-Z theory and contingency theory.
The toolbox style
I like to imagine all the theories like a toolbox where some jobs need a delicate instrument but others a heavy hammer. The choice is dictated by the job you have to do and your knowledge and skill. The tools that you have and choose and the way that you use them will determine the success of the work, and management is exactly the same. Let's look at the toolbox that you could have available if you choose to put them together and learn to use them.
Chris Thomas is the author of the Managers Toolbox training material located at http://www.managers-toolbox.com and runs the very successful Basic Management Course for new leaders and supervisors.
 Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:05:39 GMT PIECING TOGETHER A PLEA How the deal got done - Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press - BY JOE SWICKARD • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • September 5, 2008 Prosecutors rolled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's plea deal into court Thursday praying the wheels wouldn't fall off. Detroit Mayor Acknowledges 'Poor Judgment' Detroit mayor pleads guilty, to leave office Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:57:24 GMT In Long-Awaited Maps of Cancer, The Breakthrough Is the Problem - Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal - By GAUTAM NAIK After struggling for years to improve the treatment of cancer, scientists now hope to fight the disease with the help of the same techniques that deciphered the human genome eight years ago: mapping it. What You Need to Know About Mapping the Cancer Genome Data on defective genes make tailored remedies possible Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:01:28 GMT Reviews of McCain's speech - MSNBC
MSNBC - The AP’s Ron Fournier says McCain “preached bipartisanship and unity from a stage retooled to carry him out to the Republican faithful. McCain: I work for you ‘Change is coming,’ McCain tells GOP in speech Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:35:16 GMT Lebanese ruling majority accuses Syria of interfering in Lebanon - Xinhua
Xinhua - BEIRUT, Sept.5 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese ruling majority accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of interfering in Lebanese internal affairs and not recognizing Lebanon's sovereignty, local press Naharnet reported Friday. Video: Sarkozy in Syria : the press is divided Editor's Notes: A losing battle, so far Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:59:29 GMT Lavrov rejects Cheney's attack on Russia - CNN International
CNN International - By CNN's Matthew Chance MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia on Friday rejected sharp criticism by US Vice President Dick Cheney that its intervention in Georgia raises doubts about Moscow's reliability as an international partner. Video: Cheney Slams Russia for War Against Georgia Russia says Cheney fanning Georgian aggression Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:45:40 GMT Nokia Forecasts Drop in Third-Quarter Market Share (Update1) - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Juho Erkheikki Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, forecast a drop in third-quarter market share after competitors slashed prices and a new handset was delayed. Nokia Sees Market Share Slipping in Third Quarter Nokia Lowers its Third Quarter 2008 Mobile Device Market Share Outlook Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:50:07 GMT Dell looks to sell factories worldwide - CNNMoney.com
CNNMoney.com - By Scott Moritz Dell (DELL) is getting more serious about trimming costs and is exploring plans to sell its PC manufacturing plants, according to a news report Friday. Dell said to consider sale of factories Ahead of the Bell: Dell may sell plants, WSJ says Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:09 GMT Increase Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Bar Charts and the Information ChallengeWhether one is an unknown... Read More Great Groups! - Getting a Group to Think Like a... Read More Good hires do not happen by accident or luck. In... Read More About a year ago, I had an opportunity to have... Read More Supervisor-employee relations are a critical part of a work place... Read More Marketing ISO 9001 2000.Lately we've been seeing a lot of... Read More Who tells the boss that they can improve their management... Read More I recently read an article published in the June, 2005... Read More For many people, the terms "manager" and "leader" are synonymous.... Read More As a small business owner, entrepreneur or independent professional, it's... Read More Every business has problems. That is why the average life... Read More 1. What is an Issue?An issue is an incident, circumstance,... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More Q: Why is a great business like a great marching... Read More In the last few years a lot has been written... Read More The failures we have seen in the quality and integrity... Read More International business is more complex than ever before. Success in... Read More Re-organizing, re-engineering, re-training, down-sizing, outsourcing, changing-changing-changing. Organizations today think they... Read More For you to get where you want to go, there... Read More The way you structure your payment offers can increase your... Read More In our experience, we have found that there are several... Read More You have been named a new leader in your organization,... Read More Having to manage a difficult employee is never fun and... Read More I witnessed some interesting behaviour from one of our premier... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Adsense
websites
Bar Charts Brought to Life: Index of Interactive Information for HTML and PDF
Great Groups! - Getting a Group to Think Like a Genius
Smart Hiring: What Makes the Right Employee?
Why Good Enough... Isnt
Supervisor-Employee Relations: Tips For Managers
ISO 9001 Okay Now You Have It How Do You Market It?
Coaching Can Get The Boss In Shape
Think Time... Its Now Or Never
Are You Managing to Lead?
How To Get What You Really Want
The Myth of the Management Team
Issue Management Methodology for Tracking Project Issues
Business Innovation ? Value versus Quality
Align The Enterprise & Make Beautiful Music Together
Business Knowledge Management
Sarbanes-Oxley and Section 404: Old Dog, New Teeth
What Cross-cultural Training Can Do for You
Success at Work : People Skills : Dealing with New Ideas
The Importance of Business Goals
Structure Your Payment Offers to Sell More Products
Experiences of Management Coaching (Part 2)
Credibility - A Golden Key to Becoming More Influential
How To Manage A Difficult Employee
A Management Strategy
Business Innovation ? Tacit Knowledge
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Making Assumptions - A Critical Communication Mistake In Business And In Your Personal Life!
We draw conclusions about people through observation, their behavior, past... Read More
Crisis Management Essentials - How to Communicate Effectively During a Crisis, Emergency or Disaster
A crisis, emergency or disaster can happen at anytime and... Read More
A Rare Leadership Skill: Dealing With People Who Want Out By Offering Crowns For Convoy
As a leader, you'll inevitably be faced with people wanting... Read More
Enable Continuous Improvement of IT Services through ITIL
One of the major benefits, if not THE benefit of... Read More
I Cant Use This Approach Unless My Boss Does - Power, Accountability, and Consequences
People who work with us often struggle with this dilemma:... Read More
Diversity Training: The Worst Possible Reasons to Request Executive Funding
You're on your organization's diversity committee. You have the best... Read More
Team Motivation - Tough Enough to Care
Sir Alex Ferguson has just celebrated his 1000 game in... Read More
Smart Hiring: What Makes the Right Employee?
Good hires do not happen by accident or luck. In... Read More
Performance Management - By Assuming Nothing
Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly... Read More
Innovation Management ? Emotion, Habit, and Culture can be Hard to Change!
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Take The Guesswork Out Of Problem Solving
In today's chaotic world and uncertain economic times too many... Read More
Lead to Succeed: The Seven Essential Steps to Work Leader Success
In my book "You're In Charge?What Now?" I use a... Read More
Argue Your Way To Business Success
"Jack" (not his real name) is a vice president of... Read More
Instantly Uncover Your Corporate Culture
Best Definition of "Corporate Culture"If you ask 10 people to... Read More
Bullying and the Not for Profit Organisation
Where there is people there is politics! Bullying is now... Read More
Its Not Always What You Say
A major source of communication breakdowns is incongruence between the... Read More
Think Time... Its Now Or Never
I recently read an article published in the June, 2005... Read More
Running Successful Meetings - The Key Steps To Getting It Right
We all complain about meetings which are a waste of... Read More
How to Manage Your People Well: Tips for Managers of Training
As a training manager, there are two important aspects to... Read More
MANAGING CRISIS; when you?re too good at it
When you are acclaimed for excellence during times of crisis... Read More
To Meet or Not to Meet - What are the Questions?
Meetings can be a total waste of time or a... Read More
Catch Your Staff Doing Something Right
A long time ago, I learned something about being a... Read More
Innovation, Idea Selection, Valuation
There is no sure fire route to commercial success, but... Read More
Do You Really Care What People Think?
You had better care! Because what people think usually leads... Read More
10 Ways To Maintain Profits In A Slow Economy
1. Sell more back end products to your existing customer... Read More
Business Management |