Category Archive: Tips For Managers

Apr 13

How To Be A Better Manager

Being a manager in today’s environment is not easy. The key is to find the right balance. Here’s how you can be a better manager:

1. Know what you’re doing

Are you aware of each of your team member’s responsibilities? Do you know how to do their work if you had to?

If you know what your employees do and how they do it, you are better able to identify when obstacles arise. It’s your job as a manager to remove those obstacles.

You’re qualified to reach across departments and find the key stakeholders to help you remove obstacles. You’re able to prevent needless obstacles by being your employee’s voice in steering meetings. At the same time, you must allow your employees to do their work without constant micromanaging.

2. Resolve interpersonal problems

It’s your responsibility to resolve any interpersonal problems on your team.

Members of the same team who do not get along cause contention and anxiety for the whole team. Your employees will look to you, and they should, to fix those issues. Make friends with your HR team and get their advice on how to proceed.

Sometimes people are in the wrong positions, have the wrong responsibilities, or are unhappy. You don’t need to resort to letting someone go until you’ve tried to find a better fit for them. Occasionally you will come across an employee who is poisoning the team with inefficiency or is not performing up to par.

In many states employment law is specific about what you can and cannot do. Your HR team will assist you in taking the next steps.

3. Trust your employees

If there’s anything I can emphasize it’s that you should trust your employees to do their work and produce great results.

Employees in high trust environments perform better and innovate more. Trust them with smaller projects until you can hand over medium to large projects.

If a project fails, it doesn’t mean the employee failed. Find out what happened and work together with your employee to deliver a better outcome.

4. Be clear about expectations

Employees who understand where the company is going and what their role is in accomplishing the strategic vision are more likely to engage tactically.

Your employees should know what your expectations are so they can meet or exceed them. Keep them informed about company changes or long range goals. Help your employees want to build your company.

5. Say “yes”

I’ve never understood managers who want to keep their employees under lock and key. Say “yes.”

Let them take vacation time. Tell them to stay home when they’re sick. Allow them flexible work environments. Be OK with telecommuting.

It comes back to trusting your employees: You set up this team, do you trust they can do the work? Nothing else matters if the work is getting done and getting done well.

6. Limit gossip and tearing down

It should go without saying, but gossip and interpersonal drama will kill a team.

Do not gossip about your employees with other team members. Decline to participate in gossip in meetings. Do not allow public destruction of an employee with tactics intended to humiliate.

You may think you are making an example of them, but all it sends to your employees is the message that they will be next. Fear and drama destroy teams, they do not build them.

7. Encourage and appreciate

Once your employees know where they’re going and that they are going there together, make sure you are encouraging their work as often as possible.

Set up regular recognition goals as well as informal appreciation. Tell them “thank you.” Make sure you attribute great ideas to the employee who came up with them. Call out a great performer during a meeting.

Award, gift, and appreciate them. You will keep this great team you’ve built running and producing exceptional work.

What are you doing now to become a better manager?

This was originally published on the OC Tanner blog. Carina Wytiaz is a professional writer and Internet marketer, with experience drawn from her time at FranklinCovey, Borders, ah-ha.com, Marchex.com, OrangeSoda.com, and several traditional marketing and advertising agencies. She loves helping employees feel more included and valued through exuberant appreciation experiences, and helping companies realize the incredible potential of their human capital

Keep The Faith!

Jappreet Sethi

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Apr 14

How To Delegate Effectively?

The biggest limiting factor which hinders growth of successful young managers to middle management is their inability to delegate effectively. There are only so many working hours in a day and you can do only so much all alone. It’s time that you used the power of cloud computing by leveraging the resources available in your network. Understanding how to delegate effectively is certainly one of the most important skills a manager needs to master as he/ she moves up in an organization.

Malcolm Stevenson Forbes said “If you don’t know what to do with many of the papers piled on your desk stick a dozen colleague’s initials on them and pass them along. When in doubt, route.”

Why Should You Delegate Effectively?

The majority of managers are caught in a never ending list of tasks with their bosses on their heels. They work extended hours on weekends, time is never enough. This is a result of doing too much on their own without using their power to delegate effectively.

Learning to delegate effectively is a key career transition skill which the new managers need to imbibe as they grow in their career from being an individual contributor to a team manager. Delegation is a means of achieving results through the actions of others. Effective delegation is a great tool for developing your people and increasing employee engagement.

Managers who delegate tasks create free time and use it to propel their career by picking up additional tasks beyond their normal duties. This portrays them in positive light in the eyes of management as they have the “Bandwidth “to take on critical assignments if needed.

How To Delegate Effectively?

This is the most difficult part of learning to delegate and most of the mangers don’t delegate as they taste failure when they delegate for the first time. It’s the once bitten twice shy syndrome. The 10 mantra’s to delegate successfully are.

Set SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound for the tasks you plan to delegate.
People need to know what you are expecting from them and by when for the tasks you plan to delegate. People cannot read your mind so don’t assume.
People need to know how you will measure success of the tasks that you plan to delegate.
What are the resources people will get if they work on the tasks that you plan to delegate
Define the checkpoints that you will monitor for the tasks you plan to delegate. Give timely feedback and praise.
People need to understand the bigger picture for the tasks they are working on, this motivates them.
Delegate to the people who can do the job and those who can almost do it, your success depends on the success of the task. Delegate only to people who are ready to handle the challenge and are motivated by the task.
Give people more time than what you would take to complete the task if you delegate it to them – don’t set time lines on your capability.
Be available for help; however desist the urge to do the task. Don’t carry their burden. The goal is to help delegatees proceed from dependence to independence by expanding their comfort zones and potential.
Use people’s strength in allocating tasks which you plan to delegate . Don’t delegate tasks which will expose their weakness and set them and your task for failure.

What Stops You From Delegating Effectively?

Are you an individual contributor in the guise of a team manager, you prefer to do everything yourself because no one else will be able to match the quality you deliver.

Do you have unrealistic expectations from your team members and they have to be better than you?
Are you a perfectionist and a rare commodity which comes at a personal price which you pay willingly?
You cannot take the blame for your team member’s performance.
Are you insecure about your role and position and want to keep all the tricks of the trade to yourself and don’t want any of your team members to climb up.
You are sometimes more comfortable “doing” than “managing.

If you fit these descriptors maybe you need to rethink if you want to be in the management and team managers role.

As Marshall Goldsmith says -Always remember to “Delegate more effectively — don’t just Delegate more frequently.”

Delegation is one of the most difficult skills to excel in because it is a developmental process for the person delegating the task and the person to whom the task is being delegated. Delegation is founded on trust and developing the ability to ‘let go’. So what will you do to multiply your effectiveness by delegating effectively.

Jappreet Sethi

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Mar 20

What Are Your Needs In Life?

Needs are a very personal part of our makeup, ranging from a deep desire to be recognized or to be independent.

We do not consciously choose our needs, they emancipate from our unconscious deep within us. Once needs surface they are not optional – they need to be satisfied for us to function best. Wants are choices we make on the basis of what we believe is important in our life to function at peak.

Understanding ones needs is very important as it governs our energy cycle. The amount of energy we have at our disposal is directly proportional to the needs we have satisfied. Keeping your energy high means knowing what your needs are.

How to identify needs?

Let me help you with a simple yet powerful way to identify your needs. Look back into your past and ask yourself what needs were being met when you were at your best. Write down four instances when you really felt on top of the world and elated.

Now that you have identified four instances, concentrate on one at a time and think of a need that was being met. Let your unconscious take over and put down whatever comes to mind. Don’t look for correctness.

When you have compiled a list of your needs, check them against the following question – is this true need for me or do I want it because it looks fashionable. Thereafter freeze your list.

With all this data now you can paint a portrait of your needs. Now plan the actions that you are going to take. For this activity it will be good to work with a friend. Discuss your thoughts and actions with your friend. Your thoughts can be bizarre, serious or outlandish. Don’t worry put a plan to it and make sure to ask your friend to keep on reminding you about your plan.

Now you need to align your goals and objectives to fulfill your needs. Prioritize your needs, start with the top four or five and put a plan which is in your control to meet them. It is important that you take control of your life and do things to change it the way you want. It is stupid to blame others for having unmet needs – take charge of your needs and don’t be a victim of someone else’s design.

What are the benefits of having satisfied needs?

As you satisfy your needs the original wants become less and less important .When your needs are met you will have extremely high confidence, you no longer see others as a benchmark. Your desire to compete is about raising your standards and improving your personal best, rather than being a part of the rat race. The more you love yourself for who you are the more you will love other people and accept them for what they are in their life. You will start seeing wonderfulness in people around you; you will become an elixir of positivity and happiness.

By knowing and accepting what you are and being in the present – not in past or future you discover the joy of life. You have a real high because you see your own goodness and the goodness around you. It’s blissful!

Jappreet Sethi

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Dec 03

Munnabhai, Gandhism And Corporate India

It is a sad statement on India that in recent times, Gandhi’s teachings only found a contemporary platform in Bollywood’s ‘Munnabhai’ film series. That said, we have to give due credit to Sanjay Dutt for underscoring Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals to a generation that seems to have forgotten them.

The ‘Gandhigiri’ that Sanjay Dutt’s character Munnabhai colloquially refers to is, in fact, the philosophy of Gandhism. Gandhi’s philosophy was based on three basic tenets – ‘satya’ (truth), ‘satyagraha’ (the path of uncompromising truth) and ‘ahimsa’, which pertains to Gandhi’s tenet of nonviolent resistance. It is a powerful philosophy that literally changed the course of Indian history.

So, does it all end with a series of formulaic Hindi movies? Not really. If we think about it, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi have contemporary relevance in today’s business environment as well. In a company where Gandhian principles underlie a workforce’s perception of work, social ethics, moral discipline and human relations, nothing much can go wrong.

In fact, India does have many organizations with work cultures that reflect the essence of Gandhi’s teachings. Multinational corporations hoping to leverage India’s booming business potential are well advised to understand them.

Compassion and diplomacy have their place even in the hardest situations of corporate life. Guided by Mahatma Gandhi’s principles, the art of negotiation assumes almost magical hues. To illustrate – we know that Gandhi boycotted foreign goods not only to defy the British, but also to boost to the local Indian economy by promoting the use of ‘khadi’ and other indigenous products.

However, his philosophies shone through when he traveled to the affected Lancashire mills and spend time will the mill workers on his next British trip. True to his principles, he explained to them why he was doing what he was doing – and his gesture won the day.

By making himself accountable in this way, Gandhi practically demonstrated the very essence of corporate social responsibility. In fact, CSR in India saw its beginning in the Gandhian concept of holding companies through a trust instead of by individuals.

Today, the Gandhian concept of ‘ahimsa’ – or non-violence – still has the power to transform even the worst of boardroom conflicts into cooperation. Contrary to certain Western schools of thought, ahimsa in business negotiation and conflict resolution is far from passive and submissive. In fact, it is a most courageous route. This baseline Gandhian concept of ahimsa, from which all of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophies originated, requires one to be serious, to accept reality and to be ready to make sacrifices.

Gandhism is not an obsolete social concept, and it is certainly more than just a populist gimmick to sell a movie franchise. It remains a revolutionary tool in an increasingly mercenary business environment. Some of the best corporate institutions in India, such as Tata, were inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy. All of us can adopt and harness its power. After all, when we speak of globalization, we are speaking of integration – not fragmentation. And integration is what Gandhi was all about.

Jappreet Sethi

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Nov 22

How To Do A Good Performance Review

The ingredients of a bad performance review are haste, lack of focus, a non-empathic attitude and a mechanical approach to the process. A good performance review obviously calls for a diametrically opposite approach. Here are some tips for managers whose duties include conducting performance reviews of their team members.

Be Prepared: The intention behind a performance appraisal is to have a fruitful discussion based on previous findings. Meaningful preparation for a team member’s annual appraisal includes referring to old emails, memos and other communications as well as mental notes pertaining to his or her performance. This is, in fact, a two-way process. The employee should be asked to complete a self-appraisal against the previously set goals, backing this up with all possible documentation. This reduces potential fireworks and enhances the quality of the discussion.

Set A Positive Tone: A manager should keep in mind that most employees tend to be anxious about their annual performance appraisals. After all, a lot of things that affect them directly depend on it. Reaffirm that the purpose of the meeting is to help both the employee and the organization to benefit from his or her work. The last thing that a manager should do is allow the employee to feel trapped or confronted. The best way to begin is by asking the employee to present his or her self-appraisal. During this, the manager should pay careful and courteous attention while the employee relates key achievements during the year.

Identify Performance Gaps: After the self-appraisal, the manager can proceed with his or her own appraisal of the employee‘s performance. This should focus on whether the employee‘s perceived accomplishments are in line with the performance goals set in the previous year. The purpose here is to identify gaps between the actual and expected performance. The employees should be made aware of how a particular performance deficit or achievement/goal imbalance impacts the organization. Employees tend to agree if they see how their work fits into the larger picture. The manager needs to watch out for signs of defensiveness or any kind of negative reaction, keeping in mind that the objective is not to confront but to find solutions.

The manager should:

Allow the employee to articulate disagreement
Not pass judgments or make depreciating personal comments
Stick to areas that matter
Use praise as well as criticism

Agree On An Action Plan: The employee should be allowed to suggest an action plan first. There should be no spoon-feeding from the manager at this stage. The manager should, however, ensure that the plan is smart, doable and addresses the established performance deficits.

Summarize And Set New Goals: The performance review discussion should lead to the establishment of new goals, or amendments to the previous goals. Again, this is a two-way process which should take into account the employee‘s skills and capabilities. The manager should explain how these goals relate and lead to organizational success, and how business would suffer if the mutually agreed goals are not achieved.

Set A Follow-Up Plan: Even if the conversation has been tense, the manager should ensure that the final summary includes performance strengths. The final task is to set up monthly meetings for following up on the mutually agreed plan.

Annual performance appraisals have their place as a formal system. They serve as a discussion forum that allows all concerned to examine an employee’s performance over the bygone year. However, this process must always be balanced and complemented with abundant recognition and real-time feedback throughout the year.

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Nov 20

Reharnessing Painlessly After Long Leave

Returning to work after a long leave is not always an uplifting experience. The mind and metabolism are likely to have adapted to a more leisurely pace, and one may have taken active steps to dissociate from work pressures during the period of leave. This is especially true if the period of leave has been an extended one.

Even if the leave was for attending to personal work rather than for pure relaxation, an employee is bound to experience a disconnect from day-to-day work life on returning to it. There may an overload of emails to attend to, and a number of other accumulated tasks – which would have usually been tackled on a day-to-day basis – to address. Many employees also entertain subtle or overt fears of redundancy even before taking long leave. Specifically, they fear that being absent from work for a long-enough time would cause them to be replaced.

Another variant of the redundancy fear is, “What if they have found out that they don’t really need me at all?” This fear is not uncommon in a scenario where companies are actively ‘right-sizing’ their employee force in order to cut costs. The psychological pressure of this fear can cause many employees to feel extremely intimidated during the first couple of days at work after returning from long leave.

Redundancy fears will wane on their own once the employee has got back into a regular work routine. However, the realities of accumulated work remain. Progressive managers will factor in this very understandable phenomenon and allow the employee a couple of days of readjustment to the workplace routine.

All said and done, one should not expect too much from oneself immediately upon returning from a long leave. It is best to schedule important meetings for a couple of days after being back in harness, and to avoid having an overload of commitments waiting to be tackled. A quick email to one’s manager before returning, asking for a day or two of slower pace till one is fully into the workplace routine again, is perfectly acceptable.

Above all, it is important not to squander the energy generated during a period of R&R on work-related worries, but rather to harness and utilize it in a graded manner for optimal and sustained productivity. This will benefit everyone concerned. It makes sense for employees returning from long leave to spare a few hours prior to actually returning to the office in planning the first three days of work.

Jappreet Sethi

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Nov 17

Why You May Hate Performance Reviews

Performance feedback and review is part and parcel of the life of someone in a managerial role. Poorly handled reviews lead to low morale and dissatisfaction, in turn increasing workload. There is a school of thought that believes that performance appraisals do more damage than good to the individuals being reviewed; that they are a waste of time and effort. It is certainly true that it may be better not to do a review than to go through a meaningless, mechanical ritual.

Why Do Performance Reviews?

A performance review can offer timely and honest feedback. According to Pete Foley, PhD, a Principal at Mercer and North American Employee Research Leader, “The overall employment deal is in a state of flux around the world, with employees rethinking what they want out of the employment relationship. Our research shows that, despite the on-going economic uncertainty, more employees would consider leaving today for a better opportunity.”

A rapidly changing, uncertain world needs engaged employees, and employees need a solid reason to be engaged. The performance appraisal can be one of the reasons. Appraisals can drive employee engagement by:

Letting them know that their work is meaningful, and how it contributes to a larger picture
Helping them to progress and grow
Recognizing and rewarding their results

What Ruins A Performance Review?

Short Term Memory Effect: Most performance evaluations tend to focus on performance over the most recent period, even if the employee has accomplished great things over the course of the entire year.
A New Story Every Time: Most managers forget the advice and feedback they gave during the last review. However, the employee does not forget it
Focusing On Traits: In other words, attendance, attitude, beliefs, etc. and not on actual performance
Focusing On Weaknesses: Beating down the employee on his weak areas so that he forgets his strengths and devotes his energy to make his weak areas his strengths
Not Allocating Time: Busy managers hate doing reviews as they are always short on time. As a result, employees feel that their managers cannot spare 60 minutes in a year to give them feedback. Managers and employees merely perform a ritual that benefits none
All-Is-Well Syndrome: Brushing issues under the carpet as some managers are scared of telling employees where they need to change course or align energy. They often speak in general terms to avoid specifics
Fiddling With Gadgets: During appraisal sessions, managers are often more interested in checking their Blackberries and fielding phone calls than in the task at hand. This conveys to the employee that he or she is insignificant in the manager’s scheme of things

Next week – How To Do A Good Performance Review

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Category Archive: Tips For Managers

How To Be A Better Manager

How To Delegate Effectively?

What Are Your Needs In Life?

Munnabhai, Gandhism And Corporate India

How To Do A Good Performance Review

Reharnessing Painlessly After Long Leave

Why You May Hate Performance Reviews

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