Management Training – Page 56 – STL

Its all about the people focus

Management of your business has one crucial focus – people. It’s all about people.

The great leaders and the business gurus know this. They coach their business forward with the energy they invest into others. Leaders who struggle tend to spend too much unnecessary time putting out fires. Staffing problems and individual issues can swamp a business with poor efficiency, inconsistent productivity and bad performance.

Each of these critical areas stems from the inability to understand and empathise with others. Try following the three fundamentals below to maximise the people focus in your business, and also consider training programmes for managers.

1) Empathy

See the role from their shoes. Discover what they expect. Generally, people want more of what they have, whether it be financial rewards, recognition, a new office or a better life balance. There are so many variables, so as a leader your default position should be empathy. Be sincere and curious with it and watch a transformation. Consider – how can your business provide that one unique ingredient that activates the individual?

Empathy is an essential management fundamental — Work closely with your team by showing empathy

2) Listen, and then listen some more

Just look at all that interference going on inside our heads:

Our agenda
Our wants and needs
That dreadful sense of urgency
Questions
Frustration/impatience – at everything we cannot control

Stop thinking – when you listen, listen to the whole. Observe body language and tone. Identify key repetitive words. To get onto the same ‘wave length,’ reflect what is said – sincerely. Talk about their interests, perceptions and visions.

Most people want to do well at work, so they will need to experience wins, small and regular. It is this motivation which can provide infinite energy. A manager who has a keen interest in others is a leader who celebrates the individual’s success, and because of this the employee typically enjoys working harder and longer.

3) Accountability

Setting defined responsibilities and objectives is an excellent gauge to consolidate the previous two points. The key is regular intervention. This is determined by the nature of your business, and of your staff, but monthly catch ups can be extremely effective, especially if the environment is ambitious and heavily target driven.

Regular catch ups are important for managers — Schedule regular catch ups to maintain motivation

Below are just some of the advantages that regular contact on a 1-2-1 basis can provide:

Monitor and assess individuals directly
An opportunity to uncover issues
Ability to offer praise and additional support
Check motivation levels and perceptions
Target efficiency, productivity and performance

Though not a comprehensive list, it is a great start to re-energise yourself, your staff and your business. The only question is… when do you want to start?

Managing time doesn’t work, but this does….

Imagine this… a typical day begins

You made a plan. The report is due in two days and there is no way you can miss the deadline. The day starts well, you beat the alarm by 15 minutes and by 6:30am you are at the office, pumped and determined. You throw yourself into routine. Coffee while the computer boots up, check emails and answer the priorities. The one you missed yesterday takes an hour to sort. The office around you is starting to fill.

Coffee is a normal environmental habit that affects our time management — What environmental habits could you kick?

And then just like that…

You need another coffee to help focus, but the phone rings. It’s that one client you can’t ignore, and you must action the request. Another hour has vanished and your line manager beckons from across the room. He has a problem from yesterday, you need to polish it off. Another hour is lost. You want coffee, a little peace and quiet, and the kitchen is now rammed.

What were you thinking!

There is a buzz. Another 40 minutes vanish. By the time you get back to your desk there are 2 missed calls and 5 emails with the dreaded red exclamations. You resign yourself that all is lost.

Try a different approach

The biggest sacrifice we must make is the belief we manage time like Zeus. We think in pure blocks of hours. Undermining our efforts are the unknowns of daily life, compounded by the unconscious security of environmental habits. Have you ever considered that you might be addicted to familiarity and routine?

Forget time, it’s all about space

You don’t manage time, you manage space. Control what you allow into your space with a referee – your diary. Never again do I say “yes” or “no.” Rather, say “let me check my diary, see when space is available.” Space has no boundaries it only has priorities:

Urgent (day)
Must do (3 days)
Limited (1 week)
Unlimited (< week)

The referee never suggests a time frame. Experience of a task will give you an estimation, yet it is space alone that is vital to complete objectives. In today’s slick culture, driven by the multi-tasker, it isn’t possible for a working professional to allocate hours. Too much can happen in one day. So, we prevent invasion by allocating space that achieves a goal, not a time frame.

Using a diary is essential for good time management — Manage space, not time

Try these simple techniques:

The sign on the door – Do not disturb.
The phone switched to voice mail – “I am currently engaged to meet a critical deadline, please leave a message.”
The automatic email response – I will reply asap
The diary that never leaves your side – keep that referee close by
Phone calls made to book regular space to clients and colleagues – get ahead
Send a postcard – “I am working from a coffee shop today”
Fill your space with productivity, efficiency and performance. Take control, claim your space and never look back….

If you’re interested in improving your time management skills, be sure to check out our time management training courses.

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