Let Go of the GFC

Last month I attended a leadership conference and the man doing the opening address made reference to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) four times within five minutes.

Each time he did, I rolled my eyes and wanted to get up and scream, "Let go of the GFC. The longer you focus on it, the longer you're going to stay stuck in an unpalatable situation."

Five speakers into the day and a HR Director said something that was music to my ears, "I think we need to put the GFC in its place. The media has a lot to do with its impact." Hip, hip hooray!!!

One speaker asked us to do an exercise to share what strategies we put in place to "fight" the GFC. The others on my team turned to me first and asked, "Well, what have you done?" To which I replied, "Nothing, I don't believe in the GFC, and as result it doesn't affect me."

I had four pairs of perplexed eyes staring at me. I could tell they were trying to process what I was saying. If I could read minds I was sure the woman was thinking, "This woman is delusional, arrogant, living in another world or all of the above."

Their discomfort with my response was obvious, so I added, "Whenever my clients blame the GFC for their financial challenges, I always ask them, 'Did you have the same issues before?' 100% of them admitted they had. So I told them to stop using a very well publicized excuse for their problems and get on with the task or running their business with the aim of creating high performance and not excuses."

Then I asked the others, and the woman who was the Corporate HR Manager at a major airline said, "I was going to respond in a certain way, but what you've said has made me think, and you're right, it's just an excuse, we had the same problems before the GFC."

The men also admitted to changing their answers based on what I said.

Ahhh, I love validation.

But here's the point, if you want to become a good manager, don't follow the pack. After all the crowd has got the business world where it is today. Be a fresh thinker, have a point of view, see things for what they really are and encourage others to do the same.

What a different work world it would be.

New managers can make a real difference, check out 7 Super Success Strategies to Become a Manager for more ideas of how you can get your first executive promotion.

Problem with a Hostile Coworker

I recently received a question from Shimi in India, "I have a problem with a hostile co-worker. She snatches--literally--things from me, snaps at me, and makes slated nasty comments about me within my earshot. I have not been able to summon the courage to tick her off because she is immensely popular in the group, whereas I'm constantly isolated.

The whole thing is depressing. How can I tackle her without others openly turning against me?"

If you were a manager, how would you handle this situation if one of your team members had the courage to bring the situation to your attention? Your action should be two-fold but here was my response to Shimi:

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In situations such as these I often suggest people change their attitude, behavior or environment. So let’s look at each aspect.

** Attitude

You can chose to ignore these bullies or not say anything and just get on with your job, but in doing so you’re actually letting them get away with bad behavior and that’s what allows them to repeat it over and over again. So I suggest you take behavioral action.

** Behavior

I know you are wary of taking action because you don’t want to be isolated by your peers, but it’s a necessary step to assert yourself. And the only reason she may be ‘popular’ is because others are afraid of her wrath and would rather be on her good side than her victim!

Tell the bully you want to speak with her (in private) and say something like, “I just wanted to talk to you because there have been a few things that have occurred lately which have made me feel uncomfortable.” Give her a couple of examples, but always come from the “I”, never the “you”. For example, “When this happened, I felt… and I’d appreciate if it didn’t happen again.”

When people hear, “You did this..” they immediately go on the defensive – so avoid that language.

I know speaking with her will take a lot of courage, but it’s asserting your self worth and the fact you won’t put up with being treated poorly. Practice before you have the conversation.

If after you have spoken with her nothing changes, it’s time to escalate the issue to your manager.

Make an appointment with them and let them know that there have been times where you have felt bullied (and say “bullied” because that’s what it is and a responsible organization will have a bullying policy – in fact, check out what it is before you speak with your manager).

In the meeting take a list of bullying incidents (make sure you document them when they occur so they are fresh in your mind). Let your boss know you have been proactive in having a conversation with her, but to no avail, and you would like their help in dealing with the situation.

If none of the above resolves the issue then I suggest you consider changing your environment.

** Environment

There is no way you want to work in an environment that condones bullying. So I suggest you look to change departments or companies. The longer you stay there the more your self-esteem will plummet and the more miserable you’ll become.

I don’t want you thinking, “But it’s hard to get another job”, because it’s not. Even by starting to look for a new role in a company that values you will make you feel better about the situation because you’re being proactive about your feelings instead of just staying stuck in a negative environment.

I hope the above helps, I know it will take courage, but you’re worth it!

You may also want to check out something I wrote about bullying on my blog which includes some interesting links:

http://madisenharper.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/bullying-at-work-the-harrassment-ends-with-you-like-watching-a-puppy-get-a-kicking-every-day/

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As a manager, team leader or supervisor it's important to teach employees to take responsibility for situations. But it's also essential that you are supportive, especially if you suspect a case of bullying. You can use much of the advice I gave Shimi such as checking company policy on how to deal with the situation and address the person immediately. Unchecked bad behavior is detrimental to teams and individuals and as a people manager it's your responsibility to ensure overall well-being.

Complimenting 2 employees at her bank. It's possible that banks are great...because their people are. Where else can I see 'the good' today?

The cost of an MBA program

Is a management course necessary to climb the corporate ladder? That depends on your current skill set, time and ambition. A Masters of Business Administration is a coveted postgraduate degree sought after by ambitious managers. But starting at over $40,000 per year, with a minimum of two years, do you have the time or the money?:

Finance MBA: The cost of an MBA program: "How much does an MBA costs?
The cost of an MBA course at a really good business school is actually more than the average wage in the UK or USA.
However, when you think about the cost of the MBA you must simultaneously think about the benefit from it – because these amounts are inseparable from each other, and cutting down on the cost could produce a disproportionately high drop in the benefits of the MBA."

Click the link to discover the management fundamentals that will assist you in determining what education you may need for this time in your life.

Meeting Management

I recently attended a meeting which was equivalent to a gathering of the "all mouth and no ears" brigade. Everyone was talking over one another, we were off topic and I was becoming impatient because I felt like I was wasting my time.

And then to top it off, the person who called the meeting said, "We didn't get through what we needed to today so I'll set another meeting for next week."

Kill me now.

Good managers know how to maximize everyone's time. They know when to call a meeting vs when to have one-on-ones, they are focused on the meeting's outcome and drive discussion in a direction that achieves outcomes.

Check out the following article on how to keep your meetings on track.

Meeting Management: "Meetings can be very productive. They can also be a waste of time. Here are some ways to improve your meeting management skill.
Meeting Management Key - Stand PAT
I use a 'PAT' approach to meetings. A meeting has to have: a Purpose, an Agenda, and a Timeframe or I don't do it."

Sometimes even the best laid plans can go astray, especially if you're dealing with difficult people. Click on the link to discover how to become a manager and handle the Liam the Liars and Whining Wendy's in the office.

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive

Peter Drucker is the management master. Check out the following article which removes the focus off the individual and onto their contribution.

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive: "In his book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker pointed out that the effective executive is the person who focuses on making a contribution.

This focus on the making of a contribution is the key. And the key to effectiveness comes in three areas:

1. in a person's work, its content, its level, its standards, and its impacts;

2. in his relationships with others, his superiors, his associates, and his subordinates; and

3. in his use of the tools of the executive, such as meetings and reports."

Click on the link if you want to become a manager that makes a difference.

I'm a new manager (and being taken advantage of)

Some new managers who receive an internal promotion find the new relationship dynamics challenging. Co-workers may find it difficult to adjust to your new role and may not give you respect (which has to be earned) or treat you like you're still in your previous position. Check out the following Q&A of a new manager who feels like he's being taken advantage of:

I'm a new manager (and being taken advantage of)... | JobDig Career Search and Employment Guide - Because everyone should dig their job!: "I'm a new manager (and being taken advantage of)..."

Click the following link to discover 7 Super Success Secrets to Become a Manager and learn top management characteristics to help you in your new job, strategies to move you forward and how to make your first week a success.

So You’ve Become a Manager – Now What?

Becoming a new manager can be overwhelming, check out the following article on tips for newcomer success.

So You’ve Just Become a Manager – Now What? « DrivenLeaders.com - Anthony Portuesi: "Monitor your work hours.
Set time limits to your work hours and stick to them. When you’re in a new position it’s very easy to get sucked into working longer and longer hours because you feel you have to. Resist the urge to consistently stay late. One of the worst things that can happen is burning out too early, if this happens, it will be hard to jump start your passion for the role, not to mention your employees will take notice."

Now that you've become a manager, discover how you can make your first week as a new manager, and the following months, successful. Click the links to discover the 7 super secrets to becoming a new manager.

What Makes a Good Manager? Not Tacky Timing!

How’s this for timing? On Thursday, five percent of a company are told they are being retrenched. The very next day the CEO sends out an email reminding everybody they are required to attend the company’s strategy day. She signs off by saying, “Please bring your positive attitude and good ideas.”

This is a perfect example of what not to do if you want to become an effective manager.

One of the biggest assets of a good manager is empathy and this CEO has none!

If you're on the end of tacky timing let the person know their timing isn't working for you. “Jonathan, I really appreciate what you’re trying to get across, but I’m in the middle of a tight deadline. Let’s talk tomorrow.” Or in the case of the insensitive CEO, “I understand the strategy meeting was scheduled for today and you want it to go well, but in light of what happened yesterday, I think you’ll understand that we are feeling uncertain about our own positions and sad for our colleagues who are leaving.”

Click here if you want to know what makes an effective manager.

Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Become an Effective Manager and Employee

I was recently asked, "Can you give me some good ideas to professionally satisfy my manager? What are the skills I should show in order to have a good performance review?"

My first question was, "Well, have you asked them?"

In theory you shouldn't have to ask them because when you started the job you should have been provided with a position description that clearly outlines what your responsibilities are. Ideally, you would also have been given a list of measurable goals you need to achieve.

Combine these two pieces of information and successfully meet your objectives and you should be on target to great performance review.

Of course there are other factors that will impact your success, but the best way to determine how you're doing is to regularly check in with your boss and ask for constructive feedback - don't wait until the annual review to seek opportunities for improvement.

A message to managers: If you're not happy with the way a team member is performing it could be because you've never clearly communicated their role, nor coached them on attributes you'd like to see improvements in.

Like any good relationship, communication is key.

Do You Really Want To Become a Manager?

I recently came across an article discussing the challenges new managers face following a promotion.

I always warn clients to watch what they wish for in their desire for more pay, responsibility and recognition.

Their success is often marred when they come up against the challenges outlined in this article.

They forget that they've been trained for years in their vocation, but have received little, or no, management, supervisor or team leader training and soon discover it's not as easy at looks!

The worst part is, they often go from being a 'star' within the organization to someone who needs coaching for poor performance as a manager. It's a heavy blow to high achievers and often affects their self-esteem.

If you think about it people tend to chose their career based on something they're interested in, i.e. sales, human potentiality, accounting etc and as we know we tend to excel in things that interest us. Just think back to school, if you didn't give a hoot about geography high scores probably didn't come naturally to you.

It's the same in the work world, unless you've done numerous management courses or an MBA it's unlikely you've been exposed to, or trained in, effective management practices. I liken it to getting my first car when I was 21, up until then we never had a car in our family so despite my driving lessons and passing the test I had little road sense because I didn't have much experience even being a passenger in a car. It took me a while to gain my confidence and that came from consistent exposure and often a bit of terror over close calls.

Don't let your management career be a car wreck, learn up front what's required, hone your skills BEFORE you get the job and excel when you're in it.

Check out the article here: Do You Really Want To Be A Manager?: "Craig looked plaintively across the desk at me. He'd come to me for help adapting to his new role as a manager. He was having a lot of trouble."

Firing a Bad Boss

"A lack of "trust and integrity" was the main reason employees would "fire" a boss, a new survey has found.

While a third of respondents to the poll, hosted by website badbossology.com, nominated trust as their main issue, 24 per cent would leave a micromanager. Other boss crimes were not providing development opportunities (12 per cent); not providing open and honest feedback (12 per cent); stealing credit for ideas and work (10 per cent); and not providing coaching support when needed (8 per cent)."

A friend once said, "People don't leave their jobs, they leave the people they work with." If there is one complaint I consistently hear from clients is that their relationship with their manager is the primary contributor to their job dissatisfaction.

For every poor management attribute there is a positive one, wouldn't it be easier for everyone, to be a great manager instead of a crappy one?

Start your management career off right by checking out my latest eBook, 7 Super Success Strategies to Become a Manager. Learn the characteristics of a great manager and start developing your leadership skills from day one to avoid the 'bad boss' title.

Leaders vs Managers

The Times - Success requires doing the job of two people: "Success requires doing the job of two people Published:Sep 13, 2008

The idea of combining manager and leader is not as easy as it seems, writes Linda Doke

Attempting to distinguish between managers and leaders, and analysing the roles they need to play in successful businesses, is an exercise in futility: most organisations do not have enough staff, and require managers to lead, and leaders to manage."

There seems to be a general consensus that manager's tend to run the business and leaders are there to inspire people within the business to achieve the highest of outcomes with the greatest of attitudes.

But is there really such a BIG gap between the two? In my opinion the only reason there is any differentiation is because there are so many average managers. The good and great managers are actually "maneaders' (a little something I made up, in case you haven't guessed,), someone who encompasses both roles with great success.

In my business the #1 complaint I receive from clients is around poor management.

There is no reason for the two roles to be that different. Anybody can become a good manager by learning the attributes of success, and interestingly they tend to be very similar to those of leaders.

If you think of great managers you've had, no doubt they had the following attributes:

• ability to motivate
• capacity to win and hold trust
• adaptability and flexibility
• intelligence, and
• accountability

Well, guess what, according to the book "On Leadership" by John Gardner, they are the exact characteristics leaders possess?

I agree with Bryan Hattingh's comments, "All managers should be required to lead, as they have people working for them."

What to Say when a Colleague has Poor Personal Hygiene

A question I often get asked is how manager's / supervisors and team leaders deal with difficult situations. Here's a post that may be of interest:

What to Say when a Colleague has Poor Personal Hygiene - Work Relationships (UK): "What to Say when a Colleague has Poor Personal Hygiene

There is no point suggesting that this is an easy situation to deal with and, indeed, many people would not deal with it at all.

It could be far more tempting to just avoid the colleague in question, perhaps even make school boy gags about needing to buy deodorant or polo mints."

Manager constantly yells and degrades them in front of co-workers or clients. What can i do? - Yahoo! Answers

Manager constantly yells and degrades them in front of co-workers or clients. What can i do? - Yahoo! Answers

Check out the advice I gave Carolyn to stop workplace bullying.

Career Advice: How to Become a Manager in Less Than 1 Year

Career Advice: How to Become a Manager in Less Than 1 Year: "The word manager tends to have several different definitions. This is because a manager can be defined as so many different things. Shoppers and employees view a manager from different views. Basically, the position of manager is something that is always looked at by everyone. Some of us despise the position, while others dream of being in that position. Those same people believe that they know what it takes to be a manager. This results in many of them applying for the position prematurely. How do we stop those who dream from trying to advance too quickly without knowing everything, yet inform them on how to learn everything and advance at that rapid pace they dream of?"

If you want to learn how to Become a Manager, check out my site for practical, success strategies to fast-track your career path.

How to Be A Manager

For almost 19 years I've been listening to my friends, clients and colleagues complain about their managers. The interesting thing is.... they also complain that they want to move up the ladder and BECOME A MANAGER.

The challenge is, they don't have any management experience and it was the old Catch 22. "How can I get any experience if I can't get a job as a manager?"

So what to do? Where there is a will there is a way, you just need to know how to sell yourself.

I've always been a 'self promoter' (hey I like nice things, nice things cost $$$, I needed to earn more to get the objects of my desire). So I figured out how to blow them away at interviews, sell, sell and sell my skills some more so it got to the stage where the 'powers that be' thought, "Gosh, this woman should be a manager, she has soooooooo much experience."

So basically I figured out a success strategy on how to become a manager, taught all my buddies, and guess what? They're managers too now, and they used my techniques over and over and over again and now they're all SENIOR managers.

To learn more about How to Be a Manager come and visit my site!