One of the most important skills a manager can possess is the ability to be organised. Not only does your work require structured thinking, discipline and action, it also requires the ability to juggle a multitude of jobs at any one time - all with their own complexities and client expectations. Now add transformation into the mix. Actions to undertake, deadlines to meet, changes to implement etc And now there is all the normal day to day administrative work to do - performance reviews, management reporting, marketing the business, coaching the team and the list goes on.

So how do you get through all this work without working 24 hours a day? Yes, you could employ more resources or you could get back to basics and employ simple and effective organisational skills to help you work more efficiently. Being organised is not just about getting a lot of work done. It is also about creating a work environment that is conducive to clear thinking, a lower error rate and enables you to control what you do and when you do it. It is also an environment that says to a client "We are efficient, we know what we are doing and you can have complete confidence in us to do a great job". To achieve this and enjoy control over your workspace, here are a number of tips to improve your organisational skills:

• Use a notebook or diary to track important notes and record action items. Your memory may be excellent, but there it is no substitute to writing actions down
• Use checklists. Yes - not only will your new checklists be essential in creating consistent quality in your business, they will help you be more organised
• Do one thing at a time. Multitasking is a great skill, but don't multitask when working on client jobs. Adopt the mantra "One thing at a time"
• Plan in advance. This is about preventative maintenance and planning, NOT reacting. Plan out your week and your day to use your time most effectively
• Use folders and colour coding. As simple as this seems, putting things in folders (and labelling them) is an excellent way to be organised. Plus, having a tidy work area can give you a sense of control
• Avoid cutting yourself short. We have all fallen into the trap of not allowing ourselves sufficient time to get a task complete. By being organised, you will have a clear picture of your priorities and be able to make promises you can keep
• Use "To Do" lists. Simple; easy; inexpensive. Update your list every night before going home and revisit it every morning. Create a list for your week and refine it as the week progresses
• Co-ordinate with others. You don't work in a vacuum so co-ordinate efforts with your team members, especially if you need their assistance to complete a job. Your last minute rush is not their problem
• Learn the most important word "No". Being organised means having to occasionally say "no" to new work. Practice as this is a hard lesson to implement
• Get the lay of the land. If you are new to the business, check out where essentials items are kept, who looks after stationery, computers, printers, photocopiers etc. Knowing where things are kept will save you time trying to sort this out later
• Keep a tidy desk. This has to be one of the most difficult organisational techniques for a manager to implement. A tidy desk does contribute to clearer thinking, helps you avoid distractions, and reduces the chance of client work being misfiled.

Investing five minutes in improving organisational skills today will pay great dividends tomorrow!

Management:

To have effective control, focus and accomplish tasks involved in a business. Leadership Being able to give guidance and motivation to employees, while having the ability to create a relationship and environment in which the employee is willingly able to apply their unique abilities to meet common goals and objectives of the business. To be an effective manager you need to be an excellent leader. As a leader you need to have competence, focus, commitment and professionalism. The excellent leaders checklist:A clear vision and purpose

Leadership styles:

There are many styles of leadership and it is important to know that like most you aren't going to fit into one particular category. Picking a leadership style is a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure book. You can mix and match your leadership style to suit the place of business, job role, or individual personalities working under you and so on. There are four common styles of management or leadership, and they are listed as follows.

The Director - Always setting goals, identifying problems, coming up with solutions, delegates effectively, able to give specific directions, announces decisions and supervises and evaluates their employees closely. They will usually give step-by-step instructions and will ensure that the employee is carrying out those directions efficiently and in the respective manner.

The Coach - The coach will set goals and identify problems. However, unlike the director, the coach will seek employees' ideas, opinions and feelings. They develop plans to solve problems and make final decisions on procedures and solutions once they have consulted with their employees. The coach is likely to praise, evaluate and direct the employee's work. Building the relationship is important to the coach and will seek the employee prior to committing themselves to something their team may reject, and will share responsibilities among them.

The Supporter - The supporter is similar to the coach in that they will involve employees in making decisions, problem solving, evaluating employees and sharing responsibility among their team. The supporter is strong on employee involvement for goal setting and will listen to the employee while guiding them as they make their decisions. The supporter will provide the employee with whatever they need to help them carry out their job. Although the supporter is strong on employee relationships, they do take leadership in defining how to do a job or solve a problem before sharing the responsibilities out.

The Delegator - The delegator will identify problems, set goals, develop plans and make decisions, but requires their team to take an active role of participation. The delegator will allow employees to decide on who does what tasks, lets employees evaluate their own work, permits their employees to take responsibility and credit for their work and accepts employees' decisions. Although this leader will pass on responsibilities to their team, they are likely to keep tabs on their performance.

No matter which leadership style you have decided to choose or you naturally carry, it is important that you understand that:

Minimal Politics

This will be an amicable atmosphere where debate and conflict are rare. If a conflict should arise it will only last a very short time. In this environment peoples' promotion and other gains are seen as a positive rather than a loss to others. This is an ideal environment for those who don't like being in a political struggle or an aggressive political environment.

Moderate Politics

These businesses operate on commonly understood and authoritative rules. They are often small, fast moving firms where customer focus, results, teamwork and trust play a huge role in the business. Should a conflict become out of control in this type of business the manager will all ways return back to the rules and call upon them to resolve the matter. Some larger businesses may have a moderate political arena especially when the focus on the dexterity and agility factors.

Highly Political

Conflict is likely to occur in a business that has a high political arena. People rely on aggressive political methods to resolve the issue in which unfortunately hinders the problem rather than constructively focuses on a resolution. Formal rules aren't regularly applied in this type of business and are more than likely only pursued and applied when it is convenient. Groups are clearly defined in this business and communication lacks with senior managers and authorities. It can often run at an extreme dysfunctional pattern as placing blame is a regular event and looking for solutions to problems is rare.

Pathological Politics

These businesses have an unstable workplace and are likely to selfdestruct. It is an untrusting environment and conflict continues for a long period of time. Interactions with team members are often uncomfortable and awkward. Most the time people are covering their tracks and respect is a lacking contribution within the business. Each political arena has its weaknesses and therefore changes and adjustments should be made to ensure the workplace is a comfortable, enjoyable place to be with minimal political pressures as possible. If politics are high on the business agenda and need to be reviewed, below are some things that can be changed to reduce the possibility of self destruction.

• Flattery – this can be a dangerous situation. If senior management or people in high positions are regularly receiving flattery it can cause aggression and discomfort toward these people. Flattery should be given wide spread across both sectors – the people in lower rated jobs and those in higher positions.
• Communication – if information is regularly with held because someone doesn't want to rock the boat so to speak, then this will potentially be a disadvantage to your team and your business. People need to be encouraged to speak freely and contribute ideas, successors and have an opinion whether it to be agree or disagree.
• Gossip – even where there is a small amount of conflict, gossip and backstabbing is a common occurrence in the workplace. Reducing this can be difficult but must be controlled and sorted through resolution and strategy.
• Indifference – having an environment where no one is valued and everyone is considered as dispensable is a disturbing environment as everyone is looking out for themselves while battling others so that they can get them before they get you.
• Mislead – misleading others so that the credit can be passed to someone else is a factor that needs to be eliminated. Teamwork is what brings a business to success and therefore the lack of support to each other in the workplace can have a devastating affect. The sacrificing of others so that you don't look bad is a brutal move that will concern everyone.

Managing workplace politics requires you to decide on a political style that will match your workplace culture. You will need to determine if you are:

• A Purist – hard work will get you everywhere, politics rarely exist and rules are relied on to get things done.
• A Team Player – working together will get you ahead while politics are used equally to advance the goals of the group. Group needs are put ahead of career and focus is on doing the job right within a moderately political environment.
• A Fighter – an individual. Politics are likely to be subliminal but will invoke rules when they help to achieve personal goals. Trust doesn't come easy and their tactics are to achieve above the rest. The fighter is a survivor and will battle through high political arenas and pathological ones.
• A Manoeuvrer – an individual with a mind to play political games. This is their plan to get ahead however it is very skilled and unobtrusive. A manoeuvrer will use politics to meet their objects but not as much as the fighter. They can be related to as a smooth operator and do things to suit them and if it will benefit them in some way or other and will squash those who get in their way. They are ideally suited to highly political and pathological arenas.

Politics exist whether we want them to or not. You just need to identify and eliminate at prevalent times and maintain a focus on how your business needs to be run to meet its objectives. If you are able to make politics work to meet the business objectives and it doesn’t cause lack of productivity, self-destructiveness or team morale.

Article: Are All Managers Leaders... (June 2008)

Are all leaders managers? Do managers have to be leaders? What does it take to be a good leader?

Management and leadership are often terms used interchangeably in business but are in actual fact, quite different. The differences are not in education or skill or knowledge but are more prevalent in execution, communication and strategy.

While the debate around whether managers can be leaders and whether leaders are managers continues, we propose that by understanding leadership, you can go a long way to becoming a good leader.

Within our business we have worked with many excellent managers - skilled professionals whose efforts drive successful businesses, keep clients happy and ensure staff have the opportunity to develop.

These managers have the critical job of ensuring work gets done within their businesses as efficiently and effectively as possible. This means controlling the workflow, directing the activities of team members and ensuring work is completed using established policies, procedures and checklists.

It could be argued that without managers, not much would get done.

But are these managers also leaders? Sometimes they are the rare individual who has a quality that inspires their team to above and beyond the call, to work extra hours without complaint or provide that little something extra that keeps clients coming back year after year.

So what makes a leader? We look at the difference between managers and leaders; consider the characteristics of a good leader and encourage business owners to consider how they can implement these skills in managing their teams.

While there is no guarantee that some of your team members will instantly become great leaders, however we believe you should offer the opportunity to begin to understand how to apply more 'leadership - like' practices during their working day.

Get in touch and ask us to conduct a FREE Business Evaluation Meeting and find out about our unique way of designing and implementing strategies to generate sustainable business improvement.

Article: It's Been One Of Those Days... (May 2008)

It's been one of "those" days - nothing has gone right, clients are complaining, people you rely on are making errors or forgetting tasks that they were quite capable of yesterday. A big new client may suddenly be going sour or your latest transformation effort causing additional issues rather than solving them.

Regardless of how organised, competent or efficient you are, from time to time you will experience one of 'those' days. Before running home to pour yourself the biggest glass of wine you have, let's consider for a moment how to stay motivated in an environment where nothing seems to be going right.

Motivation is simply the internal process that drives someone to achieve or work toward achieving a goal. Motivation can be intrinsic - the desire to achieve the goal comes from within e.g. wanting to provide that extra service to the client because they enjoy the accolades. Motivation can also be extrinsic where the desire is driven by external rewards e.g. wanting to provide extra service to the client because it may result in a Star Award.

However, offering an incentive or relying on individuals' internal drive to snap them out of a demotivating situation will fail. Incentives will lose their value and appeal while the internal process may take a long time. There is a way of combining both in order to keep yourself and your team motivated in trying circumstances.

As you would expect, it falls to the leader/manager to provide guidance, direction and the model for the rest of the team to follow. In other words, unless you have firstly addressed your motivation issues, it is unlikely that you will be able to assist your team in working on their own.

The opposite is also true: if you are one of those fortunate people who is always motivated and upbeat, regardless of the situation, your challenge will be to understand that others are not like you when it comes to displays of motivation. Your second challenge will be to utilise your enthusiasm - not to jolly staff along - but rather to help them see the positive aspects of the current situation.

As a leader/manager, you are not responsible for each staff members' level of motivation. What you are responsible for is ensuring you create an environment that promotes high levels of motivation. That means communication, participation, mentoring and leadership.

During assisting businesses transformation, we found that just the process of change in the business is one situation that has the potential to lower motivation. Changes, shifting staff out of their comfort zones and introducing new policies and procedures can leave staff feeling powerless to control their own environment. Some businesses did have a few staff members leave but those who remained provided the backbone of the businesses efforts.

By freeing up the leader/managers time to provide mentoring and encouraging staff to actively take part in transformation, motivation in the business was high. Communication played a critical part because the leader/manager created a picture of the future for the team that tapped into their intrinsic need to provide the best and most efficient service possible. As improvements were made, staff began to see the progress which in turn, kept staff motivated and motivating others!

The lesson for the business owner was clear: staying motivated starts with strong, constant and consistent leadership. That means tapping into your own motivation and then communicating your excitement, drive and sense of purpose to your team.

Let's face it, how can you expect to keep your team motivated if you are not? Motivated teams have been proven time and time again to be more productive, more efficient and more involved in the business, especially where a motivated leader/manager is providing clear direction and an environment that fosters the achievement of goals.

Get in touch and ask us to conduct a FREE Business Evaluation Meeting and find out about our unique way of designing and implementing strategies to generate sustainable business improvement.

Article: Leadership (April 2008)

"Leadership" is one of those words that is often thrown around in the workplace - "He shows real leadership", "Her leadership style is very confrontational". But have you ever really considered what being a leader is - what it takes to lead your business and your team?

Sometimes good management style and techniques are confused with good leadership. Just because you have your team on side and doing the work you assign them doesn't necessarily make you a good leader. While delegating, rewarding your team and controlling your business are all important activities, they are also the tools of a good manager.

You cannot begin understanding leadership until you consider "What is management?"

"Management" is a process. The objective of the process is to get things done as efficiently and effectively as possible by directing and controlling others. In practice that means controlling workflow, directing the activities of the team, working within a defined set of parameters and maintaining production.

A good manager has 3 overarching goals:

1. To ensure their team has all the resources it needs to get the job done
2. To promote an environment of creativity, productivity and trust that will allow team members to develop and grow
3. To make their role redundant (by that we mean, develop and coach the team to share knowledge and experience and through implementing procedures, enable the team to control its work output)

Much of what you have been trying to achieve through transformation looks very much like building sound management practices: you have freed up time to develop and mentor your team; you have started building a culture of continuous improvement in which your team is encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions; and you are, through systemising your business, sharing critical knowledge and skills to enable the business to continue without you while you market and promote your services.

These management skills are absolutely essential for a well run business. Why then is leadership so important?

"Leadership" is not about directing, controlling or maintaining order. Unlike management, leadership is about getting your team to go that extra step and do things they would not normally do. Leadership is about creating a vision of the business so powerful (and tangible) that your team willingly follow and participate in those activities essential for transformation.

There are eight essential characteristics of a great leader:

1. The focus is on the future
2. They are passionate about their goals and share their passion with others
3. Leaders take pride in what they do and maintain high standards for themselves and others
4. Leaders are also patient, recognising that others need time to understand the vision
5. They persevere to overcome obstacles
6. Their enthusiasm is contagious
7. Despite their excitement about the future, leaders take the hard decisions when required
8. And finally, the mantra of great leaders is "It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"

Get in touch and ask us to conduct a FREE Business Evaluation Meeting and find out about our unique way of designing and implementing strategies to generate sustainable business improvement.

Article: Create the Right Environment (March 2008)

A manager is a motivator and hence you need to ensure that you and your managers are motivating your staff to come to work every day.

To generate job satisfaction and an environment that will stimulate and encourage your team to attend work you will need to asses and apply the following where possible:

Having a fair, diplomatic and structured environment will keep your employees active and enjoying their jobs.

By simply applying the techniques above you will be able to have a more efficient and accepting work environment for your employees to attend to every day.