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How Can I Improve My Work Output?

How Can I Improve My Work Output?

If we have a Project that has gone well the temptation is to bathe in the glory and then move onto the next big issue – whilst this is a perfectly natural thing to do it is far better to sit down and analyse and identify the nuts and bolts of what went on so that you can identify and further develop these skills.

So, how should you tackle this? Using the steps below will allow you to critically reflect upon your performance and then identify further learning points.

  1. Describe what happened: be evaluative and honest!
  2. Feelings: what were you feeling and thinking as the process emerged and developed. What does this tell you?
  3. Evaluation: what was good and bad about the experience?
  4. Analysis: what does this tell you about your approach and technique(s) in resolving and managing the issue?
  5. Conclusion: what went well, what could have gone better and what else could you have done?
  6. Action Plan: if the same situation arose again how would you now manage things?

On final step will be to identify key themes in the Projects that you manage over time and to refine and develop your skills around them.

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

 

 

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How To Be An Outstanding Manager

How To Be An Outstanding Manager

  • Care about what it is that you do! Really care or do something else!
  • Listen to everyone around you and take note of what they are saying.
  • Understand and make sure that your working practices create happy staff because happy staff are productive staff
  • Be easy to talk to, always and forever
  • Open to criticism and be accepting of ideas from your staff/subordinates
  • Caring about your staff
  • Energetic, patient and with a positive outlook (even if times are hard!)
  • Training staff to replace you
  • Provided clear and accurate advice and guidance to those who need it
  • Uses knowledge wisely and in a caring and supportive manner
  • Encourages staff to make mistakes if this is part of a learning curve
  • Promotes and delivers an “Open Door” policy and approach

There will be more that you pick up along the way – but the above is a good starting point!

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

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How To Get The Most From Your Staff

How To Get The Most From Your Staff

If things seem a little stale or lacking in passion in the workplace or amongst the team have a look at the following pointers to see if you can get an extra boost from your people.

Staff are motivated by recognition: always provide as much positive feedback as you can.

Staff want as much feedback from their peers as possible: this informal feedback is an important means by which staff are motivated and will then increase their motivation and application to work tasks.

The Annual Appraisal is something to be dreaded: keep the system in place but continually supplement it with informal1:1 meetings so that the Annual Appraisal is not a one-hit process to be avoided or which creates lost sleep!

Big change comes from small teams: make sure that your teams can challenge ways of working or long-standing processes This increases motivation and also improves effectiveness and efficiency of processes and routines in the workplace.

Use 1:1 meetings as much as possible; the more you know about your team members and the closer that you are to their performance the greater levels of motivation and application they will show.

Make sure your feedback is regular and of good quality: nobody likes operating in a vacuum where you are unaware of how you are proceeding or delivering your tasks. Make this a constant part of your job!

Good Luck!

For more information about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

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12 Skills Of An Outstanding Manager

12 Skills Of An Outstanding Manager

  • Care about what it is that you do! Really care or do something else!
  • Listen to everyone around you and take note of what they are saying.
  • Understand and make sure that your working practices create happy staff because happy staff are productive staff
  • Be easy to talk to, always and forever
  • Open to criticism and be accepting of ideas from your staff/subordinates
  • Caring about your staff
  • Energetic, patient and with a positive outlook (even if times are hard!)
  • Training staff to replace you
  • Provided clear and accurate advice and guidance to those who need it
  • Uses knowledge wisely and in a caring and supportive manner
  • Encourages staff to make mistakes if this is part of a learning curve
  • Promotes and delivers an “Open Door” policy and approach

There will be more that you pick up along the way – but the above is a good starting point!

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

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4 Steps For Excellent 1:1 Meetings

4 Steps For Excellent 1:1 Meetings

All employees need and value regular 1:1 meetings with their manager – this is one feature of all successful organisations, where commitment to staff development and personal growth are high on the agenda.

You may well think you are doing a good job in providing your staff with the necessary support and guidance but are you doing this well enough and what do your staff think about the process? It might well be worth grasping the nettle and asking them!

Well-managed 1:1 meetings are a key component of any organisational communication strategy and are far more effective than any internal memo, email or newsletter for getting across key points and in conveying important performance information. Employees always loom for, and value, immediate feedback so make sure that you have a trusted and measured approach when conducting your 1:1s which should be planes, on-going and really get to the point of both what you want as a manager and what the staff member needs for continued growth and contribution to the organisation.

Remember that a 1:1 can be both a formal and an informal process but the key principle is to ensure quality, informative and effective communication from both sides!

So, how should this work? Using the GOOD framework gives you plenty of ideas for making this process as effective as possible.

Goals

What do you want to achieve? How has the employee been performing since the last 1:1 and focus in upon progress made, remembering to leave room to set fresh goals in this session.

  • What short, medium and long-term goals have we both agreed to?
  • What is progress on the above looking like?
  • What are the immediate tasks to be tackled and completed ahead of our next 1:1 meeting?

Obstacles

What barriers are we facing? These must be fully explored and explained so that both sides understand the hurdles being negotiated so that support and assistance can be provided where needed.

  • What is standing in your way?
  • What problems is this causing?
  • How can I help?
  • How can you help yourself?

Opportunities

Always use the 1:1 to discuss opportunities for the employee in terms of promotion, recognition, personal development and increased motivation towards the organisation. How are they doing regarding job satisfaction?

  • Do you feel that you are working towards the position you would really like to be doing?
  • What other skills and knowledge would you like to learn?

Decisions

What has come out of the discussion in terms of what is to be done next? This must be carefully structured and recorded as a pathway for on-going 1:1 sessions. Decide who is doing what and always summarise what has been agreed.

  • What am I doing before our next meeting?
  • What are you doing before our next meeting?
  • Are there any other actions to be completed or decisions made that need to be recorded?

Good, quality 1:1 sessions tackle specific issues, take place at regular and planned times, have a theme and a clear focus and most importantly should be an opportunity for a balanced conversation.

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

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How To Run Excellent 1:1 Meetings

How To Run Excellent 1:1 Meetings

All employees need and value regular 1:1 meetings with their manager – this is one feature of all successful organisations, where commitment to staff development and personal growth are high on the agenda.

You may well think you are doing a good job in providing your staff with the necessary support and guidance but are you doing this well enough and what do your staff think about the process? It might well be worth grasping the nettle and asking them!

Well-managed 1:1 meetings are a key component of any organisational communication strategy and are far more effective than any internal memo, email or newsletter for getting across key points and in conveying important performance information. Employees always loom for, and value, immediate feedback so make sure that you have a trusted and measured approach when conducting your 1:1s which should be planes, on-going and really get to the point of both what you want as a manager and what the staff member needs for continued growth and contribution to the organisation.

Remember that a 1:1 can be both a formal and an informal process but the key principle is to ensure quality, informative and effective communication from both sides!

So, how should this work? Using the GOOD framework gives you plenty of ideas for making this process as effective as possible.

Goals

What do you want to achieve? How has the employee been performing since the last 1:1 and focus in upon progress made, remembering to leave room to set fresh goals in this session.

  • What short, medium and long-term goals have we both agreed to?
  • What is progress on the above looking like?
  • What are the immediate tasks to be tackled and completed ahead of our next 1:1 meeting?

Obstacles

What barriers are we facing? These must be fully explored and explained so that both sides understand the hurdles being negotiated so that support and assistance can be provided where needed.

  • What is standing in your way?
  • What problems is this causing?
  • How can I help?
  • How can you help yourself?

Opportunities

Always use the 1:1 to discuss opportunities for the employee in terms of promotion, recognition, personal development and increased motivation towards the organisation. How are they doing regarding job satisfaction?

  • Do you feel that you are working towards the position you would really like to be doing?
  • What other skills and knowledge would you like to learn?

Decisions

What has come out of the discussion in terms of what is to be done next? This must be carefully structured and recorded as a pathway for on-going 1:1 sessions. Decide who is doing what and always summarise what has been agreed.

  • What am I doing before our next meeting?
  • What are you doing before our next meeting?
  • Are there any other actions to be completed or decisions made that need to be recorded?

Good, quality 1:1 sessions tackle specific issues, take place at regular and planned times, have a theme and a clear focus and most importantly should be an opportunity for a balanced conversation.

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

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Personal Resilience For Monday Morning

Personal Resilience For Monday Morning

Some people seem to rise above the challenge/dread/anticipation of another Monday and another week? The answer is that they have a resilient approach to life in general, and work specifically.

We can all improve and develop our resilience to deal with things that get thrown our way, things given the choice we would rather not have to face and conquer. Our capacity for resilience does change over time and as we are faced with challenges that are out of the norm: reflecting on how we deal with challenges in the past is a critical point in managing future challenges.

Resilience does not mean being unbreakable and incapable of being hurt. Everyone who deals with the challenge of Monday has the same issues to deal with it is just that they manage better than some.

There are five key areas to help you develop your resilience, if this is just about Mondays or wider challenges!

  1. Perspective

Step back from the challenge of Monday for a moment and see the negative aspects that are facing you BUT also try to identify some opportunities that will work to your advantage. Finding opportunity spurs active striving, the setting of goals and the taking of action to achieve them. Perspective-taking expands choice options, empowering rather than disabling. Challenge negative perceptions and drill down as to why you expect things to be difficult.

The trick in gaining some perspective is that it will allow you to focus on the things that you can influence and change rather than allowing your mind to be full of the things that drag you down and which you cannot change!

  1. Recognising My Emotions

Being aware of, understanding and regulating our emotions is essential to resilience – not being overtaken by our emotions but allowing time to process them. Emotions set our minds racing in ways that are both helpful and unhelpful. Check out your feelings/emotions with trusted colleagues to see if you are falling into the trap where your emotions distort the reality of the (perceived) challenge that you are facing!

What practical things could you do to better control the emotional challenges that you are facing?

  1. Purpose, values and strengths

Having a clear sense of the purpose in your work duties and responsibilities and aligning this to our own personal values is an important means by which to support how we deal with challenges and work issues. This sense of a moral compass will help you face the challenges and hurdles that a Monday presents to you.

  1. Support Networks

Resilient people have a network of connections, colleagues and friends who can offer some reality measure in times that are stressful and challenging. Draw upon such contacts to get tasks done but also as a critically important support structure.

Are you getting the sort of support you want/need and if this is not the case think how you might go about changing this for the better! This is very much a two-way process and those who support you will seek you out to support them. Collective support is a very strong way of dealing with challenge, change and the stress of a forthcoming difficult Monday/week.

  1. Managing physical energy

Keeping physically fit, eating well, and having time away from work to spend doing things that you like will increase your energy levels to deal with challenges. This should be done alongside making clear boundaries between work time and leisure time to keep yourself fresh and focused.

Good Luck!

For more details of our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

 

 

 

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How Can I Use Coaching Principles To Motivate And Train My Staff?

How Can I Use Coaching Principles To Motivate And Train My Staff?

It is very unlikely that you will ever have a dream team of perfect staff who always work perfectly, understand and develop working systems and who also push themselves into new roles and develop themselves.

It would be wonderful if this happens – sadly it never happens.

So, what are we to do? The answer lies in the Manager as a Coach who systematically and progressively works to develop their staff and to challenge and “stretch” abilities.

A good coaching relationship is essential and coaches and the key skills required here are built around the following:

  • Being trusting and having a collaborative approach
  • Willing to listen in order to understand
  • Looking for positive aspects of the employee
  • Understanding that coaching is done with the employee, not to the employee and that the employee is the source and director of change

To make this process work effectively remember that it is you, the manager, who is responsible for the growth and development of your staff! This, in turn, directly affects your growth, development and, ultimately, your success!

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

0

How Can I Improve My Work Output?

How Can I Improve My Work Output?

If we have a Project that has gone well the temptation is to bathe in the glory and then move onto the next big issue – whilst this is a perfectly natural thing to do it is far better to sit down and analyse and identify the nuts and bolts of what went on so that you can identify and further develop these skills.

So, how should you tackle this? Using the steps below will allow you to critically reflect upon your performance and then identify further learning points.

  1. Describe what happened: be evaluative and honest!
  2. Feelings: what were you feeling and thinking as the process emerged and developed. What does this tell you?
  3. Evaluation: what was good and bad about the experience?
  4. Analysis: what does this tell you about your approach and technique(s) in resolving and managing the issue?
  5. Conclusion: what went well, what could have gone better and what else could you have done?
  6. Action Plan: if the same situation arose again how would you now manage things?

On final step will be to identify key themes in the Projects that you manage over time and to refine and develop your skills around them.

Good Luck!

For more details about our services visit the website www.davidsummertonconsulting.co.uk

 

 

 

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