A Journey From "I" To "We"

ONE of the advantages of growing old is reflecting on the experiences you may have had and considering the implications.

I have been either practising, teaching, consulting or training in management for over 40 years and would like to share my reflections on the changes in organisational life.

The first major change has been the move from an autocratic and authoritative management style where all decisions were unilater¬ally made by the boss to an increas¬ingly participative and consultative style of management where staff are involved in the management proc¬esses,

It has been a move from "I" to "We", where power is based on in¬fluence and not authority, where re¬spect and trust has to be earned and is no longer an assumption of rank.

It is no longer good enough to merely deliver the results, you have to inspire and motivate those around you. Managing and leading teams is now the bedrock of successful mod¬em organisations.

Lead, Don’t Manage

There has also been a significant move from the concept of manag¬ing people to that of leading people, from the management principles of planning, organising and contrclling to the leadership principles of shar¬ing the vision, empowering, motivating and inspiring others.
It seems to me we are moving from the old world of transactional management to the new world of transformational leadership where, as well as being concerned with the day-to-day operational manage¬ment of our organisations, we need to consider tomorrow's business and how we need to meet the changing needs of our organisations, market¬place, customers and employees.

Transformational leadership re¬quires us to take risks, think crea¬tively and courageously, be decisive, create and communicate the vision of where we are goingand how we are going to get there.

Within my lifetime, we have moved from a relatively stable busi¬ness world to a far more hazardous and turbulent environment where change is the only constant and where jobs for life have disappeared.

Managers must deal with com¬plexity , ambiguity and uncertainly. Management has never been easy but the demands to increase per¬formance, cut costs and meet chal¬lenging targets, all with reduced headcount and budget, have never been greater.
Our organisations are also be¬coming increasingly complex. When I started work, reporting structures were relatively straightforward.

Now there may be much more complicated with the emergence of matrix management systems involv¬ing enipioyees reporting to several managers at the same time.
Our organisations are becom¬ing flatter, leaner, smatter, more dispersed and more global. Remote management is becoming amajor is¬sue for some companies.
We have moved from the world of lQ to the world of EQ. Managers have to be aware of their own emotional intelligence and the need to develop interpersonal skills.

Twenty years ago, if you hit your targets within your budget you could manage as you pleased. That's not true anymore - high IQ but low EQ now spells disaster
We have also become more mul¬ticultural and diverse in our work populations which, in turn, brings new business pressures when man¬aging people.
Finally, managers are facing the problems of managing generation X and Y, who are radically different from their parents and have to be managed in a more enlightened way than the past.

New Role

What then are the implications for managers today? I suspect that the role of the manager has radically changed over the decades.
Managers must truly be aware that people matter, develop a will¬ingness to continually learn and develop new skills to enhance their versatility, understand that change starts with themselves and be ready to act as role models for change.
They must become enthusias¬tic and passionate in training and coaching subordinates commit¬ted to developing their potential. It seems to me that the new rate of a manager is that of a coach, a men¬tor, a supervisor that can nurture and develop talent.

Managers must learn to delegate more and actually have the courage to do it. Managers must have a great¬er awareness of their own strengths and development needs and be pre¬pared to work on these.

Lifelong learning is no longer a buzzword, it is a continuous, never ¬ending process of self-development.

Be aware of what is really important in terms of career and personal life. Stay flexible, remain open, become curious and enjoy the job. Your 40 years pass in the blink of an eye

Article Contributed by Chris Fenney, Co-founder and Director of Training Edge International
Email : chris.fenney@trainingedgeasia.com
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com

8 Ways To Keep Your People

Whether your issue is keeping your engaged people on track or helping the disengaged to get back on track, all managers are looking for simple methods that will achieve results without costing a fortune.

Research by the internationally renowned Gallup organisation has found that one of the keys to employee engagement is a strong relationship with your immediate manager. In fact, if you have a great manager and work for a not-so-great organisation their research found that you are more likely to be engaged than if you work for an enlightened organisation but have a lousy manager.

At the heart of a strong employee/manager relationship is communication. Old fashioned, face to face, one-on-one conversations. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The question is . . .are you making the most of your opportunities to have conversations that engage?

I believe there are 8 conversations that every manager should be taking advantage of in their quest for an engaged workforce. Some of these are conversations you are probably already having and some are new conversations for you to consider introducing. All have been selected because they give managers the opportunity to directly impact on the engagement levels of their employees.


1. Job preview

Don’t just conduct an interview . . . give them a realistic preview of what the job will really be like including the highs and the lows, the positives and the negatives. If after hearing what it’s really like they are still keen, then you have a far greater chance of retaining them in the longer term.

2. Induction review

An induction review conversation allows you to get feedback on the effectiveness of your induction process as well as give the new employee a sense that they are now really part of the organisation if they are able to immediately contribute to making an improvement to the induction process. It also allows you to address any questions or concerns the new employee may still have.

3. Probation review

Traditionally, the end of the probation period is when an employee has their status as a full time staff member confirmed. Why not also use this conversation as an opportunity to learn more about the employee, their goals and aspirations, their strengths and weaknesses. They may be more willing to discuss these things with you now that they know their employment is secure.

4. Performance review

Too many managers (and employees) look upon the performance review process as a “form filling exercise” designed to keep the Human Resources department happy. They don’t take full advantage of the opportunity to have one of the most crucial engaging conversations.

5. Employment anniversary

Put yourself in the shoes of the employee. A milestone arrives, another year on the job, and no one notices. It’s a bit like having a birthday and everyone forgets. Now imagine what it feels like to have your birthday remembered and even celebrated. The purpose of this conversation is to get them to think about the year just gone and to contemplate the year ahead.

6. Major event

It may be appropriate to initiate a conversation with your employees before, during and after a major event, particularly those involving change. Your goal should be to explain what is going on, answer their questions, discuss any of their concerns and, finally, get their input and feedback on how the process is being handled.

7. Stay interview

The important question that remains unasked in so many exit interviews is not “why are you leaving” but “why are you not staying?”. Rather than leave it until it’s too late, why not conduct a workplace health check in the form of a “stay interview”. The stay interview is a relatively new addition to the manager’s toolkit. The main benefit of this conversation is that managers are able to identify issues and problems at an early stage before they reach crisis point and people start leaving.


8. Exit interview

The exit interview is designed to uncover issues that were glossed over, promised and not delivered or misunderstood during all stages of the employee’s relationship with the organisation. They can also be used to highlight the areas where the organisation is excelling! What you learn in the exit interview process should be used to improve the realistic job preview discussion that should form part of your recruitment process.

These conversations don’t have to be difficult or time consuming. They can be a highly productive use of your time if you do them correctly. However, if you make a half hearted attempt they can have the opposite effect and actually decrease engagement. So here are a few quick tips on making the most of the 8 conversations that engage:

• Make it more about the dialogue than the paperwork
• Have a clear purpose before you begin
• Discuss the real issues rather than just the easy topics
• Choose the right time and place
• Be genuinely interested in hearing feedback
• Take action!

Article Contributed by Karen Schmidt ,an award winning speaker, workshop leader and facilitator and a re-engagement expert with Training Edge International .
Email : karen.schmidt@trainingedgeasia.com,
Website : www.trainingedgeasia.com