business management 101, learn business management basics, fundamentals, and best practices

0:06 at the heart of any successful organization you'll find good managers who are making important decisions every day managers make sure that projects are completed that work is of the highest possible quality that employees are motivated and engaged and that policies and procedures are followed in fact managers do so many things that management is more a series of key skill sets rather than one specific role good management is the use of key skills and practices correctly applied at the right time to help the organization reach its Highest Potential the good news is that management skills can be learned and improved throughout this course we'll explore specific strategies for honing your management skills while there's a range of key management skills and practices they fall into mainly three areas managing performance managing people and

0:53 managing the business within each of these areas are specific competencies throughout the course we'll delve into each of the competencies and I'll cover strategies you can use to improve your Effectiveness as a manager it's important to understand that management has come a long way since its initial Roots management was conceived during the Industrial Revolution when factories necessitated organizing the work of large groups of people early management theories focused on controlling workers there was an assumption that people inherently resisted work and needed to be prodded or even forced to do a good job management occurred by using power over workers through structures like hierarchy bureaucracy and punishments to create productivity but we've come a long way since the 1800s and over time management has evolved the efforts of the labor movement and key legal decisions certainly have done a lot to humanize

1:42 the workplace making it safer for people both physically and emotionally and our economies have changed the age of information and technology has radically transformed what work is and how it's accomplished and globalization has redefined where we access our customers suppliers and even employees many organizations also discovered that how they treated their employees had an impact companies who treated their employees well saw higher productivity reduced turnover and even less sick time which translated to huge cost Savings in addition they discovered that happy employees treat customers better and are more creative leading to product Innovations this has been driven home by the modern generations of workers especially Generation X and Millennials

2:27 who have come to expect more from their job than just a paycheck they vote with their feet making the costs of Recruitment and Retention of good workers a high priority even during economic slumps now I don't want to imply that autocratic management is a thing of the past you can still find it being used especially by older managers and leaders but you'll find that organizations that are thriving are doing so because they've embraced the latest revolution in management which is to focus on motivating and engaging employees and customers alike there are several key areas of manag agement that have shifted over the years one area is how decisions get made and implemented organizations are moving away from hierarchy based on Authority and power and instead tapping into the wisdom and expertise of people at all levels of the organization this yields

3:14 better decisions and increases engagement another area is how activities are coordinated across the organization instead of using bureaucracy and rigid roles organizations are moving to more agile and Nimble models that allow them to make changes quickly in today fast-paced World managers are giving employees more autonomy and Independence the third area is how employee performance is measured rather than focusing on narrow markers of achievement organizations are focusing more on competencies that support a wide range of successful outcomes in addition managers are stepping away from the reward and Punishment model of motivation and tapping into how people are intrinsically motivated this yields increased productivity and engagement what does this all mean for you well it means that your success can be enhanced by learning

4:02 and implementing modern management strategies knowing how to better manage performance people and the business will pay off for you in numerous ways as you become known as a great manager you'll also reap direct benefits in your career as you're tapped for future opportunities in leadership throughout your day you're probably going back and forth between managing and leading in today's modern organization leadership and management are closely intertwined because almost all people who manage others in projects or functions also have to provide leadership to their people in the organization let's explore the important distinctions between them the primary goal of leadership is to produce change and growth the work of a leader is to Envision

4:48 a better tomorrow and design the change that will get the organization from here to there the primary goal of management is to produce order and consistency the work of a manager is to create a stable work environment that's clear and consistent so that employees can be as productive as possible needless to say there's some natural tensions between management and Leadership think about your day-to-day work over the past two weeks and identify when you're managing and when you're leading here are some key things to look for one the first distinction is about approach managing is tactical and Hands-On while leading is strategic and Visionary this is because the time frame is different number two managing occurs in the Here and Now you're looking at the short-term and mid-range goals that ensure success of the organization today contrast that

5:35 with leading where the focus is on the future and setting strategy and change to create the organization of tomorrow three another difference is that the focus shifts for management the focus is narrow and internal whereas the leader's view is Broad and external including other functions industry market and National and Global Affairs number four managing relies on current resources andru structures while leading designs new ones for the future number five for managing the task goals are directing the daily work of employees to achieve currently identified goals whereas leading requires planning for the future setting a long-term vision and strategy to bring about the change finally number six the people's skills differ as well both managing and leading rely

6:21 on emotional intelligence but managing is more tactical like conducting one-on-one meetings delegating tasks and coaching employees to improved performance leading is about building the culture to maximize engagement inspiring various stakeholders with a compelling Vision fostering collaboration and cultivating the next generation of leaders all of this is in service to achieving the future potential of the organization by maximizing the most important asset it's talented people as a manager You'll Play a few different roles as I go through the five primary roles think about how you play them over the course of your work week the first is producer you must produce the desired results and achieve the organization's goals through projects and tasks second is

7:07 administrator you must administer systems policies and procedures so that the organization runs efficiently third is innovator in order to enact change that serves the organization's future you'll need to be creative and innovate new ideas or Solutions fourth is mediator not only will you need to help your employees work through conflict you'll also mediate any tensions between the employees needs and the organizations and fifth is culture Builder you must build a work environment and culture that values its members and supports the organization's goals each role requires different skill sets and you may be better at some than others you want to play to your strengths and develop the areas in which you still need to grow also think about how you can utilize the strengths of your people to balance you it also happens that these roles can actually be in conflict

7:55 with each other for example administering a policy might actually limit innovation or enacting change might threaten the current culture part of being a manager is knowing how to balance these roles and also when to prioritize one over another this can be confusing because there's actually two primary perspectives to consider one is the employees perspective which focuses on the experience of the people under the manager this is the one we're almost familiar with because we've all been under manager at some point in our careers the other is the organizations's perspective which focuses on the effective completion of work that drives the organization success every manager must find a way to live at the intersection of these two different and sometimes competing perspectives let's take a deeper look I'm going to start with the organization's perspective because it really

8:41 does come first everyone is employed to help the organization accomplish its goals it's also true that the organization's perspective is what has driven management style since the 1800s the organizations perspective includes several key questions like are the assigned projects and tasks completed does the work get completed on time and within the allotted budget is the level of work quality sufficient to accomplish the goals is the organization protected from lawsuits by compliance with state and federal laws and regulations does any Innovation occur that enhances the organization's success does the manager hire and develop employees who make positive contributions to the organization over time from this list it becomes obvious that from the organization's

9:26 perspective key management skills include include project management time management Resource Management communication decision making people skills and Performance Management now let's switch to the employees perspective the people who report to a manager have several key questions like are my tasks and responsibilities made clear am I given the training guidance and resources to complete the tasks are my skill sets effectively used and am I given opportunities to grow am I treated fairly and with respect can I see that my contributions make a difference and are they measured accurately and is my worth accurately assessed and valued is there a clear career path for me to advance and grow and from the employees perspective key management skills

10:16 include communication people skills Performance Management training and coaching and fairness or ethics there is overlap the employee interaction is in service of the organization's goal goals and the organization provides meaningful work and fair compensation to the employee to be a successful manager you'll need to find a way to artfully navigate the inherent tensions and opportunities that live between the needs of your employees and the goals of your organization management styles are the patterns of behavior people use when they hold management positions these patterns of behavior include how they communicate make decisions supervise and motivate there's a range of management styles and all are a blend of three key behaviors

11:04 task direction decision- making and relationship building task direction is when the manager tells the employee what to do as well as when where and how this may involve teaching and training as well as directives and instructions decision-making is the extent to which the manager involves employees in the decision-making process this exists on a Continuum at one end employees have no involvement at all and at the other end the manager delegates decision- making completely to the employees relationship building is how the manager forms a relationship with each employee as well as creates the work environment or culture for the team as a whole it includes coaching motivating and engaging employees open communication and respect let me walk through the most common management styles I've coined the first style the director this manager wants to be in charge so

11:53 controls all aspects of decision- making they provide a lot of task Direction and are often seen as microman managers directors don't engage much in relationship building although they can be cordial a Hallmark phrase is do what I say this autocratic style is appropriate when employees have very low levels of skill or initiative or when the organization is in a crisis and needs immediate change however the director ultimately does harm to the organization because employees are not motivated and don't get opportunities to develop the second style is the consultant this manager still maintains control of decision-making but knows that relationship building is important so consults with employees to gain their input employees can feel more engaged with this style if the Consulting is genuine Consultants still provide task Direction but allow low levels of

12:42 autonomy the phrase for this style is I value your input this style works well with employees who are growing in their skills or confidence but not yet to the level where they can handle complex tasks on their own third you have the consensus Builder who manages democratically this manager genuinely seeks input and feedback from all sides they focus on what's best for the group as a whole so often make decisions based on majority preference or consensus the phrase here is what do you think the downside of this style is that they may take too much time seeking input or ignoring the best decision in favor of the choice that has the most support fourth you have the coach this manager focuses on creating a highly productive and motivated staff they provide both training as

13:27 well as encouragement to grow they often create a fun and positive work environment with lots of team building and social activities the Hallmark phrase is how can I support you this style is great for Mid to- High performers but coaches can stumble if they have poor performers or difficult employees who don't respond to their encouragement the fifth style is the Visionary this manager has an exciting vision and they're good at inspiring or persuading others to get on board often they're great at strategic thinking but not so good with tactical skills this manager is exemplified by the phrase follow me to thrive under this style employees need to be independent because they have to figure out the day-to-day work for themselves the delegator is the six style this manager uses a very hands-off or law fair approach to management they turn over almost complete control to their

14:17 team stepping in only when necessary this style only works well with high performing employees the phrase here is you've got this delegators have to remember that while they may be able to hand over task performance and decision-making they must continue to build relationships the last style is called the narcissist and it's actually the most harmful Style with very few redeeming qualities The Narcissist maintains control by providing a lot of task Direction and no decision-making they engage in relationship building but only to Garner favors or support abruptly dropping people when it no longer suits their needs this person is very self-centered but they can still be likable often even Charming but they rule with an iron fist using punishments from firing to Petty

15:03 retaliations to keep people in line people under them are in fear so they cannot speak up or seek help often once this person leaves or is let go a whole series of shocking information comes to the surface to know if you have this most toxic kind of Boss look for high turnover or a boss that takes all the credit for their team's successes and blames their team for any failures as you review these Styles think about which Styles you've experienced as an employee what impact did the Styles have on your productivity motivation and loyalty to the organization also consider which style is most like you we all tend to have a favorite or a natural style that we use the most so which style should you choose well it all depends on your situation with the exception of a

15:53 narcissist all of the Styles can be useful in certain contexts while no one individual style is good or bad a management style can be a good or poor fit for the situation which determines its Effectiveness let's start with your natural style of management which of the Styles is most like you if you're not sure ask friends and colleagues for their feedback it's important to know which style you default to because that's what you're likely to do under stress ultimately your natural style may be the fit for some of your employees and they will Thrive under you but if you want your entire team to thrive you must be willing to become vers in all of the style it's the manager's responsibility to be the chameleon and change your style to suit the situation by picking the best style for the situation you'll maximize the productivity and engagement of your

16:39 people to determine which style to use first assess the skills and attitudes of each of your employees consider their job description and identify the skills or competencies they need to be successful rate their current competence in those skills also look at their attitudes are they enthusiastic and motivated cautious or nervous or even disengaged and bored look at how they get along as a group are they cohesive and friendly or is there a lot of tension or conflict now you apply combinations of task Direction relationship building and decision-making to bring out their best with employees who are new or unskilled use high amounts of task Direction and relationship building this will help them learn what they need to do the job as well as start building a positive connection between you you'd want to use the director and Consultants

17:29 Styles over time as you see evidence that your employees are becoming more skilled and confident you'll throttle back on task direction as needed and maintain relationship building also now add some decision-making to push their growth and development now you don't just hand over a big decision to them but first start involving them in discussions about decision-making Begin by seeking their input and sharing what you're doing and why as they get the hang of it then you can let them make some lowrisk decisions this is when you might want to use the consensus Builder and coach Styles continue to build relationships as you push their skill development with more and more opportunities for decision-making once your employees are highly skilled you can delegate a lot of things to them at this point you're providing very little task Direction and even then it's rare you're also

18:15 giving them a lot of autonomy with decision- making increasing the complexity of projects to keep them challenged and engaged you can also dial down the relationship building as you should have a strong Foundation of trust and respect to stand on however be careful that you don't stop relationship building altogether even your top performers still need encouragement and acknowledgement you'll find that the Visionary and delegator styles work well for you here especially because as your team grows you can manage them less and less allowing you to turn your focus toward leadership and strategy if you want a great book to guide you through the many challenges of management I highly encourage you to read the book leading at a higher level by Ken Blanchard it's one of my all-time favorite books and a must read for managers let me leave you with one more tip think of yourself as a habit changer seriously current

19:04 developments and Neuroscience have revealed new and exciting information about how humans form habits habits shape everything we do from our professional to our personal lives every day we engage in habit Loops that have been wellb built over time and in many cases are quite grooved both behaviorally and neurologically think about your own day habit is behind your commute to the office how you behave in meetings and even how you answer your phone when we do behaviors over and over again they become grooved and even develop thicker neurological Pathways in fact research has shown that it takes about 40 repetitions of a behavior before it becomes grooved as a habit and 66 shows measurable thickening of the pathways what does this have to do with management well first as a manager you have your own habits your default management style is one of them it's well

19:53 grooved if you want to help yourself become better at the other styles you have to practice them so they become habits too in addition managing people is largely about helping them form new habits or better ones as you give them task direction or opportunities to make decisions you're actually helping them develop new habits for working effective managers are patient and allow people time to learn and grow knowing that after about 40 repetitions of any new Behavior habits get formed so play with the six styles using them based on what's the best fit for the situation you may even use one style with one employee and a different Style with another ultimately your goal is to bring out the best in your people and the right choice of management style is how you accomplish this I believe that managing performance is at the heart of the manager's role so I've

20:45 put this section first because it will frame the rest of the material in this course we're first going to explore what Performance Management is and then I'll share some strategies you can use with your employees Performance Management is the entire series of practices policies and procedures that guide and support an employee successful completion of their work ultimately you're managing people and completing work that's necessary to your organization's success all of this is done within the structure of the performance management process you use and I'm not just talking about the software or system you use for completing annual reviews although that's certainly part of it this means that effective Performance Management includes and aligns many different aspects such as the organization's goals and objectives the organizational values and

21:32 culture job descriptions competencies assessment of employee performance process for developing and motivating employees compensation like salary and bonuses and making employment decisions such as promotion and termination ideally all these elements should align to create a cohesive system that's clear to all involved and it should provide you the manager with clear strategies and practices to use during your interactions with your employees from one-on-one discussions to project meetings to formal annual reviews no matter your organization's size or industry today's work environment is dramatically different than it was a few years ago more work straddles multiple departments or customer bases this in turn requires more collaboration

22:19 which then necessitates better communication and more employees are now working remotely or with colleagues in other states or countries because of the changing nature of today's business environment many organizations are realizing the need to revise their Performance Management Systems so you'll likely experience a range of models and systems over the course of your career as a manager you'll need to utilize the current system in place at your organization but I think it's always a good idea for you to stay informed about best practices in Performance Management because it can guide how you implement your organization system or even how you advocate for needed change some of my favorite sources of information are the human resources Leadership Council the society for human resource management Harvard Business

23:04 review and buron by Del to Be an Effective manager I recommend that you use the following strategies first become informed about your organization's process for Performance Management and do so as early as you can if they offer training attend it right away many managers wait until they must complete an annual review but that's actually 12 months too late performance manager ment is something you should be doing every week with all of your employees if they don't offer a training or if you still have questions make an appointment with the appropriate person in HR ultimately the performance process offers legal protection to both employees and the organization the manager is the person responsible for implementing it appropriately and accurately no pressure or anything second create your own method for organizing key information consider how

23:55 you'll track and measure each employes progress through throughout the year perhaps design your own form for one-on-one meetings or agendas for team meetings that helps you align the day-to-day work with Performance Management be sure to explore the features that an online system might offer you or other online tools that can help you third be transparent with your employees share with them all you can about the process discuss how and when their performance will be assessed how you'll support them in being successful and how it relates to compensation and career opportunities no employee should ever be surprised during their annual review I recommend doing this in a group setting so that everyone hears the same thing at the same time it not only saves you from repeating yourself it also helps the team know that they're all held to the same process

24:43 and standards in the rest of this chapter we're going to look at more parts of the performance management process and how you can use various tools to maximize your success as a manager true or false your role as someone's manager starts their first day of work actually it's false it begins the minute you post a position for hire the part that says reports to identifies you as their supervisor and the person who's responsible for the performance management process the job description outlines important aspects of their duties and responsibilities and usually includes other key elements of the performance process such as expected qualifications and compensation and it's likely that you'll ultimately participate in interviewing

25:30 the top candidates assessing their skills and abilities which will lead to a hiring decision and a formal offer of employment hiring and onboarding your employees is the beginning of your professional relationship and you want to start off strong let's look at how first make sure you use best practices in hiring ultimately you want to hire the right person for the job someone who has the skills to be successful and will grow from the opportunity the hiring process should be designed to help you assess key aspects of each candidate's competence as well as how they'll contribute to the Daily work environment of your team second follow established procedures and practices if you have an HR department they'll likely guide and overse some aspects of the hiring process so be sure you attend any training Available to You employee laws

26:20 have gotten very complex over the years and your colleagues in HR work hard to help you and other managers be successful but you have to listen to their guidance one inappropriate question during an interview like are you married not only opens your organization up to a lawsuit but it can often cost you a good candidate who might question your competency since you didn't know better third put in the time and energy to lead a great hiring process hiring is a two-way street you're evaluating the candidate but the candidate is also seeing if they want to work for your organization and specifically you take this process seriously I know that you might be busy but don't make the mistakes that many managers do which is to treat interviews as an interruption in their Day schedule time to review applications create thoughtful questions and assess the

27:08 candidates make sure you come to the meeting with an attitude of respect and openness after all First Impressions matter on both sides of the desk the hiring process takes time and energy but consider it an investment in building a great team the more care and thought you put into the hiring process the more it will pay off down the road in productive employees and and collaborative teams now let's turn our Focus to onboarding this is the new employees formal introduction and orientation to your organization and your team it's the process of getting new hirers adjusted to the performance and social aspects of their jobs quickly and smoothly the benefits of onboarding include increased job satisfaction increase performance and decrease turnover onboarding can

27:57 occur through through a range of tools including online and paper documents such as websites and handbooks videos and in-person meetings onboarding can range from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks or even months depending on the needs of your organization and the complexity of various roles again there are best practices in onboarding first employees should be onboarded to three connected but distinct things the organization the department and their job you want to make sure you address all three another best practice is to focus onboarding on what is known as the four C's compliance which are the laws and policies that must be adhered to clarification about job duties and expectations culture which includes the stated and assumed values goals and Norms

28:46 of the organization and connection which are the interpersonal relationships and networks vital to their success by using these best practices and onboarding you'll not only be setting up your employees for success but also begin building a positive work relationship between you a vital part of any Performance Management process is setting goals and tracking progress towards accomplishing them let's first talk about choices you have with the performance management system one best practice in Performance Management is to have the system organized around cascading goals at the top they begin with the organization's goals or objectives and then waterfall down to the Department goals followed by team and employee goals this allows

29:32 each person's individual task performance and each team's performance to be measured against how it contributes to the organization's success another option is to have two tracks one that focuses on task performance and one that focuses on Career or professional development task performance is about the actions behaviors and competencies needed to complete the task goals set for the year these are directly tied to the employees current position and job description and they're not just to-do lists either they can include key people skills like communication and collaboration as well as other competencies needed to do their job effectively these discussions tie directly to the annual review process career and professional development is about helping the employee move up to other positions or opportunities in the future this may include preparing the person

30:21 for management roles or helping them develop new skills that position them for parallel careers one of the key ways to motivate and engage your people is to support their professional development many organizations build these discussions into the performance process although they're separated from the annual review process and compensation decisions no matter how your performance management process is organized you'll use goal setting as a way to focus and direct actions and behaviors let's look at some strategies you can use as a manager to help your employees with goal setting first I recommend using the smart goal technique where each goal has the following five qualities it's specific meaning that you get clear about the details of who what where and how it's

31:08 measurable meaning that there's a clear way to see progress It's action oriented meaning that the employee has the ability to do something as opposed to it being in someone else's hands it's realistic meaning that it can be accomplished with the time and resources available and finally it's timely meaning that it has a clearly stated deadline possibly with smaller Milestones leading up to that deadline using the smart goal technique will help you in your employee clearly identify measurable behaviors that will make it so much easier for you to track progress you can also break the large goal into smaller steps applying the smart technique to each one this allows you to take a larger goal and see how it should move along over weeks or even months second Institute

31:54 quarterly progress checks one of the mistakes that managers and employees often make is to set goals at the beginning of the year and only assess them when it's time to do the annual review this not only makes the review process difficult as you weigh back through 12 months it also eliminates the opportunity to make course Corrections if you use the smart goal technique you should be able to map goals across time shorter mileston should build to the completion of the goal when you check in every quarter it gives you and the employee the opportunity to see which goals are on track and which may be falling behind then you can strategize solutions for getting back on track before it's too late to fix it third when progress stalls identify and remove the obstacles it's very likely that progress will stall for each of your employees in some way

32:42 when that happens it's important to take a closer look at what's happening because it won't do much good if you set a new deadline without addressing the source of the roadblock for example if your employee has too much on their plate or competing priorities just putting this goal back on their plate will likely lead to another missed mile Milestone down the road or perhaps the employee needs something to accomplish the goal such as information Authority or training you need to provide it if you want to see progress or it could even be emotional in nature when people procrastinate it's often because there's something about the task that's not compelling or motivating you may need to help your employee explore what's underneath their resistance so you can address it as a manager you'll often find that supporting your employees and achieving their goals also requires some coaching skills on your part I certainly have have we're going

33:28 to cover that in the next video in the meantime consider how you can utilize these strategies to help your employees set and Achieve both their performance and professional development goals as a manager I have found that coaching is one of my primary tools for helping employees be at their best however there's a lot of confusion about what employee coaching is and how it works that's because there's actually different styles of coaching and different types of coaching conversations that you can use in a professional setting so let's clear that up coaching has evolved from two important but very different fields and this essentially creates two primary styles of coaching the first is skill coaching where the coach's expertise is in the skill and

34:14 they teach that skill to another person this mode evolved from athletic coaching where the coach is someone who has extensive experience with a skill say baseball or swimming and then coaches another on how to improve that skill it's a model based based on teaching observation and offering advice tips and strategies it's intentionally directive and it's what we naturally default to as managers the benefits of skill coaching is that it's often faster and easier to direct people and it offers the manager a lot of control about how work is completed the second style is Clarity coaching the coach's expertise is in the clarity process and they facilitate the other person in accessing their own answers this mode evolved from the field of life coaching where the coach is trained

35:00 in formal coaching skills the coach facilitates the other person in becoming clear about an issue and uses powerful questions to help them tap into their own knowledge and expertise the coach then supports the person's progress with action plans and accountability this aisle is intentionally non-directive and the coach must be well-versed in the techniques of clarity coaching there are three primary benefits of clarity coaching one it's a process that's proven to motivate and engage employees two Behavior change is more likely to stick when they arrive at it on their own because they become more invested and accountable and three over time you build employee confidence because they're more likely to initiate solving their own problems in the future obviously these two Styles can be at odds with each other yet both are very powerful tools for employee coaching it

35:49 becomes a question of which to use when generally you want to use skill coaching with new employees who need a lot of guidance or employees emplo who are new to a complex task but as your employees grow and develop you'll want to shift more and more often to Clarity coaching now let's look at the four types of coaching conversations people can have in a professional setting the first is problem solving this is when the employees have hit a roadblock with a project or situation and they need help thinking through the issue and possible solutions second is performance this is used when employees need to improve or develop a professional skill to do their current job well third is development this is used with a high performing employee and is about preparing them for the next level of skill or responsibility finally there's career planning

36:39 this is used to help an employee identify their long-term career goals and plan for achieving them as a manager you should be having all four types of conversations with your employees in all of these conversations skill coaching might take less time but if you want to build the competence and motivation of your employees you need be using Clarity coaching more and more of the time like any skill Clarity coaching will get easier if you keep practicing it I'm a big fan of creating a coaching culture in an organization many Studies have been done on the benefits with return on investment paying off in increased productivity Employee Engagement and the effectiveness of leaders you'll find that employees are most happy with and loyal to managers who use Clarity coaching because they feel valued heard and empowered so develop

37:26 your skills today and start reaping the many benefits that coaching your employees will bring giving performance feedback can be an entire course on its own ideally your organization's Performance Management process clearly outlines how performance issues are handled if so then you would Implement that process as instructed obviously there are legal implications for performance discussions so I strongly encourage you to consult with your HR and legal professionals they're there to help you navigate these situation successfully so take advantage of their guidance performance problems very rarely just develop overnight they usually build from small situations part of your role as a manager is to address issues early so that they don't become a problem let's look at how you do that first start off with Clarity at

38:17 the moment someone becomes your direct report you should have a discussion about these key items the main elements of their performance this would be an overview of their job duties how you'll measure that performance talk about what data or markers you'll use to measure their success and at what intervals how and when you'll communicate both praise and problems this might include formal reviews and informal meetings and the performance improvement process discuss how and when an employee will learn that they need to improve and how long they'll have to do so if employees are at will talk about what that means too honestly if every manager had this conversation with their employees it would go long way to solving things second honor the plan you have to meet the standard you create as the manager it's your responsibility to drive the

39:07 process for performance feedback and reviews so provide feedback when you said you would using the measures of progress that you already outlined third address concerns immediately if you're even wondering a little about an employees performance it's time to speak up it's far better to address things early because that's when you have the greatest chance to make things change since you're addressing things early you'll use language like lately I've noticed that or I'm wondering if we've had a miscommunication because you don't want to make any assumptions about your employees Behavior but you do want to bring up your questions and concerns ask them for their perspective too you may discover something important like the need for some training or even a lack of clarity on your part your goal here is to help them improve they may need some coaching or more direct guidance

39:55 from you to get going in the right direction be sure you wrap up with a clear understanding of what needs to change and by when you really want to ground the conversation with a clear action plan you cannot be too specific about what actions or behaviors you need to see occur and when you expect them to be done and of course it's always a good idea to keep a file with your notes fourth stay on top of issues until they're resolved the employee will either respond to your feedback or they won't the vast majority will get things back on track if they course correct direct quickly be sure you acknowledge their efforts that's a really important part of the process but for a handful they'll still be going astray at this point have another meeting to discuss your new observations and your concern that they did not make the greed upon changes the tone of this meeting

40:43 should be more serious arrive at a new agreement with clear goals and timelines if they shift praise their efforts sometimes issues continue to arise when that happens clearly mark that they're moving into problem Terr atory the biggest mistake that managers make is assuming that their employee knows when they're in trouble it doesn't matter how many times you've talked with them they won't know until you say the words something like this is becoming a problem you need to address this or you'll experience the following consequences and then spell those out tell them if it's going to affect their performance review raise or ability to stay with the company it's better to shock them into action with firmness than wait too long when they can't recover if you're clear and strong

41:28 you'll know for sure that you gave them every opportunity to fix it in the case that they don't you'll be more at peace if you have to let them go also when things move into problem territory get support work with someone in HR to ensure that you're taking all of the appropriate actions there are often very specific stipulations you need to meet in terms of communication and documentation ultimately the goal of giving performance feedback is to help people be their best it's part of maximizing their potential and and guiding their professional development your job is to give them clear information and the opportunity to do their best the rest is up to them letting people go is one of the hardest parts of being manager in all my years of professional

42:14 work I don't know anyone who's ever enjoyed the process but making tough decisions is part of your role as a manager so at some point in your career you'll have to do this let's make sure you're prepared the first thing to know is that ending someone 's employment can take a few different forms each has its own complexities and is governed by different rules policies and even laws there are also different employees statuses that affect the process too an employees exempt status or membership in a represented labor group all play a role as do local state and federal laws sound confusing it is this is why your first strategy is always to involve HR and legal professionals early I cannot emphasize this enough there are often very specific require requirements around documentation and communication with your word choices and actions having a greater impact

43:03 than you may realize so always seek guidance and support as early in the process as possible let's talk about different types of ending employment which you'll also hear referred to as terminations or work separations the first general type of termination is voluntary the person leaves of their own will so this really doesn't involve you letting them go but as a manager there's still policies and procedures that govern voluntary termination such as their resignation or retirement from the position in addition to ending their employment status there are other ramifications for benefits the transfer of files and Records Etc there's also something called termination by mutual agreement this includes things like the ending of a contract employees agreement forced resignation and job abandonment the second General type of termination

43:52 is involuntary the person is not choosing to leave but the termination is forced upon them again there can be many different reasons some common examples include layoffs where positions are eliminated in order to reduce the size of the workforce this is also known as termination without prejudice because it was not a function of the employes performance in this case employees are eligible to be rehired in the future being fired is where the employees being let go for a specific reason usually related to Performance or some egregious violation of ethical or legal policies this is also known as termination Prejudice or termination for cause and the person is not eligible for rehire and then you have situations where the employer was wrongfully terminated because the manager Andor the

44:38 organization violated laws or policies governing work separation these can often lead to expensive lawsuits finally the third type of termination is due to death obviously this doesn't neatly fit into either of the previous categories so legally it has its own and is governed by laws policies and procedures that involve the survivors and beneficiaries of the deceased employee if you're feeling overwhelmed at this point it's normal I do too labor laws are complex and also everchanging as a manager you're not expected to know and remember all the details but you are expected to know that terminating employees has important and legal ramifications for both the interest of the employee and the organization you're in the middle and that's why you don't want to take any

45:24 action without the guidance and support of HR and legal professionals luckily they're well-versed in all the current information and can not only guide you but may actually lead and conduct aspects of the process as well ultimately when an employee is terminated you will be involved in some way often there's a face to face meeting that occurs that you will at least participate in if not lead while it may be challenging you can prepare yourself by taking these simple steps first be prepared review the process and be clear about what you need to do and say take notes and ask questions it's your responsibility to make sure that you know what you're doing second practice role playing the conversation can be really helpful in making you more confident for the meeting often times

46:11 the folks in HR can help you do this be sure to roleplay the situations that worry you too like the other person crying or becoming hostile you want to know that you can handle anything third connect with your compassion sometimes all the formality of this process can make us feel like we can't be compassionate you probably really care about your employee even if they have been difficult it's normal that you may feel sadness or regret that things didn't work out better and you may even worry about this person's future and wish the best for them it's true that you may or may not be able to say certain things but you can still arrive at the meeting with compassion in your heart and the commitment to treat them with care and respect remember people thrive in different environments we all know folks who've been fired to go on and find the right

46:57 somewhere else ultimately letting people go is never easy but it is your role as a manager to make the process go as smoothly as possible for the employee and the organization in today's collaborative work environments more and more work is being done in teams as a result an important aspect of Performance Management includes team performance ultimately you need to find a way to assess and measure how collaborative work reflects on each individual employes performance as well as the group as a whole a team is different from a group of individuals who may form a department or a cross functional group specifically to be a team the group must have the following four qualities number one a common purpose this would

47:43 be the clear goal there to achieve number two their efforts must be interdependent otherwise it's just coordinated efforts of individual contributors and that's not a team number three they must share accountability everyone is held responsible for the group's success or failure and number four the members must believe that the outcome will be better working together than alone managing a high performing team takes effort so plan to spend some time energy on implementing these strategies this will also help you address the most common reasons teams fail which are unclear purpose or goals lack of clear plan or commitment to the plan inability to deal with conflict lack of shared accountability for results insufficient resources and lack of

48:30 trust so you've been promoted to manager congratulations this is a great opportunity and if you're like most people you're simultaneously excited and nervous I know I was we've all experienced Bad Bosses and I'm sure you want to do a good job and be someone your employees trust and respect in fact that should be your goal to build a relationship with them based on trust and respect in this chapter we'll cover ways you can do that but first let's talk about how you transition from being a peer to a manager if you're coming in from the outside and haven't worked alongside your reports it can be easier because you don't have a previous relationship with them you come into a role of authority while they don't know you they also don't

49:16 have any preconceived notions about you however you'll have more work to do to help them get to know you and trust you if you've been promoted to supervise your colleagues they do know you you which means they have some beliefs about who you are and how you'll manage these may or may not be accurate so you may need to overcome not only their assumptions but your own whether you're promoted from within or hired from the outside the following strategy should guide your actions the first few weeks and months first have patience with their nervousness you probably remember having a new boss yourself because we've all lived with poor managers people are somewhat anxious to see what kind of manager you're going to be this means that they'll simultaneously be putting on their best behavior for you and also guarded about what they share with you

50:03 they'll also be trying to bend your ear about their priorities and concerns that's good you want to learn all you can so listen just don't promise anything early on until you've really had time to assess everything this is a great time to focus on getting to know your people your second strategy one of the best things any new manager can do is to make a point of meeting with each of your people to learn more about them here some key questions to ask tell me about your role I'd like to hear your perspective on what your priorities are and the challenges that you face how can I support you in being successful how do you like to be supervised and what motivates and engages you at work End by thanking them for the information at this point don't make any promises about what you will or won't do it's too early to commit to anything I also think it's

50:53 a good idea to meet with your colleagues in other departments and also those above you ask them the first two questions you'll learn a lot this is all part of the third strategy which is to take time and gather information this is certainly important if you're new to the organization but it's even more so if you're already working there and here's why as you move up you gain a whole new perspective about things you'll be privy to all kinds of information that you didn't have before you'll learn more about the people above you the organization's goals and challenges as well as confidential information about the budget and Personnel files trust me when you move up it's a whole new world so you want to take time to learn all that you can before you make any big decisions or Implement new ideas while you may be brimming with them it's in your best interest to

51:39 slow down and thoroughly explore the real lay of the land fourth be transparent with your values and philosophy while you may be waiting to design and Implement changes you can use this time to share your values and management philosophy this is how you start building Trust and establishing your integrity your employers are nervous and they want and need to know who you're going to be fifth take time to craft your overall strategy once you've gathered information you want to think about how you can address and resolve some of the challenges while also maximizing strengths and opportunities and this all needs to work within the structures and resources you have by crafting your overall plan it will help you map out how you'll make changes over time in addition it will be the Northstar that will guide your decision Mak making in all kinds of situations finally

52:29 pace yourself I know you may be chomping at the bit to get started but if you rush too quickly you may accidentally damage the relationships you're trying to build your Effectiveness as a manager is completely dependent on your ability to build positive working relationships with people all over your organization so focus on that first and the rest will follow establishing trust is an ongoing PR practice something you do every day in your words and actions as a manager your success is dependent on creating an environment where you're scen as trustworthy not only by your direct reports but also your supervisors and your peers so how do you build trust let's look at the key practices first have integrity with your

53:15 words and actions this means that you do what you said you would you follow through meet deadlines and keep your promises this is not occasionally but all the time in the rare instances where you cannot deliver you take responsibility explain why and even apologize when appropriate second share your values people have to know what you stand for in order to assess if you have integrity or not study after study shows that people assess trustworthiness based on how well you live in alignment with your values they can do this faster if they know what your values are interestingly they don't have to like or approve your values for you to establish trust third make ethical choice choices ethics are another important aspect of Integrity how they differ is that each culture

54:02 or Society has its own laws and Norms that determine what's considered ethical within that context acting ethically is about being in alignment with the agreed upon standards of that Community certainly the workplace has some agreed upon standards like not discriminating against people sometimes an industry had as a code of ethics like medicine's hypocritic oath of Do no harm and many organizations have their own code of ethics that they outline in shared values or specific policies and practices fourth sincerely listen to others when you listen to others without judgment it makes it easier for them to open up in the future you want to be a place where people can bring their honest concerns needs priorities and hopes and know that you'll listen this doesn't

54:47 mean that you have to give them everything they want in fact you often won't be able to but if you listen and respond with respect you'll build trust with every conversation fifth be accountable for your actions part of managing is taking risks and making decisions sometimes you'll be successful and sometimes you won't if you blame others or make excuses you'll damage trust and if you take credit for other people's work you harm trust too so be accountable for your actions both good and bad admit your mistakes and be proud of your wins sixth be honest in your communication your word has to mean something this is not only f following through on promises but also that you can be honest about anything sometimes honesty is hard it means that

55:32 you offer realistic assessments Frank critiques and clear opinions that can be challenging if you know the other person won't like what you have to say or may be hurt by it but trust is also built on people knowing that you'll be honest find ways to communicate honestly and clearly but also with kindness and empathy it will make it easier for them to hear what you have to say seventh respond to feedback you'll be the re recipient of feedback and how you handle it is part of building trust if you get defensive or shoot the messenger you're going to harm trust as a manager you have power in the relationship so you need to intentionally seek feedback and then make changes remember people leave a boss not a company before they leave they'll try once or twice to give you feedback if

56:18 you don't change they'll start disengaging as they get ready to leave so take feedback very seriously in fact intentionally seek it out don't just wait for people to bring you feedback or complaints actively seek out their opinions both good and bad about how things are going and reward honesty when someone has the courage to tell you challenging news sincerely thank them they've actually shown you a great sign of respect this is all part of making it safe to take risks the last and most important practice one of the worst things that can happen in work setting is if there's a Culture of Fear when people are afraid they're obviously not in trust and and even worse you've shut down the pathway to creativity and Innovation something that all organizations need to be successful as a

57:03 manager you need to create a culture where it's safe to take risks be open to hearing feedback or ideas that are different from yours also don't allow your employees to treat each other poorly and don't tolerate behavior that undermine safety for anyone in the organization be clear about how performance issues are handled people feel safer if they trust that the process will be fair if you consistently focus on building trust you'll be able to do so but the work doesn't stop there while it takes time to build trust it can be destroyed overnight one violation on your part can undo months of hard work so make establishing trust one of your top and ongoing priorities it should be built on a set of these practices that you use every day as a manager you have a responsibility to build others up obviously there's a business

57:56 case for doing so helping others achieve their potential yields all kinds of measurable outcomes that affect the bottom line like productivity Innovation and customer satisfaction I think it's important to remember that building others up also reflects well on you one sign that top Executives look for is whose team is thriving and excelling they know that this indicates a manager that has high potential for future opportunities as a manager you want to intentionally motivate and engage your team Recent research has clearly demonstrated key factors that inspire people let's first look at motivation studies in Psychology and human potential show us that all humans are motivated by three driving forces in ranking order first the need for physical survival and safety this includes the most basic necessities from Air food and water to our more modern versions

58:45 of being able to buy a home afford health care and have job security when this level is tended to we

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