Get the people right from the start
Filed under: Management training and development, Team Performance, Teamwork | Tags: team work, management development, Leadership, productivity, communication, new business, team building
Leave a Comment Talking to the business manager at HSBC the other day made me realise the lengths new business owners go to secure capital, premises, stock, logos, stationery and all the trappings of a shiny new business, but spend hardly any time thinking about the people they’ll be employing.
A friendly word of advice to business owners, I know how much you have to think about, and how exciting this part is – I know because I’ve been there – but stop and think before you start to recruit.
Research last year by the CIPD shows it costs £10,000-19,000 per employee to recruit or replace someone (this doesn’t even take into account loss of productivity and the turbulence of new people in the team). So, take advice, take time to look around, do a job profile so you’re clear what you are looking for, and be very specific from the outset what you expect from the new employee.
The same study showed that 19% of new starters are leaving within the first 6 months, so that’s a waste of £10,000-19,000 you could well do without.
Avoid the temptation to play safe and employ your mates or family – the short term gains will be well and truly wiped out by complications later on.
Most teams are anything but
Filed under: HR, Management support, Management training and development, Team Performance, Teamwork, communication, problem-solving | Tags: behaviour, behaviour management, change, collaboration, Delegation, Leadership, management development, management training, managing under pressure, motivation, performance, team work, teams, understanding
Leave a Comment How long does it take for a group of strangers to form into an effective, productive team?
Speak to the head of any organisation, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the answer is “immediately”. In truth, of course, we know this is not the case; that a group of individuals has to go through a series of changes and adaptations before it even begins to work as a team – this can take days, weeks, even months.
The sad fact is that most teams never reach the “performing” stage in the classic theory of team dynamics. Most are stuck with a muddle of bad habits, personality clashes, warring egos and haphazard management.
What’s more amazing is that this quickly becomes the norm and the “team” get used to their dysfunctional ways. Taking a team like this, stuck in their ways and sleepwalking in mediocrity and turning them into a smart, motivated and happy team can be surprisingly quick and simple. It just takes the will to change, openness to new experience and an acceptance that the status quo isn’t good enough.
The whining dog blog
Filed under: Management training and development, Team Performance, problem-solving | Tags: motivation, change, decision making, problem-solving, resilience, productivity
Leave a Comment This story lodged in my head when I read it some months ago, and keeps coming back to haunt me. I’ve no idea who wrote it originally, so thanks and apologies for the paraphrasing.
Two old men, Abe and Ben, are sitting on their rocking chairs on the porch, enjoying the afternoon sun and looking out over the prairie. In between them lies Abe’s dog, Blue.
Every now and then, Blue lets out a long, painful whine and whimpers himself back to sleep.
Ben says “Abe, what’s the matter with your dog?”
Abe replies “He’s lying on a rusty nail.”
Ben looks horrified: “Why doesn’t he move?”
Abe: “It doesn’t hurt enough yet.”
I could apply this to the majority of organisations I meet. They are struggling on with the status quo, knowing it’s damaging their people and their performance, but not yet motivated to take any action.
Like lying on a rusty nail, those current problems are never going to heal themselves, in fact they are more likely to create more problems, the longer you leave them.
Don’t be like poor old Blue, take control and ask yourself why it’s taken you so long.
Is HR a proper job?
Filed under: HR, Management support | Tags: performance, management development, commitment, productivity, HR
Leave a Comment You don’t have to look far to find committed, professional HR people in the UK, but for each one of them, there are plenty of reluctant HR managers who are just ticking away the days until they can return to their “proper job”.
I’ve been stunned recently to hear variations on the following from a number of HR managers:
“I’m actually an engineer / project manager / finance assistant but we had this big reshuffle at work and I ended up here. My boss said it was just temporary, while things settled down, then they’d find me a proper job.”
Sounds like HR is the offer you can’t refuse – unless you want to be made redundant.
This tells us two very important things: these employers and many others hold HR so far down the priority list that, as long as there’s a bum on a seat, nothing else really matters (even if the owner of that bum is disinterested and uninformed), and secondly, it’s no wonder the workforce is in the state it’s in when training, performance and development is part of this messy system.
How many times have you heard “there’s no point in talking to HR, they’re worse than useless”?
It must be soul-destroying for those professional, committed types to be awash in a sea of mediocrity. You have my sympathies.
Blog Off?
I don’t know what you call it when you stop blogging for a while, but blog off seems appropriate.
Anyway, I’m back and ready to blog with the best of them. Thoughts on HR “professionals” and management are at the forefront of my mind, so no doubt they’ll make it into written words very soon.
I haven’t been totally idle, I’ve even been twittering – follow me at rosiereflect.
Motivation and communication
Filed under: Management support, Management training and development, Team Performance, communication, difficult people, problem-solving | Tags: behaviour, collaboration, communication, conflict, difficult people, management development, motivation, performance, productivity, team work
Leave a Comment This week I’ve had the opportunity to ask team managers, business leaders and team members how they feel about their teams, and what they would like to see changed.
In every case, top of the list was Motivation and Communication. Poor motivation and communication can really undermine a team, no matter what sector you are in, but there are ways of turning this round. However, it takes consistent work and a real commitment from the top to maintain it.
My free tips for motivating your teams are increasingly popular and I think it’s time to add some more tips on team communication.
Yesterday’s workshop “Difficult People Made Easy” brought together a really interesting mix of people, all of whom had their own challenges at work and were looking for support and solutions. They quickly developed into a peer group and I have no doubt will be sharing news on how they get on back at the office.
Conflict and disagreement saps energy and productivity from an organisaton, so I wish our participants well with their new strategies.
How bad does it have to be?
Filed under: Management training and development | Tags: Leadership, management development, management training
Leave a Comment Is it only bad managers that come to you for help? This is a common question for me and I think shows just how far we have managed to get from a healthy attitude to training and management support. Is it just UK managers who believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness?
Getting the best out of your team
Filed under: Individual Performance, Management support, communication, problem-solving | Tags: collaboration, communication, difficult times, managing under pressure, problem-solving, productivity, team work, understanding
Leave a Comment This was the title of my breakfast seminar with the Institute of Directors yesterday morning. It was heartening to see so many nods, smiles and flashes of recognition among the audience as I outlined my observations on the three most common, and costly, mistakes made by teams across sectors.
The questions afterwards reminded me of just how long managers struggle on with their own problems before they seek help. It’s easy to believe that our problems are unique, and it can be very difficult to find safe, reliable sources of help, so I’m pleased that at least some people had a slightly easier day at work as a result of our chat.
Whatever your problem, and however isolated you are in your role, it’s worth looking for support and asking around – you don’t have to take up other people’s suggestions, but another perspective, particularly from someone you trust, is a sure-fire route to a better night’s sleep.
Matron to mechanic
Filed under: Management support, Management training and development, communication, problem-solving | Tags: communication, problem-solving
Leave a Comment So, deciding to drop the fluffy red rose logo; too soft, too kind and friendly, I’ve been quizzing my friends and support team about an alternative.
Like a flash of the blindingly obvious, we see that my most successful service has been the Teamwork MOT, and that maybe continuing this car maintenance theme will give the right message – that maintaining an efficient, productive team is like maintaining a high-performance car. You wouldn’t wait for your fantastic, purring motor to end up a steaming pile of rusting junk in a ditch, you’d make sure it was serviced, topped up, polished and ready for action.
So, off to the photographer’s I go with some brand new overalls and a set of spanners. See the results for yourself on my website!
being part of the problem..
Filed under: communication, problem-solving | Tags: change, communication, performance
Leave a Comment Funny how another person’s perspective changes the way we see ourselves. I’ve been griping on for months about my one-woman mission to remove the term “soft skills” from this world of teamwork, performance and communication, when one of my trusted support team reminded me of my logo – a beautiful rose, softly reflected on itself in shades of raspberry and grey.
The sad thing is, I love this logo, and so does everyone else who sees it, and that’s not just a girly thing, boys always comment favourably on it too. But, it’s probably giving the wrong message, and I’m going to have to make some changes.
So, in the spirit of grabbing the bull by the horns, I’m taking a look at my message, written and unwritten – I’m evolving into something far more appealing to people who recognise the technical difficulties of dealing with people and want to do it efficiently.
