Great contributors do not automatically make great leaders. Our experience has shown that the skills required to perform as an individual are much different from the skills critical to leading a team.

We know that managers and supervisors who don't have the skills required to lead are a "disaster waiting to happen." In fact, their failure can have a negative impact on an entire organization. The skill level of managers and supervisors affects team member retention, overall productivity, even profitability. In fact, it's the relationship between manager/supervisor and team member that's critical to the success of an organization. And a strong relationship, built on mutual trust and respect, begins with effective interpersonal communication.

By developing your interpersonal communication skills, you will improve your relations with your team members and increase their motivation, commitment and productivity. Here are some developmental tips:

• Make sure that communication a two-way process.  That is, work on understanding your team members' views; don't just focus on getting your message across and being understood by others. 
• Try to understand your team members' personality and communication style.  Each person has his or her own style of communication that can inhibit communication if it isn't taken into consideration.
• When you talk with your team members, it is important that you convey your ideas in a way that is clear and concise, and in the interest of the listener.  Think about how you can say something that will speak to their self-interest.  That will insure that they will listen to you, at least most of the time.
• Watch your body language and facial expressions when talking with your team.  If "what you say" doesn't match "how you say it," they will believe how you say it every time!
• Listen actively to those who are talking with you.  You listening actively by paying attention, asking good questions and giving them feedback on their ideas.
• Be sure to create a climate of open communication if you really want to impact team member motivation and commitment.  You can do this by encouraging and allowing them to express their opinions, and discussing problems in a way that is mutually satisfying.

By improving your interpersonal communication skills you will motivate your team to achieve higher levels of performance and productivity.  Failure to communication effectively is a recipe for disaster.  Visit us at www.watson-training.com.

You're Fired!

 Remember the famous words, "your fired!" spoken by Donald Trump in The Apprentice?  How many times have you felt like you might hear those words? Could it have anything to do with the way you manage people? Not sure, then read on...

 It seems that a lot of talented managers are being fired these days.  Why is that From my view, it's because they lack leadership skills...yes, basic leadership skills.   Don't get me wrong, they have the technical skills to do the job, but when it comes to dealing with people, they have these problems.

• They don't communicate clearly
• They don't know how to delegate effectively
• They have problems resolving employee conflict
• They are unable to conduct effective performance reviews
• They don't know how to handle complaints

 Think about this situation....Bill was a member of a six-member software development team.  He made a couple of mistakes on a major project causing one of his team members, Jackie, to fall behind.  Because of the delay, other members of their team got mad at both of them.  A lot of negative emails were exchanged among the team, and the project seemed to be doomed.

 One of the team members finally talked to her leader about it...who had not communicated with the team in over a week.  The leader called a quick meeting and came down hard on Bill and Jackie.  He even threatened to fire the entire team if the project didn't finish on time.

 If you had been the one to have talked to the leader about the problem, how would you feel now about bring up other "bad news?"

 Although a foreign concept to most managers, the most important skills you can have as a leader are:  the ability to evaluate work performance; resolving conflicts; dealing with complaints; correcting poor work habits...while making sure your team feels good about themselves.  These skills are the only way to make sure that mistakes will be reported quickly so that problems can be solved.

 The quickest way to keep employees from being open and honest is to blame them when things do go wrong!  When that happens, watch out...your quality of work and productivity will suffer.

 Did you know that the NUMBER ONE reason employees leave a company is because of a bad manager...NOT the company?! 

 We've all known people who were promoted to manager because they COULD DO their jobs well.  Then once they found themselves managing people, they were lost and stressed out.  And in many cases, the only way to deal with a "bad manager" is to fire him or her.  Does this sound familiar?

 With the proper training, most managers can be saved by improving their leadership skills.  They can learn to manage a group of people so they are productive, effective and produce bottom line results.

 If you are interested in improving your management skills, then check us out at www.watson-training.com.

Managers, do you often feel like you're beating your head against a wall to get your team to do what you want and expect?  Are you frustrated by what is happening in your workplace today?  Do your team members lack engagement (are not loyal and productive?)   If you feel this way, then you're not alone.   According to research found in the Watson Wyatt World Human Capital Index(r):

• Only 26% of workers are engaged in their work (loyal and productive).  The other
• 55% are not engaged at all (just putting in time), and
• 19% are actively disengaged (unhappy and spreading discontent).

In another study, 55% of top executives interviewed say that erosion of loyalty and commitment will have a major negative effective on corporate performance in the near future.  

You have good reason to feel frustrated and stressed..  Not only do your team members lack engagement, tardiness is increasing and sick-leave is common.  And turnover is frequent, as job security and high pay are not the motivators they once were.  

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 76 million baby boomers will be eligible for retirement by 2011, and over the next 50 years, the U.S. labor force is projected to grow at about one-third of its current rate.  Keeping good employees will be critical, and according to the Society for Human Resource Management, quality of leadership continues to be the number one factor positively or negatively impacting employee retention.

But you may be wondering, how can I find the time to engage my team with everything else I have to do.  I realize you are now expected to do more with less, but at the same time, you are being held accountable for creating a motivated staff.

I've been working on a new book that is designed to help busy managers like you create a highly motivated staff, and still have time to do everything else on your plate.  In fact, I'm going to title this book, "The Busy Manager's Guide to Creating Monster Productivity."  The book is being written in such a way as to help you focus on what you need to do NOW to engage your workers.  And this will all be accomplished with less frustration and stress on your part.  Isn't it about time to enjoy your job again.  In the next few blog posts, I will be giving you some of the tips I'm including in the book.  Stay tuned for more.

Dale Carnegie once said, "Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves." When it comes to leadership, one of the hardest jobs for managers to do is interact effectively on a day-to-day basis. I'm not talking about saying a quick "hello" and "good morning" as you pass each other on the way to the coffee pot. That's all well and good, but what I'm talking about is the kind of interaction that maintains and enhances self-esteem.

Problems on the job are the hard stuff. They can be solved more effectively and less stressfully when a manager deals with what people do rather than with their attitudes or personal    characteristics.

Case Study in Leadership

Maria is in charge of environmental services for a large hotel. "I needed to understand why the hotel was not getting value for the money spent with some of its vendors. I initiated an internal review process involving a variety of managers and supervisors," she said.

Maria also sought one-on-one input from some of the team members. Having initiated the review process, she made clear to them her commitment to understanding their issues and in communicating priorities.

The value of Maria's leadership helped her managers learn how to manage vendors more efficiently. It also gave her team confidence in their individual expertise. Maria added, "The entire team felt more supported in solving problems on a day-to-day basis."

Some Perspective

Organizations today face complex challenges. These challenges result in new and deeper demands on leadership. A cross-national study by the Center for Creative Leadership indicates that today's leadership involves more collaborative and innovative approaches. Leadership is likely to be a major driver in helping organizations to retain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

A Solution

My experience has shown that first-line managers, and the leadership skills they possess, can determine not only whether an individual stays with an organization but also how much that individual contributes to the organization's success.

Recognition is critically important

One of the most important and fundamental leadership skills is to maintain team member self-esteem.  Never say anything to a team member that would lower or diminish his or her self-esteem. Look for ways to brag on team members and be sure to recognize his or her contributions. Studies have shown that the number one motivator of employees is recognition for a job well done.

A behavior-based approach

Another important skill is to base discussions about performance and work habits on behavior, rather than on personalities and attitudes. For example, if an employee is late for work a number of times, don't say, "You've got a bad attitude about working here," but rather, something like, "Bill, you've been late to work for the last three days (behavior) this week; we need to talk about what we can do about that."

Involve workers at every opportunity

Equally important is the skill of involving team members in goal setting, problem solving and decision making. Don't just tell employees what you expect them to accomplish, get them involved in setting some of their own goals. Also, when there is a problem, involve team members in how to solve the problem.

It is vitally important that you develop the leadership skills of your managers, supervisors and team leaders.