Allies, Acquaintances and Alliances.

I have been thinking recently about work relationships.  There are three main positive categories that I can think of.  Those categories are -

• Allies,
• Acquaintances and
• Alliances.

These are three different groups of people that we interact with everyday while at work.

• Allies are your close circle of friends or those in whom you know you can trust.  Those whom you interact with and are friendly with.
• Acquaintances are those people whom you know and occasionally (sometimes frequently work with but wouldn't necessarily classify as a friend.
• Alliances are those relationships whereby your allies choose to stand with you when it comes to the crunch.  You can also from alliances with your acquaintances from time to time but generally the relationships with your allies are the ones that will stand the test of time.

So what does this have to do with the everyday manager?  It is important to know who is on your side and when.  It is also important to know who will stand with you should the pressure come on you through time restrictions, employment issues or personality clashes.

You don't have to classify everyone you know but if you do know who you allies are - you can save a lot of time when it comes to finding solutions to the problems you might face.

Here is my quick suggestion -

1. Make a list of all the people that you work with.  This can be as narrow or as broad as you like.
2. Seperate those people into two groups - allies and acquaintances.
3. Draw connecting lines betwen those people whom you a) already have alliances with and b) could choose to form alliances with.
4. Make a plan to communicate with your allies as much as you can when the correct work situation or opportunity arises.

If you spend the energy to foster grea relationships your allies and your alliances will help you when you need them.   (Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greentea/508815606/)

Leadership Lessons - From TED

This is a great video and while there are lessons given by the presenter, here a few more bits that I would like to add to the conversation -

• Taking the initiative is important. Somebody has to get started - right? The first mover see's an opportunity and grabs it. Completely unaware or without thinking about the outcomes or opportunities the situation provides he runs on instinct and it works.
• Recreating the first time never quite has the same spontaneity or freedom of choice to it. But the second time allows for better organization, co-operation and consistency.
• The first person always takes the risk to get started - but those who follow are better able to improve the product.
• The first person will always remember being the first person but may not receive the same credit he thinks he may deserve.
• Unless - the first guy is able to repeat his success on multiple occasions and to improve the style and outcomes of his offering.

Being first is cool very cool but through waiting and watching - you can improve and grow upon the successes of others.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lerdobi/422218584/)

Leadership Lessons - The Role of the Conductor

Here are the quick lessons from the video below -

1. Have fun.
2. Let the stories of the individuals, groups and community flow together to create a symphony.
3. Give clear instructions but then relinquish control and let the group interpret your motives in their own way.
4. Let the magic of others emanate from them as you provide overall guidance.
5. Execution is everything.
6. Express yourself.
7. Authority is important and people must respect your authority. There is a time and a place to exert your authority and it is better to deal with a situation in private after the moment - than during the moment.
8. Authority in partnership with autonomy creates the best music.
9. Put it all together and let the music play.
   
   
   
   
   Itay Talgam describes music, harmony and music performance. This is a great video and is one to remember.

Groups and Teams - No. 2

Angela Atkins wrote this really great book called Management Bites.

This is an excellent read! This was also where I first discovered the terminology in relation to groups and teams.


Here are a few excerpts from the chapter on Team building -

"Dealing with a group - include the entire group on strategy meetings, but don't make them play team games or activities. Do keep them informed."

"Dealing with a team - be aware of the four stages of team development - 1. Forming, 2. Norming, 3. Storming, 4. Performing" (Tuckman, 1965).

"A team works together and can be measured on team results. A group of employees all do different roles that don't directly impact on each other. Therefore a group is measured on individual results and is not held to ransom for team results".

I feel so much better in my performance as a manager - knowing this stuff! Now I can move forward and it will help to shape where I go to from here.