The ability to walk away

One key to long term success is to know and understand when it is time to walk away from a responsibility, a task or a project when you have done all you can and can't do anymore.  This year I have co-ordinated a qualification (which is made up of 8 papers taught over two semesters) as well as keep on with my day job as school administration manager.

Now I am quite aware that next year the qualification needs someone better than me to take it to the next level.  Honestly, I don't have any issue with that at all.  In fact the project has launched me on a huge learning ride and has totally changed the way i see both my teams and my own approach to how we do our jobs.

So with that in mind here are a few things I will do and recommend you should do if you reach the same point -

• Give it over to someone better.  If it is your choice to pick who to hand the project over to then pick someone who is better than you are in the specific areas that the project needs work done in.   
• Have a transition plan.  Stopping dead in your tracks and wallking away without doing a clean handover is detrimental to all the work you have done.
• Continue to support your successor however you can.

My key skill is getting projects up off the ground and having the ability to get the ball rolling.  Now that we have accomplished that fact now it's time to hand over the running to someone else.

Knowing Your Human Rights

We had a great workshop this morning with a lady from the Human Rights Commission.  The main area of discussion focused on discrimination, bullying in the workplace and the ways both positive and negative through which people treat each other.

There are 13 grounds/areas that people cannot be discriminated on according to New Zealand law.  They are-

• Age (from age 16 years)
• Colour
• Disability
• Employment Status
• Ethical Belief (lack of religious belief)
• Ethnic or National Origins (includes nationality and citizenship)
• Family Status
• Marital Status
• Political Opinion (including having no political opinion)
• Race & Racial Harassment
• Religious Belief
• Sex & Sexual Harassment
• Sexual Orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, bisexual)  Source: Human Rights Commission.

The reason I am posting this today is because it is easy for people to be unaware or even become blase about what is and what isn't covered in both domestic and international law.  Have another look over the list above and consider - have you discriminated or been voical to another person due to any of those areas?

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviderizzo/4357936934/#)

Building Credibility

As a manager one of the primary tasks is to create and maintain credibility.  Credibility is defined as the following -

1 : the quality or power of inspiring belief

2 : capacity for belief

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/credibility)

So what does credibility mean in the workplace?  What does it mean for a manager?  Here are three visible ways that a lot of people use to asses credibility.

1. How you look.  First impressions last and the way you look is what people notice first.  Dress for the occasion and always be one step above of those you employ or teach.
2. What you say.  When you are a manager people take notice of what comes out of your mouth and they generally tend not to forget as readily either. 
3. What you do.  Actions speak louder than words.  Creating small wins and stringing them together into big wins gives you credibility.  Start small and work your way up. 

In order to have credibility it is important to ensure that how you look and what you say match with what you do and ultimately express who you are.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annagaycoan/3573201505/)

Word of the Week - Evolve

e·volve (-vlv) v. e·volved, e·volv·ing, e·volves

1. a. To develop or achieve gradually: evolve a style of one's own.
b. To work (something) out; devise: "the schemes he evolved to line his purse" (S.J. Perelman).

2. Biology To develop (a characteristic) by evolutionary processes.

3. To give off; emit. (Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/absche/3054927857/)

In order for the manager to have a long and successful career like most things there must be a process of evolving and change.  No one person ever starts with all the answers, skills or key ingredients to be successful.

One key requirement is for the manager to be able to spot new trends, understand new technologies and be able to interact and work in a co-operative way with others.  Not onle does the manager have to be able to spot the trends they must also develop a strategy for incorporating or changing to embrace those changes.

It seems to me that the older we get the harder it is to keep in touch with the technological changes and demands of the day.  However the skills required to manage and interact with people don't change - much.
The medium is different but the message's are essentially the same.

So what are the message types - encouragment, endorsement, coaching and leading.  No matter how many changes the rest of or work undergoes these essential skills are timeless and will not change.

So there are two main points to this post -

1. To be a successful manager you need to be prepared to evolve and change your style and skills to ensure your longevity. 
2. The mediums for dealing with people have changed but the messages are the same.

If you have great people skills but cannot evolve to use technology I would expect that you will end up in a more manual close range type role c.f.a mre technical managing from a distance type role. 

"To sustain longevity, you have to evolve. "  Aries Spears

The Important Jobs

Who defines for you which jobs are important and which jobs aren't?  Honestly - is there a rating system that defines what is mor important to be done?  Maybe, but I doubt it.  Especially not for managers. 

One key task of a manager is to figure what is important in their role.  There are few set ratings or 'star-system' for measurement (unless you have these as KPI's).  However I think we can create categories that define broad aspects of our work.  Those catagories look a little something like this -

1. People - internal.  I value internal people higher than externals.  Many would disagree but as a manager I believe we should be coaching/working with/empowering our people first so then they can go and serve the external people.
2. People - external.  External persons are not just customers but any person who is not in your department, office or area of influence.  People are the most crucial aspect of a managers role.  get the people part of things right and you are well on your way to success.
3. Compliance - internal.  Sticking to the rules and ensuring that the requirements of the organisation are met.  Creating budgets that balance, updating project management reports, customer interaction reports.  They are all important.
4. Compliance - external.
5. Any tasks not already covered above.

No single area is not as important as another area but there is a hierarchy.  When the internal people know what to do and when that frees you up to deal with customers external and the compliance issues and requirements of your role.




There are very few unimportant jobs in an organisation.  What defines a task as being important or not is the emphasis you place on it.

Human Capital Management

PeopleStreme.com have made this awesome video and posted it onto You Tube.  I have put it here and will add my contribution further down the page.

What value do you place on your work?  What value is placed on you?  Do you rate yourself or not?

Conversely - What value do you place on others work?  What value do you place on others?  How do you measure that value and is that measure relevant or accurate?

Here are a few facts of life as far as organisation's go -

• Size matters.  The bigger the organisation the less they know about you.  What happens is the more layers in an organisation the more removed you will be from the central services.
• Front Line Managers matter! The relationship between you and your direct manager is always the most important relationship you will have.  This is true if you are the cleaner all the way through to if you are a Director of the Board.  You must work with your boss!
• The HR Department matters!  Admitted in most organisations the only time you most people will interact with HR is when they are hired or if they are fired.  But it doesn't have to be that way!  Go out of yur way to meet the staff and make sure they remember who you are (for the right reasons of course).  It pays to make friends and keep them for as long as you can.
• The skills and abilities of your staff matter!  Update them!  Watch your staff.  Learn from them.  Be open to having your staff tell you where they think what sklls they need to work on and develop.  If you disagree you can help steer them in a better direction.  Create an audit or questionaire to work through at appraisal time to help lead and guide your discussions about where peoples skills are at.
• Coaching matters!  The best time to coach someone is when they are reflecting and considering their performance.  If your manager doesn'tdo this for you - tell them or look for another manager.

PunkRockHR posted a great piece on employee engagement a few days ago which ties in nicely with this post.  Head over there and check it out - WARNING: it will provoke a response.

People who are paid to do work will do a better job when they feel valued, understood and have the freedom to do what they have to in a way that makes sense to them (while adding value to the organisation).

Project Management - Fail

Results count, You can't disguise bad results. Sooner or later you will be found out.

Do these things before the proverbial hits the fan!

• Honesty is always the best policy.
• Own up if you stuff up.
• If it's all going wrong - get help fast!

Swiss Army Knife - Management Lessons - The Knife

The Swiss Army Knife is just that - a knife. It is a knife bundled up with extra components that make it indispensable.

knife: noun - 1. An instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle; 2. A cutting edge; a blade.
verb (used with object) - to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife . (Dictionary.com)

A knife has one primary purpose - and that is to cut. There are any different types of knife available to people. Many different knives serve many different purposes but not all knives are suitable for all situations. The size of the knife determines where and when it can be used.

Example - you wouldn't use a slasher (long blade) to remove a splinter. Nor would you use a butter knife to blaze a trail through think underbrush.

The Swiss Army Knife (SAK) is a fantastic knife (with a small and appropriate sized blade)because of it's adaptability. It isn't threatening in it's size but it can punch above it's weight when required to. The SAK could remove a splinter or alternatively it can be used to separate and cut through vines, ropes and leather boots.

What lessons can we draw from the SAK knife blade?

• The knife blade is usually the first item people look at and pay the most attention to. Work on developing a stand out skill or function that people can see from the start and makes others sit up and take notice of you.
• A knife needs care and attention paid to it to ensure it retains it's edge and it's function. The same is true for the manager. Managerial skills must be kept oiled and sharp.
• Don't overstate or make too much noise about your skills. When the time comes you apply your skills in an appropriate form and size which is determined by the task at hand.
• Try to make sure your particular area of focused skill is appropriate to the rest of your abilities.
• Blunt knives (as well as skills) are highly dangerous and ought to be avoided or fixed as quickly as possible.

Frontline Managers

McKinsey have released yet another great piece of research on front line managers and their staffs views on them.

Head over to McKinsey to check it out here.

Here's what they found -

• Most managers don't feel prepared for the role they are in.
• Many managers don't receive training in leadership.
• Most managers do receive training in technical work skills but not in people skills.
• Many managers feel senior management don't understand what they do.

Where there any good points? You need to read between the lines to get to the points about "here's how you could do better". I largely agree with the survey results but I would be interested in thinking about - what are the solutions?

That is a question I will seek to answer over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned as I attempt to develop strategies to help you build your own "everyday managers Swiss army knife".

Dealing With The Boss

Very funny.

Connection vs. Communication

Napolean Boneparte once said "An army marches on it's stomach". True.

A business and relationships are dependant upon something else - communication. We operate in a world where there are countless opportunities and technologies that we can use to communicate with others. However we need to reassess and discover if we are merely connecting or are we truly communicating?

(Note - I will use the word 'connect' to mean electronic methods of interaction).

Here's an example - to connect means someone picks up the phone or sees you have messaged them but there is no action, feedback or follow through by the other person.

Communication is where the other person answers the phone, listens to you and understands the intent and purpose of your message.

Many managers assume because they have made a connection (usually electronically) that the message they were trying to communicate has occurred. Wrong assumption.

How do you know the difference between a connection and a successful communication? Try these tips to figure it out -

1. When sending email track the message - to make sure it gets opened.
2. Get the receiver to repeat back to you the message you sent - in their own words.
3. Follow up with the person to their progress within a realistic time frame (shorter rather than longer) to ensure progress is being made.
4. Speak to people face to face. Body language and non-verbal communication styles account for 80% of a message given (and received!)

To succeed in life - communicate.

• Communicate often;
• Communicate clearly;
• Communicate effectively.

Use Your Strengths

Every person has various abilities, strengths and weaknesses. If you want to move ahead in life it pays to know what abilities you have, what your strengths are and just as important is knowing what your weaknesses are.

Maximising your strengths is a good thing. Strengths are just that - strong points are the levers you can pull to get ahead. use them to create momentum, build credibility and

Weaknesses aren't a negative or a blight on you. Rather they are areas that you can either choose to develop and grow in, or find others to work with who have the strengths you need.

"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength." Michael Jordan

Don't become obsessed with correcting your weaknesses to the point where you discontinue to work on your strengths. Rather know your weaknesses, do some correction work - and become a more well-rounded manager.

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome." Michael Jordan

Middle Managers - Keep The Engine Running

What is the purpose and role of a middle manager? What exactly are they supposed to do?

The answers to these two questions are answered through an understanding of how your organisation works.

Example - In my organisation there are four tiers of employees. The top level has the CE and then all the way down to the front line staff. So the levels are - CE, Directors, Managers then staff.

By examining this structure the middle manager can begin to understand what their role entails.

The manager needs to know a few basic things before they can begin - the strategy and purpose of the organisation, then what their direct line managers role is and on to what the employees are tasked with achieving. These factors will help to determine the what and the how of the role.

In my organisation the managers role is to - ensure the CE's strategy is carried out, the Director's tasks are completed and the employees fulfill their tasks with excellence.

There is no one right way for any of these tasks to be completed by the middle manager. Similarly there is no one right way to be a Director or an employee.

Here a few ideas to make the task easier -

1. Know your organisation. Get a feel for what customers and stakeholders think the organisation does and also internal persons as well.


2. Learn what the overall KPI's for your department are.


3. Find out what departmental KPI's are directly relevant to your role.


4. Establish responsibilities, delegate tasks and empower your employees to achieve the KPI's you are responsible for. Allow and coach your employees do the work.

This is the best place to start. Through understanding what you are being held accountable for - you can begin to assess your department/team/employees - and then gear up to achieve success.

In a nutshell - the middle manager exists to keep the engine finly tuned, well oiled and running.