Toastmasters teaches you stuff

I joined Toastmasters in April of this year (2010).  I have had a lot of experience with public speaking and have no issues when talking to groups of people.  But even with my love of public speaking have learnt so much it's almost unreal.

Toastmasters is great because it is a slow process of coaching and improvement.  You get to watch others, listen to the commendations and recommendations and even have a turn yourself.

The safe environment of a club is great.  Others in your club know how it feels and can mirror back to you both your good and not so good speaking habits and traits.  Speeches are generally 5 to 7 minutes so the time is very manageable. 

The first lesson I learned was the professionalism of a meeting.  Every speech is timed, every member has a role or a speaking part and once the clock starts ticking everyone (should) act professionally.

Competitions are very interesting.  There is a huge difference between speaking to give a speech and speaking in a competitive way.  Even for the pro's the butterflies come out at competition time so Toastmasters is a great way to conquer your fears.

In our club we have one lady who has developed from not speaking to anyone at all - all the way through to being somewhat confident and able to stand in front of a group of people.  I totally recommend Toastmasters as a professional development tool.  For both the confident and the not confident alike.

Condolences to the families of those involved in the Pike River mine tragedy.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pike-river-miners/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503001&objectid=10689824

Be, Know, Do - Army Leadership

The November issue of the HBR focuses on what we can learn from the army as far as leadership and management lessons.  This is the opening quote - "Competent leaders of character are necessary for the Army to meet the challenges in the dangerous and complex security environment we face."

What I discovered years ago was the US army's manual and guidebook for leadership.  The leadership mantra and philosophy is defined as follows -

1. Be - who a person is.  The essence of the person.
2. Know - understanding the tactics, strategy and management of any given situation.
3. Do - putting into practice and combining who we are with what needs to be done.

"The Army uses the shorthand expression of BE-KNOW-DO to concentrate on key factors of leadership. What leaders DO emerges from who they are (BE) and what they KNOW. Leaders are prepared throughout their lifetimes with respect to BE-KNOW-DO so they will be able to act at a moment’s notice and provide leadership for whatever challenge they may face."

This is where it is at.  Knowing what to do, knowing when to do it and then doing with full confidence - thats leadership.

For more detailed information I recommend you start here - http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm6-22.pdf

Ssshhhhh - HR is coming!

Have you ever been in the situation where there was something going down but no one would talk about it?  Managers have secret meetings behind closed doors and the whispers and rumours run rampant around the office.  Ever had one of those days?

And then to top it all off - Human Resources want to talk to everyone!  Aahhhhh!

Here's my view - Human Resources shouldn't be the big ogre.  If you only see your Human Resources Department went things are going badly - then things really are going badly.

Human Resources and the work they do is vital to the overall health of an organisation.  The development and continual improvement of employees gives an organisation more value than the management of restructures, redundancies and dismissals.

So what would I do if I was in Human Resources? 

• Take the initiative and start working with people to identify the deficits in peoples knowledge and work skills in the organisation - and get their learning to improve.
• Be more visible.  Walk around the organisation and talk to people about their jobs.  Like most central functions it is easy for those in the middle to have no understanding of what is taking place at the coal face.
• Start working (I mean really working) with the talent in the organisation.  A lot of HR departments assume they are nurturing talent but I have yet to see it happen.  Maybe I am just missing out?

How to answer your critics - Rob Fyfe

When one setion of the New Zealand media decided that they disagreed with the strategic directiion that the CEO wanted to head in - they published ab article that equated to a roast.

Here was his response -

So what can we learn from this?

7 tips for a great work wardrobe

First impressions last.  Lasting impressions aren't always the first impressions that you make.

The most obvious way to impress or not impress as the case may be is the way you dress.  Dressing well need not break the bank nor be that hard to accomplish.

Here are my recommendations for keeping in step with fashion and how not to break the bank while you are at it -

1. Watch what is happening as far as clothing trends go.  I recommend http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/dresser/galleries as the best place to start.  Knowing what trends are happening now and are coming shortly is important to know.
2. Start with black.  This is the easiest colour to wear clothes with.  Simple.  Don't get stuck with black or wear it too often.  Vary the colours that you wear with black and begin to expand your choice of colours.
3. Buy a great coat or jacket.  A great jacket can cover a multitude of shirts and tops.  In fact it may be a better idea to invest in two jackets.  that way you can easily alternate them.
4. Get shoes that are simple and go with everything.  One great pair of shoes looked after well can last a long time.
5. Shop online at auction sites.  Often times business people (especially real estate people) turn over the clothes in their wardrobe quite often.  So you can pick up clothes that aren't that old and still have plenty of life in them - cheap as chips! 
6. Spend good money on buying a suit.  Nothing looks quite as good as a man in a suit!
7. Accessories make a big difference. An interesting cheat that some managers use is they have a base shirt or top and then they simply vary the accessory such as the tie.  So you could invest in a swag of white shirts (e.g. 5) and then have 15 or 20 ties and you will appear to have a different look every day of the working week.

Pair up the latest style trends with what's going cheap on your favourite auction site and you can leave an impression on people that will last longer than your wardrobe does.

5 tips for a great work wardrobe

First impressions last.  Lasting impressions aren't always the first impressions that you make.
The most obvious way to impress or not impress as the case may be is the way you dress.  Dressing well need not break the bank nor be that hard to accomplish.
Here are my recommendations for keeping in step with fashion and how not to break the bank while you are at it -

1. Watch what is happening as far as clothing trends go.  I recommend http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/dresser/galleries as the best place to start.  Knowing what trends are happening now and are coming shortly is important to know.
2. Start with black.  This is the easiest colour to wear clothes with.  Simple.  Don't get stuck with black or wear it too often.  Vary the colours that you wear with black and begin to expand your choice of colours.
3. Buy a great coat or jacket.  A great jacket can cover a multitude of shirts and tops.  In fact it may be a better idea to invest in two jackets.  that way you can easily alternate them.
4. Get shoes that are simple and go with everything.  One great pair of shoes looked after well can last a long time.
5. Shop online at auction sites.  Often times business people (especially real estate people) turn over the clothes in their wardrobe quite often.  So you can pick up clothes that aren't that old and still have plenty of life in them - cheap as chips! 

Pair up the latest style trends with what's going cheap on your favourite auction site and you can leave an impression on people that will last longer than your wardrobe does.

Getting in the trenches

There is power in being visible when you are a manager.  There is even more power when you demonstrate to people that you are willing/prepared to jump in with them and assist in the trenches.

While some people may think that sitting in an office writing reports (effectively looking backwards) constitutes good management this completely misses the point!  Management and managers should be forward looking and in touch with the action.

This is one danger area that I encountered when I became a new manager.  That is balancing the demands from senior management to write reports and to be seen to be in control while not losing touch with the real people actually doing the work.  It is still something I struggle with - a lot.

Here's what I try to do to keep ion touch (with the real workers) -

1. Talk to them in their workspace.  If they are on the worksite then I visit the worksite.  With our gardening staff it is great to visit them when they are working in the greenhouse.  With our sawmill staff - I go to the sawmill.
2. Keep in touch.  Phone calls are a simple method.  Not always effective but simple.  Certainly more effective than an email is.
3. Don't just focus on the emergencies.  It is easy to get busy with the emergencies.  The emergency gets dealt with and you have a stronger relationship with that team or that person.  But what happens next?  Keep in touch and keep working together.

I know I always appreciate it more when my manger gets in the trenches with me and demonstrates from the front that they are working with me to make change happen.

(Image: coutesy of Woody389 on flickr creative commons)

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Rule number 1.  Treat others how you want to be treated.

Let your reports fiish early oh days when it's quiet.  If there's a crisis at home - let them go and fix it.  When the presuures on - they will repay you.  If they don't - repay them by letting them go.

 

Mr Maslow still has it right!

Students completing Psychology 101 will no doubt start with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.  What Mr Maslow did was map out the pyramid of human needs and calculated which were more important than others.  I tend to agree with Mr Maslow and I think he got it right, very right!

If we apply Mr Maslow's work by looking at the skills of a manager - guess what - nothing changes!

 

 

Physiological Needs
The base needs for people need to be able to breathe - both literally and metaphorically.  That is people need the time and space to express themselves, to let their creativity and ideas flow and to be able to innovate.  ACTION = schedule some creative time for you and your team to relax, think and explore the possibilities of what if?

Security Needs
Knowing that your job will still exist when you come to work tomorrow is pretty important. Sometimes people get too secure in this area but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule (as far as I know).  And sometimes it is good to have tenure or short term contracts to create momentum and fill the gaps but overall security = production.  ACTION = let your employees know you've got their back.  Let them feel secure and that when it comes to the crunch - you're with them through thick and thin.

Social Needs
People need to feel like they belong, have love and affection. One good friend at work is worth thirty acquantainces.  Social needs are quite complex and need fostering. Managers especially are susceptible to closig off and limiting the people they interact with.  This is due mainly to busyness and the pressures of time.  The need hasn't changed but the method for fulfillment does.  ACTION - find a friend and have coffee with them at least once a fortnight.

Esteem Needs
This can be the make or break of a manager/employee relationship.  Everydody, and especially employees, relate better, work better and get far better results whtn they have a high self-esteem, sense of personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment.  ACTION - Praise your people.

Self-actualizing Needs
This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential.  So?  Work on developing your people!  Notice that this is the top of the pyramid?  This is the cream on top.  This is where employees move beyond merely showing up and start adding real value to your business.  Let them grow and watch the results come in!  ACTION - work with your people to reflect on their needs and development areas.  Then invest and review.

(For more see: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds.htm)