management thoughts

How effective are your coaching and mentoring practices?

How effective are your coaching and mentoring practices?

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Increasing demands on an organisation’s workforce requires managers to work at higher levels of performance with fewer resources and staff. Developing employees through on-the-job coaching or mentoring can increase the organisation’s ability to succeed. Coaching and mentoring can inspire and empower employees, build commitment, increase productivity, grow talent, and promote success. These are essential elements of a modern management practice…. Read more →

Make training succeed (some useful tips)

Make training succeed (some useful tips)

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Make your training succeed with these useful tips: Prioritize your areas of need. Identify those areas where an upgrading of skills would bring about a high return. Look for the high leverage positions. If your company is sales- or service-driven, a useful place to look is to those who have direct contact with your customers and the people who manage… Read more →

Why training fails

Why training fails

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When training fails, it is usually because of poor planning or because the necessary conditions for success have not been secured . A large percentage of skills training such as sales, customer service, or management training fails to produce results. And it’s not because the participants were stupid, lazy, or unmotivated or that the material was irrelevant or not well… Read more →

What happened to empowerment?

What happened to empowerment?

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It’s unfortunate that a lack of employee empowerment is commonplace. It is difficult to get employees to make fast decisions in favour of a customer. The fear of getting fired or criticised is so great that many employees do not make decisions on the spot that favour the customer. However, without empowerment you will hardly become a service leader. Companies… Read more →

The 8 secrets of great communicators

The 8 secrets of great communicators

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When it comes to communication, we all tend to think we’re pretty good at it. Truth is, even those of us who are good communicators aren’t nearly as good as we think we are. This overestimation of our ability to communicate is magnified when interacting with people we know well. Researchers at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business… Read more →

Norman Schwarzkopf and Rule Thirteen

Norman Schwarzkopf and Rule Thirteen

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General Norman Schwarzkopf summarised everything he had learned about leadership in his thirty-plus years in the US Army in two rules, one of which he called (for reasons unknown and unexplained) rule number thirteen. Rule Thirteen was “When in charge, take charge.” In his remarks that evening he emphasised the second phrase – take charge – encouraging his young cadets… Read more →

Make sure training isn’t wasted

Make sure training isn’t wasted

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In 2015, U.S. organizations spent approximately $70 billion on training. Smaller companies spent around $1,105 per employee on average, not taking into account the productivity lost while the employee was out. Larger companies often doubled this investment. Clearly employers understand the importance of training, and are willing to devote resources to it; however, it’s rare that these organizations see a… Read more →

The Power of Benefits

The Power of Benefits

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In the War for Talent, employee benefits have great power. A recent report from the insurance company Aflac, details just how powerful a role benefits play in attracting and retaining good people. The 2016 Aflac WorkForces Report is a study of employee benefits that examined benefits trends, and attitudes. Employers are in for a bumpy ride  As the economy has… Read more →

10 steps for managing culturally diverse teams

10 steps for managing culturally diverse teams

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The following 10 steps are for managers who lead culturally diverse teams: 1. Identify the strengths of your management style so far. These qualities have led you to where you are now and are right at hand. Name them and describe how they support you. 2. Find out which ones may cause “natural difficulty” because they are not on the same spectrum… Read more →

How can HR build effective relationships with Managers?

How can HR build effective relationships with Managers?

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Coaching and development. Managers need both skills and knowledge to execute HR responsibilities. Make sure the necessary coaching and development is in place. This will give them confidence in effectively managing their duties. Be honest. If you are introducing a new strategy or policy and it will involve a lot of line managers’ time and resources, be honest with them and… Read more →