taking performance management to a new level
I just found this video on YouTube about leadership. It’s short, simple and has a clarity of message about leaders that I hadn’t thought about.
In reference to the Leading & Developing High Performance model this takes us through the 4 steps very quickly. Take a look and let me know what your thoughts are!
There is no such thing as a career any more. The world of work is now much more fluid than it was. Gone are the days of jobs for life where you did your time and left with a secure pension to see out your days. (When I reflect on this it sounds more like a prison sentence than a fulfilling life!)
You now have to take responsibility for your job security and career management, make sure you discover and utilise your innermost resources and take a self directing approach. However it is not all bad news. The spectrum of opportunity is in many ways much larger. You’ve just got to make sure you recognise an opportunity when it comes your way. Here are 10 steps for managing your own career that will help you to prioritise what is important:
1. Have the mindset of managing your own business
When I worked for a big corporate the most successful people where those who thought of themeselves as the managing director of their business (Me PLC!). This made them proactive in managing their career and keeping themselves employable by getting results.
2. Invest in your own business
The best investment a business can make is in developing its people. The people who are going to survive and thrive in today’s market are the ones who develop and enhance their skills, abilities and capacity to learn.
3. Maintain visibility
Make sure your good work and successes are noticed. You may find that people don’t like you for it as they may perceive you as self-promoting. But it is you that will flourish whilst they stay stuck and ignored. Make sure you know how to demonstrate that you make a difference and add value. No one else is going to blow your trumpet!
4. Network actively
Build your network of contacts both within and outside your company. Make sure you add value to your network before you ask them to add value for you. If you can generate good will you can leverage this to help you take advantage of positive situations and help you get out of difficult spots. You’ll also be surprised at how many career opportunities are available amongst your network.
5. Scan the market
Keep an eye on the job market within your organisation and how it is developing in the industry as a whole. Look at possible other avenues too – sideways steps with the same skills but in a different industry which excites you. Make sure you understand and appraise what you already have in terms of remuneration (quantitative rewards such as pay and pension etc) and fulfilment (qualitative rewards such as work that has meaning and development opportunities).
6. Keep interview skills current
The ‘moment of truth’ in many career opportunities is the selection interview process. It’s probably more difficult and nerve-wracking to do oneself justice if the experience of an interview is a distant memory. Some people will go for an interview every year to make sure their skills are current and effective!
7. Manage relationships well
Remember that as a self directing professional you are managing your boss as well as the other way around and the way you deal with your peers will be the key to your success. Emotional intelligence is now regarded as an important component of organisational life. Technical ability alone is no longer enough.
8. Prioritise and balance your needs
It is extremely rare to have everything you want at the same time. Sometimes you need to manage a situation where, although all your needs aren’t completely met, you are working towards a situation where they will be. Occasionally you have to do something that you don’t particularly like doing in order to secure what you really want. Over time our needs change so it is a continual balancing act to re-evaluate our priorities.
9. Manage change to your advantage
Change is inevitable and it appears to accelerate all the time. You may be able to deny it in your private life, often at a large cost later, but in business terms to not catch the wave means you could be wiped out. Necessary change in skills required, working practices, technology etc will happen. Just look at what has happened in terms of social media in the last few years! You have the choice to respond flexibly to it by using it to your advantage rather than letting it disable you. Look for the opportunities it gives. For instance nowadays there is always the opportunity to outsource work you don’t want to do! (Check out Elance.com, Odesk.com and Fiverr.com)
10. Have a fall-back plan
Sometimes stuff happens, unforeseen and random, that shakes our world. One such thing may be a job loss through no fault of our own. It happens to the best of us.
It pays to have a Plan B which has been sufficiently thought out and ready to go. Otherwise the shock, stress and anger of the event may propel you into making decisions when you are not thinking straight. Your Plan B could be the safety net that catches you and allows you to respond to the situation with clarity, direction and possibly panache!
What do you think are the most important things to consider when managing your career in today’s job market?
It’s that time again. Another Leading & Developing High Performance accreditation is booked for London with spaces already being taken from a varied audience.
What’s even better is that this 2-Day Intensive programme for trainers on 16 & 17 April is being offered at a special price of £700 + VAT. It is the last time Ali Stewart will be running it at this price – it goes up to £1497 + VAT hereafter. The price includes materials, venue costs and full catering for the duration. Overnight accommodation is not included.
Please contact us to discuss the programme or book your place on this increasingly popular accreditation.
More information on Leading & Developing High Performance accreditation and feedback from previous participants.
Motivation doesn’t just happen. It’s the leader’s responsibility to put in place the building blocks for high performance. There are 8 situational factors that need to be put in place and are key to getting it right.
1. Have high expectations
If you expect someone to do badly, they probably will. If your expectations are high, but not overtly unrealistic or demanding, you will get much more out of people. High expectations are essential for the challenge part of the High Challenge and High Support model.
2. Create goal focus and clarity
This is where being explicit comes into the equation. There is a direct correlation between motivation and the clarity of a goal. If a goal is in any way fuzzy or if it doesn’t feel of value, motivation, even if it was there at the beginning, will fade quickly. This situation can be more stressful than a high challenge goal that is crystal clear.
3. Build realistic self esteem
Make sure there is some kind of early success and celebrate and build on it. Reinforce confidence.
4. Reinforce good performance
As we have clearly stated before ‘Catch someone doing something right’ and encourage them to repeat the same by giving constant positive feedback.
5. Make the performance level attainable
If people think or feel the task or goal is too difficult or impossible to achieve, or the effort required outweighs the perceived reward, their motivation will be low. It is better to create a series of smaller steps and reinforce performance at each stage with rewards or consequences appropriate for each individual.
6. Work to ‘Meta” goals
Create an organisation where people want to belong with a shared vision and common purpose. Support them in developing themselves, not though narrow task skills but through reaching higher goals of personal mastery and creating their own success. This will engage people’s energies and appeal to their inner intrinsic motivation.
7. Provide high support
A necessary complement to high challenge but also a way in which your relationship with the people you lead is valued and you’re seen as an ally.
8. Apply situational leadership
Flex your style to meet the different needs of each individual in your team depending on their level of development.
So that’s our list of factors that help motivation to flourish. What would you add to the list?
With personality there is no right or wrong, but with leadership there definitely is a right way! Understand this way, and how your personality colours your leadership style, then you begin to make a significant difference. It is one more reason why we start all our Leading & Developing High Performance training with the Insights Discovery model.
In previous blogs you have had a glimpse of the Fiery Red manager, the Sunshine Yellow manager and the Earth Green manager. Now here comes the Cool Blue manager.
What is Cool Blue energy?
This colour preference is characterised by the following adjectives:
• Cautious
• Precise
• Deliberate
• Questioning
• Formal
These managers are detached and can take a logical, objective look at data, analysing it to make sure everything is correct. Stability and order rule, and they have a detached single-minded ability to do what is right and ethical. They also prefer formal lines of reporting.
When dealing with this type of manager you need to know that they want to see evidence and will not take anything on hearsay. For something important, it is best to send an e-mail with all the information to give the manager time to analyse rather than expecting a hasty response. Their mantra is “Give me details!”.
It is best to get your expenses done, your appraisal forms completed and your paperwork in order as you will be measured on the quality of your systems, filing and ability to present things in a logical order, rather than for being a wonderful person!
In fact they will categorically fail to see just how wonderful you are, until these basic administrative things are in place.
What I appreciate about this energy
When you see this energy in action, it is so cool! The Cool Blue manager’s ability to stay detached and not get involved in the emotion of a situation can help defuse things and allow logic and truth to emerge. They are diligent and consistent. Interactions with you will be one-to-one and low key and, because their thinking goes on inside their head instead of being blurted out, they remain composed even in a crisis, quietly going about getting things done.
When Cool Blue energy gets in the way
These very strengths, if over used can be devoid of emotion. When there’s a lot of work to be done they would prefer to come into the office, go straight to their desk and get on, failing to see the need to walk round and say “good morning”, or even be nice. To the staff member this can seem stuffy, lacking any kind of warmth or humanity – you can literally feel ‘out in the cold’.
This manager under pressure seems more:
• Suspicious
• Reserved
• Rigid
• Indecisive
• Nit-picky
Cool Blue energy and L&DHP
With awareness this leader will be your rock and guide, explicitly stating what needs to be done and how. Their sound rationale and logic mean their assessments are thoughtful and correct, ensuring you stay on track towards the goal. They are more inclined towards support than challenge believing no-one can possibly do such a good job as them, which can keep them locked in the transactional stages of leadership, and poor at delegation.
The key thing to remember for the Cool Blue manager is that they need to consider their peoples’ emotional welfare, recognising that not everyone can take such a detached and clinical approach. It is important to recognise that everything cannot be fixed by a system and that sometimes people just need a hug! When they do this, Cool Blue managers shine as leaders.
Do you recognise the Cool Blue manager? We would love to hear your comments.
You may also be interested in reading about:
