Week Six: Leadership, Management Skills and Personal Effectiveness
Introduction
So here we are at the final week. I have set 5 exercises for you to work through. For the 5th exercise only, please email me a mini-essay (100-300 words) to rf.gesei|sbbig.b#rf.gesei|sbbig.b with your thoughts
Following on from last week, I found a Harvard Business School Ideacast which is relevant and interesting
http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2010/03/the-skills-you-need-to-lead-ov.html
To start us off this week, we look at a Management Diagnostic offered by Management Today which you may find interesting:
http://masterclass.managementtoday.com/Diagnostic.aspx
Management Today offer an alternative approach to thinking about management which is based around 8 areas
energise
coach
innovate
direct
relate
calculate
thrive
execute
An explanation of these 8 areas can be found at:
http://masterclass.managementtoday.com/Masterclass.aspx
Exercise 1: What do you think of this approach?
Part 1 Performance appraisal
In our work, many of us are appraised. We may have job/performance appraisal (when an employee meets with their manager or employer to discuss their progress, aims and needs at work) once a month or once a year.
The UK Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) explains what performance appraisal is, how it might work and what it is for:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/perfmangmt/appfdbck/perfapp.htm
Exercise 2: How are you appraised? How often? Who by? How does the appraisal itself fit into a system for improving your performance or the organisation’s performance?
Part 2 Assessing management skills
In my experience, one of the best ways of developing my skills has been to observe other people e.g. my colleagues, my supervisors or other
In some companies, employees receive assessments from their manager, peers, subordinates, and customers, while also performing a self assessment. This is known as a 360-degree appraisal.
The UK Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) explains what 360-degree appraisal is, how it might work and what it is for:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/perfmangmt/appfdbck/360fdbk.htm
Exercise 3: At this early stage in your careers, some of you already have some management experience. All of you have experience of being managed. How would you design a system a 360-degree appraisal system? What are the 10 most important management skills?
BusinessBalls which has copies of assessment forms which might form the basis offer:
Management skills
Management behaviour
http://www.businessballs.com/managerskillsetassessment.pdf
http://www.businessballs.com/skillsetbehaviourset.pdf
You may also wish to revisit the Ashridge Management Skills Questionnaire
http://www.ashridge.org.uk/website/opsaq.nsf/web/self+assessment+questionnaire
Part 3 Personal Effectiveness
In this week’s Further Resources section, I have included a link to the Free Management Library which covers issues relevant to new managers and supervisors. I have always considered the key skills to be:
Communication
Time management
Organisation
Delegation
Learning: getting coached/ mentored, gathering resources, developing my practice
Please visit the links in the Further Resources section at http://managementhelp.org/mgmnt/prsnlmnt.htm#anchor262914.
I have found two Podcasts which put these skills in context
Exercise 4: Please listen to these and read the articles that go with them. Are they interesting or useful?
1) Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life
Podcast
http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2008/03/harvard-business-ideacast-87-b.html
Article
http://www.bnet.com/2439-13242_23-197383.html
2) Authentic Leadership
Podcast
http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2007/05/harvard-business-ideacast-43-a.html
Article
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_4_49/ai_n5994728/
You may also want to watch a video interview of Bill George’s follow up book, True North: http://feedroom.businessweek.com/?fr_story=ff3d040da5a16d00e651fdb615b65051606cb47e&rf=sitemap
Part 4 Revisiting Management Skills
I liked a recent blog on the Harvard Business Review website- 12 things good bosses believe
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/05/12_things_that_good_bosses_bel.html
In the first session, we looked at 5 questions:
What is management?
What is a manager?
What does a manager do?
What makes a good manager?
What are the key management skills?
Exercise 5: Have your views on any of these changed over the last 6-8 weeks? If so, how have they changed? Please email me a mini-essay (100-300 words) at rf.gesei|sbbig.b#rf.gesei|sbbig.b
Further Resources
Mindtools has useful information on 3 of the three key skill sets
Time Management
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_HTE.htm
Communication
http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html
Leadership
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_LDR.htm
The CIPD give access to a 360 handbook [online]. (2009) Bedford: Simply360. Available, free of charge on online registration, at http://www.simply360.co.uk/handbook
The Free Management Library has a good (but long) article on management aimed at new managers and supervisors
http://managementhelp.org/mgmnt/prsnlmnt.htm#anchor262914
Of particular relevance is the section on Managing Yourself (about halfway through the article), which covers how to:
manage your productivity
manage your well-being
For additional sources of information to manage your productivity, see:
Delegation at http://www.managementhelp.org/guiding/delegate/delegate.htm
Decision Making
Organizing Yourself at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/off_org.htm
Problem Solving at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/prob_slv.htm
Time Management at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_prd/time_mng.htm
Getting Coached at http://www.managementhelp.org/guiding/coaching/coaching.htm#anchor4294655486
Getting a Mentor at http://www.managementhelp.org/guiding/mentrng/mentrng.htm#anchor4294745062
For additional sources of information to manage your well-being, see:
Assertiveness at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/assrtvns.htm
Attitude at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/attitude.htm
Burnout at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/burnout.htm
Cynicism at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/cynicism.htm
Emotional Intelligence at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/emotions.htm
Financial Fitness at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/finance.htm
Job Satisfaction
Motivating and Inspiring Yourself at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/motivate.htm
Physical Fitness at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/fitness.htm
Self-Confidence at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/confdenc.htm
Stress Management at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/stress.htm
Work-Life Balance at http://www.managementhelp.org/prsn_wll/wrk_life.htm