3 March 2011
Successful Intentions Newsletter
Hi ,
Are you a good manager? On a scale of great to awful bosses, how would you rate your manager?
Too many managers fail to live up to their own and others’ expectations because they stop working on themselves. You’ll hear them say things like, “I try to avoid conflict!”; “I hate company politics!”; “Just let me get on with the job!”
So how do you shift from being an OK manager to being a great manager? Here are Three Management Modes to work from:
1. Manage Yourself
Leadership is about using yourself as an instrument to get things done. You can’t hope to influence team members just by positional authority (“I’m the boss, do it my way!”), or by being one-of-the-boys (“do what I ask because we’re friends”). Your productive influence comes from people’s trust in you as their manager. And this trust comes from their:
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Belief in your competence (you know what you’re doing and how to do it).
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Belief in your character (your motives are good and you want only the best from your people).
2. Manage Your Network
Managing in organisations will always be political. This is because of disparate groups with different goals and priorities, the need for these groups to work interdependently whether they like it or not, and the constant pressure of scarce resources.
If you’re afraid of conflict and politics, get over it! Great managers build relationships with those they need and those who need them. They are always looking to build and nurture a broad network of people who can be a source of influence on their behalf.
3. Manage Your Team
We are all social animals who want to fit in and be accepted. Which is way managing teams is a highly effective way of influencing individual behaviour. Good teams share the following characteristics:
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Team members hold themselves and others jointly accountable (“we sink or swim together”),
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There is a clear and compelling purpose for the work of the team, with clear goals and plans based on that purpose,
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Everyone knows what’s expected of them; what the team’s values, norms and standards are; how they should communicate; and how differences and conflicts are resolved.
Take this quiz , to measure how well you’re doing:
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Three Modes of Management |
I need to do this better
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Neither good nor bad
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This is a strength
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1. Do you use your formal authority effectively?
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2. Do you create thoughtful but not overly personal relationships?
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3. Do others trust you as a manager?
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4. Do you exercise your influence ethically?
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5. Do you systematically identify those who should be in your network?
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6. Do you proactively build and maintain your network?
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7. Do you use your network to provide the protection and resources your team needs?
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8. Do you use your network to accomplish your team’s goals?
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9. Do you define and constantly refine your team’s vision for the future?
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10. Do you clarify roles, work rules, team culture, and feedback about performance for your team?
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11. Do you know and manage your people as individuals as well as team members?
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12. Do you use daily activities and problems as a means of reflecting on your performance as a manager?
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