Using Technology

Some people are naturally better at embracing technology than others. While the onward march of computers, various applications and the internet in our working lives goes on, it can still be very challenging to embrace these changes.

That’s where good management comes in. It’s pretty obvious that when any new computer system or software application is rolled out adequate training should be arranged to ensure that everyone is brought up to speed long before the new system comes into full time play. But there are other considerations that should also be highlighted if the team performance is going to be kept to a high standard.

One good example of this is doing more than just providing those initial training sessions. Learning how to use technology in a training session is quite different from using it in a real work situation and some employees are naturally better than others at making this leap. It is also often the case that there are hiccups and glitches that are only caught when the new system is up and running in real time. By providing ways in which the employees and managers can liaise with each other to identify and solve these glitches in the fastest possible time frame the installation of any new software or technology will be made that much easier – and everyone will be able to play their part as well.

Another great way of building team confidence and coherence is by arranging feedback sessions where the employees can talk directly to the managers and tell them honestly how everything actually went in reality.

Quite often the managers will only know how things should be, rather than how they actually panned out. By filling in the gaps the management can more readily plan for future technological advances by using that newfound knowledge that comes directly from their employees.

But there doesn’t have to be a big change in the technology to make big changes in the company’s performance. Some people will naturally find it difficult to handle computer tasks but simply won’t want to speak up and ask for help.

It is precisely these situations that are hard to spot, but they can be easier to identify by ensuring that the bonds between management and employees are strong and are open to two-way conversations. Sometimes employees feel that they cannot approach their managers and this doesn’t help to create a fully functioning work environment.

In the end it is essential that employees of all levels are encouraged to enhance their skills and embrace the technology they need to work with, and if managers can identify the best way to do just that with each employee they will be better able to improve the performance of their whole team. Ultimately everyone has the potential to effect the people around them and it is vital that this effect is positive if the best team performance is to be achieved.

Addressing Poor Performance

Poor performance can severely hamper a business’s performance, particularly if it is left unchecked. Good management is necessary to make sure that any negative behaviour or substandard performances are dealt with in the most appropriate manner and as soon as possible.

The problem that comes with not dealing with poor performances from specific individuals is that their actions can and will effect team performance more than you might think.

Speed is therefore of the essence when it comes to dealing with the poor performance of an employee. The longer that nothing is done about such performance the less faith other employees will have in their superiors. For example – why should I work hard if no one else is?

So what exactly is the best way to deal with poor performances among staff? There is no single course of action that should be taken on every occasion; it largely depends on what is going on and what has led up to that point. For example, the way you would deal with an employee who up to this point has always done their work in an exemplary manner would be very different to the way you would deal with an employee who is continuously late or never does their job in the right manner.

To this end, management training can give you the essential skills you need to be able to handle this type of situation. Preparation is the key to getting the results you want. Equally, if you go into a meeting with an employee without having prepared all the necessary information beforehand then you may not get the results you desire.

You may wish to ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this the first time their performance has slipped below the required level?
• Are there any obvious reasons for their substandard performance?
• Has this type of thing happened before? If so, why?

You may find that the reason for their poor performance is down to a lack of experience or training. Up until now they may have coped, but were afraid to ask for the assistance and training they needed. In this case it would be inappropriate to criticize them for their poor performance when a better approach would be to help them to get the training they need.

As a manager, by analysing the situation before you speak to an employee you will be much more likely to achieve the positive result you are after.

Developing Problem Solving Skills

Whether you recognize it or not, we all have problem solving skills. What’s more we use them every day on both a small and a large scale to ensure everything we do is completed to our satisfaction.

Problem solving skills are even more important in a work based environment since they can directly affect the outcome of a particular job or task. Most people in management roles within a company have outstanding problem solving skills (indeed that is one of the things that will have propelled them into that position) but those skills need to be developed over time. They are unlikely to appear spontaneously.

This brings up a key point in this topic which is worth mentioning. While we all have problem solving skills to some extent, we may not all have the experience of using those skills to their fullest at work. This is particularly true of those people who wish to step into management roles in the future.

So how do you develop these skills?

The key is to approach situations in the right way. People who don’t have good skills in this area tend to approach a problem very differently from those who do have good skills. For example they may fret about how they will solve the problem, because they don’t feel able to do it. This is a good way to identify how robust your own problem solving skills are at the moment. Do you feel helpless when faced with a problem? Or do you immediately start thinking about how you could tackle it effectively?

We can see that your point of view is instrumental in the development of your problem solving skills. A pro-active stance is necessary to look at the problem from all sides to determine a way forward that will bring the results you desire.

While some people react to a problem by diving in before they evaluate it properly, others are almost frozen by fear – the fear that whatever they do could result in failure. The correct route to take is a kind of middle ground between these two extremes. You should stand back and evaluate the problem from all sides before thinking of all the ways you could solve it. This is an essential technique to master if you want to further your leadership skills in the future.

The first thing to do is to check that you are focusing on the actual core problem, and not the mess that the problem has created. To do this you have to make sure you gather all the relevant facts.

Having identified the real problem, you then need to brainstorm some possible solutions. Once that is done ask yourself what would happen if you took a particular route over another one. Look at the benefits and the challenges/costs of each solution and then weigh them up. Jot down your thoughts and evaluate them side by side to see which route would be the best one to take. This helps to develop your problem solving skills and gets your brain into the right place to find solutions that are usable and workable. The value of the solution will ultimately be based on how much the benefits you’ve identified will outweigh the challenges/costs.

You may come up with more than one possible solution to a problem. In this case you would need to consider other factors as well before making your final decision on how to solve that problem, such as the amount of time each solution would take to put into practice.

One final point – the speed with which you address problems will both assist in their speedy resolution and also show your substance as a leader.

Taking Over A Project In Progress

Providing good leadership for others is an integral part of being a manager. But while you may have developed a good range of skills when it comes to getting a project off the ground and completing it successfully with the help of your team, taking over a project from someone else when it is in mid flow can require a completely different set of skills altogether.

Firstly there is the question of the reason why you are taking over. This could be for a number of reasons and it’s important not to judge or let the reason why overshadow the project itself.

It’s especially important to tread carefully if the person who was in charge of the project wasn’t achieving the best results and you have subsequently been brought in to improve things. Be sure that you take the time to listen to what they have to say and you allow them to bring you up to speed on what has been achieved so far.

If the person hasn’t achieved much at all you would be forgiven for feeling frustrated that you are being brought in to clear up someone else’s mess, but remember that you will be able to make a much better start if you are positive about your dealings with this person and learn from what they have done.

It could be that there has been a problem with the project as a whole and that particular person hasn’t been experienced enough to deal with it. If that is the case then you should make sure that you are aware of all the problems before the person in charge leaves everything to you – otherwise you could find yourself coming up against the same issues and your job will be made much harder as a result.

It’s also important to respect everyone else who is involved with the project. It’s difficult for members of the project team to have a change of leadership halfway through a project, especially if your way of working happens to be very different from the manager who was there previously.

Spend some time observing what’s going on and looking at how people are working towards their individual goals before rushing in and assuming that everything needs to be changed. This will give you an opportunity to approach your responsibilities with much more confidence and accuracy, and it will also lead to a better working relationship with your new project members. In addition, taking the time to share your expectations on how your project team will work together will be time well spent. It will help create an enhanced sense of security in the project team as they will better understand how to deliver on those expectations, which may differ from those of the previous project leader.

Taking over a project in progress is arguably one of the most difficult things any manager can do. This is even more pronounced if the employees involved in the project got on well with the previous manager; they can even resent you for being there.

Treading very carefully in the early stages and respecting the boundaries which have already been formed is the most important thing you can do to get things off to a good start. Just because you are the manager, it doesn’t mean you will get better results by sweeping in and changing everything you can. By working with your new team you can ensure the successful conclusion of the project.

Planning A Project

In order to successfully complete any project there should be a period of planning which takes place before it begins. It can be tempting to get started as soon as possible, especially if the project involves several people and everyone is excited to get going and achieve something worthwhile, but starting before a firm plan is created will only increase the chances of failure.

The first step should always be to clarify your objectives. What is the purpose of the project? What are you trying to achieve? If you can’t answer these questions you won’t be able to get started as you won’t know where you are heading.

Once you have a goal in mind you can begin to map out the steps, or milestones, you will need to take to get there. Breaking down the project into stages or steps helps to make it more logical and you will be better able to identify any potential areas of weakness long before you get to that stage. The more you can do by way preparation, the less likely it is that you will encounter any major problems during the completion of your project.

Next you should identify who will be involved in the project. This may only be one or two people, or it may be an entire department. Whoever it is, you will need to bring everyone together at some point to discuss the project and iron out any problems which anyone has before the work begins.

When you are looking at who will be involved, make sure you consider their skills carefully, both individually and as a team. It’s helpful to assign specific people to specific tasks that you know they will be able to achieve quickly and efficiently, and with the minimum of supervision, since the time given to complete the project may not allow for much training. Make sure also that everyone is clear about their own personal deadlines for completing their part of the job, since their own deadline may be very different from the final deadline for the project as a whole.

It is important to create a timeline in advance of the start of the project too. That way you can monitor progress en route, instead of assuming everything is going well and discovering at the eleventh hour that you are running way behind your schedule. Make it clear to everyone involved that communication is paramount to the overall success of the project, since identifying and solving problems early on can erase the possibility of missing the deadline altogether.

While good planning is vitally important to the eventual success of a project, you should bear in mind that no plan should be regarded as being rigid in any way. Sometimes circumstances will demand that you make changes along the way that you couldn’t have foreseen, and in that case you could have to adapt the plan to suit the new direction you might have to take.

In any event having a firm base to start from is just one way that you can ensure the success of any project you take on.