Category Archives: Leadership

Curiosity As a Key Management Skill – Part 1 of 4 Part Series

At Bold New Directions our management training teaches managers to lead with curiosity. If you’re like most managers and leaders you’ve progressed to where you are, in part, because you have a strong sense of curiosity. You’re curious about how to solve problems, how to motivate your staff, how to improve operations and productivity. Many leaders, however, don’t think of their innate curiosity as a tool to help them lead. In our management training programs we focus on the positive effects of curiosity, and how managers can consciously use their genuine curiosity to improve their management skills.

 

As a manager, curiosity benefits you in several ways. Over the course of the next few weeks we will explore Curiosity in this 4 Part Series.  Curiosity puts wonder into our lives. Eagerness, inquiring mind, inquisitiveness, interest, investigation, questioning, searching, thirst for knowledge: all common names for curiosity.  By being curious life becomes an adventure. Being curious about the old and familiar can reveal exciting, new perspectives; and wondering what’s around the corner or beyond the bend leads to exploration and discovery.While curiosity makes every aspect of our lives more exciting and vital, in our management training programs we share examples of how curiosity has helped to raise management skills.

 

Karen recently joined a new company as a manager. Not everything had gone smoothly since she started. For one thing, she was not that excited about the team she was leading (nor they about her), and she wondered if there was a way for her to become more consciously engaged with them.

Karen is proud of her management skills; she’s a mindful person and an aware manager She decided to remember back to times in her life when she was excited or engaged. What were the qualities of those interactions that held her interest? As Karen recalled situation after situation from her past, she saw that the most vibrant times were when she was deeply curious. Instead of approaching someone or something with preconceived opinions, she’d been open to discovering with fresh eyes, a fresh mind, and a fresh heart.

After coming to the conclusion that curiosity would be a great ally for harmoniously working with her team members, Karen made a commitment to interact and relate to them – not from a state of dislike or judgment – but rather with healthy curiosity. She wondered what she would learn about her team and about herself.

And she was deeply curious about what she could learn from her staff about the operations she was there to manage – What was going well and why? Where were the problems and what ideas did her team members have for solutions? She realized that her spirit of curiosity could lead to her to feeling excited about the challenges of her work and to feeling engaged with her team. It was time to start asking questions.

 

For More Information About Growing Your Management Skills

For more resources about management skills training, managing change, or building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at https://boldnewdirections.com . Or stay tuned to read parts 2 & 3 & 4 of this Series on Improving Your Management Skills through Curiosity.   

Adapted from the book entitled Managing From The Inside Out written by Jim Hornickel, edited by Suzanne Guthrie, available at http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

 

 

 

 

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http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

Improve Management Skills through Acceptance – Part 3 of 3 Articles

Open to boosting your management skills?  Explore the third step in the process through this article on how acceptance leads to positive outcomes. This is part 3 of a 3 part series on how to improve your management skills through the practice of acceptance.

Recognize that acceptance leads to positive change

 

Acceptance is not a matter of sugarcoating the truth. Insincerity is almost always easy to detect. And the fact is that many of us can accept that something went awry, be told that directly, and move forward to solve the problem. But many, if not most people, thrive on acceptance first, and then moving toward improvement after. The question is, what works best for those in your sphere of influence?

 

Practice acceptance and improve your management skills by asking yourself these questions:

  • How often do I judge a day?
  • How many times do I blame others?
  • How many times does my own ego blame me each day?
  • How do people around me respond when I accept them as they are/do not accept them as they are?
  • How will managing from acceptance impact my team’s morale, productivity and profitability?

  

For More Information About Growing Your Management Skills

 

For more resources about management skills training, managing change, or building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at https://boldnewdirections.com . Or go back and read all three parts of the 3 Part Series on Improving Your Management Skills Through Acceptance.

 Adapted from the book entitled Managing From The Inside Out by Jim Hornickel and available at http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

 

 

 

Source url :
http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

Improve Management Skills By Practicing Acceptance – Part 1 of 3 Part Series

 

One of the greatest gifts a manager or leader can give to other people is to accept them for who they are. You can actually increase your management skills by increasing your acceptance of others. When we feel accepted, we feel good about ourselves and freer to bring our most positive, confident and creative selves to the work team.

  

 

Step 1: Don?t let ego get in the way of accepting others

 

For most managers, the problem is that at work and in the rest of our lives, ego can get in the way. On one hand, the act of acceptance is simple. What is, is! An apple is an apple. A cloud is a cloud. No brainers, right? But when it comes to us humans, it?s more difficult simply to accept what is without adding on layers of meanings, viewpoints, judgments, opinions, interpretations, etc. For example, let?s say that my friend Joan never remembers my birthday. How I feel about Joan, our relationship, or even about my own self-esteem may depend on what story I tell myself about Joan and the fact that she forgets my birthdays. My ego may pipe up and say, ?Oh, that Joan is so thoughtless!? ?She?s so stingy.? ?I?m not getting her a present if she doesn?t get me one.? But if I?m able to put my ego and my judgments on hold, I can accept that giving me a birthday present just isn?t Joan?s thing. Acceptance gives me the freedom to respond to what is without getting stuck by my egoistic views about how I think things should be. In management, the skill of managing your ego is highly valuable as it impacts your relationships with your staff.

For More Information About Growing Your Management Skills

 

For more resources about management skills training, managing change, or building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or learn about management training at https://boldnewdirections.com . Or stay tuned to read parts 2 & 3 of this 3 Part Series on Improving Your Management Skills Through Acceptance.

 

 

Adapted from the book entitle Managing From The Inside Out by Jim Hornickel and available at http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

 

 

 

 

Source url :
http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com

Effective Management During Organizational Change – Part 1 of 3 Part Series on Management Skills

3 Skills for Effective Management During Organizational Change

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It is a rare company that has not weathered some type of organizational change. In fact in recent decades mergers and other forms of restructuring have become almost expected in large companies. However common, these types of organizational changes can lead to confusion, uncertainty and demoralization. By recognizing staff’s need for reassurance, information, and direction, a savvy management team can successfully navigate these potentially stormy times with skill and finesse. Make sure that your management team follows the three steps outlined below.  The following three step approach to managing organizational change is a powerful tool. This series includes 3 seperate articles on managing change: sharing a new vision, keeping communication channels open, and clarifying roles for the new organization.  Let’s get started with step one. 

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Step 1. Create & Share A New Vision

It is imperative to create and convey a constructive vision of the change and how it will impact the entire organization. Depending upon the size of the company, visioning may occur at a board level, a management level, or (in an interactive fashion) with key staff members. The organizational culture may also define the type of input that is most effective for the visioning process. For example, top down organizations will clarify vision before sharing with staff whereas more consensus based organization’s (e.g. non-profits) will likely set up sessions for gathering and discussing staff input. While it is valuable to gain staff input and feedback, the main issue is often timeliness. When an organization is undergoing profound change, the sooner the new vision is communicated the better! Like a ship without a rudder, an organization without vision will soon flounder on the shoals. Savvy managers know the value of quickly agreeing upon organizational vision, stating it in understandable terms and sharing it via multiple forums. These forums can include meetings, teleconferences, emails, newsletters, and written collateral. Reinforcing the new vision during follow-up communications is essential as it may require multiple messages over time to help staff understand the new organization.

Watch for the next articles in this series to learn more about how to handle organizational change effectively. For more resources about management skills, managing change, or building team effectiveness, visit our website at: http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com or visit our partner site at https://boldnewdirections.com to look at management training options.

 

 

Source url :
http://www.managementtraininginstitute.com