Posted on

How to Coach New Managers to Success

How to Coach New Managers

People management is absolutely crucial for sustained business growth. And at a certain point, it’s the only upward progression available to skilled workers. That’s why coaching new managers must be a priority for all businesses—unfortunately, that’s rarely the case.

When companies talk about “coaching managers”, they too often veer into outcomes: be empathetic, maintain high performance, have diverse teams. These are all excellent results your managers should be working towards—but we haven’t described how your company actually coaches them towards better management. That’s exactly what we cover in this article.

Organizational understanding

Job #1 – Organizational understanding

As an individual contributor, the employee’s goal is to achieve a specific set of outcomes as directed by their manager. These outcomes are siloed: they don’t need to know anyone else’s goals or the broader company objectives in order to be successful.

As a manager, this is completely inverted. Their primary goal is to make all the disparate parts of the operation (i.e. their team members) work as optimally together as possible. It’s therefore crucial to fully understand how each role contributes to the overall success of the team. Not only that, but also how the team’s success aligns with the broader goals of the department or company.

Some important factors to consider include:

  • The company business model and revenue drivers
  • Specific company-wide goals and strategies, and current progress towards those goals
  • Revenues and expenses relevant to their area
  • Company-specific processes and strategies
  • Company messaging and marketing strategies

How to coach organizational understanding

This should be straightforward. There’s no need to hire external consultants or build a comprehensive training program. There are two levels to this coaching:

  1. The company-wide elements
  2. The team-specific elements

The company-wide information can be a simple file containing descriptions of company goals, revenue drivers, explanation of the business model, messaging guidelines and so on. These can be built for all levels of seniority (new manager, department head, regional manager, director etc) and simply provided following any promotion.

The team-specific training should come from the new manager’s direct supervisor. They may not be aware of exactly how the team operates on a daily basis, but they’re fully immersed in how the team aligns with the rest of the department or company. They can advise on strategy, goals, and how the team’s success will be measured.

As well as creating a clean, high-level document, we encourage companies to make this person’s time available. 30 minutes or an hour every few weeks, for the first few months, could make all the difference in getting the new manager up and running.

HR knowledge

Job #2 – HR knowledge

Businesses have dedicated HR functions for a reason: they are vitally important to long-term success. However, every manager should be familiar with the HR fundamentals as they pertain to their team. This could include:

  • Company policies around salaries, pensions, and terminating contracts
  • Performance reviews and promotions
  • Conflict resolution and managing problematic employees
  • Hiring practices, company culture and recruitment
  • Rules regarding vacation, compassionate leave, and sick pay

What this boils down to is that when an employee comes to your new manager for advice, or with a problem, they can solve it for them. Perhaps more crucially, a robust understanding of HR allows managers to fight on their employees’ behalfs for things like raises and promotions.

How to coach HR knowledge

We recommend getting members of the HR team to put together a resource which can be shared with managers at different levels. It can be as simple as a PowerPoint presentation or Intranet page for new managers to reference.

Ideally this will answer many of the common questions around contracts, reviews, conflicts, hiring and time away from work (as listed above) as well as contact information for more complex problems. Even if it’s as simple as “call HR”, giving new managers this point of contact for when they’re lost or hesitant can be extremely reassuring.

New managers should read through this documentation and then reference it directly whenever HR-related issues arise.

Soft skills & emotional intelligence

Job #3 – Soft skills & emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is now considered one of, if not the most important skills for managers. The ability to connect with team members, engage in emotionally complex conversations, manage conflicts and recognize the signs that team members are struggling—these are all hallmarks of an emotionally intelligent and empathetic manager.

Most of the key soft skills for managers—communication, listening, positivity, accepting responsibility, conflict resolution—are built around a high level of emotional intelligence. So what can your company do to coach new managers in EQ?

How to coach soft skills & EQ

The most effective approach is to provide gentle, continuous self-direction. It’s your role to encourage new managers to truly think about interactions and develop their own EQ.

Practicing empathy

Encourage new managers to proactively put themselves in their team members’ shoes. They should try to understand a situation from their perspective and understand their (potentially conflicting) standpoint.

A core skill of any manager is learning to put their own opinions and biases aside, and view any situation from the employee’s perspective. This is what empathy looks like in practice. New managers should dedicate real time to this, with notifications blocked and Do Not Disturb activated. It will take a lot of effort and they may not succeed the first few attempts, but adopting this empathetic mindset will get easier with time.

As an extension of this, learning to treat people how they want to be treated and to embrace working with those who don’t share their viewpoints are both key to developing a truly empathetic mindset.

Reflecting on feelings and impulses

With our chronic dependence on dopamine-rich content and stimulation, we rarely spend time alone with our thoughts. However, practising self-reflection and awareness is one of the keys to becoming a better manager.

Everytime we encounter an idea or problem, we have an instinctive reaction to it—the problem is that more often than not, our instincts can’t be trusted. We can get defensive and closed-off; unwilling to entertain ideas that contradict how we’re feeling in that moment. Motivated reasoning and confirmation bias can badly affect our goals as managers. Learning to recognize how feelings impact actions, and eventually learning to manage these feelings, is key to developing effective interpersonal skills.

Learning to effectively listen

While your new managers might be surprised by this one, it is super important that you teach them to become better listeners. This is a chronically-underdeveloped skill for the majority of workers, but it’s one of the keys to effective leadership and management.

So what does effective listening actually look like? Well there are 3 areas we encourage you to focus on when coaching your new managers:

  1. Put your agenda to one side—When you disagree with what someone is saying, your mind is probably running rampant with counter-arguments and angry noises; you need to learn to quiet down the noise. Try to practice empathy and really take in the conversation from their perspective before considering your own response.
  2. Respond once someone is done talking—Talking is not listening. It’s not just that interrupting someone is rude, it’s that you’re forming this counter-argument while they’re talking—this has the dual effect of giving us limited information (since we can’t listen and think of our response simultaneously) while also preventing our colleagues from fully fleshing out their thoughts.Wait until the person speaking has finished (or takes a natural break) then present your considered response.
  3. Listen to learn—This is a really important and under-utilized skill. Many of us listen out of politeness or, more likely, because we’re stuck in a conversation with nowhere else to go. We need to become more invested in our conversations.That’s why we tell new managers to listen to learn, to be surprised. Only by truly paying attention and proactively looking for new information can we engage in real dialogue.

Proactively managing all relationships

Building strong emotional intelligence gradually gives your managers the tools required to communicate better, build trust, give genuine praise for the achievements of others, and generally grow as a manager. However, this requires active effort: encourage managers to reflect on their relationships with each of their team members and consider whether there’s anything they could be doing differently to make things even more successful.

Mentorship

Job #4 – Mentorship

Connecting your new managers with highly experienced mentors is a fantastic, engaging way to build their experience. The way this usually works is by having a more experienced and senior employee devote a small amount of recurring time. This can be used for structured teaching, but more commonly it’s a chance to share ideas, blow off steam, and pick the brains of the more experienced leader.

The main benefit of mentoring is that it gives employees a valuable (if imperfect) resource for sounding ideas and finding their feet in a complex new role. When navigating the world of people management for the first time, it is hugely impactful to have an experienced ear on your side.

The relationship is also symbiotic: from the simple pleasure of “giving back” to more substantial personal development like improving their own leadership skills or becoming a more effective listener, mentors can also benefit directly.

How mentors can coach new managers

Most mentoring programs are informal. Rather than having scheduled objectives or classroom-like sessions, it’s more about having an open door if or when the new manager wants to engage.

What matters most is that for the majority of brand-new management-related tasks the manager is facing, their mentor has seen and done it all before. Their advice could save countless hours and serious stress on everything from HR bottlenecks to limiting “micromanagement” and even managing contract termination.

We also encourage organizations to get creative with mentorship partners. Mentors don’t need to be in the same geographic region or company division, and they certainly don’t have to be generations apart or even older than the mentee; what matters most is that they have skills, perspectives and experiences that the mentee can draw on, and that the door is always open.

Conclusion

Okay, that was a lot of instructional content. But what it all boils down to is using your company’s existing expertise to quickly and thoroughly get new managers up to speed. Notice we didn’t suggest hiring external contractors, enrolling in expensive training programs or buying extensive guides for external authors—our advice is all built around using people with your company’s DNA running in their veins.

By tapping into this expertise, your new managers aren’t shoehorned into doing things a certain way; rather, they’re able to forge their own path into management with guidance from those that have done it all before.

The transition from individual contributor to manager is a major one and you can’t underestimate the challenge or stress this invites. Being proactive about coaching your new managers into the role will reap massive benefits for them personally and the broader organization—and who wouldn’t want that?

Posted on

Surefire Ways to Ensure Quality in Agile Projects

Quality Management Agile

The objective of any project is to successfully deliver a product within the given scope, budget, and timeline.

Quality is a central component as well. While working within these constraints, every project manager aims to meet, or even exceed, the client’s expectations.

To some, the agile method of project management looks like chaos, and spells out certain failure in this regard. Agile allows for continual pivoting and changing direction, even late in the game. And unlike waterfall, which methodically tests for quality right after development, agile has no designated quality management step.

But in fact, agile isn’t chaos at all.

When the method is closely followed, it enables a team to consistently deliver a top-notch product. Its system for creating user stories ensures accurate forecasting at the beginning of a project. And its ceremonies for review and reflection allow for constant improvement to the product and the team’s work patterns.

From planning, to process development, to review and reflection, let’s look at how to manage quality in agile, to ensure a team delivers excellence every single time.

Planning for an Agile Project

Planning for an Agile Project

The simple principle that “you get out what you put in” certainly applies to agile projects. Smart, thorough planning is central to quality control. Here are things to keep in mind.

Create User Stories With Requirements

At the beginning of a project, having every stakeholder contribute to the requirements clarifies the project’s final objective.

A central first step to this process is developing a clear idea of the product’s end user. The product manager’s market and customer research provides valuable insight here.

Next, with the end user in mind, all stakeholders collectively write out user stories. It’s not necessary for the stakeholder to have technical knowledge in order to do this. A completed user story clarifies the end user, the requirement, what “done” looks like, and receives a point estimate to indicate its level of complexity. Matching the final output to all this information makes it possible to conduct quality assurance when the story is complete.

At this beginning stage, it’s key to gather a thorough and detailed list of requirements. You want all stakeholders to explain the features they want to see in the product. This information allows the product owner to map out the project and make good estimates.

If, rather, the requirements are vague, or not provided at all, it creates gaps of uncertainty. This forces the product owner to schedule buffers, which can really throw off a timeline. As the duration of this buffer is unknown, and could end up taking much longer than estimated, the team may have to work long hours and produce sloppy work in order to catch up.

Compromise on Time or Cost

Clarifying expectations at the beginning of a project means making some tradeoffs.

The “good cheap fast” triangle popular with project management provides a great framework for evaluating trade-offs. With this triangle, you pick two qualities, knowing that you won’t receive the third. For example, something can be good and cheap, but it won’t be fast. Or, something will be fast and good, but it won’t be cheap. Or, it will be cheap and fast, but it won’t be good.

Compromise on Time or Cost

When a team decides to prioritize quality, then it must either compromise on time or cost. If you don’t decide at the beginning to either extend the timeline or increase the budget, it spells out problems later. As the triangle dictates, you can’t have all three.

MoSCoW Method

Use the MoSCoW Method

When a project has too many North Stars, or there’s simply a “let’s do this” mentality without much of a plan, the team flails and it creates dissension later on.

The MoSCoW Method of prioritization creates clarity around what a project sets out to do (and what it won’t do) from the very beginning. The method entails clarifying a project’s musts, shoulds, coulds and won’ts.

When all the stakeholders come together to discuss and establish these priorities, it allows a project to proceed fluidly. Rather than having to backtrack and sort through disagreements late in the game, the team is more likely to work diligently and deliver a quality product.

One thing to keep in mind with MoSCoW, however, is that the team shouldn’t be too fixated on the “musts” or “coulds.” The Agile Manifesto “welcomes changing requirements, even late in development.” This means that if it’s in the customer’s best interest to change course, the team does so.

Decompose User Stories

Quality control entails keeping batches of work small and manageable.

Rather than taking on an immense and complicated piece of work, agile is about completing a small task, then testing it, seeking feedback, and then planning more from there. Breaking work down allows for defects to be identified and fixed right away. If the task is too huge, then bugs aren’t noticed until much later, and at that point they may be too hard to fix.

When a project is particularly complex, determining how to break it down is a real challenge. Although user stories serve as a guide for iteration planning, many of them outline large tasks that would take several weeks to complete. And a single iteration usually lasts only two weeks.

One guideline for decomposing user stories is the acronym INVEST. This means the task must be independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, small, and testable. When a task fulfills all of these criteria, it’s small enough to be performed with the due attention it needs.

Planning poker is a second method for estimating the complexity of tasks. In this activity, a team collectively assigns points to user stories, to help determine how many user stories to take on during one iteration. A team seeks to maintain a steady pace of work by completing the same number of story points from iteration to iteration.

Creating a backlog of decomposed user stories, all with points assigned to them, takes some time. Planning iterations can take up to 10% of a team’s overall production time. But doing this planning is central to quality control. It prevents overwork and allows the team to work at a continuous pace.

In sum, quality management in agile projects is first and foremost about having a good plan. A project is poised for success when it has good processes and systems in place, and has received input from all stakeholders.

Developing and Evaluating Processes

Developing and Evaluating Processes

Nobody is perfect, including software developers. Every developer creates bugs or defects from time to time. Quality management entails having systems for identifying defects, and procedures to ensure defects are decreased or rooted out entirely. Here are three ways to do this.

1. Refine the Definition of Done

After a long day of completing code for a user story, it’s tempting to check the task off as “done” and move onto the next thing. However, at this point the code may still be full of defects, as it hasn’t gone through any testing.

In order to ensure quality, a team creates criteria for what it means for a user story to be code complete. This may include identifying and clarifying technical debt in the product backlog, and implementing processes for testing and reviewing increment before its release.

A thorough definition of done sometimes entails having a “done checklist.”

2. Identify Patterns in Defects

Reducing defects is part and parcel ensuring quality. In order to do this, it’s helpful for a team to categorize the types of defects it encounters.

One type of defect in software development is a build defect. This occurs during the development process. Another is a release defect. This defect has passed the user acceptance testing (UAT) and made it to market.

After a team has worked on several sprints together, it’s able to look at all its defects collectively and identify patterns. From there, it can create a plan to reduce them.

For example, high incidence of build defects indicates the team needs to focus on improving the development process. A pattern of release defects indicates a need to improve its UAT.

A sprint retrospective is the ideal time for a team to discuss any patterns in defects, and work to collaboratively improve processes and systems.

3. Onboard New Team Members

When a new team member is hired, it instigates the “norming storming” cycle, which spells out lag in product development.

A proper onboarding system shortens this cycle, and ensures the new member contributes meaningfully to the product development right away. Effective onboarding entails education about company culture and assigning the new hire a mentor and someone to go to for support.

When someone comes onto the project mid-way, he or she can be brought up to speed by watching videos of sprint review meetings. These communicate the increment that was previously developed, the impediments discussed and client feedback, all which give the new hire a good understanding of where the project is currently at.

In sum, processes are like the glue that holds a team together and gives it the structure to successfully bring a project over the finish line. Regardless of the talent and skill level of a team, quality isn’t assured without good processes.

When systemic defects or impediments are identified, the processes can be updated accordingly.

Review and Reflection

Review and Reflection

The agile methodology incorporates constant check-ups, communication and reflection. The Agile Manifesto says that “business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.” At the daily stand up, the team assesses how the iteration is proceeding, and identifies both progress and impediments.

The scrum framework, particularly, allows for reflection periods in order to evaluate work and identify ways to improve processes. Let’s look at how to make the most of these in order to ensure a quality deliverable.

Hold Sprint Retrospectives

In scrum, the team gathers for a sprint retrospective at the completion of a sprint. During this ceremony, it analyzes how everyone worked together, and how the team was (or wasn’t) supported by the organization.

The goal of the retrospective is to identify impediments and specific ways to improve the process for the next sprint. The sprint retrospective is the ceremony most scrum teams skip. However, consistently practicing this ceremony helps a team handle defects and improve quality.

A retrospective allows a team to address systemic issues and defects as they occur, and prevents a scenario where a team needs to dedicate an entire sprint to fixing all the defects in the previous weeks’ work.

Dig During Retrospectives

An effective retrospective doesn’t simply identify problems and impediments. It also seeks to uncover root causes. When an impediment is identified, it’s helpful if a scrum team asks a series of “why” questions.

Let’s say a team launches a messaging service, and within minutes it crashes. An immediate explanation would attribute the failure to poor testing.

A good retrospective goes deeper, however. It asks why there wasn’t good testing: Is it because the team didn’t understand how to write tests? Or there wasn’t enough time? The root cause of the failure may have to do with training, staffing, or time management issues.

When a team asks “why” questions, it’s able to take steps to resolve root causes, not simply surface problems. This sort of digging ensures quality in the final deliverable, and it prevents the same snafus from happening over and over again.

Listen to Feedback at the Sprint Review

Listen to Feedback at the Sprint Review

At the end of a sprint, the team meets for a sprint review. They look over what it has accomplished and any completed product, called increment, is shipped to the end user for feedback.

Listening to this feedback is central to the agile process. It allows a team to evaluate its work up to that point, and determine if it needs to pivot in order to create a quality deliverable.

In this respect, agile differs markedly from waterfall. Waterfall plans its objective goal from the very beginning, but agile allows for flexibility. Oftentimes, this flexibility is the necessary ingredient to delivering a quality final product that the end user likes and enjoys using.

Run a Hardening Sprint

At times, an agile team may have a build-up of defects and technical debt in the product backlog. A hardening sprint is helpful for cleaning up messes and clearing up bottlenecks.

It’s good to be transparent in the product backlog about technical debt. This lets the stakeholders understand what is going on, and makes it clear if the hardening sprint is necessary.

The hardening sprint is generally used as a last resort, but it is a helpful process for continually maintaining high quality.

In sum, reflecting is central to quality management in agile. By continually taking the time to reflect, and improve processes, and listen to feedback, a team ensures that it’s on track to producing high quality product.

Conclusion

Quality management is built into agile planning, iterations, and reflection. Following the agile method ensures that the team builds good products and the client is satisfied.

When the team creates a thorough plan and communicates with all stakeholders daily, this directs everyone toward a similar goal. Through regular reflection, the team is able to improve processes, fix defects and adjust a product to suit the client’s needs.

In a project where the final deliverable is liable to change, the agile method really is superior to waterfall. It prevents a scenario where defects have built up until it’s impossible to go back and fix every little thing. Unlike waterfall, the agile team also consistently solicits feedback from the client, in order to ensure a usable product.

Committing to the agile process is part and parcel to quality management. When a team stays on course, it’s sure to crank out a superb product over and over again.

Posted on

5 Methods of Measuring Team Building Success At Work

How to Measure Team Building Success

Investment in team building should have a profound effect on your staff. There should be a deeper connection throughout the department and in return, it should boost productivity and your company’s balance sheet. Stakeholders, managers, and investors should all be happy with the gains and the team will benefit from a more positive work environment.

Measuring team building success at work can be hard if you don’t know what metrics you should be monitoring. This article will give you 5 great ways of doing that, you’ll come to understand what a successful team looks like, and what areas yours is underperforming in.

Not all metrics can be objectively measured but everything should be observable for a manager with a sharp eye. Let’s take a look at the 5 methods of how to measure team building success and how you can put these into practice.

Understand What Makes A Successful Team

Understand What Makes A Successful Team

You may already think you have a successful team on your hands and that may be true in a lot of ways. However, there are a lot of different principles behind a successful team and thankfully good behaviors can be developed and nurtured to increase your team’s competency. For example, good communication and understanding are some of the most important things a team needs.

Some people are naturally better communicators than others but this doesn’t mean effective communication can’t be taught amongst the whole team. Engaging your employees in team-building activities is the best way to help your people learn more about each other and build trust and respect between them.

As the leader of a group, you should be able to spot what your team’s strengths and weaknesses are. Take a mental note of who is extroverted or introverted and send them on activities that strengthen areas that need work.

A team that excels at communication should be able to do the following things:

  • Communication happens across the whole team. It’s not something that is saved for managers and employees.
  • Face-to-face communication flows well and everyone is displaying active listening.
  • People’s body language shows that they are engaged, such as eye contact between them.
  • Conflict is resolved constructively and handled with respect.
  • Collaboration is at the heart of team success, employees are happy to help each other complete their tasks.
  • Everyone in the team has the opportunity to speak and be heard.
  • Teams understand their common goals and work together to get results.
  • Good leadership at the head of the group, this is where you come in.

Obtain Feedback From the Team

Obtain Feedback From the Team

No one understands team dynamics better than the people actually in the team. Try as you might, there will also exist a small disconnect between managers and employees. Managers may not always be aware of inefficiencies within a team, but your staff are going to know exactly what’s not working and could be improved.

In order to find out what roadblocks the team is facing or any issues that need to be resolved, you should ask your team to fill out an anonymous survey. Ask for their input and allow them to speak candidly about things like work culture, management styles, and any problems they have at work.

Their feedback will help you understand where your immediate attention should be and build a list of longer-term goals. Once you’ve collected this information you’ll have a baseline to measure against the success of your team building. A great way to track progress is by sending out more surveys at regular intervals.

Including staff in this part of the conversation helps your people to feel like their opinions matter and that they have a direct influence on the business. Once the team-building activities have taken place, ask people for feedback about this as well. Ask them to document what skills they’ve gained and how they can use this at work.

Define the Goals

Define the Goals

In order to measure anything, you need to set some goals for the short and long term. Once you have a baseline of where your team is at you can decide what areas need improvement and plan activities that can focus on them. Some metrics you should track are:

  • Absences
  • Employee retention
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Productivity
  • KPIs
  • Individual and group contributions
  • Human error
  • Financial performance

Make sure that you create a list of metrics that are relevant to your team and decide on which areas you think could be improved. When deciding on team-building activities, look for ones that can address the specific issues facing your team.

As well as the metrics above you should also keep a watchful eye on behavioral patterns within the team. Look at how communication has changed and if group dynamics have been altered. Ideally, you should see fewer cliques within the team and more group discussions happening without your intervention.

Look at the Progress

Team building is not a one-and-done solution, it should be a continued investment. Obviously, you can’t send your team paintballing every week, but there should be opportunities to keep nurturing communication and team dynamics.

Typically managers see increased enthusiasm and a rise in productivity after the activities. However, this can quickly start to wane, so you need to be able to accurately assess the progress your team is making.

There are three phases you measure in order to evaluate the bigger picture. If you see a rise of 2x productivity and then a decline to 1.3x from the baseline, this can be startling but is evidence of an upwards trend. Here are the three phases you should measure:

The Boost – Week 1

Thanks to all the positive energy and comradery from the team-building activity, your team should be flying high. Moods at work are elevated and productivity levels are at an all-time high. The issue is, this likely can’t be maintained long term but this is totally natural and should be expected. An initial boost like this can be great for business but be wary of setting unrealistic expectations.

The Pull Back – Week 2

Once the team gets into the second week of work there will be a natural pullback of productivity levels. At this point, you’ll have a more accurate idea of how the team-building activities have affected your team. Your return on investment will start to become clear but there’s one more phase to consider.

The New Normal – Week 4

Take your final readings at the one-month mark, you should have all the data you need to accurately understand the return on investment. Although the pullback means your team is not as productive as they were in week one, they should have trended upwards and are sustaining an increase in productivity.

After 4 weeks you’ll be able to see how close to the goals you are. Start planning more activities if there is still work to do.

Check Financial Returns

Check Financial Returns

Team building is great for employee morale but it can also have an effect on the company balance sheet. Increased levels of productivity should lead to more revenue coming in for the company. The cost of team building can be compared to revenue to accurately show a profit.

Investing further in team building should keep increasing the profit your company brings in. You’ll need to keep engaging your team to sustain new profit levels and grow the business. It’s not just additional sales you should look at, employee retention can save the business a lot of money in hiring and training costs.

The benefits to the bottom line from investment in team building can help to boost any business. Team building is a win-win situation for everyone involved. Employees feel invigorated, managers can increase their team’s output, and the business retains its people and increases its bank balance.

Conclusion

Learning how to measure team-building success is the very first step in making it happen. You need to learn what metrics to monitor and what a successful team actually looks like. Be honest with yourself about where your team is underperforming and encourage staff to give their opinions.

Everyone in the team should be a stakeholder in its success. Add team building into your work calendar at regular intervals. After each event, make a note of what’s improved and what still needs to be worked on. It’s a long game but the ultimate goal should be to increase productivity and sustain the results.

Posted on

Why Team Building Doesn’t Work and What to do Instead

Team Building Gone Wrong

Now more than ever, leaders are struggling to find ways for their teams to connect in an increasingly digital environment. Even before the great digital shift of 2020 (thanks COVID) management hustled to find ways to engage their team in ways that built trust and camaraderie.

If you have ever been on the receiving end of a team-building exercise, you know that they can be awkward, uncomfortable, and even just plain boring.

But the higher-ups keep trying… looking for the silver bullet escape room or board game that will bring the team together.

The truth? Team building, as we know, it doesn’t work.

It’s Not a Team Problem, It’s a Leadership Problem

It’s Not a Team Problem, It’s a Leadership Problem

That is right, leaders are trying so hard to fix a team and are blind (or willfully ignorant) to the fact that they are the source problem. Trust falls won’t save your team and putting the onus on them to fix a leadership issue is ineffective at best, and insulting at worst.

It is important that leadership takes initiative and owns up to their shortcomings because the solution comes from the top. That said, the shortcomings are not always obvious and may require some introspection to get to the root of it all. If you are a leader and you notice that your team isn’t quite connecting as you hope and your instinct is to book a motivational speaker…

Pause. Take a deep breath. Take a look in the mirror and see if you have any of the following warning signs:

Unnecessary Red Tape

Rules and processes are in place for a reason and most of them make sense but I guarantee that there is some kind of process or system that is getting in the way of your team doing their best work. Take the time to survey or meet with the team to find efficiencies, maybe you don’t need to print forms on blue paper that requires changing the settings on the printer every single time or maybe meetings could be held at the end of the week instead of the beginning. The act of soliciting feedback itself will help build trust by saying that you value their perspective and recognize that they may have solutions to the issues that they face on a daily basis that you may not see.

Unwritten Unwritten Rules

Every organization has their own set of unwritten rules:

  • No fish in the breakroom microwave… no exceptions
  • Any desserts brought into the office must be in a sharable quantity
  • Always make a fresh pot of coffee if you finish the last one
  • Don’t wear pink on Wednesday

Whatever the unwritten rules are, either write them down or ensure that there is a way to communicate them with new people on the team. Imagine trying to integrate into a team and being expected to know the work culture norms without having any exposure to them? This not only causes stress but diminishes trust between team members and leadership.

Excessive Meetings

Nothing erodes trust quite like being inconsiderate of other people’s time. As a leader, consider the amount of time that you interrupt your team, whether that be with emails, requests, phone calls, or meetings. Step back and reevaluate how you check in with your team, find a way to make it as considerate as possible. Trust goes both ways and ensuring that you respect the time and attention of your team will go a long way to building trust.

Unreasonable Expectations

Leaders delegate work, that is a big part of the job, but are you reasonable with your ask? Are you expecting too much of your team? Check-in with them and ensure that their workload is reasonable. If your team is not in a place where you feel they are giving honest answers for fear of repercussions, do your own experiment and reduce the workload and observe the effect that may have on morale and quality. Results may vary and you may find that shifting the load even a little bit will make a big difference.

Lack of Positive Reinforcement and Feedback

No, you don’t need to hand out participation trophies but a little praise and recognition go a long way to building trust but also confidence. A person who feels genuinely appreciated will be more inclined and able to produce good work knowing it won’t go unnoticed. Taking the time to recognize someone for their work, whether that be verbal, a written note, or even a quick email goes a long way and is a great way to build up your team but also practice great leadership.

How to do REAL Team Building Every Day

How to do REAL Team Building Every Day

Team building as we know it is generally ineffective, so how can we embrace new ways that actually work to build a team based on trust?

Clear is Kind

Thank you Dr. Brene Brown for these words of wisdom – Clear is Kind. Don’t leave your team guessing, be clear with goals, expectations, and strategy. Not only will this reduce confusion, but being clear and straightforward is kind because you are reducing any guesswork and respecting the time and energy of your team. Be clear in all aspects of your work whether that is communicating expectations or providing feedback, your team with thank you but also trust that you will continue this practice in the future.

Have Fun!

Not every activity has to tie back to work or work-related skill-building. Create opportunities for more authentic connections that involve fun activities that people actually want to participate in. Sure, there can be some aspects of work skill development but that tends to come naturally when your team can simply have fun together and get to know each other. Rent some cabins, go on a hike, race some go-carts, but be sure to take suggestions! Try alternating between activities that individuals on your team like to do. Not only do you get to know them better as a person, but they can share something they are passionate about with the people with who they spend most of their weekdays.

Read the Room

Leaders need to take responsibility and know their team members better than they know each other. Take a moment to read the room, note who most involves themselves with certain aspects of the project, recognize their strengths and weaknesses and offer them developmental opportunities that speak to them. Also, note what type of activities gather the most participation and those that tend to speak to more introverted members of your team. Respect that there will be a variety of personalities and preferences so don’t waste time finding a one size fits all activity, embrace diversity!

Be Consistent

True team building is not a one-and-done activity, it is a consistent and reliable part of a team member’s schedule. Whether activities are once a week or once a month, ensure that there is a predictable schedule that the team can expect fun opportunities to get to know one another.

Make it Voluntary

There is nothing worse than being forced to attend a team-building exercise that you are just not feeling. Leaders need to respect the boundaries of their team but also understand that they may have a lot on their plate. Maybe they are in the middle of a big project, have a family commitment, or just need a break. Making activities voluntary gives a choice but also means that you have to work harder to create an activity that people want to attend. Having a great turnout at an event where attendance is voluntary is validating that you are on the right track.

How to Know that Team Building is Working

How to Know that Team Building is Working

So if you don’t have an activity with some kind of post-event survey to collect feedback, how will you know if your efforts are working? You can simply ask the team for feedback or you can observe the indirect ways that your team will tell you that your efforts are paying off.

Reduced Stress

If you are still working in person, you can almost see stress hovering in the air. If you are more distant, stress may look like trouble meeting deadlines, inconsistent email responses, or even frequent sick days. As obvious as stress can be, the lack of stress can be just as visible. A more relaxed team is meeting deadlines, sharing new ideas, and showing up when they are needed. Productivity will increase and people will be happier when the weight of unnecessary stress is lifted.

Improved Communication

Whether this is watercooler chat, informal lunch meetings, or an active digital chat stream, a good team has learned how to effectively communicate both personally and professionally. You will know that you have successfully built a team when communication comes naturally. You will notice once quiet team members speak up in meetings when they have suggestions or need clarification, this is a sure sign of trust because it was the uncertainly of others’ reactions that kept them quiet in the first place.

Clear and Respected Boundaries

Often, teams tolerate a certain level of disruption and discomfort because they fear that setting boundaries will out them as not willing to be part of the team… the opposite is true! A team built on trust will recognize the need to communicate and set reasonable boundaries that will allow them to work most effectively – better serving the team. Not only are they comfortable setting boundaries but they also respect the boundaries of their team.

Supportive and Encouraging Environment

This one is obvious – high fives (elbows?) in the halls, shoutouts on the message board, and even personal notes of encouragement are just some of the ways that your team may show their support to each other. It is important that leadership foster an environment where the team feels supported, valued, and is recognized for their contribution to the organization.

Creativity Thrives

A team built on trust provides the foundation for people to feel confident in taking initiative and sharing creative ideas when they would have otherwise kept them safely inside their head… where no one can criticize. Nothing fosters a creative environment like a team that trusts each other, making it easy to offer suggestions that may be outside of the box. Innovation happens in environments where creativity is encouraged and everyone feels comfortable enough to share their true thoughts and ideas.

Conclusion

The old way of team building is dead but there are still many ways to build up your team that actually work. If you are looking for some inspiration on quality in-person and virtual team building, check out Team Building Activities for Your Business: How to Strengthen Team Bonding with Activities That Create Connection and 10 Virtual Team Building Activities Your Employees Will Actually Want To Do for quality ideas your team will want to participate in.

Posted on

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Projects for Strategic Advantage

Strategic Management in Project Management

There are two types of companies: those who give strategic planning only lip service and those who don’t. It’s the second type that wins because they have a strategic approach to project management. They know that strategy is about winning and igniting transformation in the entire marketplace.

Cambridge Online Dictionary says that strategic advantage is when a company has “a particular characteristic or way of doing things that makes it more successful than others.” In other words, strategic advantage is your ability to lean on your unique traits and win the severe competition.

Many businesses had to learn it the hard way – it takes time and several steps to manage projects strategically. In project management for strategic advantage you should develop a perspective, set a direction, and create a system to enjoy the best possible benefits in the long run.

Step 1: Adopt a strategic mindset

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.”

Lewis Carroll, the author of “Alice in Wonderland,” couldn’t have said it better. You won’t have project management for a strategic advantage if you don’t know where you’re heading.

Strategic project management is not merely taking your project from A to Z. Instead, strategic management creates and highlights the link between the project and the company’s bigger objectives.

Management “on the ground” is oftentimes disconnected from strategic project management. Strategic meetings are usually the ones you want to avoid by all means. But that’s where you decide on the criteria for selecting the next project. That’s where you build the strong link between the business strategy and your project plan.

With a strategic mindset, you can confidently plan, assess and review to retain the competitive edge of your product or service. That’s the best shortcut to place you one step ahead of your competition.

Step 2: Choose the right project

How do you decide which project to complete and which one to reject? Right. You assess your project against the organizational objectives.

Choose the right project

Source: ResearchGate

Let the vision of the company guide you. Day-to-day or month-to-month projects should help you link the results to a key strategy and the company’s vision. You take those long-term goals and weave them into each and every project you do. That’s what they call seeing the bigger picture.

It’s not about getting down to the next project only because it looks great. You need to analyze strategically, choose strategically, and implement strategically if you aim to gain a strategic advantage in the market.

Focus on business outcomes

Step 3: Focus on business outcomes.

When the first generation of Ford Taurus was launched in 1986, it was a tremendous success. Customers loved it! It quickly became the best selling car in America at the time.

Ford Taurus set new standards in the market and demonstrated how to manage projects for strategic advantage. However, upon the project’s completion, the project manager was fired. The reason was that the project wasn’t delivered on time (in fact, there was a six-month delay).

When the new project manager came on board to oversee the launch of the second generation of Taurus, he knew what exactly to be aware of. The second generation of Taurus was launched on time but provided disappointing results. The outstanding success wasn’t replicated.

“This is what we call the difference between an operationally managed project and a strategically managed project,” writes Aaron Shenhar, professor of Project Management, in one of his articles.

No wonder project management for strategic advantage means improving business outcomes in the long run. If you aim for innovation and a refreshing customer experience, you should think beyond filling in templates and ticking boxes for completed tasks. Place customer needs and strategic advantage at the heart of strategic project management.

With these three steps, the scene is now set. But even after you’ve started with the project, external and internal factors can cause disruptions by putting the project on hold or even forcing you to give up on it.

Monitor the competitive landscape

Step 4: Monitor the competitive landscape

You don’t want to be caught off-guard at any stage of project completion, do you?

Strategic management in project management always goes hand in hand with monitoring the competitor’s activities. This means that you take care of the internal processes as well as watch out for external threats and opportunities.

Unexpected twists and turns in the market can give you an early warning or an additional push in a specific direction. Asking questions like “Is this change significant?” or “How does this change affect my project?” will successfully guide your action plans.

For competitor assessment, consider using Michael Porter’s “Five Forces Framework,” which helps to evaluate the five major forces that affect industries, their corporate strategy, and profitability.

Manage risks strategically

Step 5: Manage risks strategically

It’s time to make sure your project is risk-informed and resilient to uncertainty.

A detailed risk management plan not only helps you watch out for barriers in project management but also contributes to the strategic success of the project. Dr. David Hillson points out six steps in the risk management process:

  1. Define objectives at risk (What are we trying to achieve?)
  2. Identify risks (What could affect us achieving it? )
  3. Assess/analyze risks (Which of those are most important?)
  4. Plan risk responses (What could we do about it?)
  5. Implement risk responses ((Do it!) Did it work?)
  6. Monitor and review (What’s changed?)

But there is more.

If you strive to find a strategic advantage, you should acknowledge that strategic risk management doesn’t refer solely to risks; it also involves opportunities. If you manage to spot a gap you can fill in or an uncertainty that you can make use of, then congratulations! You’ve been in the right place at the right time!

Thus, strategic management in project management will aim to minimize risks and maximize opportunities. This helps you optimize your project delivery and manage your projects more successfully than your competitors do.

Put your people first

Step 6: Put your people first

What if research shows that customers are more worried about customer service than the price of your product or service? Would this information force you to change the way you hire and manage your team?

Let your staffing action plan become a strategic advantage itself. Prioritize these two steps: make certain that your team is able to do something that competitors cannot easily copy, and take the best care of your people so that no one can lure them away.

Be present. Offer guidance. Make sure your team fully understands the company’s business strategy. Confused and uncertain team members will push the entire project to mediocrity. And mediocrity means you’re in trouble.

As surprising as it may sound, when you think beyond a single project and take the company’s bigger objectives and vision into account, you’re more likely to recruit the best talent for your project. Aim to find answers to this question: what knowledge, skills, and competencies do my team members need to respond to long-term market demands and deliver business results?

Furthermore, transparency is a key currency in project management. Involve your team members in the process of developing the project goals. Get the people to agree on the direction to go. “You need collaboration and participation by the people that are going to be impacted, not just in the execution of the plan but in the planning itself,” writes Dr. Joseph M. Juran, an engineer and management consultant. This empowers people to deliver results, boosts employee morale immensely, and establishes a starking linkage between employee commitment and customer satisfaction.

When you shift from mere team building activities and conflict resolution to establishing a team spirit, meaning, motivation and vision, you start managing your project for strategic advantage. Walk the extra mile to keep the team inspired, and your people will cultivate organizational capabilities that all of you will be proud of. Your team has unique strengths. Recognize them and build on them!

Concluding thoughts

We know it. You want your competitors to admit that your company has a deep strategic advantage. Don’t worry. If you’ve opted for project management for strategic advantage, you’ll continue delivering outstanding results.

Before allocating any resources to the next project, take a short break. Look into the mission and objectives of the company and see whether the project will take you a step closer to your company’s vision.

Most businesses are still busy with getting that next project done. Don’t be one of them. Your commitment to managing projects for strategic advantage will soon reward you. The few who make it the core of their working style will thrive in tomorrow’s marketplace.

Posted on

Advantages and Disadvantages of Visionary Leadership

Visionary Leadership

Organizations have a vision statement for a reason – to communicate the direction in which they are heading and the goal (vision) they wish to achieve.

Visions are powerful tools that inspire people into action. A team that has a clear vision for their work will be more motivated to contribute to the process because they understand how their contribution fits in the grand scheme of things and helps move the needle in the right direction.

But it isn’t enough to simply have a vision, the vision itself will only get you so far.

A powerful vision paired with an inspiring visionary leader is the organizational gold at the end of the rainbow. The role of a visionary leader is an important one but it isn’t as simple as finding someone with a vision and giving them a position in your organization. Visionary leaders, while inspiring and essential, come with quirks and tendencies that will require some mitigation to ensure they are as effective as possible.

What is Visionary Leadership

What is Visionary Leadership?

One of the best and most recognized examples of a visionary leader is Nelson Mandela. It was his vision that not only pushed for profound changes in his home country but also inspired the world. His words and quotes are recognized around the globe and there is no arguing his impact that we are still feeling to this day.

No, you do not need to have the reach of Nelson Mandela or even be a CEO to be considered a visionary leader, only the attention of a dedicated team that believes in the vision you are presenting – big or small. Here are some key qualities of a visionary leader:

They Inspire Those Around Them

It isn’t hard to spot a visionary leader but it is hard to resist being pulled into their orbit. Visionary leaders have a way of drawing people in and inspiring them to work towards a common goal. Their style is such that they tend to gather a team of passionate individuals, rallying them for a cause that seems so close they can taste it!

They are Great Communicators

Visionary leaders prioritize communication. Their role is to create a vision that inspires people to actually make it happen and they can only do that if they can effectively communicate with the team. They are inclusive because they understand the value of a number of perspectives and know that each person has something to add.

They are Optimistic and Enthusiastic

They are big picture thinkers whose optimistic charm is contagious. They believe in their vision with an unmatched passion driven by the sincere belief that it can and will happen (with the help of a team of course). This enthusiasm is responsible for the magnetic pull that seems to accompany every good visionary.

They are Open-Minded and Empathetic

A vision does not come without its challenges and being open-minded and willing to pivot when there is new information is important. Pairing nicely with an open mind is the ability to be empathetic, visionaries are able to connect with the team at a level that fosters a reciprocating relationship of trust and understanding.

They Embrace Innovation and Set Goals

A vision (by definition) is innovative because it has yet to be achieved… keyword being yet. Visionaries recognize the importance of setting tangible goals, communicating them to the team, and ensuring that there are rewards for achieving them to keep people motivated and pushing ahead.

Leadership Styles

Other Leadership Styles

For context, it is important to understand that there are a number of leadership styles, the visionary being one of the 6 that are most recognized. We can thank Daniel Goleman for artfully laying out the different leadership styles in his book Leadership That Gets Results. While this article will focus on the visionary leadership style, know that each style has its advantages and disadvantages and all provide value to a team.

Coaching

If you have ever played any organized sports, this will be a familiar style to you. Much like an athletic coach, leaders that implement this style tend to be supportive and helpful and create the ideal environment for high performers. One of the main characteristics that you will observe in this style of leadership is a culture of empowerment. These types of leaders value constant and incremental improvement, good ones will be able to recognize and respect individual boundaries and apply the right amount of pressure when needed.

Affiliative

Affiliative leaders focus on building relationships and camaraderie. They lead with empathy and understanding which helps the team realize that they are in it together and are motivated because they feel understood and seen. In essence, affiliative leaders put people first and are especially effective in stressful work environments, helping people push through tough times because they feel supported and valued. Affiliative leaders tend to struggle when it comes to giving negative feedback though because of the value they place on relationships.

Democratic

Democratic leaders see their job as a numbers game, gathering input and feedback to find the most agreed-upon solution. They tend to value creativity and have no problem taking more time to ensure that the best solution is reached. Consensus is important to democratic leaders, they trust their team and foster an environment where they feel safe to contribute their thoughts and ideas. Things may not move as fast under this type of leader but everyone will have the opportunity to have their say.

Pacesetter

Unlike the slow and steady democratic leader, pacesetting leaders are driven by results and the need to move up… fast! To work under a pacesetter, you must be self-motivated and driven because the expectations and the stakes are high. If you are a pacesetter, it is important to recognize that there is a slippery slope between being driven and driving over others. There are admirable qualities of this type of leader but they can be intimidating to those that don’t share the same style.

Commanding

Though often seen in a negative light, commanding leaders are particularly effective in situations where quick decisions need to be made. They work well under pressure and have no problem with confrontation when needed. This type of leader does not work well in all work environments and can quickly become problematic if respect hasn’t yet been established.

Developing as a Visionary Leader

Developing as a Visionary Leader

Whether you are a natural visionary or are looking to become one, it is important to consider the following aspects of development to ensure that all pieces are in place to properly develop as a visionary leader:

Industry Knowledge

Having industry knowledge may seem obvious but it is incredibly important for a visionary, no rock is to be left unturned as they gain familiarity with every component of the organization and the industry in which it resides. Understanding the trends, best practices, and key players in the industry will better inform the viability of the vision – visionaries are optimistic, not blind.

Develop Outside Perspective

Being able to step outside of your organization and view it from a different perspective is one of the key traits of a visionary leader. While everyone else is busy hustling, visionaries are taking the time to observe the intricacies of the full machine that is the organization. This practice can serve to better inform internal workings by offering insight into how the business is perceived from the outside. Some of the best innovations come from taking a step back.

Cultivate Relationships

Visionaries are often likable by nature but that also comes with their ability to develop and cultivate relationships. The bigger the vision, the more resources and people are needed to make it happen. Visionaries are generous, often giving credit to their circle of colleagues and other acquaintances. They understand that, though they may see a more complete picture than most, they cannot possibly know everything so they rely heavily on the networks they create to fill in the blanks.

Connect Ideas and Opportunities

Much like the perks of looking at the organization from the outside, stepping back far enough to see ideas and people worth connecting is just another example of the great value that visionaries bring to the table. Being able to leverage all the resources available is not only cost-effective but also creates an environment for innovation to thrive where it might otherwise be stifled by arbitrary boundaries between departments or organizational hierarchies.

Quiet Time for Brain Exercise

Quiet Time for Brain Exercise

Your brain is like a muscle, use it or lose it. While it’s easy to see the energy needed to perform a physically demanding job, brainwork often appears to be invisible and sometimes underappreciated. Don’t be fooled, being a visionary is a mentally demanding job. It is important that visionaries set appropriate boundaries on their time and attention and make those boundaries clear to the team. Some visionaries require quiet time in a distraction-free environment to hash out their plans, grant them this and any other accommodation that may be needed so that they may exercise their brain in peace.

Regular Vision Tests

Visionaries tend to have such strong convictions and faith in their visions, not from blind optimism but because their ideas are routinely tested against other visions and informed by outside expertise. They are always consulting with trusted colleagues and industry leaders, observing early adopters of similar ideas and asking themselves “what if…” in an attempt to refine their vision to be foolproof. Part of this testing happens naturally as visionaries consume more and more information relevant to their industry and apply their learnings in practical ways that better inform and refine the vision.

Practice Communication

No one can build excitement quite like a charismatic visionary but that doesn’t always come easy. Some visionaries get lost in their own excitement and implement a just-trust-me kind of attitude which can backfire when others cannot see what all the fuss is about. Clearly communicating the vision not only helps others understand it but helps them understand their place in the process so that they can better support its development. When a team feels ownership over an idea, they are instantly more motivated to see it come to life.

Take Calculated Risks

There are no gains without any risk. It is important to understand the level of risk that an organization is willing to undertake for the sake of a vision as some companies are inherently risk-averse. Visionaries, when left unchecked, can become a huge liability to the organization but they can also be the best thing to ever happen to them.

Examples of Visionary Leaders

Examples of Visionary Leaders

We already mentioned Nelson Mandela as one of the most recognizable and obvious visionary leaders. In order to fully understand the impact of visionary leaders on your everyday life, here are an additional 5 that you may (or should) recognize for the impact of their visions on the global community.

Salman Khan

You may not recognize his name at first but, especially if you are a parent, you are likely familiar with the impressive platform that he built called Khan Academy. Khan Academy is a non-profit that offers free educational videos and tutorials online that are available around the world. Salman had a vision that was inspired by his time spent tutoring his younger cousins, he wanted tutors and educational resources to be available to every young person, not just those with money. His mission and vision?

“Free world-class education for anyone, anywhere”

Simple, right? While initially focused on younger learners, the platform has expanded to higher levels of education to reach even more people.

Bill and Melinda Gates

Unless you live under a rock, you have heard of the Gates. While Microsoft may be the first thing that comes to mind, it is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that offers an even better example of visionary leadership.

Together, they are “working toward a world where every person has an opportunity to lead a healthy, productive life—a vision that is as important in our home state as it is around the globe.”

The foundation holds the title of the largest charitable organization in the world. At the time of writing this blog, Bill Gates is the fifth richest person in the world so it is comforting to see all that money go to good use and towards a vision that truly inspires and reaches people in every corner of the world.

Maya Angelou

Another household name, Maya Angelou is a one-woman show! She wrote poetry and books, acted, danced, and sang. She was the recipient of countless awards, some after her death in 2014. She also holds more than 50 honorary degrees!

Arguably, one of her most impressive accomplishments was her civil rights activism. Dr. Angelou worked closely with other recognized civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to fight for equality in the ’60s for African-Americans and the fight is ongoing today.

Very recently, she even became the first black woman to be featured on a U.S. coin!

Her many works and her inspiring words will stay with us for generations to come as her vision lives on in anyone who continues her work towards a vision of a more equitable world.

Malala Yousafzai

The world knows and loves this brave young woman. She believed so strongly that girls should have access to education that, contrary to local rules, she boarded the school bus in an attempt to go to school. Because of her defiance, she was shot in the head by the Taliban.

She was 15 years old.

In the western world, it is hard to imagine that our children would ever be in a situation where they would have to risk their lives for an education and we take for granted that this is not the reality for so many young people. Malala opened our eyes to this injustice.

Not only did she survive, but her vision for education and human rights for girls was made even stronger and quickly spread around the world, her bravery won her the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala inspired a whole generation of girls to push for the right to education and disrupt the system of oppression that weighed so heavily on her peers and girls around the world.

Dr. Pamela Palmater

While not known around the world like Maya, Bill, or Malala, Dr. Palmater has made strides in her home country of Turtle Island – also known as Canada to settlers. She is a Mi’kmaw citizen originally from Eel River Bar First Nation in New Brunswick.

Her vision is clear: an equitable world where Indigenous people are respected and valued for their traditional knowledge and wisdom. She pushes this vision by holding some pretty impressive positions as both a lawyer and a professor at one of Canada’s top educational institutes, Ryerson University, where she teaches Indigenous Governance.

Her list of recognitions and awards is a mile long but one of her most recognized contributions was her involvement in the Idle No More movement, a movement related to environmental and Indigenous rights. Because of her passion for justice, it is no surprise that she uses her position and her extensive education to push other social justice issues like that of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

These are just a handful of examples of inspiring visionaries leaders and their accomplishments that changed the world but the pattern is clear – visionaries hyper-focus on their vision and work tirelessly towards it.

Benefits of Visionary Leadership

Benefits of Visionary Leadership

It isn’t hard to see the benefits of having a visionary leader in your organization or on your team. This optimistic and energetic individual has a way of inspiring those around them, motivating them to take up the cause and eagerly follow. Some key benefits of recruiting or fostering a visionary leader include:

Directional Hyperfocus

Visionaries have a way of always bringing it back to the main vision, ensuring that everyone is on track and heading in the right direction. Small bumps in the road are no match for their persistence and desire for the vision to come to fruition. These long-term thinkers pair well with the short-term and day-to-day team members that implement the work needed to achieve the vision.

Comfortable with Risk

When there is something worth striving for, risks are part of the game. Visionaries are more likely to take calculated risks because they can see the bigger picture and therefore more accurately understand not only the cost but the potential gain. Their optimistic nature also helps calm the nerves when it comes to making any kind of jump.

Optimistic Energy

Has it been mentioned yet that visionaries are optimistic people? One of the most lovable qualities of a visionary leader is their unwavering optimism and dedication to the vision. Their energy is contagious and people can’t help but jump on board the visionary train. Visionaries play an important role when it comes to inspiring a team to action and assigning meaning to their work.

Creativity and Innovation

Visionaries are known creatives, they have to be in order to have such a clear vision of the future in which their idea comes to life. Much like inspiring optimism in their teams, they also inspire people to let their creative juices flow. They encourage an environment where innovation can thrive by establishing it as the norm. While their own ability to be creative and innovative is unmatched, giving permission to others to exercise these often suppressed qualities creates the perfect environment for future visionaries to spread their wings.

Inspiration and Direction

At their best, visionaries are simply great people to be around. They are known not just for their value but also for acknowledging workers’ achievements, recognizing their contributions to the overall vision. Appreciated people are more likely to give it their all and help advance the vision for everyone. Visionaries create a united front of inspired people with a common goal.

Disadvantages of Visionary Leadership

Disadvantages of Visionary Leadership

Visionary leadership sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?

It certainly is a dream in many ways but nothing will ever get done if your head is always in the clouds. With all of the upsides, inspiration and optimism that come with visionary leadership, there are disadvantages that are obvious to those who have ever had the pleasure of working with this type of leader.

Hyperfocus on the Wrong Things

Visionaries tend to hyperfocus on the big picture and neglect the details and processes that would actually allow them to reach the end goal. This can leave a team frustrated as they can see the vision but lack any kind of instructions on how to make it happen. The big vision can be overwhelming to a team when there is no guidance on how to obtain it.

Disconnected from Reality

While the visionary is focused on the big picture and distant vision, they tend to ignore the present as it seems much less interesting than the “what ifs”. This lack of day to day perspective and guidance can lead to additional frustration from a team that struggles to see the clear path to the vision or even their roles in obtaining it. The team may also tire of having to constantly remind the visionary that we live on planet Earth and the laws of physics (or general business) apply here.

Bore Easily

A bored visionary is problematic as they rely heavily on the energy that comes with exciting opportunities. When that energy fades, they tend to look for the next hit of excitement. A solopreneur may benefit from the ability to quickly pivot to new projects but an organization (like a large boat) take time and energy to change directions. While change is sometimes warranted, if it isn’t planned properly (with everyone onboard) it could turn out to be a huge waste of resources and increase the time needed to arrive at the destination.

Inconsiderate of Succession Planning

To a visionary, succession planning is working backwards… not their strong suit. Who needs to plan for succession when you are so focused on the end goal and so optimistic that you will achieve it? Long-term vision can sometimes blind you to short-term realities which can be stressful for management as well as the team.

Lack of Communication

When a visionary leader is left unchecked, they are significantly less likely to follow through and even less likely to communicate any changes or ideas with the team. Lack of communication can be the nail in the coffin when those involved in implementing the strategy are left out of the loop. In 2019, the Harvard Business Review released an article called Why Visionary Leadership Fails which discusses the idea of risk management through communication and team involvement.

Disrespecting Boundaries

Blinded by the bright side, visionaries can also be unrealistic in their expectations of others but also the boundaries that exist in the real world. When they are out of touch, it could spell disaster for the organization because everyone else is expected to follow a certain set of rules and respect certain chains of command. Trust is eroded when one individual is given free rein while the rest scramble to make it work.

Compensating for Shortcomings

Compensating for Shortcomings

So what is the verdict? Are visionary leaders inspiring and creative individuals that are an asset to the company or are they a blind risk taking liability?

The truth is that they have the capability of being either. The good news is that there are ways to mitigate the potential negative impact that a visionary leader can have on your organization and embrace their best qualities.

Almost all of the disadvantages have one common counterweight – the buddy. The most obvious and effective way to make the best of a visionary leader is to pair them with someone with the opposite set of skills, a professional buddy. This person will serve as an anchor to keep the visionary from drifting too far from shore while giving them a good amount of lead to do what they do best. It is important that this designated voice of reason be someone that the visionary actually trusts and will listen to.

This partner also has a vision, theirs is just on the ground level. Being able to see the path that leads to the vision and chop it into bite-sized pieces is complimentary to the visionary.

If you happen to be a visionary, work for one, or have one on your team, keeping things fresh and interesting will keep them inspired and focused on the vision. Remember, a bored visionary is bad news and can cause disruptions in the organization.

Conclusion

Visionary leaders are valuable to any organization. Their contagious energy and dedication to the vision will inspire your team to action and keep the ship on course.

Whether you are reading this as a visionary leader or looking to better understand the visionary leader in your life, it is important to understand your role. Leaders exist at every level in an organization and you can check out my other Teamly blog Act… Like a Leader to learn more about why your own leadership (visionary or not) matters.

Posted on

Meetings Getting Derailed? Here’s How to Keep Things on Track

How to Keep Meetings On Track

Today’s meetings are frequent, lengthy, and keeping things on track can be hard for anyone to manage. Meetings are key to progress, whether you’re trying to impress a client and win a contract or plan for your business’s future. Without them, decisions don’t get made and viewpoints aren’t heard.

Have you ever been in a meeting led by someone who, for lack of a better word, is boring? It’s hard to force yourself to pay attention when you have to focus on staying awake – that is not a good look. When you lead a meeting you need to be charismatic, succinct, and so good they can’t look away.

It’s not the sole responsibility of the meeting leader to keep things on track. If you’re in a meeting, there is plenty you can do to ensure the meeting stays productive if you notice your colleagues starting to get sidetracked.

In this article, we’re going to look at exactly how to keep meetings on track when things stop progressing. We’ll look at how everyone in the room can ensure the meeting ends on time, with all the topics of the day discussed.

How to Keep Meetings on Track as the Host

How to Keep Meetings on Track as the Host

Pitching a concept to new investors? You need to keep their attention otherwise your great ideas may fail to leave an impression. No matter if you’re a seasoned pro or you haven’t presented anything since school, the fundamentals of a good meeting don’t change.

It’s human nature for the mind to wander and it’s part of your job to keep things on track and stop people from disengaging with what you have to say. The importance of meetings can vary from a quick catch-up session to deciding the future of the business. Whatever the agenda is, you want the participants to contribute and be engaged.

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways for how to keep meetings on track if you’re the one running things.

Make the Objective Clear

Make sure that everyone is aware of what the meeting is about before it starts. Ideally, you’ll give people a good amount of notice. Not only does this help you to define the scope of the meeting but it allows the other members the chance to prepare. If the meeting is going to require group participation then everyone will benefit from having the time to research, collect their thoughts, and prepare something.

Every good meeting has an agenda that explains each of the talking points. If you can, email this out to everyone who will be present in the meeting. Meetings that don’t have a clear agenda are more likely to run off course. An agenda with clear objectives provides clarity and keeps things moving on track.

Assess the Meeting Size

Before you send the email invite to the whole department, consider who actually needs to be in the meeting. The larger the meeting size the higher the risk that things will start to get messy. Smaller meetings also carry the possibility of not providing enough information or soliciting diverse opinions.

Instead, try to invite people who are critical to the meeting. A memo with the meeting notes can be sent to other interested parties and stakeholders. If a meeting starts to get too full there may not be enough time to hear from everyone. There’s also no benefit to inviting someone who has nothing to contribute or gain as it will be a frustrating experience for them.

Meeting Location

The location of the meeting can set the tone for how the discussion will flow. A group meeting is best located in the conference room, or somewhere with minimal environmental distractions. Try and make the meeting secluded; close the door, draw the blinds, and block out any distractions.

If you don’t have access to a meeting room in your office, it may be worth renting one for an hour or two somewhere else. There may be an opportunity to use a meeting room in your office block, or elsewhere in the city center or business parks.

Unless absolutely necessary, participants shouldn’t be bringing in their tech devices. This is everything from personal cell phones to their work laptop. The most effective note-taking tool will be paper and pen as they will be the least distracting. Obviously, there will be exceptions to this but without tech, people will be less likely to browse the web or send a sly text.

Get to the Point

Get to the Point

Time is precious, especially if you’re the one signing the paychecks at the end of the month. If you’re hosting a meeting you should make sure you’re clear and concise with everything you say. Allow people the opportunity to stop you and ask for clarification if anything is unclear, but keep the conversation flowing.

You should also stop other people in the meeting who are getting off-topic. It’s easy for tangents to occur in the meeting room when someone follows a connected train of thought. If this gets too far off course, they can end up bringing up topics that aren’t pertinent to the meeting agenda.

Pause them and seek clarification if something is bothering them, it may be that a separate meeting to address these issues is needed. In any case, acknowledge what they are saying and shelve the topic for another time. Bring the conversation back to the points in the meeting agenda.

Prioritize the Most Important Points

People lose focus during the tail end of a meeting, unfortunately, it’s just the way of things. Concentration starts to wane and people zone out, so if you leave the most important topics until the end, you’re not going to be getting 100% out of participants. Instead, always plant the most important talking points at the start of the meeting.

If the critical topics are moved to the start of proceedings you’ll be able to get people’s best input. At this point they are more engaged, will find it easier to think, and participation will be at its highest.

Stick the Schedule

Stick the Schedule

Meetings should start and finish when they’re supposed to. If someone is running late to the meeting it will need to start without them. This helps to teach people an important lesson, that meetings won’t be put on hold to wait for them. Equally as important is ensuring that people can leave at the designated time.

Overrunning can cause a lot of problems, participants have roles they need to be getting on with and if a meeting goes over it can cause them stress. People start to get antsy and concentration goes out the window. Stick to the meeting agenda and wrap things up at the agreed-upon time.

Divide Talking Points Between Participants

One way to keep people engaged is to change the meeting leader for the different talking points. Participation is key to keeping things fresh and avoiding people’s minds from wandering. Agenda points should be distributed to people ahead of the meeting so they have time to prepare.

By doing this you can ensure that talking points are led by people who have the appropriate knowledge in each subject. You may not be an expert in everything that needs to be discussed so handing part of the meeting over to someone more experienced can help to develop ideas and lead the conversation.

Make Time for Discussion

When setting the length of the meeting you should build enough time for people to discuss and ask questions about each topic. Allow an extra 5 minutes or so in case people need to seek clarification about anything. It’s best to do this after each topic so questions will be fresh in their mind.

If you only allow for questions at the end, people may forget what they wanted to ask, or think that it’s no longer relevant. You should always create an atmosphere of no stupid questions and encourage people to speak up with they don’t understand something.

Also, build in some time towards the end for a recap and to encourage discussion about talking points. This gives people an additional opportunity to seek clarification and helps the meeting to end with everyone on the same page.

Have Someone Take Notes

Bring in your secretary and ask them to keep notes on the meeting, or alternatively, ask someone in attendance to do this. Ask them to record every question that was asked and any answers that were provided. If there are questions that can’t be answered in the meeting, you can email the answer along with the complete notes.

Since you’ll be busy running the meeting, this isn’t something you’ll be able to accurately manage at the same time. A dedicated note take can ensure that all key information is recorded and a copy of the notes is sent to everyone for their records. If anyone is late to the meeting or can’t attend for any reason, they should be able to easily access these notes.

How to Keep Meetings on Track as a Participant

How to Keep Meetings on Track as a Participant

Just because you’re not the one leading the meeting, it doesn’t mean you don’t have a duty to help keep things on track. There are ways for you to support the host by being a golden example of participation. Your behavior in meetings is a great way to make an impression on your superiors. Meetings are intimate and personal, so you should take the opportunity to demonstrate competency.

Active Listening

Listen attentively to whoever is speaking and understand what they are talking about. If there is an opportunity to respond, demonstrate your comprehension and repeat key points back to them. Give them verbal and non-verbal cues that you are listening and take note of what’s being discussed.

Write down key information as this will help you reflect on what’s being said. Once the speaker is done and they encourage discussion, get involved. Refer back to key points and add your thoughts to the topic. Be patient and non-judgemental with whoever is speaking and show them the respect you would desire in return.

Ask Questions

If there is something you don’t understand or would like further clarification on, speak up. There are no stupid questions, even if you may think so. Chances are, if you’re thinking it, someone else is as well. Don’t wait for them to pipe up and ask, get involved, and make sure you understand everything that’s being said.

The host can’t read minds and may assume that they are being clear. However, what’s obvious to them might not be to everyone else. Good meetings should have everyone at the same level of understanding and asking questions is a great way to increase your own knowledge. If it’s critical, interrupt the host and ask for more information, otherwise, write the question down and ask at the end of the topic.

Encourage Participation

Some people are extroverted and love to talk in meetings, they know exactly what they want to say and they’re confident enough to say it. Others can be introverted and quiet. They might have a really important point of view that they’re too shy to share without prompting.

Anyone in the meeting can step up and encourage participation from people who are being quiet. Allow others the chance to take the floor and share their opinions. If you’re someone who finds it easy to talk in meetings, use that confidence to build others up and seek input from those who haven’t found the space to interject.

Conclusion

Meetings are inevitable in business. Key decisions are decided in meetings and keeping things enticing and moving forward is imperative. When you gather a group of people together to hold a meeting, you want to make sure that you’re going to get good participation and hit all the key points you need.

Some people find hosting meetings to be a nervous experience but if you make a clear agenda, assign different talking points to participants, and stick to the schedule, your meeting should run smoothly.

Everyone in the meeting room has a duty to make sure things are progressing. Tangents and diversions will happen but if participants keep a keen eye out for this behavior, things can be pulled back to what’s on the agenda. Hosts should lead by example and make concise points, encourage discussion and end things on time.

Posted on

Managing Project Schedules: Foundational principles for getting started

In today’s fast-paced business world, project managers are required to juggle an ever-growing number of tasks and responsibilities. With limited time and resources available, schedules must be managed effectively to ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget.

While there is no one “right” way to manage a project schedule, there are several foundational principles that should be followed to create an effective and efficient plan. In this blog post, we will explore the basics of project scheduling, the challenges that you might face, and several tips to help you manage your next project schedule.

What is a project schedule and why do you need one?

A project schedule is a plan that describes the activities, milestones, and dependencies of all work required to achieve an objective within the parameter of a project.

Projects are temporary endeavors undertaken by one organization (or team) to create unique deliverables specified by shareholders or customers for a specific purpose.

A schedule is an essential tool for project managers as it allows them to plan and track the progress of their projects, identify potential risks and issues, and make necessary adjustments to keep the project on track.

Without a project schedule, it would be very difficult (if not impossible) to keep track of all the tasks that need to be completed and the specific processes that need to be followed. The basic principles of scheduling are important because they help ensure that all tasks have been identified, processed, assigned resources (if required), and scheduled accordingly.

The creation of a schedule is also an essential part of managing change on your project as it makes it possible to identify scope changes promptly and assess the impact on the overall project schedule.

The basics of managing a project schedule

The basic principles of scheduling are pretty straightforward: define the scope, develop milestones and dependencies between tasks, assign resources to complete each task, and then follow up with regular reporting to monitor progress and ensure that the plan is on track.

Define the scope

The first step in creating a project schedule is to define the scope of the project. This includes understanding what needs to be done, who will be involved, and how long it is expected to take. The more detailed the definition of the project scope, the easier it will be to develop an accurate schedule.

Develop milestones and dependencies between tasks

Once the scope of the project has been defined, milestones and dependencies between tasks need to be identified. Milestones are key points in a project that signify significant accomplishments or changes in direction.

Dependencies between tasks describe the relationship between two or more tasks (e.g., task A cannot start until task B is completed). Assigning dependencies helps ensure that the schedule is arranged in a logical sequence and helps reduce the risk of tasks being done out-of-order.

Assign resources to complete each task

The basic principle for assigning resources (e.g., people, teams, organizations) to projects or programs are based on two factors: availability and capability. While resource allocation may appear to be a simple task, it can often be difficult to find the right resources at the right time and ensure that they have the necessary skills and experience to complete the task.

Follow up with regular reporting to monitor progress and ensure that the plan is on track

The final basic principle for managing a project schedule is to establish a process for regular reporting to stakeholders. This includes setting up regular meetings to review the schedule and identify any potential issues or delays, as well as updating the schedule with actual progress once it has been verified.

Summary

The basic principles of scheduling are essential for anyone involved in managing a project. By understanding these principles and applying them effectively, you can create a schedule that is realistic and helps you stay on track.

Challenges

Now that we have gone over the basic principles of scheduling, let’s take a look at some of the more common challenges project managers face when it comes to managing their schedules.

  • Point-in-time estimation

    When estimating the duration of tasks, it’s important to remember that estimates are just that – estimates. There is always a certain amount of uncertainty involved in predicting how long something will take. As a project manager, you need to be prepared for unforeseen delays and be able to adjust your schedule as needed.

  • “What if” analysis

    One of the basic principles of scheduling is to identify as many potential contingencies upfront. By doing this, you can be better prepared for delays and other issues that may arise during your project. However, there are always unknown factors involved in any major undertaking and it’s important not to get too caught up in potential problems.

  • Resource allocation

    Resource allocation can be a challenge, especially when there is a shortage of qualified personnel or when the project requires specific expertise that is not readily available. As a project manager, it’s important to be proactive in finding the right resources and planning for potential delays.

  • Communicating schedule changes

    When things change – and they always do – it’s important to communicate those changes effectively to all of the stakeholders affected by them. This includes updating the schedule as needed and holding regular status meetings to keep everyone informed.

  • Maintaining focus on the end goal

    It’s easy to get bogged down in the details of a project and lose sight of the end goal. As a project manager, it’s important to stay focused on the objectives of the project and make sure everyone involved is aware of what needs to be done to achieve those goals.

Summary

It’s important to be prepared for the challenges that inevitably come up during any major project. With careful planning and a lot of hard work, you can successfully manage your project schedule and see your project through to completion.

Tips for staying on track with your project timelines

Use a project management software to create and track your schedule

Teamly is our secret weapon that gives you the functionality needed to manage your entire team, remotely. You’ll have the single project management tool needed to finish projects much faster and efficiently, giving you a clear advantage over your competition. Estimate the duration of tasks using best practices

Anticipate potential delays and problems and plan for them accordingly

This approach will help you avoid situations where you have to throw out your schedule and start from scratch. Review the basic principles of scheduling Make sure that all your team members are aware of these basic guidelines for creating a realistic project schedule.

Communicate changes effectively to all stakeholders

As a project manager, be prepared to adjust your schedule as needed and share any changes with all affected parties. As a best practice, discuss potential obstacles and issues with your team so that everyone is on the same page.

Stay focused on the end goal of the project.

Remember to always keep the end goal in mind and remember that a project is never really finished until the final product is delivered and accepted by the client.

What to do when the original timeline doesn’t work out…

There will inevitably be times when the original timeline for a project doesn’t work out. When this happens, it’s important to take a step back and figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. Here are a few tips for getting back on track:

  • Review your schedule and make changes as needed
  • Reassess the basic principles of scheduling to identify any overlooked risks and potential obstacles
  • Communicate with team members, stakeholders, and clients as needed to keep everyone informed about the schedule changes.

A look at how project scheduling can be used in various industries…

Almost every sector may benefit from project management. Let’s take a look at a few examples, such as building, manufacturing, retail, and software development.

Construction projects

Project scheduling for construction projects: contractors and developers need to be very proactive when it comes to planning out their schedules. After all, a delay can mean thousands of dollars in lost revenue – not including the cost of keeping project team members on staff longer than anticipated. This is especially true with specialty trades like plumbing or electrical work that require specific licenses and certifications.

Manufacturing

Project scheduling for manufacturing: manufacturers have a lot of flexibility when it comes to their schedules, but they still need to account for basic principles like raw materials delivery times and shipping logistics. These factors can make or break the effective planning of a project schedule that takes into consideration all aspects affecting production flow and output capacity during each stage of the manufacturing process.

Retail

Project scheduling for retail businesses: one of the main challenges for retailers is the variability of customer demand. This means that store managers need to be able to plan staffing and inventory needs on a week-by-week basis, rather than relying on long-term forecasts. Because of this, most retailers use some form of project management software to keep track of their sales and customer data.

Software development

Project scheduling for software development: as with most projects, effective communication is key when it comes to software development project schedules. Developers need to be able to plan their work and account for potential delays that may arise during the coding and testing phases of a project. By using an agile methodology and breaking down tasks into small, achievable chunks, developers can ensure that their project schedules are always up-to-date and reflect the latest changes.

In conclusion…

Project scheduling is necessary for all projects – no matter what industry you’re in. By understanding the basic principles of scheduling and realistically applying them, you’ll be able to create more effective project schedules that deliver results.

Posted on

How To Be A Better Manager: Your Go-To Guide For The 10 Most Transformative Management Strategies

How to Be a Better Manager

At one time or another, every strong manager has asked themselves “how can I become a better manager?”. This is the mark of a great leader: the ability to reflect inward and consider your weaker points is essential in building them up to be stronger, not only for yourself but for your team as well.

A strong manager has a cascading effect through an entire team and the performance as a whole will reflect that. You can become a better manager with the proper tools to create new habits and find success.

Why Is Strong Management Essential In The Workplace

Why Is Strong Management Essential In The Workplace?

A strong team doesn’t just happen accidentally. It’s the result of a series of intentional choices and well-thought-out actions. The effects a manager has on their team can be exponentially positive…and if done poorly, equally negative. A survey done by Gallup found evidence of this when they discovered that 70% of a team’s engagement is based on their management. That means the level of engagement you experience from your team is a reflection of your management style.

How did that statistic make you feel? It can be eye-opening to see how much your management approach can affect your team’s desire to take part and interact with you directly. This may make you wonder how you can be a better manager to your team.

Strategies To Become A Better Manager

Top 11 Strategies To Become A Better Manager And Leader

The good news is: it’s possible! If you work to include these 11 simple (but important) strategies in your management style, you’ll begin paving the way to higher-caliber work with your team and a healthier workplace!

  1. Be Part Of The Team

    Instead of simply managing your team and dictating roles and responsibilities, step into the work with them. Join in and support their tasks. Take some of the work for yourself to lighten the amount your team has to complete. When you put in as much work as your employees, you’ll build stronger connections and gain valuable respect from them. This gives you the opportunity to show your team that you view yourselves as equals and that you’re willing to match their efforts to find success – as a team.

  2. Give Your Team A Voice

    When you begin a project and start developing your goals and action plan for it, include your employees in the decisions. Letting your team share in the creation of the project helps boost employee morale and increase motivation. People love being involved, and when you let your team members help shape the project, they’ll become more invested in its success. This also allows for your action plan to be built in a unique way by encouraging your members to make recommendations based on their skill set, and how they can bring the project greater success.

  3. Be A Good Communicator

    Communicating is more than just how you speak to people. Your interactions with your team will shape how they view you and have a strong effect on how they feel working for you. A strong manager utilizes open communication to help support their staff to the best of their ability. A great way to do this is to maintain an “open door” concept. Encourage your employees to come speak to you anytime they need you and reinforce that you’re always available to them. This will help your staff feel fully supported and confident that they can turn to you for support when they need it.Another benefit of encouraging open communication in the workplace is that it lets you discuss employee performance in a less formal setting. Discussing strengths and weaknesses can be a difficult subject that causes stress for many employees. Creating a way to minimize the stress of it through relaxed, informal conversation, can greatly increase your staff’s receptivity to your feedback (more on this further down).

  4. Develop Strong Motivation Skills

    Motivating a team is an important skill to have as a manager. One of the best (and most successful) ways to do this is by simply showing your appreciation for your team. It’s one of the largest driving forces of motivation you can use. Show your team that you value them and are thankful for the hard work they put in to find success. This will solidify their belief in the company, and also prompt them to be proud of the work they’re completing.Another great way to motivate your team is through healthy competition. Create unique, fun challenges for your employees to take part in for a reward. Have them race towards a goal you’ve set together. Engagement on a social post, sales, the quality of a piece of work, or anything else that fits your team’s goals. The challenge can be anything that would be fun for your employees to take part in while putting in their best effort for the project or company.Encourage Collaboration

  5. Encourage Collaboration

    Collaboration in the workplace is proven to bring a wealth of benefits. When team members are encouraged to work alongside one another and use their skills to benefit their colleagues, they form a higher sense of responsibility for one another. This extends to the project itself as well. When tasks are shared and a team knows exactly how their role will affect all others, they work harder and create a higher quality of work. This also helps foster a natural support system for your employees. It provides them with people to reach out to when they need help or want to work closely to achieve a more balanced final result. Collaboration is also a key player in creating a healthy workplace environment by reducing stress and relieving intense workloads.

  6. Challenge Your Employees

    When you assign tasks, consider who in your team is ready for a bigger challenge. Who do you want to see grow within your team and company? Consider past performance and proven drive to succeed. When you assign these more challenging tasks, take time to meet with the employee to create an action plan to achieve it. Remind them you’re there to help them if they need it, and provide them with the support needed to succeed. Stretch their abilities and make them more skilled, valuable employees with harder tasks that are slightly above what an employee is already producing well. This will also help reinforce in your team that you believe in them and want them to continue growing within their role and the company.

  7. Provide Feedback

    Growth comes from knowledge. While many companies do performance reviews annually, it can be beneficial to conduct them more frequently, such as quarterly. When you talk to your team about their strengths and weaknesses more often, it helps them keep their personal goals at the forefront of their minds. It also provides a valuable opportunity to track (and reward) progress more frequently. This will allow you and your team members to see if their new strategies are working how you’ve expected they would.To make this even more powerful, include your involvement in their growth and success. Provide opportunities and guidance reflective of their individual needs. When you work with your team members on a regular basis to set, check, and reframe personal goals, it builds a sense of confidence in your guidance and in their own potential.

  8. Accept Feedback From Your Team

    It’s equally important for you to get feedback from your team on your management abilities. Ask for constructive criticism or check-in to see how well you supported your team during the last project. Consider asking how you could have done better. Ask your team if there is anything they need from you that you may not be providing them at this time. Then, act on those suggestions! Show them that you were listening and truly want to support them better and become a stronger manager for them. Showing them that you want to grow and be better, will encourage them to work towards their individual growth as well.Share The Success

  9. Share The Success

    When a project comes together well, it’s important to acknowledge your team’s hard work and the efforts they made. The truth of the matter is, a project is only as successful as the team that creates it. While you’re an integral part of that team, your members make up the bulk of it. If you get praised or rewarded by your higher-ups for the success of the project, show gratitude to your team. Highlight their hard work to your managers. Celebrate the win. Applaud employees who went above and beyond. Tell your team how valued they are and how well they did on the project. When your team gets to take part in your shared success, you’ll foster stronger bonds between you and your team.

  10. Embrace New Learning Opportunities

    Being a manager doesn’t exempt you from learning new things…especially from your team! While you bring a level of expertise that your team may not have, they bring essential skills that you may not be proficient in. A strong manager will take opportunities to learn from their team during meetings and discussions and won’t be ashamed to ask for more clarification. This lets you connect with your members on more neutral ground, where they are allowed to be the expert. It also shows them that they’re a valuable member of the team and were chosen because of the high level of skill they bring with them. By learning from the people around you, and getting a clear sense of their abilities, you’ll be better able to support them and lead them to success.

  11. Learn How To Delegate

    Delegating is more than just moving work from your plate onto another. It’s assigning tasks directly to those people who are best suited to complete them. This requires a strong knowledge of your team’s skill sets and a thorough understanding of the project parameters. Delegate tasks according to your team members’ passions and skills. This will help your staff perform better because they’re doing something they genuinely enjoy. When you do this, your employees will feel irreplaceable because you’re providing them opportunities and tasks that are specific to them. Not only that, but when employees complete tasks that are unique to their skills and interests, they’ll form a tighter bond with the company.When you delegate effectively, you’ll provide your team with work they’ll find success in completing to a high caliber. This will reinforce your employee’s confidence in you by seeing that you know what they’re capable of. It also reduces workplace stress because people know they won’t be asked to do something that’s out of their realm. When you successfully delegate projects and tasks, you’ll create a thriving workplace with an effective system to manage intricate projects.

Conclusion

Whether you’ve just stepped into a manager position, or have been in the role for years, learning to become a strong manager can be hard work. Occasionally it can mean unlearning long-time behaviors and adopting new ones, and other times it’s just starting off in the best way. Whichever is your circumstance, by using these strategies to become a better project manager you’ll begin seeing positive changes in your team.

Posted on

5 Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines

Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines

The main reason why companies outsource to the Philippines is to support business growth as they improve on their own processes, allowing for more streamlined procedures.

Outsourcing these essential services has proven a popular choice for numerous organizations looking for extra support and coverage. In 2021 alone, business process outsourcing in the United States was expected to produce $113 billion in revenue (according to Statista).

To increase efficiencies, more businesses are turning to offshoring as a logical way to reduce overhead costs and still obtain exceptional value in the deliverables. While there are plenty of benefits in domestically outsourcing services to a third party within the United States, many organizations have found critical success in other countries. One such popular choice is the Philippines, known for its hard-working, talented workforce and cultural compatibility.

Reasons Why Companies Choose To Outsource

Reasons Why Companies Choose To Outsource

Before we dive into the reasons to outsource specifically to the Philippines, it’s essential to understand why companies choose to outsource in the first place.

  • Control of overhead costs – Control over the budget is a significant perk of outsourcing to a third party, whether domestically or globally. While there are always unexpected costs due to unforeseen circumstances, a company must always consider the total cost of hiring multiple professionals that satisfy the business need. For example, let’s take the CEO of a rising company that specializes in biotechnology. After meeting with leadership, the total cost of manufacturing specialized machinery and technology in-house is costing the company significantly. Additionally, the specific machines being used require individuals with a particular level of expertise that may not be as common in the market. But the company is looking to grow and will need to factor in the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training the right employees. Not to mention they may require a team of customer service experts that can be available for support. If the company is looking to cut costs where appropriate, outsourcing may be the best option. On average, a small business is expected to spend upwards of $250,000 per year for an employee’s salary.
  • Flexibility to scale up or down – Outsourcing also gives the organization the ability to scale up or down depending on their unique circumstances. To scale up gives the company a competitive edge, allowing for strategic expansion and thoughtful organization, and advancements for the core team. With instant expertise from a third party, the growth of the company is accelerated, increasing the number of business possibilities. If, however, a company is in the midst of slowing down or going through restructure or rebranding, having some of the essential business services outsourced could be easier to hold or terminate rather than going through the different, nuanced processes in Human Resources when it comes to the impact scaling down will have on its employees. Ultimately, outsourcing gives a company the flexibility to grow at its own pace and to keep up with the ever-changing flow of the market and its demands.
    Improve Team Focus
  • Improve Team Focus – Company’s work towards their own true goal: their mission. It’s about who they serve and the means by which they deliver the best quality deliverables for their clients. Quickly expanding the company can be a drain on existing resources, such as employee time spent in training or the cost of recruitment efforts. By outsourcing basic operating procedures to a third party, it allows a team to return to the mission and meet its objectives. They are able to focus on their essential functions, capitalizing on their skills in order to deliver their best work in a consistent and reliable manner. While they can occasionally act as an additional layer of support for any complicated or specialized questions that the third party may encounter, the core team is virtually free to concentrate on the tasks at hand.
  • Gain fresh expertise – Outsourcing to a third party allows a company to tap into a wider talent pool with a diverse range of skills and experience. Sometimes, it’s easy for the core team to concentrate solely on their objectives and rely on tried-and-true methods to carry them across the finish line. But if a company is looking to expand, using a third party can potentially bring new ideas and insights to the table. Oftentimes, third parties work with multiple clients from around the world, which helps with the exchange of ideas and collaboration in general. Outsourcing globally can also create opportunities to tap into a talent market that has focused training, certifications, and education in a specialized field, making the skilled workforce in other countries particularly competitive.
  • Increase productivity – Outsourcing is a way in which businesses streamline their internal processes. This is especially helpful for startups going through growing pains and their resources are stretched thin. For periods of rapid growth, outsourcing to a third party can give you the opportunity to add more talent to your team, creating more resources, and increasing overall productivity. For example, if a call center has a particularly high call volume in the early afternoon, outsourcing to a third party such as the Philippines can allow for more personnel on the floor to help with the volume of calls coming in without further overwhelming the existing employees.
  • Better customer experience – Outsourcing can certainly help a business to improve its overall customer experience and interactions. To avoid slow response times or avoid catastrophic technical problems on their website that can affect how a customer interacts with (and views) the business, outsourcing essential services like a customer service call line or website maintenance can all help boost the company’s reputation and internally satisfy the needs the company has in order to operate effectively. Even if it seems like a small piece of the whole operation that doesn’t seem as pressing or as relevant, outsourcing these essential services can help optimize the entire way you do business.

Generally, these are the most vital reasons as to why companies would choose to outsource their essential business services. Ultimately depends on the company’s desire to grow. To expand, businesses require the right talent, and sometimes that means looking abroad. As the Philippines rises in popularity and reputation for being one of the most efficient countries in the outsourcing market, more businesses are attracted to the vast array of reasons why the Philippines should be among one of their top destinations for their needs.

English is their second official language

Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines #1: English is their second official language

While outsourcing can come with a wide array of benefits, one of the many challenges – especially if done globally – is the language barrier. Understandably, it takes time, patience, and compassion to avoid any breakdowns in communication. The Philippines has a long and storied relationship with the United States as one of the US’s oldest Asian allies. English is their official second language and is regularly spoken in conversation and an undeniable presence in their media and other forms of publication. Their familiarity with the language, and sometimes lack of an accent, make the Philippines truly attractive and competitive to companies looking for additional support without too much of a language barrier. However, an important consideration that companies must take is this: while familiarity with the English language (both verbal and written) is an extremely vital factor, it’s also about cultural compatibility and knowledge that completes the whole package. It’s about how cross-cultural teams work together to deliver high-quality services and their understanding of one another.

Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines #2: Cultural compatibility

This leads directly to another reason why companies should seriously consider outsourcing to the Philippines: cultural compatibility. While their culture is unique and vibrant, much of its shape has been formed from western influences such as the United States and Spain. So what does this mean for businesses looking to outsource abroad?

The Philippine culture is deeply religious and family-based, two values that are easily relatable. Filipinos are warm, generous, and hospitable, prioritizing relationships and experience. As many foreign visitors have noted, they are treated with the utmost respect and courtesy in all aspects of their time spent in the country, something that also comes across in a business setting.

While the education system and language are certainly contributing factors, Filipinos are easily able to communicate with professionals from the United States, often being able to relate to the latest trends and making small talk that both parties can appreciate.

Unparalleled work ethic

Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines #3: Unparalleled work ethic

Filipinos are highly respectful, a cultural trait shared among Asian countries. Respect is extremely important, especially when it comes to their elders and individuals in higher authority. Filipinos make sure to speak with politeness and integrity, which translates into their work ethic. The positive energy that the Filipino workforce brings also contributes well to a positive work environment, as they remain calm and collected even in stressful situations. Much of their success in the outsourcing market is derived from their ability to work hard under deadlines, easily transition into the company’s work structure, and their ability to excel in service-oriented processes.

Filipinos are also adaptable and resourceful. Part of this stems from the country’s weather conditions where they are heavily prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods. Being adaptable and resilient under these circumstances is part of Filipino culture and part of their day-to-day life. This translates into the workplace as well, leaning into their strengths to build long-term solutions and prevention measures to keep mistakes from recurring and maintain efficient processes.

Filipinos are also known for their responsibility. Their talented workforce has a positive reputation for taking ownership and accountability for their work. This means they are among the most reliable on the team, taking pride in all that they do to deliver exceptional work, either meeting or exceeding expectations. Their eagerness to learn and continuously grow means they don’t shy away from opportunities to expand their knowledge base. Filipinos are motivated and willing to learn what they need in order to set themselves apart in the industry.

High-quality services

Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines #4: High-quality services

The Philippines currently ranks at number 3 among Asian nations in English proficiency. Not only that, the Philippine government not only supports the business outsourcing processes in general but also actively encourages participation in higher learning and education, making the Filipino workforce highly competitive in the outsourcing market. Their tendency to strive for a high level of service in each and everything they do naturally produces high-quality results that can’t be ignored.

Reasons to Outsource to the Philippines #5: Supportive working sector

Over the last several years, the Philippines has experienced a boom in its real estate sector, which has positively impacted the growth of its economy. According to Amro, 42% of the office space in Manila – one of the country’s biggest metropolitan cities – is occupied by the business processing industry. While the main form of transportation continues to be road-based modes, an expanding real estate sector means improved transportation, efficiently shepherding a number of workers to their intended destinations.

In Conclusion

The Philippines is a top outsourcing destination for many reasons including their proficiency in English, supportive infrastructure, and level of talent. Companies looking to improve their processes, cut costs, and collaborate with a generous partner will have a reliable and trustworthy resource in the Philippine workforce.