TheBusiness
Julian O’Dell is founder of TM Training & Development
TheDilemma
Follow my leader ... I have been promoted to manager but my bosses have told me I won’t be allowed to go on a management training course until I have proved myself. Any tips on how to start off on the right foot would be really appreciated.
JULIAN SAYS… This type of question does not shock me but it does create a huge sense of disappointment that someone keen to make their mark is not being supported by their employers in terms of training. The move from being a team member to a team leader is one of the steepest learning curves within our industry, and help with such a journey should be taken as read. Many newly promoted managers rapidly
lose confi dence in themselves and often end up stepping down and taking a lower ranked position at a competitor agency. This is far from ideal for the original fi rm and the lack of training investment is the main contributory factor. One of the most lively and interesting discussions that often takes place on our management training courses relates to the essential qualities of excellent managers. Delegates are asked to consider the best manager they have worked for and to highlight the single most important attribute that makes that person so good. Frequently, the fact that the outstanding manager was seen to ‘lead by example’ is cited as the characteristic that is most signifi cant to a manager being deemed to be excellent. Therefore, this is a trait that all leaders should understand and aspire to. As a manager, you cannot fail by setting an
example – however, the crucial point is whether it will be a good or a bad one! Nobody I have encountered will set out deliberately to do the latter, but accidents happen. The staff ’s perception is all important in this area. It is interesting to note that managers are a
little bit like football referees – supporters rarely talk about a referee who has had a good game, whereas discussions about bad refereeing can rumble on for weeks after the fi nal whistle. In the working arena, staff may not be aware of a manager setting a good example, but they will almost certainly notice, and possibly comment on, a bad one. People take in information more through their eyes than their ears – therefore what
40 ● August 2012 ● TheNegotiator
“You cannot fail by setting an example.”
managers do has a far greater impact than what they say. However, what is said obviously has a degree of importance and must dovetail with what is done. Any mixed message in this area of a manager’s role will cause at best confusion and at worst resentment. The manager who demands the provision of a high standard of customer service by their team will doubtless experience problems if staff witness a failure on the part of that manager to return a client’s call. ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ will lead to failure. The least successful managers I have encountered have frequently been guilty of the misconception that once they have secured their management status, they can take their foot off the gas as they have ‘arrived’. A key lesson for a successful manager is that management is an activity not a status! It is no coincidence that many estate agency staff display behaviour that they have absorbed directly from the person who manages them. For example, the proprietor of an estate agency fi rm was recently bemoaning the sickness record at one of his branches, which was leading to unsatisfactory sales performance. It came as no surprise that the
manager of that branch had the worst attendance record of any of the company’s management team – leading to the culture in that branch of absenteeism through illness being accepted as the norm. Interestingly enough, a member of the team from that offi ce had been transferred to another branch and despite some early sickness issues has just achieved a full calendar year of attendance – something they had never got remotely close to at the previous offi ce. The manager at the second offi ce had not been off sick for over two years. Leading by example often means leading
from the front. A mountain guide does just that to communicate to his party the direction and speed at which they must go. In an estate agency environment, a personal willingness to go out in front and ‘get your hands dirty’ achieves the same result. However, time must also be invested in the other functions of leadership, such as planning, monitoring and checking. In short, managers must recognise that they will have to work harder than any of the people they are leading. The standards set by a leader will be the
standards which are achieved by their team. Punctuality, appearance, administration, customer service levels are all key examples within our industry. A manager arrived late for a training course recently, putting on his tie as he entered the room and then asked to borrow a pen… several members of staff were present and I couldn’t help but wonder what they had gleaned from their manager’s conduct. Examples are contagious. Children imitate
behavioural examples, and adults retain that characteristic. By setting the right example, managers will gain respect, avoid accusations of hypocrisy and ultimately achieve a climate of teamwork and unity. As Dag Hammarskjold, former Secretary of
the United Nations said, “Your position never gives you the right to command. It only imposes on you the duty of so living your life that others can receive your orders without being humiliated.” ●
www.thenegotiator.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52