Learning to Help Yourself

Coach Yourself to Success

Why do so many people use personal trainers to help them get fit? After all, this level of one-to-one attention costs good money!

One reason is that an experienced professional can help you get more out of the time you spend in the gym, by suggesting what you should work on, and by motivating you to work hard on this. The same is true of working with a career or life coach.

But stop a minute! Despite the popularity of personal trainers, large numbers of people can be seen exercising in gyms, or running through parks on their own. They've worked out what they should be doing for themselves, and they've motivated themselves to get out there and do it.  You can take this self-coaching approach to career or life issues too.

In this article, Mind Tools coach Sharon Juden shares the steps that many professional career and life coaches help their clients take - so that you can apply this approach to your own life!

(Of course, anyone who is determined to reach the highest performance levels would be well advised to work with a professional, and this applies to career and life issues as well as personal fitness. For these, there's no substitute for working with professionals like the Mind Tools career coaches!)

Step 1: Know What You Want
It's very easy to identify things you're NOT happy with and to get stuck in that negative state of mind. At this stage, coaches often hear comments like "No one at work takes me seriously"; "I need to lose weight, but I can't"; or "My boss is so frustrating."
But if you want things to change, then you need to identify what you DO want and WOULD be happy with.

Unfortunately, while "know what you want" is easy to say, a surprising number of us really don't know this - and simply telling us to figure it out won't help. And if we don't know the direction to take, where we end up may be no better than the place we left!

Other people have only a vague idea of what they want, and they never take the time to be more specific. This means that they have a certain amount of success, but, because they're never fully committed to one particular direction, they can only get so far.

To get past this, coaches encourage their clients to explore this problem to find its real root cause. For example, Sally may feel that her career is going nowhere because "no one takes me seriously." She might discover that this is because she takes on all of the small tasks in the team, and, because of this, she doesn't have time to work on the big ideas that would show her potential for promotion.

Often, people start out feeling that they're "victims," and that the source of their problem lies outside their control. For instance, a frustrating boss won't go away, or weight can't be lost. But these people may find that their own attitude or response is contributing to the problem.
With the root cause identified, "what you want" is the reverse of that situation. Your new thoughts become "I am focused on important tasks"; "I am clear about what I should and should not do to lose weight"; or "I am relaxed about my boss changing his mind."

Step 2: Set a SMART Goal
In "The Little Book of Coaching," Ken Blanchard and Don Shula say, "A broad target that's easy to achieve leads to the puddle' of mediocrity." So, the next step is to express "what you want" as a clear goal. This might seem like an unnecessary step, but it's really important. A properly defined goal statement will act as a motivator. It will help you prevent yourself from backing out of things you SHOULD be doing, but perhaps don't really WANT to do.

Use the SMART acronym to help you structure a goal. SMART stands for:

• Specific.
• Measurable.
• Achievable.
• Relevant.
• Time-bound.

Setting a time frame is particularly important, because it's easy to delay dealing with difficult issues. Choose one that's both realistic and challenging: if it's too easy, you'll get bored and give up, and if it's unrealistic, you'll feel overwhelmed... and give up. The secret is to choose a date in the future that you know you can reach - this should be a date that will stretch you a little, but not add to your stress.

Write your goal down. This helps you clarify your thoughts, and it helps you see your progress as you look back over the various steps you've set for yourself. This way, you can see if you're on track or not.

For example, Melanie is frustrated by her boss. She might set this goal: "By the end of the month, I'll have learned how to respond calmly and positively whenever Alex asks me to rework something. Then I'll do the work, understanding that it's an opportunity to impress him."
See our article on goal setting for more on this.

Step 3: Take Action
Determine what needs to happen to move you toward your goal:

• Do you need to get a particular qualification, or sign up for a course?
• Do you need help from someone like a personal trainer or mentor?
• Do you need to let go of someone or something?

In Melanie's case, she might sign up for a short course on relaxation techniques, so that she can avoid appearing frustrated when she's asked to rework something. And she'll look for opportunities to remind her boss about how quickly she implements his changes of direction. (If you're struggling with a lack of gratitude from your boss, read our article Get the Recognition You Deserve.)

Choose actions that will take you slightly out of your comfort zone. Allow yourself to take more risks, because the limitations we experience in life are often ones that we create for ourselves through fear.

If you had no fear of failure and you believed that you would succeed, what would you do? So what do you need to start doing today?

Step 4: Be Passionate
Make sure that what you've chosen to do is something you really care about, and really want to happen - otherwise, you know you won't do it!
Also, notice if you're holding back a little. Sometimes, we can stop ourselves getting too excited about an outcome because we doubt we can do it. If a lack of self-belief or the fear of failure is holding you back, try the following exercise:

• Think about how you react, feel, and think when you're worried and uncertain. Notice how you stand, the thoughts that go through your head, the language you use, and the feelings you experience.
• Think about how you react and feel and think when you're certain of success.
• Notice the differences between the two states - they will be very obvious!
• Now think about your new goal. While you're doing this, breathe, stand, and talk the way you do when you're certain of success. You should find yourself approaching your new goal with much more conviction and determination.
• Keep replaying memories of successes from the past, and focus on those while you plan your goal. Until you see yourself as successful, and until you remind yourself that you've achieved many things in the past, you're unlikely to achieve your goal to the degree you really want. This is because many of us seem to have a natural tendency to focus on the negative, and on our perceived failures.

Step 5: Be Persistent
Do you often give up when you hit an obstacle? Do you see it as a sign that you're not meant to continue, so you stop?
If this is the case, then it's worth remembering success stories from the past such as Colonel Sanders, who created Kentucky Fried Chicken. He didn't fulfill his dream until he was 65 years old. It's said that when he tried to sell his chicken recipe to restaurants, he was refused 1,009 times before he heard his first yes.

And what about Walt Disney? He was turned down 302 times before he got financing for his dream of creating "the happiest place on earth."

So, if you hit obstacles and doubt whether you should continue or not, decide if your goal is worth having. If it is, then be persistent. If it isn't, go back to Step 1.

Key Points
For complex career or personal issues, there's no substitute for working with a qualified, experienced coach. But for smaller issues, if you understand the approach that coaches use when working with their clients, you can often go a long way toward working through problems and challenges on your own.

First of all, you need to make sure you're clear about what you want - and turn that into a goal. Then you must identify the actions you need to take to make that goal happen. And you need to be passionate and persistent about working on it.
Good luck coaching yourself to success! And remember that we're here in the Career Excellence Club forums and in person if you need any help!

ModernManagers is an affiliate of MindTools See our site for more.   www.modernmanagers.com

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

How Good Are Your Management Skills?

In business, we seem to focus less on management skills than the more glamorous and exciting work of leadership. However, while leaders may bring us vision, inspiration and challenge, these things need proper support and efficient implementation. That's what the practice of management is about.   Managers are responsible for making sure things are done right. Therefore, effective management is an essential complement to effective leadership - and is vital for organizational success.

Are you getting the best out of your team? iStockphoto/masta4650

And, just as the importance of management is wide ranging, so is its scope. Managers must have an extensive set of skills - from planning and delegation to communication and motivation. Because the skill set is so wide, it's tempting to build skills in the areas of management that you're already comfortable with. But, for your long-term success, it's wise to analyze your skills in all of the areas related to effective management - and then challenge yourself to make improvements in all areas.

This quiz helps you quickly identify areas of strength and weakness, so that you can capitalize on the former and manage the latter. We then direct you to resources that you can use to develop your skills still further.

How Good Are Your Management Skills?

Take this test online by visiting http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_28.htm, or on paper by circling the number in the column that most applies. If you take the test online, your results will be calculated for you automatically.
Mind Tools Ltd, 1995-2010.

Statement	Not at all	Rarely	Some times	Often	Very Often
1. When I have a problem, I try to solve it myself before asking my boss what to do.	1	2	3	4	5
2. When I delegate work, I give it to whoever has the most time available.	5	4	3	2	1
3. I follow up with team members whenever I see that their behavior has a negative impact on customer service.	1	2	3	4	5
4. I make decisions following careful analysis, rather than relying on gut instinct.	1	2	3	4	5
5. I let my team members figure out for themselves how best to work together teams are a work in progress!	5	4	3	2	1
6. I wait before disciplining a team member, so that people have a chance to correct their behaviors for themselves.	5	4	3	2	1
7. Technical skills are the most important skills that I need to be an effective manager.	5	4	3	2	1
8. I spend time talking with my team about what's going well and what needs improving.	1	2	3	4	5
9. In meetings, I take on the role of moderator/facilitator when necessary, and I help my team reach a better understanding of the issue or reach consensus.	1	2	3	4	5
10. I fully understand how the business processes in my department operate, and I'm working to eliminate bottlenecks.	1	2	3	4	5
11. When putting together a team, I consider the skills I need - and then I seek people who best fit my criteria.	1	2	3	4	5
12. I do all that I can to avoid conflict in my team.	5	4	3	2	1
13. I try to motivate people within my team by tailoring my approach to motivation to match each individual's needs.	1	2	3	4	5
14. When my team makes a significant mistake, I update my boss on what has happened, and then I think of it as an important lesson learned.	1	2	3	4	5
15. When conflict occurs within a new team, I accept it as an inevitable stage in the team development process.	1	2	3	4	5
16. I talk to team members about their individual goals, and I link these to the goals of the entire organization.	1	2	3	4	5
17. If I'm putting a team together, I select people with similar personalities, ages, time with the company, and other characteristics.	5	4	3	2	1
18. I think that the statement "If you want a job done well, do it yourself" is true.	5	4	3	2	1
19. I talk with team members as individuals to ensure that they're happy and productive.	1	2	3	4	5
20. I brief my team members so that they know what's going on around them in the organization	1	2	3	4	5

Score Interpretation
Now add up the scores you've circled.

My score overall is:

out of 100

Score	Comment
20-46	You need to improve your management skills urgently. If you want to be effective in a leadership role, you must learn how to organize and monitor your team's work. Now is the time to start developing these skills to increase your team's success! Find out how below.
47-73	You're on your way to becoming a good manager. You're doing some things really well, and these are likely the things you feel comfortable with. Now it's time to work on the skills that you've been avoiding. Focus on the areas where your score was low, and figure out what you can do to make the improvements you need.
74-100	You're doing a great job managing your team. Now you should concentrate on improving your skills even further. In what areas did you score a bit low? That's where you can develop improvement goals. Also, think about how you can take advantage of these skills to reach your career goals.

Effective management requires a wide range of skills, and each of these skills complements the others. Your goal should be to develop and maintain all of these skills, so that you can help your team accomplish its objectives efficiently and effectively. Read on for ideas and resources that you can use to do this.

A Model of Effective Management

Our quiz is based on eight essential skill areas where managers should focus their efforts. By covering these basics, you'll enjoy more success as a team manager:

• Understanding team dynamics and encouraging good relationships.
• Selecting and developing the right people.
• Delegating effectively.
• Motivating people.
• Managing discipline and dealing with conflict.
• Communicating.
• Planning, making decisions, and problem solving.
• Avoiding common managerial mistakes.

We'll explore each of these in more detail.

Understanding Team Dynamics and Encouraging Good Relationships
(Questions 5, 15, 17)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 5
Statement 15
Statement 17
Total	Out of 15

Good management means understanding how teams operate. It's worth remembering that teams usually follow a certain pattern of development: forming, norming, storming, and performing. It's important to encourage and support people through this process, so that you can help your team become fully effective as quickly as possible.

When forming teams, managers must create a balance so that there's a diverse set of skills, personalities, and perspectives. You may think it's easier to manage a group of people who are likely to get along, but truly effective teams invite many viewpoints, and use their differences to be creative and innovative.

Here, your task is to develop the skills needed to steer those differences in a positive direction. This is why introducing a team charter and knowing how to resolve team conflict (members) are so useful for managing your team effectively.

Selecting and Developing the Right People (Questions 11, 17)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 11
Statement 17
Total	Out of 10

Finding great new team members, and developing the skills needed for your team's success is another important part of team formation.
You can improve your recruiting skills with our Recruiting Skills Bite-Sized Training pack (members), and with our articles on Hiring People - Questions to Ask (members), InBox Assessment, Using Recruitment Tests (members) and Aptitude Testing (members).

And you can develop people's skills with our articles on, among others, Successful Induction (members), Understanding Developmental Needs (members), Training Needs Assessment (members), and the GROW Model. You'll also find our Bite-Sized Training session on Mentoring Skills (members) useful.

Delegating Effectively (Question 2, 18)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 2
Statement 18
Total	Out of 10

Having the right people with the right skills isn't sufficient for a team's success. Managers must also know how to get the job done efficiently. Delegation is the key to this. Some managers, especially those who earned their positions based on their technical expertise, try to do most of the work themselves. They think that, because they're responsible for the work, they should do it themselves to make sure it's done right.

Effective managers recognize that by assigning work to the right people (not just those with the most time available), and clearly outlining expectations, teams can accomplish much more. But it's often difficult to trust others to do the job. As a manager, remember that when your team members have the right skills, training and motivation, you can usually trust them to get the work done right.

Find out your strengths and weaknesses related to delegation by taking our quiz How Well Do You Delegate?

Motivating People (Question 13, 19)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 13
Statement 19
Total	Out of 10

Another necessary management skill is motivating others. It's one thing to motivate yourself, but it's quite another to motivate someone else.

The key thing to remember is that motivation is personal: we're all motivated by different things, and we all have different levels of personal motivation. So, getting to know your team members on a personal level allows you to motivate your people better. Providing feedback (members) on a regular basis is a very powerful strategy to help you stay informed about what's happening with individual team members.

You can test your motivation skills with our quiz, and use your answers to develop your skills further.
Managing Discipline and Dealing with Conflict (Questions 3, 6, 12)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 3
Statement 6
Statement 12
Total	Out of 15

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, there are problems with individual performance. As a manager, you have to deal with these promptly. If you don't discipline, you risk negative impacts on the rest of the team as well as your customers, as poor performance typically impacts customer service, and it hurts the team and everything that the team has accomplished. It's very demotivating to work beside someone who consistently fails to meet expectations, so if you tolerate it, the rest of the team will likely suffer. In our article on team management skills (members), we explore this issue in further detail and give you some examples.

Team performance will also suffer when differences between individual team members turn into outright conflict, and it's your job as team manager to facilitate a resolution. Read our article on Resolving Team Conflict (members) for a three-step process for doing this. However, conflict can be positive when it highlights underlying structural problems - make sure that you recognize conflict and deal with its causes, rather than just suppressing its symptoms or avoiding it.

Communicating (Question 8, 9, 16, 20)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 8
Statement 9
Statement 16
Statement 20
Total	Out of 20

An element that's common to all of these management skills is effective communication. This is critical to any position you hold, but as a manager, it's especially important (you can test your communication skills with our quiz here). You need to let your team know what's happening and keep them informed as much as possible. Team briefing (members) is a specific communication skill that many managers should improve. Also, develop the ability to facilitate effectively, so that you can guide your team to a better understanding and serve as a moderator when necessary.

Planning, Problem Solving and Decision-Making (Questions 4 and 10)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 4
Statement 10
Total	Out of 10

Many managers are very comfortable with planning, problem solving and decision making, given that they're often skilled specialists who've been promoted because of their knowledge and analytical abilities. As such, one of the most important issues that managers experience is that they focus so intensely on these skills when they think about self-development that they fail to develop their people skills and team management skills. Make sure that you don't focus on these skills too much!

However, if you need to develop these skills, see our major sections on Problem Solving, Decision Making, and Project Management. You'll find many rich skills improvement resources in these areas.

Avoiding Common Managerial Mistakes (Questions 1, 7, 14)
For statements in this category, fill in your scores in the table below, and then calculate your total.

	Score
Statement 1
Statement 7
Statement 14
Total	Out of 15

Good communication helps you develop facilitation skills, and it also helps you avoid some of the most common problems for managers. Some of these common mistakes are thinking that you can rely on your technical skills alone, asking your boss to solve your problems, putting your boss in the awkward position of having to defend you, and not keeping your boss informed. Our article on Team Management Skills (members) highlights what to do to avoid these, and other managerial problems that you should be aware of.

Key Points
You need to develop and improve your managerial skills on an ongoing basis as your career develops and as you meet new managerial challenges.

Whether you manage a department or a project team, it's important to know how to get the work done right. When you're asked to achieve something with the help of others, it's complex - and you spend much of your time managing relationships instead of doing the actual work. So, you must develop not only your technical skills, but your management skills as well.

Delegating, motivating, communicating, and understanding team dynamics are some of the key skills needed. With those skills, along with patience and a strong sense of balance, you can become a very effective manager.

ModernManagers is an affiliate of MindTools See our site for more.   www.modernmanagers.com

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

Mentoring from a Mentor's Perspective

Mentoring: An Essential Leadership Skill

What is Mentoring?
Mentoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of professional and personal development. The "mentor" is usually an experienced individual who shares knowledge, experience and advice with a less experienced person, or "mentee."

Mentors become trusted advisers and role models - people who have "been there" and "done that." They support and encourage their mentees by offering suggestions and knowledge, both general and specific. The goal is to help mentees improve their skills and, hopefully, advance their careers.

What are the Benefits of Mentoring?
Mentoring can be rewarding for you, both personally and professionally. Through it, not only can you build a stronger and more successful team, but you can also improve your leadership and communication skills, learn new perspectives and ways of thinking, and gain a strong sense of personal satisfaction.

For potential mentees, the benefits of mentoring can be huge. They get focused coaching and training from a skilled, knowledgeable and experienced individual, and they also get assistance and advice in navigating the many tricky situations that can arise in the workplace. This can help them work more effectively, overcome obstacles, and break through blockages that would otherwise slow or stall their careers.

But even if you understand the benefits of mentoring and it sounds like a great idea, you have to decide whether this sort of time-consuming, in-depth relationship is right for you and for the person you're thinking of mentoring. If the mentoring relationship has arisen informally and spontaneously, then the chances are that things are fine. However, if you're taking a more formal approach to mentoring, it's worth exploring your reasons for mentoring and asking yourself whether you want to take this type of commitment further. To do so, ask yourself these questions:

• Is mentoring the best way of developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes the potential mentee needs? Or would other approaches be quicker or more effective?
• How will mentoring contribute toward your own career goals, and to the goals of your team and your organization?
• Is mentoring a particular individual a good use of your time? And are you comfortable that you'll be able to devote time to him or her on a regular basis?
• Do you have knowledge, skills and experience that the mentee is likely to find helpful?
• How much personal satisfaction are you likely to get from the relationship? Does this justify your involvement? And do you like the individual enough to want to invest time in mentoring him or her on a regular basis?
• In what areas are you willing to help? Are there any areas that you don't want to go near?

What You Should Consider
Although you may want to jump right in with both feet, make sure that you also think about these practical considerations:

• Formality of approach - Do you want to take a relaxed, ad hoc approach to mentoring, or do you want to approach sessions in a more structured, formal way?
• Frequency of contact - How much time can you commit to this relationship?
  • Can you meet (however you do that) weekly? Biweekly? Once a month?
  • How long can you spend in each meeting? Half an hour? An hour? More?
  • Do you want to be available between "formal" sessions?
• Method of contact - Would you prefer face-to-face meetings, phone calls, or emails? If you were to use phone calls, who places the call?
• Duration of partnership - Do you want to limit the length of the mentoring partnership? Do you want to set regular intervals to review whether you're both happy with the relationship, or do you just want to informally review progress on an ongoing basis?
• Confidentiality - How will you approach confidential business information? Think of ways to speak about general concepts and situations while maintaining confidentiality.

Where to Draw the Line
When developing a mentoring relationship, make sure you have clear boundaries of what you can and cannot do for the mentee.

Answer the above questions to help yourself define the boundaries for the relationship. Then, when you're meeting, you'll better understand your own mindset - what areas you're interested in covering, and what you will and will not do.

Take the lead on where you'll allow the mentoring relationship to go and what ground you'll cover. As a general guide, focus on your expertise and experience. If anything is beyond your skills and abilities, refer the mentee to another expert.

For example, if a discussion about human resources issues raises a concern about employment law, consider sending your mentee to an internal expert or attorney. If conversations about work problems lead into personal or family problems, the mentee may need more focused professional help from a psychologist or therapist.

As a mentor, you can become the mentee's confidante and adviser. You may be called upon to be a "sounding board" for all sorts of issues and concerns. So know in advance how you're going to deal with difficult situations.

Key Points
By mentoring effectively, you can do a lot to improve the performance of key individuals within your team, thereby helping yourself reach team and organizational goals. Mentoring can also give you a great overall sense of personal satisfaction, knowing that you're helping someone else learn and grow on a professional and personal level.

Before you begin a mentoring partnership, it's useful to think about your reasons for becoming a mentor and the practical considerations and logistics of such a relationship. If you decide that mentoring is right for you, the time and effort that you put into it can reap great rewards that far exceed your expectations

ModernManagers is an affiliate of MindTools See our site for more.   www.modernmanagers.com

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

Find the Drive You Need to Succeed

Get Motivated!

How self-motivated do you feel? And how hard do you push yourself to get things done? Wanting to do something and motivating yourself to do it are two different things. So, what's the difference between those who never reach their goals, year after year, and those who achieve one goal after another? Often, it's self-motivation. Self-motivation is the force that keeps pushing us to go on - it's our internal drive to produce, develop, and achieve. When you think you're ready to quit something, or you just don't know how to start, self-motivation is what pushes you forward.

Find your sources of energy. iStockphoto

With self-motivation, you'll learn and grow - regardless of the specific situation. That's why it's so fundamentally important for achieving your goals, realizing your dreams, and succeeding.

How To Boost Your Self-Motivation
Self-motivation is complex. It's linked to how much initiative you show in setting challenging goals for yourself; your belief that you have the skills and abilities needed to achieve those goals; and your expectation that if you put in enough hard work, you will succeed (or at least be "in the running", if it's a competitive situation).
Four factors are necessary to build the strongest levels of self-motivation:

1. Self-confidence and self-efficacy.
2. Positive thinking.
3. Focus, and strong goals.
4. A motivating environment.

By working on all of these together, you should quickly improve your self-motivation. Let's look at each of these factors individually.

1. Self-Confidence and Self-Efficacy
Part of being self-motivated is having good levels of self-assurance, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. More on these below!

Being highly self-assured means you set challenging goals for yourself, and it also makes you more resilient when you encounter setbacks. If you don't believe in yourself, you'll be much more likely to think, "I knew I couldn't do this" instead of "This one failure isn't going to stop me!"
Albert Bandura, a psychologist from Stanford University, defined self-efficacy as a belief in our own ability to succeed, and in our ability to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. This belief has a huge impact on your approach to goal setting, and on your choices as you work toward those goals.

According to Bandura's research, people with high self-efficacy tend to view difficult goals as a challenge, whereas people with low self-efficacy are likely to view the same goals as being beyond their abilities, and might not even attempt to achieve them. Self-efficacy also contributes to the amount of effort a person puts into a goal in the first place, and how much he or she perseveres despite setbacks.

By developing a general level of self-confidence in yourself, you will not only believe you can succeed, but you'll also recognize and enjoy the successes you've already had. That, in turn, will inspire you to build on those successes. The momentum created by self-confidence is hard to beat.
Take these steps to build your sense of self-assuredness, self-efficacy and self-confidence:

• Reflect on the achievements in your life. Take pride in them.
• Examine your strengths, so that you understand what you can build on.
• Determine what other people see as your strengths and key capabilities.
• Set achievable goals for yourself, work to achieve them, and enjoy that achievement.
• Seek out mentors and other people who display the competencies, skills, and attributes you want to develop, and learn from them.

As you begin to recognize how much you've already achieved - and understand how much potential you have - you'll develop the confidence you need to set goals and achieve the things you desire. The more you look for reasons to believe in yourself, the easier it will be to find ways to motivate yourself.

2. Positive Thinking, and Positive Thinking About the Future
"Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today." - Author Unknown

Positive thinking is closely related to self-confidence as a factor in self-motivation. It's important to look at things positively, especially when things aren't going as planned and you're ready to give up.

If you think that things are going to go wrong, or that you won't succeed, this can influence things in such a way that your predictions come true. This is particularly the case if you need to work hard to achieve success, or if you need to persuade others to support you in order to succeed. In these situations, your thoughts can have a major influence on whether you succeed or fail, so make sure those thoughts are "on your side."

Positive thinking also helps you think about an attractive future that you want to realize. When you expect positive results, your choices will be more positive, and you'll be less likely to leave outcomes to fate or chance. Having a vivid picture of success, combined with positive thinking, helps you bridge the gap between wanting something, and going out to get it.
To apply "the power of positive thinking", do the following:

• Become aware of your thoughts, positive and negative. Write down these down throughout the day in a diary or log book.
• Challenge the truth of your negative thoughts, rationally and objectively. Where they're wrong, replace them with positive ones.
• Create a strong, vivid and enjoyable picture of what it will be like to achieve your goals.
• Develop affirmations or statements that you can repeat to yourself throughout the day. These statements will remind you of what you want to achieve, and why you will achieve it.
• Practice positive thinking until you automatically think about yourself and the world in a positive way, every day.

3. Strong Goals, and Focus
As we've said above, a key part of building self-motivation is to set strong goals. These give you focus, a clear sense of direction, and the self-confidence that comes from recognizing your own achievement.

First, determine your direction through effective goal setting.

When you set a goal, you make a promise to yourself. Part of the strength of this is that it gives you a clear direction; part is that you've made this promise to yourself, and you'll want to keep this promise; and part is that it's a challenge, and it's fun to try to meet that challenge!
But don't set just any goal. According to leading researcher Edwin Locke, your goal should have the following characteristics:

• Clarity - Effective goals are clear, measurable, specific, and based on behavior, not outcomes.
• Challenge - Goals should be difficult enough to be interesting, but not so difficult that you can't reach them.
• Commitment - Goals should be attainable, and should be relevant - that is, they should contribute in a significant way to the major objectives you're trying to achieve.
• Regularity of Feedback - Set your goals in such a way that you can monitor your progress regularly. This helps you maintain your sense of momentum and enthusiasm, and enjoy your progress towards those goals.
• Sufficient Respect for Complexity - If the goal involves complex work, make sure that you don't over-commit yourself. Complex work can take an unpredictably long time to complete, particularly if you have to learn how to do the task "on the job".

When you have a variety of goals, be sure to schedule your time and resources effectively. You can achieve the "focus" part of self-motivation by prioritizing effectively, and by establishing a schedule that will help you succeed. It doesn't make sense to work until you're exhausted, or to flit from one goal to another without fully achieving any.

By using tools like the Urgent/Important Matrix and the Action Priority Matrix (explained at Mind Tools), you can quickly and easily see how each goal activity fits into the bigger picture of your overall objectives. If you fully understand your priorities, you probably won't feel as pressured to do everything at once. This can reduce stress and help you to concentrate on the most important strategies.

4. Motivating Environment
The final thing to do to maximize motivation is to put yourself into an environment that supports and reinforces success, including surrounding yourself with people and resources that will feed your motivation to succeed. These are external factors - they'll help you get motivated from the outside, which is different from the internal motivation we've discussed so far. However, the more factors you have working for you, the better!

You can't rely on these "environmental" or outside elements alone to motivate you, but you can use them for extra support. Try the following:

• Look for team work opportunities. Working in a team makes you accountable to others.
• Ask your boss for specific targets and objectives that will help you measure your success.
• Ask for assignments that you know you'll find interesting and exciting.
• Set up some goals that you can easily achieve. Quick wins are great for getting you motivated!
• Buddy up with people who you trust to be supportive, and ask them to help keep you accountable.
• Try not to work by yourself too much. Balance the amount of time you work from home with time spent working with others.

When you start your self-motivation program, you may tend to rely heavily on these external factors. As you get more comfortable and confident with self-motivation, you'll probably use them only as needed, and for a little extra help.

Key Points:
Self-motivation doesn't come naturally to everyone. And even those who are highly self-motivated need some extra help every now and then!
Build your self-motivation by practicing goal-setting skills, and combining these with positive thinking, the creation of powerful visions of success, and the building of high levels of self-efficacy and self-confidence.

The attitude you adopt and your belief about your likelihood of success often predict whether or not you actually succeed. Set goals, and work hard to achieve them. Examine ways to improve your self-motivation, and regularly reassess your motivation levels. After all, if you work actively to keep your internal motivation high, you're much more likely to bring about your ideal future!

ModernManagers is an affiliate of MindTools See our site for more.   www.modernmanagers.com

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

Planning for Positive Change

ModernManagers is an affiliate of MindTools See our site for more.   www.modernmanagers.com

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

Training The High Performing New Supervisor

In today’s global business environment, successful companies must be able to adapt quickly and efficiently to new market conditions. High-performing supervisors can impact positively on overall staff performance. One of the reasons why new employees (supervisors) are often the first to go is because of their lack of experience. You can compensate for this with job training.

It’s thought that the loss of a well-trained and productive employee can cost a company the equivalent of one year’s salary and benefits. In some cases, the implementation of successful training development programs such as new supervisor management training can reduce turnover by about 70%. This in turn can increase ROI (return on investment) by a staggering 700%.

It also increases intangibles like employee loyalty along with measurable business benefits like better customer service, workplace safety practices, accuracy and efficiency. New supervisor training will develop new ways to influence, convince and motivate people through coaching and Showcase your ability to perform.

The problem? My Supervisor knows absolutely nothing about the department, but he is very, very determined to assert his authority in this situation. So, he'll leave notes telling us to do very basic things that we'd be doing anyway, but not bother to point out more important, irregular things that also need to be done. Or he'll tell us to do something that goes absolutely against established protocol, because he's the supervisor. It's not that I have a problem with authority--I just have a problem with incompetent authority.

Productive managers are much alike in their behaviors and the finest training courses ought to be designed for them. First and foremost are the characteristics which employees find most important in their managers.

At the top of the list was strength of character. Employees would rather that their managers to be trustworthy. To inspire trust, managers must demonstrate these traits by actions, not words. Sound management exists only as long as those managed believe in the ability of their managers.

Employees want a manager to be technically skilful in the specifics of his trade.

Second, employees desire for their managers to display top-quality but non-specific knowledge. Also, employees expect their managers to take care of diverse predicaments.

Employees use terms such as “dream” and “vision” when talking about an effective manager, one who can steer the employees and the business efficiently in the direction of a productive future with fervor and energy. Any successful business management training should explore the dynamic communication level between managers and employees.

Failing to develop your people's talents through appropriate training is a waste of resources. Our Turnkey New Supervisor Training program can help your supervisors overcome many of the supervisory problems a new “boss” may encounter. Regardless of whether your business is large or small, you can benefit from leadership training and development.

Having in-house training available is important to appreciate the benefits of this development avenue.  The time and financial resources you invest in selecting and training managers will pay huge dividends in reducing employee stress, increasing productivity, and minimizing turnover.

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

Developing Strong "People Skills"

Emotional Intelligence

We probably all know people, either at work or in our personal lives, who are really good listeners. No matter what kind of situation we're in, they always seem to know just what to say - and how to say it - so that we're not offended or upset. They're caring and considerate, and even if we don't find a solution to our problem, we usually leave feeling more hopeful and optimistic.

We probably also know people who are masters at managing their emotions. They don't get angry in stressful situations. Instead, they have the ability to look at a problem and calmly find a solution. They're excellent decision makers, and they know when to trust their intuition. Regardless of their strengths, however, they're usually willing to look at themselves honestly. They take criticism well, and they know when to use it to improve their performance.

People like this have a high degree of emotional intelligence, or EI. They know themselves very well, and they're also able to sense the emotional needs of others.

Would you like to be more like this?

As more and more people accept that emotional intelligence is just as important to professional success as technical ability, organizations are increasingly using EI when they hire and promote.

For example, one large cosmetics company recently revised their hiring process for salespeople to choose candidates based on emotional intelligence. The result? Salespeople hired with the new system have sold, on average, $91,000 more than salespeople selected under the old system. There has also been significantly lower staff turnover among the group chosen for their emotional intelligence.

So, what exactly is emotional intelligence, and what can you do to improve yours?

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

We all have different personalities, different wants and needs, and different ways of showing our emotions. Navigating through this all takes tact and cleverness - especially if we hope to succeed in life. This is where emotional intelligence becomes important.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they're telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. Emotional intelligence also involves your perception of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.

People with high emotional intelligence are usually successful in most things they do. Why? Because they're the ones that others want on their team. When people with high EI send an email, it gets answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life much more easily than people who are easily angered or upset.

Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist, developed a framework of five elements that define emotional intelligence:

1. Self-Awareness: People with high emotional intelligence are usually very self-aware. They understand their emotions, and because of this, they don't let their feelings rule them. They're confident – because they trust their intuition and don't let their emotions get out of control.
   They're also willing to take an honest look at themselves. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they work on these areas so they can perform better. Many people believe that this self-awareness is the most important part of emotional intelligence.
2. Self-Regulation: This is the ability to control emotions and impulses. People who self-regulate typically don't allow themselves to become too angry or jealous, and they don't make impulsive, careless decisions. They think before they act. Characteristics of self-regulation are thoughtfulness, comfort with change, integrity, and the ability to say no.
3. Motivation: People with a high degree of emotional intelligence are usually motivated. They're willing to defer immediate results for long-term success. They're highly productive, love a challenge, and are very effective in whatever they do.
4. Empathy: This is perhaps the second-most important element of emotional intelligence. Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand the wants, needs, and viewpoints of those around you. People with empathy are good at recognizing the feelings of others, even when those feelings may not be obvious. As a result, empathetic people are usually excellent at managing relationships, listening, and relating to others. They avoid stereotyping and judging too quickly, and they live their lives in a very open, honest way.
5. Social Skills: It's usually easy to talk to and like people with good social skills, another sign of high emotional intelligence. Those with strong social skills are typically team players. Rather than focus on their own success first, they help others develop and shine. They can manage disputes, are excellent communicators, and are masters at building and maintaining relationships.

As you've probably determined, emotional intelligence can be a key to success in your life – especially in your career. The ability to manage people and relationships is very important in all leaders, so developing and using youremotional intelligence can be a good way to show others the leader inside of you.

How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

The good news is that emotional intelligence CAN be taught and developed. Many books and tests are available to help you determine your current EI, and identify where you may need to do some work. You can also use these tips:

• Observe how you react to people. Do you rush to judgment before you know all of the facts? Do you stereotype? Look honestly at how you think and interact with other people. Try to put yourself in their place, and be more open and accepting of their perspectives and needs.
• Look at your work environment. Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? Humility can be a wonderful quality, and it doesn't mean that you're shy or lack self-confidence. When you practice humility, you say that you know what you did, and you can be quietly confident about it. Give others a chance to shine - put the focus on them, and don't worry too much about getting praise for yourself.
• Do a self-evaluation. What are your weaknesses? Are you willing to accept that you're not perfect and that you could work on some areas to make yourself a better person? Have the courage to look at yourself honestly - it can change your life.
• Examine how you react to stressful situations. Do you become upset every time there's a delay or something doesn't happen the way you want? Do you blame others or become angry at them, even when it's not their fault? The ability to stay calm and in control in difficult situations is highly valued - in the business world and outside it. Keep your emotions under control when things go wrong.
• Take responsibility for your actions. If you hurt someone's feelings, apologize directly – don't ignore what you did or avoid the person. People are usually more willing to forgive and forget if you make an honest attempt to make things right.
• Examine how your actions will affect others – before you take those actions. If your decision will impact others, put yourself in their place. How will they feel if you do this? Would you want that experience? If you must take the action, how can you help others deal with the effects?

Key Points

Although "regular" intelligence is important to success in life, emotional intelligence is key to relating well to others and achieving your goals. Many people believe that emotional intelligence is at least as important as regular intelligence, and many companies now use EI testing to hire new staff.

Emotional intelligence is an awareness of your actions and feelings – and how they affect those around you. It also means that you value others, listen to their wants and needs, and are able to empathize or identify with them on many different levels.

ModernManagers is an affiliate of MindTools See our site for more.   www.modernmanagers.com

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

New Supervisor Training Pays

Often, employees are promoted to supervision because of their strong technical expertise -- expertise in building a product or providing a service. A good leader is the most powerful asset any business can dream of. A true leader is able to inspire people to do their work. The workers will look up to the leader and admire the leader making the most of their guidance. The investment of leadership training will pay for itself with the better morale within your company, the increased skill levels, new leadership techniques and training.

Any company who has experienced the high cost of employee turnover understands its toll: replacement costs, loss of productivity and decreased morale. Treat employees like a commodity and they will respond by leaving you as soon as possible for the next best offer. Most new supervisors need training to understand what it really takes to retain employees.

It is especially crucial for the benefit and productivity of the company to keep employees engaged and motivated. If the employees are developing and satisfied they will produce quality work. Supervisors typically have a general understanding of their job and responsibilities, however, If they came to the job of supervisor without much formal training, they’re alone. Brand-new supervisors need guidance and help, the sooner the better.

New supervisors are often faced with a wide range of challenges,including:
• That they: barely have adequate training and are often intimidated when faced with enforcing a wide range of policies and procedures,
• Rarely have enough time
• Often feel very alone
• Are sometimes overwhelmed and stressed out

Failing to develop your people's talents through appropriate training is a waste of resources. This program can help your supervisors overcome many of the supervisory problems a new “boss” may encounter. Regardless of whether your business is large or small, you can benefit from leadership training and development.

Having in-house training available is important to appreciate the benefits of this development avenue.  The time and financial resources you invest in selecting and training managers will pay huge dividends in reducing employee stress, increasing productivity, and minimizing turnover.

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

Turnkey Supervisor Training Creates Success

Supervising others is a special challenge. As a supervisor, the success of your organization rests in their hands!

Make Sure Supervisors Know How to Bring Out the Best in People - Supervisors play a huge role in employee morale, performance, and stress level. Supervisors who know how to provide guidance, support, and encouragement minimize employee stress.

Supervisors with poor management skills or with personal problems, not only can't help employees deal with stressful times, they themselves are a tremendous source of stress.

Most supervisors who are promoted from within tend to identify much more strongly with frontline workers than with management.  "One day you're a worker; the next day, you're a supervisor.  Nothing really changes except they move the supervisors cube and they have a different set of responsibilities. 

Newly promoted supervisors often find themselves in a veritable no-man's land; no longer belonging to the frontline ranks, but not welcomed into the management community.  This causes stress for supervisors, which is often exacerbated by management's infectivity to frontline staff in their implementation of policies and procedures.  "

In many cases, it creates loose cannons; supervisors who don't agree with company policies or values, and who contradict them to the team. 

The time and financial resources you invest in selecting and training managers will pay huge dividends in reducing employee stress, increasing productivity, and minimizing turnover.

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!

The Benefit of Developing Your New Supervisor

Supervisory skills don't come naturally to everyone. Many companies use the sink-or-swim process that would sometimes be enhanced by a supportive veteran supervisor stepping in to lend a few words of guidance. For a new supervisor to be successful companies need to adopt a training program for folks who were new to these duties and responsibilities. The goal is to provide them with a higher level of support and preparation than in the past.

Don’t keep workers in the dark. As managers and coaches, isn’t it part of our responsibility to help our staff identify their strengths through tools and training and then develop goals that enhance those strengths?

It’s easy to make assumptions about individuals based on presuppositions, hearsay, isolated incidents and old information and miss the opportunity to develop raw talent right in front of you.

Shouldn’t we be providing opportunities through projects that allow staff to use what they already have to drive performance? Isn’t it our responsibility to review those goals and provide feedback?

One day a person is ‘one of the team’ and the next day they can be a supervisor of the team. To perform this role effectively and get results through other people, requires a new range of skills.

Many times we quickly gravitate toward the discussion of an employee’s weakest area rather than the discussion of how they could capitalize on their predominant style.

It is in everyone’s best interest to help new supervisors understand the importance of selecting team members with varied and deliberate skills. With training they come to realize that often with strengths, your employees already have natural talents and knowledge in particular areas that just need to be developed. In knowing their weaknesses, they can help the employee determine: (1) is it critical to his/her success? (2) What level of competency is needed for success?

Development of employee talent is an active process; it not only requires an investment of time and energy, but also an environment where development can occur. By helping your staff to gather those tools and put the knowledge together to gain, with each insight, a truer picture.

• To provide supervisors with the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviors to increase their effectiveness in their current roles.
• To equip supervisors with the managerial skills necessary for them to adapt to changing demands in the future.
• To improve succession planning by providing a structured development program which will enable supervisors to fulfil their potential within the company.
• It's not enough to follow directions ... now you must give directions about what gets done, when, and by whom.
• It's not enough that your projects are accurate and on time ... you have to help others keep their projects on track, and see that everyone works together.
• It's not enough to focus only on your department ... suddenly you're a member of the management team. Your new peers will expect you to have a broader perspective, including other departments.
• It's not enough to keep yourself motivated ... you have to be a coach, cheerleader, and "strong shoulder" to people who have bad days, conflicts with each other, and other demands that you might not be able to satisfy.

Front-line supervisors play a key role in business success.  Supervisors are the company’s unsung heroes, and are the glue that holds it all together.  They could not do it without the infrastructure of the organization, but the organization could not function without them either.

Modern Managers offers a turnkey supervisor training course that we have created so you can customize your leadership training needs to help the new supervisor gain a deeper understanding of leadership training elements that can be applied in everyday situations.

Our New Supervisor Training Program, an effective Leadership Development Course, and our Employee Handbook were designed especially for small businesses that do not have the time, resources or expertise to develop their own.

Our TurnKey New Supervisor Training Program product can be made specific to your company’s needs and helps new managers develop successful skills to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to increase employee productivity, morale, work quality and accelerate their ability to focus their time and efforts on tasks that achieves results that are most important to the organization’s success.

Why write your own New Supervisor Training Program or an Employee Handbook when it's done for you? Pre-written course ware saves you time and money and helps you better prepare for classroom training with well-researched and proven course materials.  (ModernManagers.com HR in a Box)

A  turnkey handbook  that covers employee-related policies and benefits.  Make it your own merely by inserting key words, selecting alternative phrases, deleting segments that are not required or adding topics unique to your operation. Included is a power-point presentation that you can use to introduce your employees to your company products, customers, and community!