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Management is all about being the one who facilitates business or organisational success. Delivering the required results. It can be daunting, yet with these ten simple ideas, it might not be the impossible challenge...
Business is complicated. Organisations are horribly complicated. Yet within that there are people who manage, who have 'cracked the code' for success. Success for themselves, their people and overall, the organisations they run.
So if there are just 10 actions a great manager takes to deliver the excellence way above the rest, what might they be?
Here are some ideas. The use and implementation of them is up to you...
1.Talk to your people
Top of the list is always how you relate to your people. Regular, easy-going interactions (we call them conversations and chats), make for relationships that work. Talk to and above all listen to them. And respond to what you hear. You will find great information which will help you develop them for the future.
2.Have Clear Expectations
Every one of your people is desperate to please and be seen to be doing a great job. To do this you need to ensure that they are all very clear indeed about what you want them to do. Some need more help with this than others.
3.Build Trust
Trust falls in many ways. Doing what you said you would; treating everyone fairly; being consistent; keeping criticism private; creating confidential time for those who need it; behaving yourself how you expect your people to; being as open as possible; taking personal responsibility for your actions. Invaluable.
4.Focus on Value
Management is about results. So whatever steps or actions you take must always be measured against their contribution to the results you want. If the action is not value creating, then it's not required. Sometimes you might have to take a risk with an investment, especially in time or people. And that's OK
5.Go Customer Crazy!
Whatever you do, you will manage the delivery of products or services. Your customers are your lifeblood. So make it easiest for your customer-facing people by giving them licence to delight! Challenge every process or system rigorously to check the customer offer is perfection. You will not succeed unless you get this right. Remember internal customer colleagues too!
6.Deliver Great Product
Your customers are waiting to receive. They want to buy from you with their readies in their hot little hands. So have an excellence of product or service and buying experience for them - have it available when they want it and make easy for them to get it. And don't overpromise.
7.Test Yourself Regularly
By setting in place checks and measures that you are delivering excellent products or services, when your customers want it, with fabulous people, you are continuously improving. There is no ceiling on what you can achieve - no 'we're done!' Once you are satisfied, get twitchy and up the stakes. You and your people will love it!
8.Lead a Top Team
Teams run organisations. Not a top leader. But you need to be that leader to manage your Top Team. Recognising the qualities and strengths of every single one of your people in a most constructive and creative way, makes for excellent leverage. You drive it, they deliver it whichever way they can. For outstanding results.
9.Be a Model
As the 'boss' you have a lot of personal freedom. Yet if you decide to abuse that, your people will not respond. A rule for one and different for the rest is not going to work. This doesn't mean that you have to do all the work yourself - far from it. But you do need to be very clear indeed on the business priorities and keep focus.
10.Show Passion for your Business
The 'Zapp' you have in your day is infectious. Your people will hugely respond to how you respond to their efforts. Recognition of their performance will crank up their involvement and engagement even more. If you love the work you are in, show it. If you don't, find something that you do love (it will be better for everyone, most of all you).
Of course there are other tweaks you can make to these ideas. But if you use these ten as your template, toss them around with your team and tease out the detail, you will be well on your way to being a 100% Successful Manager.
Business is complicated. Organisations are horribly complicated. Yet within that there are people who manage, who have 'cracked the code' for success. Success for themselves, their people and overall, the organisations they run.
So if there are just 10 actions a great manager takes to deliver the excellence way above the rest, what might they be?
Here are some ideas. The use and implementation of them is up to you...
1.Talk to your people
Top of the list is always how you relate to your people. Regular, easy-going interactions (we call them conversations and chats), make for relationships that work. Talk to and above all listen to them. And respond to what you hear. You will find great information which will help you develop them for the future.
2.Have Clear Expectations
Every one of your people is desperate to please and be seen to be doing a great job. To do this you need to ensure that they are all very clear indeed about what you want them to do. Some need more help with this than others.
3.Build Trust
Trust falls in many ways. Doing what you said you would; treating everyone fairly; being consistent; keeping criticism private; creating confidential time for those who need it; behaving yourself how you expect your people to; being as open as possible; taking personal responsibility for your actions. Invaluable.
4.Focus on Value
Management is about results. So whatever steps or actions you take must always be measured against their contribution to the results you want. If the action is not value creating, then it's not required. Sometimes you might have to take a risk with an investment, especially in time or people. And that's OK
5.Go Customer Crazy!
Whatever you do, you will manage the delivery of products or services. Your customers are your lifeblood. So make it easiest for your customer-facing people by giving them licence to delight! Challenge every process or system rigorously to check the customer offer is perfection. You will not succeed unless you get this right. Remember internal customer colleagues too!
6.Deliver Great Product
Your customers are waiting to receive. They want to buy from you with their readies in their hot little hands. So have an excellence of product or service and buying experience for them - have it available when they want it and make easy for them to get it. And don't overpromise.
7.Test Yourself Regularly
By setting in place checks and measures that you are delivering excellent products or services, when your customers want it, with fabulous people, you are continuously improving. There is no ceiling on what you can achieve - no 'we're done!' Once you are satisfied, get twitchy and up the stakes. You and your people will love it!
8.Lead a Top Team
Teams run organisations. Not a top leader. But you need to be that leader to manage your Top Team. Recognising the qualities and strengths of every single one of your people in a most constructive and creative way, makes for excellent leverage. You drive it, they deliver it whichever way they can. For outstanding results.
9.Be a Model
As the 'boss' you have a lot of personal freedom. Yet if you decide to abuse that, your people will not respond. A rule for one and different for the rest is not going to work. This doesn't mean that you have to do all the work yourself - far from it. But you do need to be very clear indeed on the business priorities and keep focus.
10.Show Passion for your Business
The 'Zapp' you have in your day is infectious. Your people will hugely respond to how you respond to their efforts. Recognition of their performance will crank up their involvement and engagement even more. If you love the work you are in, show it. If you don't, find something that you do love (it will be better for everyone, most of all you).
Of course there are other tweaks you can make to these ideas. But if you use these ten as your template, toss them around with your team and tease out the detail, you will be well on your way to being a 100% Successful Manager.