A Brief History of Personality Tests

by Eben Harrell

First used by the U.S. Army during World War I to try to predict which soldiers would suffer from “shell shock,” personality testing today is a roughly $500 million industry, with an annual growth rate estimated at 10% to 15%. Millions of workers take assessments each year as part of personnel selection, to improve collaboration and teamwork, and to identify satisfying career paths.

But personality screening is not without controversy. In recent lawsuits, courts have ruled that the use of certain tests discriminates against protected classes of workers, particularly those with disabilities. Research suggests that many beliefs held by HR professionals about personality screening run counter to scientific evidence. And management scholars worry that fixating on personality as the primary source of conflict at work can cause managers to overlook the crucial role they play in creating the enabling conditions for teams to succeed—whatever their composition.

The industry’s robust growth, however, suggests that managers increasingly rely on personality testing as a tool to optimize their workforces. The tests are inexpensive compared with other assessment tools, and they are easy to administer—modern tests can be taken online without an examiner present. Hundreds of assessments exist today, yet over the past century, three have had an outsize impact.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Katharine Briggs began her research into personality in 1917 as a means to understand what she saw as an unlikely attraction between her cherished daughter, Isabel, and fiancé, Clarence Myers. Over 20 years, the mother-daughter team worked to develop the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, drawing heavily on the work of the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Since the 1960s, some 50 million people have taken the test, making it by far the most popular personality assessment ever created.

The MBTI holds that people have preferred modes of perception (sensing or intuition) and judgment (thinking or feeling) as well as attitudes about how they build energy (extroversion or introversion) and their orientation to the outer world (judging or perceiving). These preferences combine to form 16 personality types.

Experts argue that the categories don’t predict individual or team effectiveness. Studies have found that more than half the people who retake the test get a different result the second time. The Myers-Briggs Foundation warns against using it “for hiring or for deciding job assignments,” yet the test’s popularity persists at many blue-chip firms. Proponents find it useful for helping people understand their own and their colleagues’ styles and preferences and for reducing conflict in the workplace.

The Five-Factor Model

Often called the “Big Five,” the five-factor model is a set of personality traits derived from a statistical study of words commonly used to describe psychological characteristics across cultures and languages. The categories are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Widely accepted by academics as the gold standard in the evolving field of personality research, the FFM has informed a host of other personality assessments, including the NEO Personality Inventory (developed by two of the creators of the five-factor model) and the Hogan Personality Inventory (which examines how a person relates to others). Unlike the MBTI, assessments based on the Big Five can reliably predict job performance, studies show. (The correlation is stronger for other psychometric measurements, such as IQ, however.) Research also suggests that FFM-based assessments can help predict personalities that are likely to either clash or work harmoniously together.

Strengthsfinder

A new branch of psychology emerged in the 1990s that examines how healthy minds remain resilient and flourish. “Positive psychology” has spawned various assessments; Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0, the most popular, is taken by 1.6 million employees every year in more than 400 of the Fortune 500 companies. Strengths-based assessments aim to increase engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity by helping companies design jobs that take advantage of their employees’ best qualities. Other assessments that harness insights from positive psychology include the VIA Survey of Character Strengths and the Birkman Method.

Some argue that focusing only on the positive is not the optimal way to spur improvement; criticism and realistic self-assessments also contribute to better performance.

What’s Next

Increasingly, companies are abandoning brand-name and open-source tools in favor of bespoke personality tests. The goal is to improve hiring practices by identifying high performers in given roles and then reverse-engineering job descriptions on the basis of their traits.

Some academics are skeptical of these products, partly because of the proprietary nature of the firms’ methodologies. But many believe that advances in neuroscience and in tools for statistical analysis will yield a reliable way to identify the traits that lead to a high-performing workforce. Given the potential payoff, companies will continue to invest in personality screening as they battle for competitive advantage in a knowledge economy.

LESSON 3 - HOW TO MANAGE YOUR EMPLOYEES AND BUILD A STRONG TEAM - People Management Skills

Managing Different Personalities - People Management Skills 

You will encounter many different types of people during your management career.  If you are managing a group of around 20 or less, you really should be able to get a feel for each individual’s personality.  Even if you manage a group of 100, you should still be able to know the key players personalities.  It helps when you know what makes each one of them tick, especially when communicating one-on-one.  When dealing with different personalities, be tolerant of styles different from your own.  Always try to adapt to their personality to get your point across, or to get more out of them. 

You can’t use a cookie cutter approach with every employee.  In most cases, you will need to change your communication approach with each individual.  For example, you will not get your point across if you're too direct and data oriented with a touchy-feely kind of person.  In the same token, you would not want to be too touchy-feely with a no-nonsense type of person.  This is also important when delegating any projects to individuals or as small teams.  If a person or team is too analytical, there will be little creativity.  If a person or team is too sensitive, fewer decisions will be confidently made.  Here are some ways to deal with different personality traits:

• The “Considerate” are nice, calm, and like to think things through.  They usually have an optimistic “glass half-full” point of view.  They are agreeable, but might take a bit longer than others to get the work done.  They might need some help in making decisions.  The good news is usually the work is more complete with fewer errors.  Let them know calmly, yet directly, what you need from them.  However, also spend some time to talk about family and other non-work related topics.  This would be a good person to do long-term detailed oriented type of projects.  Give a lot of encouragement and praise to get the most out of this type of personality.

• The “Aggressive” likes to take control and do things quickly.  They are not afraid to make decisions.  They are usually good at what they do, and know it.  Just make sure they do not try and control you.  They can produce a lot of good work for you, but every once and a while you need to make sure they know whose boss.  Be direct, straightforward, and use a no-nonsense approach to business.  This would be a good person to use to put out any fires that need immediate attention.   Make sure you give this person a lot of praise when praise is due.  If you don’t, they will be upset.

• The “Analyst” will always try to find flaws in the system.  They will also play devils advocate.  If you say, “Do this,” they will say, “why don’t we do it like that?”  Sometimes it’s a good thing because there might indeed be a better solution, but most of the time it’s just someone being too critical.  They tend to procrastinate when making decisions.  Listen to what they have to say, but if you feel it is going nowhere, take their suggestions and move quickly onto the next subject.  This would be a good person to give projects like finding possible trouble producing trends that requires deep analytical investigation.  This is more of a “just the facts” type of person.  Don’t waste either of your time to chat about subjects of little importance.

• The  “Sensitive” takes any type of confrontation too personally.  They do as they are told, but do not like making decisions.  They are usually very nice and pleasant but their feelings get hurt too easily.  Try not to be too direct with this type of personality.  Use an encouraging type of approach when dealing with any performance related issues.  This would be a good person to give projects that are more “touchy-feely.”

• The “Talkative” tend to be more feelings oriented and will show more emotion, whether positive or negative.  They have a strong interest about people and are usually the “social butterfly” of the department.  They usually like making decisions but want conformation just in case. Try using a lightened-up approach and some humor to get your point across to this type of personality.  This would be a good person to help plan social events or any projects that require some animated personality.

• The “Brainiac” will use knowledge and sarcasm to get what they want.  They will try and dance around the basic topic.  They will also dance around making any type of decision.  Make sure you keep this person on track as they can lose focus on the task at hand very easily.  If needed, make them repeat themselves in terms everyone can understand.  This would be a good person to give the projects that are more “data-oriented.”

• The “Quiet” is one who very rarely talks at meetings, seems to have low self-esteem, and is continually sub-conscious of their actions.  Not only should you try to bring this person out of their shell, they just might have some brilliant ideas that you can incorporate.  There can be power in the quiet person as they might be the ones with the most compelling ideas.  We tend to give our attention to the commanding personalities and ignore the quiet and soft-spoken.  On the contrary, the quiet people are the ones you need to seek out.

• The “Results-Driven” tend to focus solely on targeted metrics but sometimes lose focus on the big picture.  They feel like they are doing a great job because of meeting an important goal, however, they are doing a poor job on another aspect of the job.  You need to get your point across by being direct.  You have to stress the importance of the big picture and to use common sense.  For example, this is the type of person who will stop troubleshooting a problem, even if they are close to fixing it, because they went over the average call handle time.  This person is usually more suited for simple straightforward tasks that do not require thinking outside of the box.

• The “Loner” just wants to do the job and not get involved with company picnics, break room conversations, or any non-work related subjects.  They do not like any interaction with fellow employees.  You should talk to them about the importance and reasoning of the team approach.  It is to their benefit if the team exceeds, not only for job security, but also for any possible rewards you have in place.  With open and honest communication, you should be able to get them to understand and work as a team member.  This does not mean they have to be everyone’s best friend; they just need to be supportive and reliable.  The problem with a person who does not want to be part of a team usually ends up not fully understanding the expectations of the group, and will have the type of excuse like, “Nobody told me…” or “I did not know I was supposed to do that…” etc.  This person might be a diamond in the rough and if they just do not fit in to the current team, see if there is another position that would be better suited for them.  This might look like you are rewarding someone because of a personality issue, so be careful how you handle this as it could create conflict amongst your team.  You, and most likely HR, will have to determine the outcome of such a move.  Still continue to try to get this person out of their shell, and try to give them projects that do not demand a team effort.

• The “Overly-Confident” feels like they know everything and can do no wrong.  Sometimes they act confident even when they don’t know what they’re doing.  You need to get your point across by being very direct.  You might want to humble this person every now and then.  Make them repeat exactly what it is they are supposed to be doing.  Give them projects that can easily be tracked to make sure they are not headed in the wrong direction.

• The “Curmudgeon” thinks of everyone but them self as incompetent, and does not take supervision well.  They tend to be grumpy and sarcastic.  They have a pessimistic “glass is half-empty” point of view.  You do not want to approach this type of person with your tail between your legs.  State the facts and let them know exactly what is expected of them.  Use a matter of fact approach and try to give them projects that do not demand too much creativity or touchy-feely.

• The “Mean-Spirited” makes it known that they are not happy with work or the people around them.  In many cases it is due to problems that are not work related.  If you feel that it is affecting employee morale, you should talk to this person and make sure they understand that you need a department that works in harmony.  That the goal is to a have everyone work in a pleasant atmosphere in which there are no personality conflicts. 

• The “Bad Attitude” is a major problem.  You need to let this person know that their attitude is affecting morale and is unacceptable.  See lesson 5 for ways on how to handle this type of difficult employee.

A short story about building a strong team

John knew that although his department was structured perfectly, he had to make sure his employees were willing to follow the plan.  He explained that the changes he made were necessary for the department and company to achieve the goals and objectives.  He had chosen the right people, let them know what was expected, trained them, got them the needed materials, and created a good working environment, but still had to find more ways to keep them motivated.  He needed a strong and happy team in place or else it would all fall apart.

By making his employees feel like a true team, he decided to let them work as a team.  He found ways that inspired teamwork.  They knew that by working as a team, they would not be micro-managed.  He let them be involved in making decisions and really listened to their suggestions and ideas.  He also made it a priority to always acknowledge exceptional work done and in a timely fashion.  He made sure that everyone fully understood that if the goals were achieved, they would be rewarded both in pay and other small gifts of gratitude.  He developed a performance appraisal that was based on statistical reports that documented whether the goals were reached.  He also documented their strengths and weaknesses in order to always keep them challenged and to improve.  He would always look at ways to help them grow, and promoted his exceptional employees.  Basically, John showed his team that he cared about them as people.  He got to know them personally and supported them 100%.  He did know, however, that it only takes one bad apple to spoil the lot, so whenever he felt there was conflict, he dealt with it immediately before it affected the group.

John had built a solid, unified team with the same goals in mind.  They wanted to work hard because they knew they would be recognized and praised for a job well done.  The harder they worked, the more John would show his appreciation.  The skills they obtained were truly recognized, and even upper management came by to talk to the team about their success.  John’s department was not only physically and logically in place, but now with a motivated team who was happy to follow the processes and procedures, he had created.

Epilogue:  Your employees work better when they are happy and feel they are part of a team to reach a common goal.  It gives them a purpose and they will feel like an important part of the company.  You want them to want to look good in your eyes.  By implementing the skills taught in this lesson, you will have a strong team who respects your management skills and sees you as a leader who cares.

Quick Lesson Summary

• The five steps needed to develop a great team are:

1.      Create and Develop a strong team with solid expectations

2.      Motivate Professionally and with respect

3.      Recognize and Praise great work

4.      Evaluate and Appraise employee performance

5.      Compensate and Reward a job well done

• These same five steps can be also used as building blocks to develop the individual.

• A strong team knows exactly what is expected of them, and what it is they need to do.  This includes the goals they need to achieve.  A strong team also does not need to be micromanaged.

• Continually look for ways to motivate the team to increase job performance.  Do it in a way, however, that does not insult their intelligence.

• Show appreciation of their good work by making it a point to recognize and praise, when true praise is due.  Know the value of their exceptional skills.

• Care about your team and their interests.  Let them know you always have their best interests at heart.

• Evaluate and appraise their work by documenting it to be used in a performance review.

• Give them the raise they deserve based on their job performance, while staying within budget.  Even small rewards mean a lot when you show respect towards the team and individual.

• The key to managing different personalities is to take the time to get to know the people, and find out what makes them tick.  You have to know how to deal with aggressive, sensitive, quiet, and mean personalities, just to name a few.  You will be able to get the best out of them, by managing the personality, rather than using a generic approach.  Be tolerant of styles different from your own, and try to adapt to their personality to get your point across. 

LESSON 1 - HOW TO BE A GREAT MANAGER THROUGH STRONG LEADERSHIP - Professional Advices

Part 2 - Professional Advice - Tips 28 through 53

28.   Make sure your employees are 100% clear on the objectives.  If you are not absolutely clear and provide the clarity needed for all to understand, you will have a confused team.  They will not truly understand the mission, vision, and goals.  Confusion turns into anxiety, which then turns into fear.  Your team clearly needs to know what is expected of them, the value of their strengths, and the actions you will take to achieve the objective.  With the information you will learn throughout this course, you will be able to confidently implement the necessary actions for the team to achieve the objectives and goals.

29.   Analyze the problem; map out all possible answers, and then implement.  In most cases when faced with a problem, there is not just one clear-cut answer.  Making the right decisions when solving problems is one of the most important aspects of management and leadership.  When you start to see the cracks, you need to fix them as soon as possible, just don’t use a Band-Aid fix on a major fracture.  Truly identify the problem, look at all of the possible reasons and needed resolutions, and implement the best idea to fix the problem.  Utilize your team to help look at all of the possible scenarios and ideas, even the illogical and unpractical ideas might turn out to be a solid solution to short-term or long-term problems.  One very important thing to keep in mind; focus on fixing the problem rather than on finding the blame.  Finger pointing will get you nowhere.  We will discuss more about problem solving and decision making in lesson 6.

30.   If possible, take your time on making the right decision.  Unless you need to make an on the spot decision, you should always take your time and reflect on all of the possible ramifications.  Just let your boss, upper management, or whomever is waiting on the decision know that you will think about it and get back to them as soon as possible, or at least by the deadline.  You are most likely to make the best major decisions outside of work.  It can be before you go to bed, in the shower, on the train, on the plane, etc.  When you’re away from the hustle and bustle of the office, you can calmly think everything through.  This also pertains to ideas and improvements.  Jot down your notes and bring them into work.  You can even e-mail yourself so you have them ready to read when you are back in the office.

31.   You need to be able to delegate.   It might seem hard to let go of certain tasks because you feel it might not get done right, but as a leader, it is one of the best things you can do for your employees.  Besides, if you do not give up most of the daily tasks, you will feel bogged down and stressed.  It will also free up some time for you to take on more pressing issues.  Do not feel embarrassed, shy, or like you are passing the buck when it comes to delegating.  It is expected of you as manager.  It is vital that you let your staff take on most of the tasks and projects.  This also gives them a chance to show what they can do.  It breaks up the monotony of the day and gives some excitement.  You also want them to get the credit on the delegated task to build their self-esteem.  It is a compliment to you when they are complimented, and besides, your self-esteem should already be high since you are the manager.  The most important thing is to know whom to delegate to and when.  Make sure you know exactly what needs to be accomplished before you give the task to someone else.  You need to confidently tell your employee on what needs to be done, and show you have the confidence in them to do it.  Some tasks will need more monitoring than others, and some are more important.  Set up a timeframe on when you expect the job to be completed, and have them report back to you with the progress.  It is up to you to determine who can get the job done quickly.  However, don’t always pick the same person.  Spread the tasks around to those who show interest.  Make sure you have a commitment from the employee, and give them the authority needed to get the job done.  If you have your eye on someone to promote, delegating to that person is a win/win solution.  Just be careful that you do not show favoritism as you could run into Human Resource issues.  We will discuss more about delegating in lesson 6.

32.   Know how to multitask and prioritize.  A good leadership skill is being able to handle more than one project at a time, and knowing which is the most important.  You will find yourself creating a procedure, checking e-mail, answering your phone, a person will come into your office, and on top of all that, getting ready for a meeting.  This is inevitable, and is a part of being a manager and leader.  Don’t stress, make the decision on what is the most important and put the most energy into that task.  For example, if the employee who walked into your office looks or is acting distressed, that should take priority.  You can ask the person to sit down, quickly reply to the e-mails and phone calls stating you will get back to them as soon as possible, and put your process document to the side.  If you are running late for a meeting, you need to make the decision on whether you should continue to talk to your employee, or schedule a time to further discuss the matter.  If you cannot make the meeting, make sure to inform the meeting leader that you are taking care of a personal issue.  It should be noted that your employees should always come first.  We will discuss more about multitasking and prioritizing in lesson 6.

33.   Always be ready to react, embrace, and manage change.  Always show that you are ready for any challenge that comes your way.  The saying, “The only constant is change,” particularly holds true to business management.  One of the key strengths of a great leader and manager is the ability to accept change and orders that come down from above with enthusiasm and confidence.  You would then translate the directive with the same enthusiasm to your team.  This is how you impress your boss, and your bosses’ boss, and build confidence within the team that you have everything under control.  The leader is the rock, and gives stability to the group.  You will most likely get some worrisome and sarcastic remarks from a few of the team members, but that’s natural and you should not worry about it.  Don’t get angry about complaints, even though you may be angry about the change yourself.  They might just need to blow off some steam, and the best thing you can do is show that you do care and understand their frustrations.  You might want to share some of your own frustrations as well; as long as the main take away point is optimism for the future.  Your main concern is to make sure the change or transition goes smoothly, and that everyone knows the new objective.  Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what you should do.  Take the steps to prevent unwanted surprises, continually meet with your boss and staff to keep them updated, and don’t make or implement major changes until you have consulted with your staff.  If you show you are embracing the changes with optimism and leading by example, your staff will most likely follow.  We will discuss more about communicating change in lesson 7.

34.   Strong teams do not need to be micromanaged.  If you manage people too closely, you are subjecting them to constant scrutiny.  If a team works well together and has a sense of unity, purpose, and pride, including being knowledgeable, you should not have to closely monitor them and continually be on their back.  This in turn gives them more freedom knowing the boss is not breathing down their neck all of the time.  This sense of independence can also be a great motivator.  If you have a team where you feel like you have to make all of the decisions, and expect them to follow your orders like a robot, then you will most likely have a high rate of attrition as it creates an uncomfortable atmosphere.  If you have a brand new team of somewhat inexperienced employees, then you do need to manage with more direction, all the while taking full responsibility.  However, once everyone understands the goals and functions expected of them, you need to back off and let them act as a true team.  Basically, provide more direction and develop the inexperienced group to become a strong team, and let the experienced well functioning group act as the strong team that is already created.  It is up to you to determine the skill set and what you have to work with regarding experience and knowledge.  Just make sure you make the right decisions on your approach, and do not feel like just because you are the manager, you are expected to re-invent the wheel.  Pride sometimes gets in the way because of the management title.  You will be more respected if you do not try to fix something that is not broke.  Be there in time of need, instead of micromanaging when it is unnecessary.  It’s a win/win situation when you have a strong independent team working closely together that does not need to be closely supervised.  This frees up time for you to work on other projects that can enhance your department.  Don’t feel like you have to hold all of the cards for job security.  Sometimes managers feel they are no longer needed if the team is working like a well-oiled machine.  That is not the case at all.  In fact, you will be recognized for the team you created and most likely given more responsibilities, thus strengthening your position.  It may even lead to promotion.  Just remember, micromanagement won’t work when teamwork is, and should be, a priority.

35.   Know as much as possible of what your staff does daily.  For example, know how to take a customer call and document it in the ticketing system, or know how to do the basic troubleshooting for repairs.   It is human nature for leaders to devote most of their time and energy on the functions they know and perform best.  This can be a trap, and it is just a matter of time before you find yourself in a situation where you should have been able to perform the simple task.  Keep a list of all of your weaknesses pertaining to what you need to know, and address each issue one-by-one.  You should always seek and strive for constant improvement.

36.   Have a clear cut organizational chart.  Org charts give a clear reporting structure for all employees to follow.  For example, supervisor A and B report to you, the manager.  Supervisor A is in charge of Tier 1, and supervisor B is in charge of Tier 2.  It should also show your direct report.  There is an example of an org chart in lesson 2 that you can use as a guideline.

37.   Remember to think in terms of cost and results.  You always have to balance the two together.  You have to look for ways to reach the goal with minimal cost.

38.   Chart it out.  Make sure you have a white board for mapping projects, prioritizing tasks, sharing ideas, modifying schedules, making seating arrangements, etc.  This will be a constant visual reminder for you and applicable staff to see.

39.   Hire, then lead, then monitor, then reward, and finally retain the right people.  You will need to get the right people, know their strengths and weaknesses, know what motivates them, know how to set clear expectations, evaluate the persons performance, and when applicable, reward for a job well done.  If you understand how to apply this information, your department will succeed and you will have a better chance at keeping the good people.  All of these topics will be discussed in greater detail throughout this course.

40.   Brainstorm with key members of your department or fellow managers.  There is no reason you should feel you need to come up with all of the answers, on the contrary, the more help you can get the better.  By brainstorming with key staff members or fellow managers, new and positive ideas that benefit all are usually the outcome.  Hear the suggestions, discuss the possible solutions, work on a plan that makes sense, see if you have the necessary resources, think how you will implement the plan, then write it and distribute it to all with clear-cut communication.  Lessons 2 and 6 go into more detail on planning and problem solving.

41.   Create an effective work environment.  Ask your employees what they need to perform to their optimum.  It can be a process modification, better tools to get the job done, and even to make their surroundings esthetically pleasing.  The goal is to create a positive workplace with as much positive energy as possible.

42.   Follow the same process you expect your team to follow.  For example, if you expect detailed documentation to be entered into the company database, then you should not cut any corners if you are the one entering the information.

43.   Keep upper management and financial issues that are considered confidential to yourself.  You might think you are showing off by telling some company secrets, but you can get in trouble, not to mention the person you told will always expect future information.  This is especially important when it is bad news.

44.   Always be prepared for meetings.  Arrive a little early, and have all of the documentation and notes you need for the meeting.  Make copies of the pertinent documentation for everyone at the meeting if applicable.  You can refer to your notes if you get asked any questions you are not immediately able to answer.  Practice and refine your speech if you are expected to present.  Practice saying some quips that pertains to certain situations, telling clear and concise short stories, and have a good joke or two to tell when the timing is right.  Know when to shorten or stop a speech, and most of all, be clear and precise.  A few choice statements will go much further than a lot of mumbo jumbo.  Your ability to quickly communicate and have answers to questions from your staff and upper management shows great leadership skills.  We will discuss more about meeting management in lesson 7.

45.   Post important information on the wall using large-scale wall charts in clear view for all to see.  You and your team should take pride in achieving the goals set.  There should be constant reminders around the office on what you are aiming for as far as goals and objectives are concerned.  There can also be large boards for the most important customer issues, work schedules, tips of the day, etc.  These charts and boards can also be in an electronic format such as a monitor and reader board.

46.   Fully understand the goals of the company.  Especially the financial goals.  You will get this information from management meetings or from CEO announcements.  You need to know the key short-term and long-term objectives.  You should be able to answer questions from your staff that relate to these matters.

47.   Fully understand what upper management wants from you.  You need to be 100% clear and fully focused on what is expected from you so you can lead your team to achieve these objectives.  We will discuss more about company expectations in lesson 2.

48.   Under promise and over deliver.  It is better to be honest and state how long a project might take, or if you’re not sure you can do the project at all.  Don’t just tell your boss or upper management what they want to hear.  You do not want to say you can have something done by the end of the week, when you know darn well it would be near impossible to complete.  You do not want to turn in poor work to meet a deadline.  By setting a realistic timeframe upfront, and if possible completed a head of schedule - thus over deliver, not only will it make you look good, but will also reduce some stress.  Just be careful not to push the requested project too far out in the future.  For example, if you are requested to complete a project in the next week, but you come back saying it will take one month; you will look bad and not a team player.  You should be more compromising and suggest two weeks if you feel it can be done in that timeframe.  The optimum scenario is to be able to adhere to the requested project deadline, but that is not always the case.  The point here is that it is better to give a realistic timeframe and hopefully be ahead of schedule, than to agree on a given timeframe and fail.

49.   Make and meet your deadlines.  As previously stated, meeting a deadline makes you look good as a manager who plans to get the work done, and leader who inspires to get the work done.  Never miss a deadline.  Be known as the person who always gets the job done right and on time.  Map out the project if needed by using a program like “Microsoft Project”.  You can also just map it out by creating a timeframe for each phase.  Make sure you prioritize the most important tasks.  You would enter these phases on the calendar by putting the project complete date first, and then work backwards.  This will help you determine the true start date to be able to hit the project complete date.  Make sure to give yourself some leeway and extra time for possible unseen or unplanned complications.  If you feel there is a chance you might miss the deadline, you would have to either modify the phases, or let your boss know you will not be able to make the deadline, which would be the absolute worse case scenario.  Lessons 2 and 9 go into more detail on basic project planning and project tools.

50.   Have a good understanding of the basics of a business.  You should know the functions of each department and how they interact.  You should especially know the basics in finance, marketing and sales.  You want to be able to understand just what is being said in management meetings.  You do not want to feel like you are blinded with science and have no clue on what is being discussed.  Lessons 8, 9 and 10 are dedicated to business basics.

51.   Be able to report the statistics that matter.  A good leader understands the value of statistics, and a good manager understands the data that matters.  You can be sure your boss or upper management will expect you to give reports on your department’s performance.  You should add data you feel is important, and eliminate the data that is redundant or not important.  These statistical reports are your report card, and you always want to strive for an “A.”  You need to make sure the data is 100% accurate, whether the results are good or bad.  If the results are good, you help justify your job as manager and will get a good pat on the back.  If the results are bad, you have the data to back up what you need to be able to improve.  For example, if you have long hold times in your customer service department, and you have absolutely structured your department to its optimum, you can justify hiring more staff.  The stats don’t lie and you absolutely need to master all departmental reports.  Although lesson 2 gives reporting examples you can use as a guideline, it is highly suggested you become extremely proficient working with spreadsheets.

52.   Hold a meeting with all of your staff on the first day.  If you are new to the company or department, you want to establish yourself from day one. Introduce yourself and give them a brief history of your previous work experience, tell them what upper management expects you to do, go over the vision you have for the department, and what it is you expect from them.  Let them ask questions, and take notes with immediate follow up to any questions you could not answer upfront.  Give a quick summary on all that was discussed.  Thank them and close the meeting in a professional manner.  Make sure they leave the meeting with the feeling that the future looks good.  This will instill confidence and break the ice so you can get started on making your mark.

53.   The first few months on the job…  Make sure you meet with key people within your department, ask a lot of questions, and take notes of their suggestions.  Take these suggestions and incorporate into new policies and procedures if applicable.  It builds rapport and your staff will start feeling like you are going to make some positive changes.  This works great if you are following a manager who has not done such a great job.  Be careful with this approach if you are following a manager who was loved and respected.  Also, turn on your radar to find the complainers who will try and drag you down, as well as the good people who will work hard.  Make sure you tell the good people how much you appreciate all of their hard work.  Don’t ignore the complainers, however, at least make some small talk.  They just might have some insightful information that can help improve processes.  Last of all, make sure you nail your first assignments and meet the deadlines given by your boss, no matter how many hours you have to work.  You should always meet your deadlines, but it is imperative you do so in the first few months on the job.

LESSON 1 - HOW TO BE A GREAT MANAGER THROUGH STRONG LEADERSHIP - Employee Interaction

Five key points to Strong Leadership (thus a Great Manager)

Being known as a strong leader is easy to obtain when you know in your heart you are doing the right thing for the “good of all.”  

Here are five key points, which are the pillars to being a successful leader, that you should absorb into your psyche: 

1.  Develop trust and credibility.  When people trust you, they will be more inclined to follow you.  If they follow you, and you have all the pieces of the puzzle in place as described throughout this course, you will succeed.  A leader builds trust by considering the “good of all” when making decisions. Leaders do not abuse their power, but build trust by using it properly.  Trust fosters collaboration, which contributes to openly sharing information, which then creates a solid team who supports each other.  Trust is based on the respect and expectations of a leader who cares and acts with compassion in a most positive way.  With trust there is:   

• Honesty 

• Integrity 

• Compassion 

• Fairness 

• Good relationships 

  

Incorporating these five traits will help guide you on the right path to strong leadership. 

2.  Share the vision with absolute clarity.  Leaders need to share the vision of what they want their department to achieve.  For example, a leader might share a vision like, “We will be a world class customer service organization that provides the benchmark for customer satisfaction.”  To get others to see and understand your vision, you need to motivate and inspire with the same enthusiasm and positivity you have inside you.

    

It is vital, however, that your team understands the vision, and is 100% clear on the objectives.  You are striving for a better and secure future, while eliminating the common work related fears.  People with a shared vision are more productive and have a greater sense of achievement.  Inspire them to follow the processes and procedures you will put in place to achieve the vision. 

  

You also need to listen to what they are saying.  Doing all the talking does not let them participate in the vision quest with their ideas.   

  

A way to see the dream come true is by charting successes, as well as failures.  If the employees always know where they stand, they will know what part they played in achieving the vision.

3.  Be there to help them succeed - Coaching, mentoring, communicating, and listening.  Great interpersonal skills are vital for a successful leader.  You don’t lead by hiding behind your desk.  Be out there and find the strengths and talents of your employees, and place them where they can shine.  They need to know how their strengths serve the objectives.  Show them the respect they deserve, and you have their interests at heart.

    

The bottom line is that they need to know that you will be there to help them succeed.  You can do this by: 

  

• Coaching.  Try and help them improve their skills to do their job better.  Give them feedback on their performance with observations and give good advice.  Use specific statements rather than general comments, whether good or bad. 

• Mentoring.  Help them understand what you are all about, guide them for a better chance of promotion, and have them learn about other aspects and functions of the business. 

• Communicating.  Clearly share your visions and goals, encourage individuals and groups, praise when praise is due, and take the time for one-on-one meetings.  

• Listening.  Let them share ideas, concerns, and know you are approachable and caring.   

  

The most important aspect here is that you are always looking at ways to help develop your employees’ unique skills, both individually and as a group, for a better future including possible growth in the company.  This is a win for the company as well.  The company will gain more productive employees, not to mention you will look good in upper managements eyes. 

4.  Make the decisions and be held accountable. With the skills developed throughout this course, you will mostly make the right decisions and guide your department into the right direction.  You need to: 

• Sift the data for facts and relevance.  

• Look closely at the issue at hand while never losing sight of the big picture. 

• Talk to subject experts if needed.  

• Don’t make a decision too quickly unless necessary.  

• Think about the cost-benefit for both short-term and long-term.  

• Once a decision is made, do not be wishy-washy or unsure about yourself.  You will be seen as a person who can be easily persuaded with little confidence.  

  

You as a leader are expected to take some chances and you might make some risky decisions.  In saying that, as people expect to be held accountable in their job performance, they also expect you to be held accountable as their leader.  If you fail or deny any wrong doing on your part, or place blame on someone else, you will lose credibility and not be seen as an effective leader.

  

You also need to know when it is better to follow, rather than lead, by trusting your employees’ suggestions.  Leaders realize they can’t know all the answers, and earn respect when they seek advice of others when needed.    

If you make a decision that is obviously seen as showing favoritism, or just a lack of judgment, by promoting someone who has bad work ethics, no respect, or below average performance, you will not only lose respect, but also hurt team morale.  

  

Being held accountable is also a positive thing, as you want to be known for the good things that you do.  The same goes for your employees as it makes them feel important and appreciated.  You do, however, need to allow people to sometimes fail or make mistakes during the process of achieving difficult goals.  You do, however, also need to confront them.  By using your management and leadership skills, people will admit their mistakes and accept accountability.  Your skills as leader will also help and coach them to improve.  If you do not already have the nerve and confidence to confront people, you will eventually, as the contents of this course should lift your confidence and ego immensely.  

  

Make sure your decisions are always ethically sound.  Do not ask or expect your team to get the results unethically or use a “no matter what it takes” approach. 

5.  Keep it all under control and headed in the right direction.  The objective of every leader should come with the mindset of striving for “mission accomplished.”  You, as leader and manager, need to focus on what’s most important related to the vision and goals of the organization.  You need to eliminate chaos and be known as a person with authority who can make the right decisions.  You might have 5 projects going on at once, but focusing more on the least important when the most important is in need of help will destroy your vision and miss your goals.  Make sure you get your team to focus on the most important and critical tasks to achieve the goals related to your vision.  By delegating tasks to the right people, fulfillment of the vision will become more likely.

   

Everyone needs to have the same focus and direction you have.  A sense of community within the team, with a common goal, is key.  If you waver and change your mind and direction continually, you will lose trust.  Consistency is key to maintaining control and keep things going in the right direction.  

  

These “five key points” are the core competencies to strong leadership.  We will continue on this path later in this lesson with 101 tips, tricks and secrets to success in Leadership and Management. 

Great Leaders are never 100% satisfied and know how to find the balance

One of the key elements in effective leadership is to never become complacent with the business model, no matter how sound and well crafted.  Even if the department seems to be running well enough on autopilot, the fact is nothing is ever truly fixed, finished, or completed because every aspect of business is a work in progress.  The most successful leaders continually look to improve their department’s performance.  They continue to learn and find self-improvement, do things better, keep spreading information throughout their organization, and improving the skills and abilities of their employees.

One of the most dangerous traps a new manager faces is once they made an immediate improvement; they think they’ve basically fixed the problem.  They are satisfied with their immediate contribution.  The short-term fix looks good in everyone’s eyes, however, without continuous nurturing, the cracks will start to appear.  Minor flaws in the processes and procedures start appearing, and employees start to become negatively anxious.  The clear vision you shared with your team in the beginning starts to become hazy.

A common misperception at this point is to think that in order to make sure the cracks do not appear, you need to seek personal perfection.  This usually leads to having more of a dictatorship approach to leadership, which will inevitably fail.  You need to collaborate, not dictate.   Abandon the idea that you have to know it all right now, as there will always be more to learn.  Shift your focus from individual perfection to organizational excellence.

The good news is that as long as you plan, coach, and facilitate team contribution and performance, you will build an excellent organization.  By encouraging ideas, suggestions, criticisms, and feedback, you and your employees will have a much better chance at fixing the cracks.  Better yet, if you start your management approach with this mindset, the cracks will never appear in the first place.
You need to balance the skills and capabilities of your employees.  Give people the freedom to make mistakes, but make sure they learn, regroup, and try again.  Don’t ignore the mistakes; just don’t bring out the sword.

Effective leadership demands a delicate balance between sensitivity and authority.  Most managers fail to establish a sufficient balance to make the equation work.  When they give too much free rein towards employee empowerment, the plane tilts too far.  The manager will sooner or later end up having to counter balance with exceeded authority, which then tilts too far in the opposite direction.  People need to operate within a framework of boundaries and ground rules.  These boundaries and ground rules need to be made aware of right from the beginning.  Leaders do have to lead and be authority figures, but have the wisdom of relating to people less as a boss, and more as a mentor and collaborator.  Finding that happy medium is the true sign of an inspired and effective leader.


Great leaders embrace the process of discovery by never giving up the quest for information.  They control their destiny so that no one else controls it for them.  They are never 100% satisfied as there is always room for improvement.  Keeping a sharp focus, all the time, and never drifting from the big picture, is key to great leadership.  Another key is to embrace and manage critical opposites in every facet of business whether it is balancing the focus towards shareholders vs. employees, authoritarian rule vs. ungoverned freedom, or employee expectations vs. employee capabilities.

101 Tips, Tricks & Secrets to Success in Leadership and Management

In the following sections, we will discuss 101 insightful secrets and key principles that will help get you started right away to a successful management career.  These valuable management and leadership skills are part of the everyday life of a successful manager.  They are not in any particular order of importance, as they are all extremely valuable.  Some of these tips will be mentioned again in other pertaining lessons within the course.

These 101 “management through leadership tips” are broken up into four parts:

Part 1 - Employee Interaction, which deals with communication skills.

Part 2 - Professional Advice, which gives some tips on running a department.

Part 3 - Personal Advice, which is focused on inner-self qualities.

Part 4 - Words of Wisdom, which contains some gems to incorporate into your leadership style.

Always try to keep these important tips, tricks and secrets to success in mind throughout your management career.  These tips will help you on your road to success.

Part 1 - Employee Interaction - Tips 1 through 27

1.     Get them excited about a better future.  As a leader, you need to rally the troops as a whole to find at least one common goal for all, and then focus a shared vision around that commonality.  There might be a lot of ways to inspire, but in the same token, different people have different opinions on a better future.  Where some might be inspired, some will miss the point.  Find the one goal in which they can all rally behind, and they will truly be able to share in the same vision as yours.  They will see you as an inspiring leader, which will make them even closer to you.  The common goal might be a key metric for company growth, or satisfaction results that shows they are providing world-class customer service, etc.  By keeping them all focused and inspired on at least one common key metric, you will have a more unified and better performing team to obtain that goal.  You want your employees to have faith in the future by eliminating the possible fears we all have in common.  By making them feel secure about the company, providing a clear and shared hope for the future, keeping everything under control, being someone they can count on, and someone they respect who respects them back, you will be seen as an effective leader.

2.     Make sure your employees listen to you.  If they are not listening, they will not follow.  If they are not following, then you are not leading.  You need to establish the fact that when you talk, you expect their full-undivided attention.  If you are losing their attention, stop what you are doing or saying, and let them know you need them to focus on what is being said or shown.  It doesn’t have to be awkward, just say it as a matter of fact, in a normal tone of voice, and get back to business.  Once it has been established that you will not tolerate being ignored, it will stop happening.

3.     You define, and then let your employees conquer, the goals and expectations.  It is more important to define the outcome you desire, rather than the steps on how to get there.  If you hired and/or trained your staff right, then they should be able to accomplish this through teamwork and pride.  Let them know that they are smart and bright, and that you have the confidence that they can achieve the expectations and goals.  They just need to utilize the skills they already possess.  Also make sure the goals are truly attainable and reachable with a realistic timeline.  If you ask for the near impossible in an unrealistic timeframe, you will not only miss the goal, but lose the respect from your team.

4.     Make it a point to personally meet with everyone in your department.  If possible, take a person to lunch each day until you have gone through your whole department.  At least meet with them one-on-one for 15 minutes or so.  If your department or company is just too big (i.e. over 100 employees), then you might want to have a couple of small, but still very personal group meetings or lunches.  Also make it a point to meet with your fellow managers.  Get their ideas and feedback which will not only break the ice, it will make them feel good about themselves.  This in turn will make them like you more.  You might learn some valuable information as well.

5.     Motivating a group differs from that of motivating an individual.  Part of being a great leader is to know your employees’ strengths and weaknesses.  What inspires one person differs from another.  Once you know what makes each person tick, you can capitalize on it by inspiring in a way that finds the positive, which will make them feel good about themselves.  At the same time, you are earning respect and more credibility in their eyes.  We will discuss more about motivating in lesson 3.

6.     When motivating,  focus on the employee’s strengths and accomplishments.  You can use past examples of achieved goals, customer compliments, etc.  Leave the weakness out, and only bring it up at a later time if there is a disciplinary action.  Also, again find out what makes each employee tick.  Some are more motivated by the way you present a challenge.  Some are more motivated by recognition either publicly or privately.  Some are more motivated at different times of the day, week or month such as month-end sales.  Some are more motivated by needing constant reassurance, yet some are more motivated by just letting them work independently.  You need to know your employees to get the most out of motivation.  One thing to keep in mind, you should never try to motivate  by using threats.  It might get short-term results, but you will pay for it in the long run, and most likely lose some good employees.

7.     Find the strong points and unlock the employee’s potential.  When your developing an employee, point them in the right direction that will truly help their career in what they would like to do.   For example, promoting a great employee to customer service supervisor, when their strengths are more technical engineering related, might not be the best idea for both of you.  Let them shine, and make sure they know that you are spreading the good word about them.  That you are sharing their ideas, contributions, successes, and customer compliments with upper management.  Never steal their glory or thunder.  You will already look good because you have a great employee that you manage and are mentoring.  That is enough of an award in itself.  It will also show your fellow managers and upper management that you truly are a team player who wants everyone to succeed, and not one to hold all the cards…

8.     Keep your employees close, but your best employees even closer.  Of course, as a leader, you want to make sure your employees are close to you. But lets face it, there are always a few people in your department that truly make a difference that you want even closer.  You might have someone whose skills and talents are beyond all others and are just supreme, or you might have someone who is just so customer focused that you know you can always trust that person to provide the greatest customer service, etc.  These key individuals can make a big difference to the overall big picture.  It shouldn’t be that way, but that is just the way it is.  You do not want to lose these key players, unless, it is for possible promotion outside of your department but still within the company.  These individuals should get extra good personal treatment such as praise and raises.  Just watch the fine line of showing favoritism.

9.     Be personable, and show you care about your employees as a person.  One of the most effective ways to have people want to follow you as a leader is to make them feel like you truly care about them.  Ask about their interests and genuinely be curious about their lives.  Many employees who feel you are uncaring or unfair are more willing to cheat on their expected workload and think they can get away with it.  They will feel like they are just a number, so what does it matter what they do?  If they feel they are being managed by someone who is trustworthy and acts with integrity, and at the same time cares about people as well as the business, they will feel like they are a true part of the company.  They will see you as a leader to follow and will perform better.

10.   Open communication and honesty with the team.   Be yourself while always maintaining a professional persona.  People deal with situations, good or bad, when they feel you are being honest in a professional yet personable way.  This will also create a good union-company relationship if applicable.  Encourage input and opinions.  Be open for debate.  Also, always suggest that an employee, or group of employees, talk to you first with any grievances before going to HR or upper management.  Most of the time the issue will be worked out right then and there.  Human Resources will love you for it as well.

11.   Continually communicate.  Always keep the communication line open whether in person, chat, phone call, or e-mail.  There will be times when you are so busy that you will forget to talk to your staff.  Don’t be so involved in your own projects that you end up ignoring the hard work performed by your staff.  If you do not talk to your employees, you might be looked at as not trying or caring.  We will discuss more about communication skills in lesson 7.

12.   Sometimes make them find the answer.  Giving your team the responsibility to find the answers, even if they have to struggle a bit, challenges and shows trust in the team.  You might be able to do it quickly, but what about the next time a situation pops up?  Don’t get caught in the trap of doing everything yourself.  It’s stressful for both you and your team.  Instead of finding the answer for them right away, you should instead ask questions like, “What would you do?”  They will learn by committing mistakes, and that should be the time you coach them.  They will learn and build confidence over time.  You should always be there to look after them, but not do it for them.  This also goes for tasks you delegate, but somehow comes back to you.  Try not to let this happen.

13.   Make your employees believe that you are in awe of their skills and that their work is challenging.  The more self-assured a person is, the better they will perform.  You are making them feel good about themselves by letting them know that you recognize the difficulty in their tasks.  Show them you recognize their strengths, and then even challenge them more.  You get more productivity, and they do not feel like their job is meaningless.

14.   Praise when praise is due.  Everyone likes to be complimented and receive a good pat on the back.  When goals have been exceeded, exceptional work has been done, or employees went beyond the call of duty to ensure customer satisfaction, be sure to praise your employees.  There is a difference between praise and saying thank you.  You thank your employees for the hard work they have done, but you praise when exceptional work has been done.  Praising the team for a true accomplishment goes a lot farther than praising for every completed task.  It shows you have the leadership trait to recognize meaningful projects.  We will discuss more about praising and recognizing in lesson 3.

15.   Do not be scared of your employees’ success.  You want to see your employees shine with confidence and build their skills, even if you start feeling like they are surpassing you.  You want to continually build up their self-assurance to utilize their strengths.  The more they grow, the more you grow.  It is a compliment to you when praise is given to your group or one of your team members.  A successful employee usually means the manager must be doing something right, and upper management recognizes that fact.  The only way you can be surpassed is if you lose the individual and teams respect by holding them down.  Loss of respect turns into a lack of confidence in you as a leader.  The last thing you want is a “coup d’état” type of mentality amongst your team.

16.   Get the most out of recognition.  The saying, “Different strokes for different folks,” comes into play here.  Some people prefer public recognition, so you can praise them in front of their peers, whereas others are more inclined to private recognition and praise.  Also, giving recognition to an employee’s true strength and passion goes much further than praise for something they are not passionate about.  For example, one person might be more technically inclined who will get more out of technically related praise, whereas another might be more focused on providing excellent customer service who will get more out of praise due to a customer compliment, yet they are both in the same group.  You need to find the right buttons to push to get the most out of recognition and praise.  Again, this goes back to knowing what makes them tick.  Something else to keep in mind, do not praise an individual in public when it was a team effort.  It can destroy team morale.

17.   Learn what makes them learn.  Part of sharing the vision as a leader, and making sure everyone performs their job functions correctly as a manager, requires that they understand just what it is you are trying to relate.  You can’t assume that a blanket statement or process will be fully understood by all.  Each person learns a little differently than others.  Some people get more by looking at visual examples, while others like watching others do it.  Some like a hands on approach, while others like to analyze the data.  As a leader, you need to make sure the whole team understands what you are trying to share.  As a manager, you would want to know how each individual learns best.  A leader would visually show ideas and visions in charts or slide presentations, have the team participate with ideas based on your vision, and document for those who want to dig a little deeper into your vision.  A manager might want to take a hands on approach with those who are better at doing it rather than reading about it, give documentation to those who are more comfortable by analyzing and applying the information to the project themselves, use a visual step-by-step approach to those who get more out of visual learning, or just have them watch others do it.  You need to use whatever method works best, both from a leaders and managers point of view, even if it is in a few different formats.  This will ensure that the goals of the overall vision will be achieved.  In short, you might need to adapt your style and figure out how to work well with the competencies of your team members, rather than always expecting that they adapt to you.

18.   Always keep an “open door” policy.   Your employees need to know that they can talk to you at any time.  You need to have this open door policy no matter the person or issue.  Whenever an employee approaches you, you always have to be ready to feel sympathetic and show you care.  Show them you are willing to help.  It might be about money, a conflict with another employee, or a personal issue.  No matter the situation, make sure they know you are listening.  You don’t necessarily need to come up with any magic solution at the time, but make sure you get back with them as soon as possible.  Even if it is not what they want to hear, they will know you tried and took their concerns seriously.  Most of the time it is just an opportunity to let them vent, however, you come out looking good.  This is because you did not shrug it off or made them feel stupid for talking to you in the first place.  Look them in the eyes while they are talking, and do not work on e-mail or answer a call unless absolutely necessary.  If you need to interrupt them, make sure you let them know the urgency of the immediate situation.  You would politely ask them to either wait a few minutes, or come back in around 15 minutes.  The main point is not making them feel you do not care.  If, however, this person is a constant bother to you, you will at one point need to let them know that these continuous problems need to stop.  You will have to draw the line.  You might suggest a meeting  with human resources, which might scare them off in presenting future complaints.  No one wants to be known as a complainer.

19.   Always be open, flexible and approachable.  Being laid back and approachable, while at the same time showing you have a desired commitment to achieving results, is truly a successful combination.  Do not come across like an unreasonable, mean, or sarcastic person.  Intimidation might seem like it gives you more power, but it backfires most of the time.  You will lose respect.  People will pretend to like you, but secretly hate you. They will leave the first chance they can get.  Humble yourself with honor, and you will get the best out of your staff.  This only makes your job easier.  Always keep in mind this old saying, “You catch more fly’s with honey than vinegar.”  Be nice, open to new ideas, and show flexibility.  Even the smallest gesture will look big in your employees’ eyes.  Be open to everything, even if you know within the first few seconds that it will never work.

20.   Do not rule by intimidation, but don’t be intimidated either...  Leaders need to have a certain dominance about them and be assertive in both their thinking and ability to deal with others.  However, dominance and intimidation are two separate entities.  Only short-term gain is usually achieved through intimidation and a higher rate of attrition usually occurs.  It is good for a little healthy fear associated with the natural approach to hierarchy and respect for the position, but that is as far as it should go.  If, however, you start to feel intimidated by someone else or with particular events, remember this:  You are reading this paragraph right now for a reason, you desire to excel at your management and leadership skills.  That desire, and what is taught throughout this course, should instill confidence in you to never be, nor show that you are, intimidated by anyone.  Maturity in your management style by empowering, rather than ruling, will show you do not intimidate nor are intimidated.

21.   Develop a collaborative approach.  When your employees are engaged in the vision and goals of the department, they will feel a sense of pride.  Creativity, loyalty, and motivation will grow.  Absenteeism and employee turnover will decrease, while problem solving and productivity will increase.

22.   You have to deal with conflict with confidence.  You will most likely have, at one point in your managerial career, an argumentative troublemaker with a bad attitude.  You will also have employees with poor performance.  You need to react immediately and know when it is time to fire the individual, unless of course you can remedy the situation.  We will discuss more about conflict and firing in lesson 5.

23.   Have effective meetings.  Communicating with upper management and to your staff, as described throughout this course, is extremely important in creating clear-cut direction to achieve the well-defined goals and objectives.  Meeting with staff is of vital importance, however, you need the meetings to follow an agenda and stick to the point to truly be effective.  We will discuss more about holding great meetings in lesson 7.

24.   Stand behind your team.  If you feel justified, and it is within reason, you should always go to battle for your team.  If your team feels passionately about something, you need to show them that you have their best interests at heart.  If someone has a complaint about someone in your department, make sure you deal with the issue and not let another manager or supervisor bypass your authority.  You need to always show that you are an advocate for your team.

25.   Empower your employees.  Give them bigger projects to handle rather than just the simple hour-to-hour assignments.  Once they have tackled a few of the bigger types of projects, both you and your employees will have more confidence in the projects yet to come.

26.   Get the most out of your employees.  In order to do this, you need to give the most of yourself to them.  Continuously ask if there is anything you can do for them.  Be there for them and always let them know you have their back.  Always keep their best interests at heart.  The more you do for them, the more they will follow your lead.


27.   Help people grow their skills and develop their careers.   You do this through training, providing opportunities, and spreading the word through upper management.  This will make you the person people want to work for.  When employees feel they are learning and growing, they work harder and more efficiently.  Don’t let them become bored and stagnant or else they will become sluggish, both personally and professionally.  Challenge and empower your employees with tasks, projects, and assignments.  You will both win, they are improving and you are getting more work done.  Coaching and mentoring your employees, by focusing on the needed strengths for them to learn and grow, is one of the best things you can do as manager and leader.  Build their confidence when they are unsure about themselves, bring them out of their shell when they are shy, and help with reporting and process skills when they are not documentation experts.  By helping your employees learn and grow, you will have more people in which you can delegate tasks.  This in turn gives you more time to focus on other aspects of improving your department, which is another win/win situation.