Category: Newsletter
The Top is a newsletter for aspirational professionals who want to progress ahead in their careers.
Does your team feel they are overworked?
Does your team feel they are overworked?
Pandemic has changed the way we work. Most importantly, the lines between personal and professional hours have blurred. Although there are many benefits of remote working, one unintended consequence has been burnout. Teams often feel overworked and, as a result, burnout. Did this feeling in the workforce not exist before the pandemic? It did. In some environments, employee burnout has been a challenge, even pre-pandemic. In most fast-growing environments, companies are often understaffed. This leads to extra pressure on the workforce. Typically, in these environments, the employee churn is high. High employee turnover further adds to the pressure on the employees that stay with the company.Do you find yourself constantly following up with your teams?
Do you find yourself constantly following up with your teams?
Following up with the team is hard. I get it. It is even harder to do it constantly and get a little response from the team. Teamwork is essential for any business, but it’s even more critical for your success as a manager. As a manager, you are responsible for many tasks, and you are expected to deliver that with the help of your team. If you and your team don’t deliver on time, it impacts the team’s performance and overall career progress for everyone involved. So, where is it going wrong? Is your team not capable enough? Maybe! Or are they not taking enough ownership of their work? Possible. You can’t give up on them just like that. So what can you do? What if your team felt comfortable coming to you and giving you updates? So the first question to ask yourself is, do they feel comfortable coming to you and discussing their challenges, roadblocks, and failures with you? As a manager, it helps to be approachable and personable. If you become more approachable, you won’t have to follow up that often.- Be aware of your facial expressions and use them to control how people perceive you. For example, a smile can be a powerful tool for building trust and rapport.
- Be honest and upfront about your needs – don’t make assumptions. This way, the team can be sure that they’re addressing your concerns and that you’re not just asking for favors.
- Speak in a positive tone – it will show that you’re interested in working with the team. By being positive, you’ll put the team at ease and increase the chances of a successful outcome.
Guidance Ability is one of the key pillars of Manager Effectiveness
Guidance Ability is one of the key pillars of Manager Effectiveness
- The team to be performing at its level best
- Addressing any problems or roadblocks that come effectively
- Trust on the team that they will deliver on what is expected from them
- Constantly improving the skill set of the team
Read this guide to Facilitating Collaboration in your teams.
Read this guide to become a pro at giving Constructive Feedback. Managing people is one of the most important responsibilities any manager has. So, to be successful, you must have a clear understanding of your employees and be able to provide them with guidance and direction to reach the goals you have set for them and help them reach their full potential.
Do you often find yourself doing your team’s work?
Do you often find yourself doing your team’s work?
Last week, I spoke with a manager, and she said, “Ashish, I often find myself doing my team’s job.” This is how the rest of the conversation went.
Ashish: “How does that happen? Tell me more.”
Manager: “When they are working on tasks, they are often unable to finish them. They are not confident if they will be able to finish it in time or not. When the deadlines are approaching, I have to jump in to ensure that we meet the deadlines.”
Ashish: “Is there a skill gap in your team?”
Manager: “No, no, they are skilled. In our team, we have all the skills that we need.”
Ashish: “Then what happens?”
Manager: “It impacts the tasks I am supposed to do. I am not able to effectively keep my stakeholders informed. In certain cases, clients don’t get the attention they need from me.”It is not the first time I have had this conversation with any manager. It can be tough to balance your team’s work with your own as a manager. Juggling the two can often lead to inconsistent or poor outcomes, leaving your team behind. There are a few reasons why managers do their team’s work. The first and most important reason is that they care about their team and want them to succeed. This is demonstrated through their willingness to delegate tasks and set goals for the team. They also make sure everyone knows what those goals are and help them reach them. In the end, managers can focus on their job objectives and the team’s success. For the team to be successful, the team must function well. Effective Delegation prevents mistakes and ensures the completion of tasks on time. Moreover, the manager leads and manages the team effectively. However, when the team’s work isn’t productive or doesn’t meet expectations, it can harm the manager. In such a scenario, the manager may feel responsible and be distracted from their primary goals. More often than not, the limitations are in the manager’s delegation skill set. How effectively the manager delegates work to their subordinates drives the overall productivity and efficiency of the team. When done correctly, Delegation can unlock so much hidden productivity and engagement within the team. Moreover, you free up your time to focus on higher-priority tasks. Some of the elements that are critical to effective Delegation are
- Overall project timelines
- Team member’s individual skillset – strengths and improvement areas
- Effective communication of expectations
- Support from the manager or other team members
- Manager’s ability to provide constructive feedback
The secret to consistency: Building and sustaining a team
The secret to consistency: Building and sustaining a team
A manager’s role in a company can vary depending on the type of company they work for and the position they hold. However, in general, managers are responsible for the overall success and growth of the company. They own different chunks of the company’s objectives and are supposed to achieve them. Obviously, they can’t do it themselves. They need people working with them to achieve those objectives. AKA a team. Hence, managers are also responsible for ensuring that employees fulfill their roles and meet company goals. A team is vital for a manager because it provides a support system for them. A manager can’t do everything alone, which is why having a team of dedicated people helping them achieve their goals is so valuable. Having a team also allows the manager to delegate tasks and responsibilities to the team members, making the job easier and more efficient. In essence, a manager is as good as their team. To be a good manager, who delivers the company’s objectives consistently, they must have a good team that delivers on their objectives consistently. Finding the right people to join their teams becomes increasingly tricky as businesses grow. It is especially true in today’s competitive market, where skilled professionals are in high demand and are often hard to come by. To bring consistency in their efforts, managers not only have to attract the best talent but also have to retain the talent they have hired and groomed over the years. Constant chopping and changing in the team brings the overall team performance down. Note again, the quality and stability of your team will directly impact your’s and your team’s performance. So how can managers attract and retain the top talent in their teams? Read more.- What work will they be working on after they join your team?
- What is working for your team better than working for any other team?
- What can they look forward to learning?
- What growth prospects can they expect?
- Who would then be working with? Will others in the team add value to them and vice-versa?
So, what should you do when a team member decides to leave your team? Read more here. To conclude, the managers are responsible for their teams being highly efficient and competitive in the market. To achieve that, you must have highly talented professionals on your team. You can either attract great talent in the market or retain the incredible talent you already have in your teams.
What is the one skill that will always come in handy for managers?
What is the one skill that will always come in handy for managers?
Managers and leaders are responsible for the results their teams bring. Their wins or losses are often turned into an assessment of the manager’s competencies. In order to guide their teams through victories repeatedly, managers need to become masters of multiple arts. Apart from effectively handling managerial processes like change management and delegation, managers need some skills that assist them in carrying out each and every job. Their efficacy is often a result of these skills only.When we talk about the skills of a manager, we can begin by listing the technical skills. These are particular to their niche and vital for optimum performance. Beyond these, managers need skills that help problem-solving, such as critical thinking. But the list does not end here! The day-to-day operations of a manager also require them to possess several essential skills.
Managers typically handle teams that are made of varied people. Ensuring that work is done efficiently and that the team runs smoothly needs managers to master human skills. Human skills play a critical role in our personal and professional lives. Primarily, they are essential for building a cohesive team through mutual trust, respect, and negotiation.
You can read more about the top 10 human skills for managers here.
One such skill which is vital for maneuvering the workplace’s daily business is listening. We typically do not worry a lot about listening. After all, as long as we are in the earshot, we are listening, right? But that is not the case. Generally, we are passive listeners, meaning that we do not put much effort into deriving meaning out of whatever we hear. This behavior can be pretty dangerous for managers. A lot is going on in teams – from professional bickering to personal gossip – and a manager needs to be aware of all of it. Navigating the office environment can become a massive challenge if the manager is unaware of the environment. Therefore, neglecting to listen is among the biggest mistakes a manager can make. This has become even more important in the remote working situations.
Managers who ignore what is being said lose touch with their teams. Those who do not listen are easily termed arrogant by team members who feel discouraged. In totality, not listening actively can cause several troubles for you. The lost ideas, engagement opportunities, and goodwill might not call back!
Not listening for understanding is among the significant listening sins of a manager. Check out here what the others are.
Now that we understand how not listening hurts teams, we must look for a solution. The panacea lies in adopting a different approach – active listening. Active listening happens when people intentionally listen and attempt to understand others. You can use body language to demonstrate your attentiveness and raise questions to get more insights. This approach is constructive for managers as it brings multiple benefits – great interpersonal relationships, a lot of energetic ideas, and the reputation of a caring manager. Teams led by managers who practice active listening are undoubtedly happier and more productive. Hence, you should definitely try to become a better listener in the workplace. You can read more about active listening for managers here. While you are at it, you can also take the free active listening self-assessment. As the name suggests, the assessment will help you understand the nuances of your communication habits. It will also help you learn the crucial difference between active and passive listening. Importantly, you will be able to identify your weak areas as a communicator. The active listening self-assessment empowers you to develop as a communicator. Resultantly, you can grow into an influential manager. Once you know your listening skills, you can check out the free active listening toolkit. The toolkit contains helpful content to master active listening and practice it with your team. With clear roadmaps and guidance, you can become a pro at active listening in no time!
☝️Ok, this Dilbert had nothing to do with active listening. But it was damn funny to not be included. 😂 After all, managers can do their jobs the best only when they know what their team members feel. Sometimes, we might develop an unintentional habit of passive listening, which could harm us unnoticed. Therefore, it is crucial that you identify how well you are doing right now. Active listening is among the most critical skills of a manager, but undoubtedly not the only one. Revisit our last newsletter to check your progress on managing delegation at work.
How strong are your micromanagement tendencies?
How strong are your micromanagement tendencies?
Management styles vary a lot, and for obvious reasons. Managers and their teams are very different, and what may be useless for one might be the best trick ever for the next. One management style that is often the topic of hot debates is micromanagement. People may hate or love it while pretending not to – but everyone has heard of it. The term micromanagement is among the most reviled in a manager’s vocabulary. And rightly so! When we typically talk of a micromanager, we envisage a tough manager with thick glasses who keeps an eye on everything under the roof of the workplace, an office’s big brother. Additionally, we assume some more things about this hypothetical manager, most of which are harmful. It happened because micromanagement has earned a negative reputation over time. But is that the correct conclusion? Let’s find out. The usual definition of micromanagement covers a few things – hyper fixation on details, an abundance of updates, and an extreme level of engagement with employees. Beyond the basics, we also understand that a micromanager’s approach is designed to achieve the highest level of productivity and efficiency possible. A tinge of perfectionism is clearly visible. Overall, the road to micromanagement is paved solely with good intentions. But, issues arise when we begin to analyze the impact of micromanagement on employees. It has been noted that the critical features of a micromanager’s style can pose significant challenges to achieving goals. Excessive attention to detail that may not be crucial in the long run is an easy way to derail projects and run them behind schedule. Moreover, the time and efforts spent on irrelevant documentation are wasted. It also demotivates employees who do not feel confident and trusted. In the end, the manager might lose touch with their team members, who feel stressed and disengaged at work. So, what should managers do? First, you should read more about micromanagement and why managers should avoid it at all costs. As all coins have two sides, so does micromanagement! Although we have noted the several harmful effects of micromanagement, that may not always be the case. When you are in a managerial role, there are times when you will need to hold the hands of your team members closely and walk them through each and every loop on the way. Say, for instance, when you have a new team member and are running short on time. Micromanaging things – with significant involvement and constant checks – is the way to go. Similarly, there can be other situations where you must don the thick-rimmed glasses and become your most pedantic self to row the boat across. The key is to note that management style is contingent on the circumstance. Moreover, it would be best if you tried not to hold a rigid view on adopting a particular management style. You can also read when micromanagement can be a good option and see how it works! Now that we have understood that there is no straightforward answer to the conundrum of micromanagement, you might be wondering what you should do. Managers need to adapt approaches to situations; therefore, you will have to increase or decrease the intensity of your micromanaging tendencies. Before doing so, it would be best if you were aware of your micromanagement habit. Initially, you might try to notice your behavior with your team consciously. But, that assessment has its own troubles, as it is mired with biases and subjectivity. A holistic approach is needed to overcome these limitations, which is available here. You can use this free micromanagement assessment to check how strong your micromanagement habits are. The free micromanagement assessment helps you in many ways. Firstly, you will know where you stand on the micromanagement spectrum. Secondly, you can use this information to identify areas that might be affected. Once you know weak spots, you can concentrate your efforts on them better. Lastly, taking this assessment will aid in creating a healthy environment by eliminating harmful practices. All in all, you can unlock hidden productivity in your team with the micromanagement assessment. You can empower your teams to achieve more when you better understand micromanagement and your management style. Further, guiding as needed and autonomy when required is an excellent way to become a great manager. Adapting your approach will also benefit you because you can connect with your team better when you know them better. In totality, it is crucial for you to learn about micromanagement and yourself for the success of your and your team’s efforts.
How good are your delegation skills?
How good are your delegation skills?
The quest is to be a great manager, isn’t it? Leading your team and effectively managing everything is your job as a manager. A good manager carries out these tasks efficiently. But, a great manager adds more to the mix! Beyond merely discharging duties, great manager takes their team to the next level. They do this by motivating their teams so that they are inspired to achieve more. Great managers know their teams inside out; therefore, they can use them to generate optimum output gracefully. Also, they know how to facilitate productivity in their teams by creating the right environment that offers support. Teams led by such managers are seen to be more successful in achieving higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction. If you haven’t already, read what’s the difference between good and great managers. There are a few skills that make a great manager. These, of course, include their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Besides having a sharp intellect that enables and lets them maneuver around hurdles, great managers prioritize balance too. Their approach to management is often based around empowering their team members. Employees in their teams enjoy autonomy. They can explore and learn by doing. However, the same thing, i.e., delegating tasks, is often a challenge for many good managers. Managers hesitate before delegating tasks when they do not understand the strengths and weaknesses of their team members acutely. When you know your team well, you will know their capabilities. Gathering this knowledge and trusting your team is the beginning of delegation. After all, a great manager helps their team realize their potential. Even so, effective delegation is key to two crucial things – building a high-performing team and becoming a great manager who leads that team. Hence, mastering delegation is necessary. Delegation is not about pushing your workload unto others. Instead, it is an excellent way to build capabilities and unlock hidden productivity in teams. As it is a critical management skill, managers must know how to do it. Read more about practicing the art of delegation here and understand how it works: the why, how, and what to avoid. You would notice that you are probably delegating some tasks within your team already. However, the results are not very great, and hits are mixed with plenty of misses. It is not surprising because deciding what to delegate and who can be tricky. Moreover, you might be unaware of the nuances of your delegation style.To find what’s amiss in your approach, hop onto the effective delegation assessment. Take the effective delegation assessment for managers today to understand how good your delegation skills are. Don’t do what Dilbert’s pointy-haired boss is trying to do 😂 The assessment will provide you with an objective analysis of your delegation skills, which you or your peers might be unable to do. You will also identify blindspots that are nibbling your productivity unnoticed. Essentially, it will guide you through creating a roadmap to achieving productivity in your team through delegation.
At some moments, you might feel that you are doing the right things, yet there is no visible progress. Conundrums like these leave us puzzled too! In such situations, we remember that implementation must be followed by testing to measure performance. You can retake the assessment after working on actionable insights on effective delegation from our Knowledge Base. Once you know where work is needed, you must figure out how to do it. Carrying out effective delegation has never been easier than right now, thanks to the effective delegation toolkit, designed especially for managers who grow their teams with themselves. Download the free effective delegation toolkit today to access frameworks and templates that make delegation a smooth ride. BTW, you can’t delegate that to anyone 😄
You will grow into a great manager with effective delegation among the sharpest arrows in your quiver of managerial skills. As delegation shifts tasks from your end to your team, you can find more time to focus on high-value activities such as strategic planning and decision-making. On your journey to becoming a great manager from merely good, effective delegation is an important stepping stone. Make sure to get the most out of it by focusing on your weak areas and learning the nuances. It will help you make the most of the resources available. Your ability to manage people and tasks will turn you into an inspirational leader for all.
Are certain behaviors secret to building Accountability in the team?
Are certain behaviors secret to building Accountability in the team?
The environment in which your team functions is an essential element in success. When leading a team, consistent support from your team members becomes vital. Primarily, they affect your performance majorly. Moreover, your team members are crucial in developing a harmonious culture where everyone can thrive.
Similarly, the personal relationships of employees matter too. You will love to see some key behaviors in your team members as a manager. You can take a look around your organization to understand what sort of actions are required. In corollary, you can take note of habits that will be helpful for the team. The responsibility to promote these behaviors falls upon you as well.
Although, sometimes, your team members may not be at their best behaviors. Therefore, it becomes your duty to inculcate those behaviors in your colleagues, which lead to productivity and harmony. In order to get this done, you should first understand what it means and then plan your steps accordingly.
As a team leader or a manager, you are bound to have expectations from your team members. However, whether those expectations are justified or not can be a matter of confusion initially. At times, the behavior of your team members might be entirely different from your expectations. In such a situation, you might be confused about exactly how a team should behave. Depending upon the situation, you might even be disappointed at how your team behaves. But as a manager, it becomes your responsibility to bring them on the right track. Nonetheless, you have to clarify your expectations in behavior. These things should be clear to you personally before you make them known to your team members.
To learn more about what behaviors managers usually expect from their team members, continue reading here.
When a manager builds a team, they usually look for people who do not need constant hand-holding. Instead, you will appreciate team members who take up challenges and hold themselves responsible for their results. Accountability is an excellent quality to have in a team member. However, you might often face the challenge of a lack of accountability in your team. Or otherwise, you may need to increase the degree of accountable behavior in your team. For doing this, you can take up multiple ways.
Firstly, you can serve as a model for behavior for your team members. A manager or leader always acts as the prototype of ideal behavior for employees. You can lead them to develop personal accountability through your own example. It will go a long way in creating a healthy culture and increasing your organization’s productivity. Secondly, you can take steps to build personal accountability. This can come from everyday activities like making space for clear communication and feedback.
A more detailed guide to developing personal accountability in your team is available here.
Apart from working individually, you can encourage your employees to have accountability partners that keep them in check. After all, two are better than one, for if either falls, one can help the other. These partners can come from the workplace itself too. But that need not always be the case. They can simply pick someone they are comfortable with tracking their progress. If two people work together on a similar project, they can keep checking each other’s progress over time.
Moreover, your accountability partner does not have to be a single person. You can create groups that keep each other in for shared goals and commitments. Additionally, your organization can arrange to provide employee accountability partners as well. These people can engage with employees and help them remain consistent with their objectives.
More than mere accountability, these initiatives also provide a space to network and discuss feelings about their work. Hence, accountability partners can be a great addition to your array of productivity-enhancing managerial tools! Read this to learn more about accountability partners, where to find one, and how to coordinate with them.
All in all, you can change your team dynamics for the better by carefully placed interventions. Therefore, as a manager, you must always look for opportunities to enhance the value derived from processes. As the behavior of team members is a vital part of the development of company culture, which directly affects productivity, it becomes an important area that needs focus. Hence, you can take steps to create a culture of accountability in your team that will make it easier for everyone to collaborate and achieve more. These bitter pills of behavior improvements will indeed show you results in the long term.
Good Manager vs. Great Manager. What does it take to cross the chasm?
Good Manager vs. Great Manager. What does it take to cross the chasm?
A manager’s role is to help their team achieve their objectives and ensure everyone is working towards the same goal. A good manager typically:- Sets clear goals and strategies for the team and ensures that everyone knows what they need to do to help reach these goals
- Gets involved in daily operations, if necessary, to make sure everything runs smoothly
- Provides support and guidance when needed but also allows staff to take responsibility for their own actions
- Encourages creativity and innovation while also enforcing standards and discipline when needed
- Is understanding and supportive of individuals, but also takes proactive steps to address any problems
- They make you feel good about yourself as an individual and a professional
- You don’t have to think before you speak about what’s on your mind with them
- You know someone is looking out for you when it comes to your concerns, growth, and needs
- Building better relationships
- Resolving conflicts
- Building and maintaining boundaries
- Getting what you want
Find your Ikigai before motivating your team
Find your Ikigai before motivating your team
In case of emergency, put on your own mask before helping others! In our daily lives, we often encounter lethargy and demotivation. However, these issues can manifest huge repercussions when they affect an entire team. Motivation is what drives people to achieve their deadlines on time amidst all the clutter. Projects that require coordination and teamwork are affected by the motivation levels of all the team members. Consequently, it becomes imperative for a manager to motivate themselves and their team members constantly. Nonetheless, it is obviously not surprising to find yourself bewildered over employee motivation. Yet, the question of building motivation in your team remains a perplexing one. Moreover, employee motivation can be a complex issue at times because of its broad scope, including diversity and individual differences. Motivational techniques may not work universally, but managers and leaders can definitely try some of the proven effective ones. Before beginning to motivate your team, it is crucial to motivate yourself. A manager simply serves as a motivation for their team in multiple ways. Effectively, their motivation and enthusiasm toward work can also serve as an example of model behavior for employees. Further, a manager’s motivation is important because they have to lead the team. They are responsible for taking problems head-on and solving problems day after day. Constant challenges from the external as well as the internal environment are part and parcel of managerial and leadership roles. Therefore, managers must find something that motivates them to get up and do their best daily. The Japanese concept of Ikigai can be beneficial here. Ikigai, in its simplest form, stands for your reason for being. It is the thing that moves you every day to continue achieving smart goals. The best part is that you can use this technique not only to find your own Ikigai but also to help your team and team members find theirs. Employee motivation can still appear tricky because it involves multiple people who are not you. Their reasons, responsibilities, and responses can be poles apart from yours. As a result, it might be hard to find effective motivators within the organization. There are several techniques that a manager can use to motivate their employees. Managers usually focus on offering encouragement and support and creating positive experiences at work to keep their team engaged. You can find a few top employee motivation techniques you can use with your team. Employee recognition is among the most effective and popular ways to motivate employees. It shows them that their efforts are valued. Additionally, getting recognized gives one a sense of security and comfort in the team. It works like an elixir for team performance. Generally, we see recognition as an acknowledgment of efforts made in the workplace. But employee recognition includes much more than that! All in all, you have to make employee recognition a part of your team’s culture. This article on the recognition of employees as a motivational tool will help you understand the various forms of employee recognition that you can use to motivate your team. All in all, employee motivation is indispensable in your team’s journey to success. Although motivation is subjective often, a manager can attempt to enhance engagement and encourage their employees. It might require you to interact closely with your team to understand their personality and employ techniques accordingly. Successful managers know that a people-centric approach is instrumental in not merely building a great team culture but also in increasing productivity and improving performance. You can become a high-performing manager by hacking into the motivation game using the resources listed above. Test and try to see what works best for your team. Creating a motivated team is a mix of inspiration, infusion, and inclusion – balanced just right!An employee’s perspective on what is it like to work for a great manager
An employee’s perspective on what is it like to work for a great manager
In the last edition of The Top newsletter, we brought light to the difference between a good and a great manager. As you can see, it is largely a question of the degree of certain behaviors that great managers go to. Largely, the impact of working for a good or great manager is extremely rewarding. Being a good or a great manager to your team members is not about making them happy by being soft on them. It is also not about compromising on performance. Instead, it is much deeper than that. It is about the experiences you give to your team members daily that make you a good manager to them. These experiences are like signals that anyone can feel and perceive. Not an exhaustive list, but this is what it looks like:- Employees feel appreciated, valued, and respected
- They might feel like they can be themselves and let their work speak for them
- They might feel like their work is essential and that the manager cares about their success
- There is a feeling of calmness, order, and productivity in the workplace
To conclude, a good manager knows how to motivate and lead his team in the right direction. They also set reasonable expectations and behave professionally. They have the unique ability to see the potential in their team and use this to their advantage. On the other hand, a bad manager can be toxic and destructive, leading to low morale and a lack of productivity on an organizational level. It is a journey that is arduous yet rewarding.