With a blog title like ‘If there was just one thing that would make you highly effective, what would it be?’ I should probably start by defining what it is to be highly effective! Truth is, the answer to that question alone could be longer than the blog itself.
One of our 4 C’s of being a high functioning team is ‘Competence’. It’s the domain expertise, skill element of the team. It’s something we all need, the manager, but also every single member of the team. However for the manager there is something really important to understand; no matter how brilliant you are, how great your competence, if your team isn’t up to the required competence then two things become very evident: You can’t go and have lunch because your people will be addicted to you, and you will never be able to empower your people with confidence.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the advent of self directed learning - in other words creating the environment where staff take control of their own learning, often supported by the organisation. I’ve nothing against this approach, it’s great if people take charge of their own development, however my word of caution is concerned with this becoming the only approach.
For much of my management career I was under the impression that one of the requirements of a good manager was to motivate their team members. In recent years I’ve begun to wonder if that’s altogether the wrong thing! My doubt first manifested itself when reading Prof Steve Peters suggesting that motivation was worthless - WORTHLESS! Yes, really, the British Olympic cycling teams psychologist tells his athletes to forget it, it’s a waste of time.
We have given the most incredible gift of communication. Our ability to interact orally is utterly unique compared to any other creature on the planet. We are good at it too. We read subtle nuance, micro gestures across the lyric, song and dance of our discussions.
There is a clear difference between high performing teams and high functioning teams. Put simply, many high performing teams are not necessarily high functioning. They achieve what they achieve through effort, blood, sweat and frequently tears. Performance in these organisations is exhausting, often stressful, there is fall out and discontent.
How important is the relationship I have with my team? Pretty vital I’d say! But what does that really mean? How well does my team need to know me? What’s that balance between being familiar, one of the team and being professional, being their boss? These are valuable questions to ponder.
Harvard has recently published a number of papers with some interesting titles. They include the following: Sleep Deprivation Can Make It Harder to Stay Calm at Work Time for Happiness Why You Should Work Less and Spend More Time on Hobbies Treat Your Weekend Like a Vacation Prevent Burnout by Making Compassion a Habit Stressed at Work? Mentoring a Colleague Could Help The Pros and Cons of Perfectionism What Makes Some People More Productive Than Others How CEOs Manage Time Are New Graduates Happier Making More Money or Having More Time? The titles alone make interesting reading, providing lots of food for thought.
We think that building personal resilience is a management foundation skill. During your management career you are going to face many stressors, both people and situations that are going to test you, potentially to the limit. Being able to ride these storms doesn’t happen by chance, it is a skill you can develop.
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I'm Bob Bannister, owner, and trainer at iManage Performance, the specialists in training for remote workers and managers with over 20 years of experience in this sector.
As the UK has rapidly shifted towards working from home, this challenges the norms in which we work and manage We can help to fast track your remote management or team skills. Speak to us about our training options today.
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