Stick With It!

We sometimes may feel that life is not going our way. Our hopes, dreams and wishes for our careers may not be turning out as we had planned or the important objectives that we set four ourselves are not being accomplished. In fact, we may feel that we have lost control of our work. These are the times that perseverance can help us to refocus and regain control. The next time that you feel frustration with your work and career, try the following steps:  

• Remind yourself of those things that are most important to you in your job and career and focus on those positive aspects.
• Reach out and talk to a colleague who may be experiencing the same frustrations as you. Compare situations and solutions.  
• Ask yourself, “What can I do?” Write an action plan of positive steps you can take.
• Always use your values, principles and beliefs as a guideline for your behaviour. 

Stick with it this week!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit: www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

 

Stop Making Assumptions

We all make assumptions. We assume why people are difficult to get along with; we assume why an employee is not doing the job correctly; we assume why someone doesn’t act the way we expect. Assumptions lead to judgements and judgements about people and situations can lead to negative emotions, damaged relationships or missed opportunities. The following steps will help you to avoid judgements and validate your assumptions:  

• Get the facts; ask questions, research the issue and determine the cause of the situation.
• Don’t generalize; deal with people and situations on an individual, case-by-case basis.
• Examine your own actions and behaviors before attributing blame to someone else.  
• Spend more time getting to know the other person and his/her underlying motivations.

Work on validating your assumptions this week!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit: www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

What Every Employee Wants to Know

The new year is an opportune time to assess your management skills and to determine whether you are doing everything you can to assist your employees in becoming highly-productive and engaged contributors to the success of the organization. Managers are constantly striving to get the best from each and every one of their employees. At the same time, employees come to work every day wanting to do a good job. Yet, misunderstandings between employees and managers still occur resulting in both groups not always giving their best. Managers often assume that employees have the answers to the following questions, but they usually don’t! Begin the year by meeting with each of your staff and answering the questions that every employee is asking: 

•  What do you want me to do?
• How well do you want me to do it?
• How am I doing in meeting your expectations?
• How will I be recognized for my contribution?

Work on giving employees the answers they need this week!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit: www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

A Leadership Wish

This is the time of year when our attention shifts from work to family and friends. The holidays remind us to focus on the values of peace, giving, and celebration. These are the values that bring people together during the holidays, regardless of background. The holiday wish that we should all have is to continue living these values during the rest of the year. Please take some time during the holiday season to reflect on how effective and successful you were as a leader this past year and how you can bring out the best in yourself, and in others, in 2012. Happy holidays to you and your families!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit: www.shaunhopkinsseminars.com

Are You a Manager or a Leader?

You are paid to be a manager; your success comes from being a leader. Every organization needs managers who can organize people and resources in order to get the job done. However, every company also needs leaders who can inspire people towards achieving extraordinary results. Managers, at every level, are expected to play both roles in today’s modern organization. The following tips will help you determine whether you are both an effective manager and a successful leader:

• Set clear goals AND create an inspirational vision for your team. Everyone needs clear expectations, but they also need to know why they are working towards those objectives and how their work contributes to the big picture.
• Give constructive feedback AND motivate your employees. Employees need to know what they are doing well and where they need to improve, but feedback needs to be motivational in nature. Feedback must be tied to an individual’s core motivations in order to be implemented.
• Delegate work AND give control. Managers can’t do it all themselves; they must depend upon their staff to complete their fair share. However, leaders also assign decision-making to their employees and they support their employees when those decisions are made.
• Train your employees AND develop them for the future. Ensure you have a training plan for each member of your team outlining the skills and knowledge they need for today’s job. However, coach your employees and give them stretch assignments for tomorrow’s career.

Focus on being both an effective manager and successful leader this week!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit: www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

How to Control Your Fear of Public Speaking

Even the most experienced public speakers experience nervousness before delivering a presentation. Even a small amount of anxiety is a signal that you should spend some extra time checking and double-checking your material. You always want to leave your audience with two thoughts. The first is the principle message from your content and the second is a positive impression of you. A successful presentation is based on both of these elements. To control your presentation jitters, remember the acronym S.P.E.A.K.  

S. Size-up your audience. Be the first to arrive at the venue so that you can spend a few minutes with each person. Introduce yourself, welcome the person to the presentation and make him/her feel at ease. This is your chance to learn why your presentation is important to each individual.

 P. Prepare your equipment and materials beforehand. This is another reason for you to arrive early to the venue. Once the room is set the way you want it and everything is in working order, you no longer need to worry about technical issues sabotaging your presentation.

E. Engage the audience at the beginning of your presentation. Always begin you presentation with a quote, story, anecdote, question or statistic that grabs their attention. Open your presentation with the conclusions that you want them to remember and then speak to that content. Leave your audience with the same conclusion.

 A. Address your audience’s most important concerns. Prepare your presentation by asking yourself, “What is the most important question my audience may have about my conclusions?” Include the answer to this question in your content.

 K. Know your content! Use your slides as your prompts. Limit each slide to five bullet points with no more than seven words to a bullet; never put paragraphs of information on your slides. Always speak to the audience, not the screen.

 Work on controlling your fear of public speaking this week!

 For more information about how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

Prepare for Your Performance Review

Performance reviews can be a stressful time for both managers and employees. Not only is an entire year’s work being assesses, but the individual’s compensation is also being affected. In addition, many managers do not keep complete performance records of their employees’ accomplishments and challenges during the year, thus finding it difficult to write complete and meaningful reviews. As a result, the content of the performance review may be a surprise to employees or they belief that their reviews are unfair. Disagreement and conflict often follow, as well as a feeling of dissatisfaction with the entire process by both parties. Preparation allows you to take control over your own performance review. The following tips will help to ensure that your performance review is fair and accurate:

•  Review your job description, competency profiles, annual goals and special assignments. Make a list of both your successes and challenges for each item.
• Compare your performance against the definitions of the performance ratings on your company’s performance review. While comparing your performance, take into account both your successes and challenges.
• Rate your own performance based on facts, solid reasoning, and documentation. Consider any factors that were outside your control.
• Consider your manager’s point of view. Predict how he/she would evaluate your performance and determine why. Determine if there is a “grain of truth” to your manager’s point of view.
• Write your own goals for the coming year, including your development plan.
• Go into your performance review meeting prepared to listen, to accept feedback and to represent your accomplishments.

Work on preparing for your performance review this week.

 

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit: www.shaunhopkinsseminars.com

Leaders Don’t Make Excuses!

When speaking to any level of manager, front-line supervisors or vice-presidents, you will often hear these individuals referring to “them”; those who are responsible for what is wrong with the company. If only “they” would fix this problem, is the common refrain. Every manager has two distinct but complementary roles to play in the organization, manager and leader. The manager role focuses on achieving short-term results. The leader role focuses on influencing others to achieve a long-term vision. Too many managers are only focused on short-term results and the impediments to achieving those goals. That narrow focus often results in blaming others for what is wrong instead of focusing on what you can do yourself to fix the situation. True leaders don’t blame others and don’t make excuses. They see what needs to be accomplished and they take the initiative. The following tips will help you to be a more effective leader:

• Create a list of the top three challenges that you and your team must overcome during the next year.
• Involve your team in helping you identify what needs to be done in order to be successful in overcoming these challenges.
• Determine whose help and support your require in achieving your goals. Go and speak to these individuals and explain how your interests are aligned with their interests. Ask for their help.
• Write a plan on how you will overcome your challenges. Break the plan down into manageable tasks and assign personal and team accountabilities.
• Create a timeline and set milestones. Be determined to meet those milestones no matter what!
• Never wait for others to act. Take the initiative, ask for what you need, and execute on your plan.

Focus on leadership this week!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

How to Stop Your Boss from Causing You Stress

The effects of workplace stress are well documented, yet employees at all levels in organizations continue to suffer from stress in increasing numbers. Too much time at work and unrealistic demands are the most often sited causes of stress, but the real reasons are much more specific. Interviews with clients indicate that an individual’s boss is most often seen as the source of stress in the workplace. However, when asked about what the individual has done to mitigate the stress, the person often feels powerless in dealing with their boss. The following is a list of job success factors that if addressed with your boss, will reduce your workplace stress:

• Clarify your work expectations. Juggling unrealistic or unclear expectations often causes stress. Ask your manager to clarify his/her expectations of you.
• Agree on your priorities with your manager. “Everything is a top priority” is not an acceptable answer. Discuss which items will provide the biggest benefit to the organization.
• Ask for both supportive and constructive feedback on your work. When you know how you are doing, you can make adjustments and meet your expectations. Not knowing how you are doing causes uncertainty.
• Let your manager know about your successes and accomplishments. Recognition for achievement will motivate you towards even more success.
• Negotiate with your manager for additional time and resources to deliver on your expectations. Be prepared to talk about both positive and negative consequences on deliverables if the resources are insufficient to meet the goal.
• Ask for training. Discuss with your manager the various ways in which you can develop the knowledge and skills you need to be successful.

Work with your boss to reduce workplace stress this week.

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please contact www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com

 

How to Simplify Your Management Style

Use the term, “less is more” to simplify your management style. Instead of empowering our staff to become more efficient and productive, we sometimes hinder them with too many rules, procedures, meetings and emails. Our goal should be to give employees clear direction and then get out of the way and let them do their jobs. The following tips will help you to simplify your management style:

• Keep your emails short, clear and concise. State what you want the other person to do in the first sentence.
• Provide crystal clear expectations and then fight the temptation to interfere; step in only as a last resort.   
• Avoid issuing new rules and policies as a result of only one person’s behavior.
• Be decisive! Gather the information available to you, then make the decision.

Work on simplifying your management style this week!

For more information on how we can help you incorporate this week’s Best Practice into your organization, please visit www.ShaunHopkinsSeminars.com