Five Mistakes New Managers Commonly Make

Most people want to progress in their work, and moving into management is a natural way of doing so. Some step into the new role and prosper. However, many struggle and become disillusioned, possibly stressed, and their performance dips: They’ve made the common mistakes of new managers. Here is how you can avoid making these mistakes.

MISTAKE 1: Not getting clarity on your role

Most people get a job description and may even have a quick chat with their new boss. Few, however take the time to get charity on their role. what the expectations are, and what key results are to be achieved.

SOLUTION: Make an appointment with your boos to be crystal  clear on what they expect of you and what you should deliver to be successful in your new position.

MISTAKE 2: Holding onto old tasks

If you have been promoted internally within the same organization, this is a challenge. You may have been very good at certain tasks and really enjoyed some of them.

Be crystal clear on what your boss expects of you and what you should deliver to be successful in your new position.

SOLUTION: If these are not tasks on which your performance as a manager will be judged, pass them on to someone else.

MISTAKE 3: Trying to please everyone

As a manager, you have to make decisions: Some will be popular with everyone, some will be popular with some and unpopular with others, and some will be unpopular with everyone. Accept that your decisions will not be popular with everyone.

SOLUTION: Take what you believe is the right decision based on the facts and information available, not the one that will please everyone.

MISTAKE 4: Not Believing in yourself

We all have our doubts about our skills, knowledge, experience, and personal attributes, but we can choose whether we use them as an opportunity to shrink or grow. When people take up a role as a manager, self-doubt can get in the way of their success.

SOLUTION: Recognize that opportunities to grow always exist, and remember that those who appointed you believe in you, and so should you.

MISTAKE 5: Going for a home fun too quickly

You will probably want to make an impact as soon as you can. You may have had some thoughts or ideas about what you would do and how you would be different when you became a manager. It is easy to fall into the trap of going for a home run too quickly.

SOLUTION: Take it a step at a time. Make small change. As you achieve success, raise the bar and be more adventurous.

When people take up a role as a manager, self-doubt can get in the way of their success.

Someone see your potential to be a great manager. To become one, make sure to avoid making the common mistakes of new managers.

Motivating & Inspiring Your Employees in Difficult Times

As a leader, you can’t simply order people around and expect them to do what  you want.

They may follow your directions if you are watching, but once they’re left on their own, they’ll go back to doing what they They may follow your directions if you are watching, but once they are left on their own, they’ll go back to doing what they think is important.

More than ever before,  leaders today have to win people’s  co-operation. And the two main ways of doing so are through motivation and inspiration. Although the two words are often used interchangeably, they actually mean quite different things and which one you use depends on what you want to achieve.

MOTIVATION

Motivation is about moving people to act in a way that achieves a specific and immediate goal. When you are motivation people to do something they may not necessarily want to do, you have to offer them something they want to return.

When coaches give their teams a pep talk at halftime, they are using motivation. They want their players to charge back onto the field or the court with renewed energy and focus, even though they may feel too tired or disheartened to try. Their reward? Victory. To motivate your people.

  • Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Motivation is all about getting people to take action, so don;t be vague. Avoid generalities like “I want everyone to do their best”. Instead say” I need you to come in over the weekend so we can get this project done on time”.
  • Limit the amount of time or effort you ask for. It’s easier to ask people to work late one night or even every night for a week than to expect them to work late indefinitely. Set an end date.
  • Share in the sacrifice. Leaders don’t ask people to do what they themselves aren’t willing to do. Don’t tell your people to work over the weekend if you have plans for a spa day. Roll up your sleeves and share the load.
  • Appeal to their emotions. Fear focuses people’s attention and can be an effective motivator: “If we don’t get this done right now, we’ll all lose our jobs.” But if you keep resorting to fear, you’ll end up de-motivating people. People are also motivated by–and prefer to be motivated by– positive emotions like excitement, pride, a sense of belonging, and the thrill of achievement.
  • Give people multiple reasons for doing what you want. You can give your own reason or the organization’s for requesting the action: “If we don’t get this project completed on schedule, we’ll lose the contract. “But the best reason of all is always personal. If you can, offer your people extra days off or even a bonus, Or talk about something as intangible as the camaraderie that comes from having achieved something important together. Most likely, things being what they are these days, the best you may be able to offer is the hope that no one will lose a job.

INSPIRATION

Inspiration, on the other hand, involves changing the way people think and feel about themselves so that they want to take positive actions. It taps into people’s values and desires.

The best commencement speakers, inspire their audiences. They talk about the challenges  the graduates will face, either personally or collectively, and the possibilities of making a differences. Inspiration appeals to the best aspirations of people, and its underlying, often unspoken message is “you can become what your want to be”. No reward is promised, other than the reward that comes from within — the sense of personal satisfaction.

As a leader, any time you talk about values, about identity (either the corporate identity or each person’s identity), or about long term goals, you intent — whether you know it or not — is to inspire.

To inspire your people:

  • Be the change you want to inspire. Your reputation, your character, your behavior will inspire people more than anything else. The only way to call the best out of others to expect the best from yourself.
  • Tell a story. Stories don’t tell people what to do, they engage people’s imaginations and emotions and show them what they’re capable of becoming or of doing.

MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION

Motivation and inspiration are not the sole province of professional speakers and preachers. They are tools leaders use all the time — in one-on-one conversations, in meetings, and in formal presentations — to bring out the best in their people. It’s just a matter of knowing the right time and the right situation.

When there’s an immediate, short-term, specific goal that you what your people to achieve, you need to motivate them. When you want to shape people’s identity and their long term aspirations and commitments, you need to inspire them.

Antoine de Saint-Expuery, the French aviator and author of The Little Price, wrote.” If you want to build a ship don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. “Sometimes you need to do both. You need to enlist and organize people to do a specific task —to build a ship according to specs, on time and on budget — and sometimes you need to activate people’s desires and stand aside. Who knows? You may be surprised by what they do.

Real-Time Performance Reviews

Too many bosses are so fearful of conflict or hurting people’s bad behaviour and poor performance even when it’s detrimental to the organization.

On the list of things that are done for all the wrong reasons in organizations, performance reviews would have to near the top.

They end up being “Check the boxes” exercises that have little influence on performance because they take place after the fact the typical performance review is the equivalent of landing an airplane and asking, “Now, where are we?” It’s a little in the game for that question.

One of the worst things about reviews is the use of numerical values to rate performance. You have probably met more than one manager who refuses to give the highest rating to anyone using the excuse, “I don’t believe in giving perfect scores.” Recently an employee of a major corporation related the bizarre example of this attitude he experienced in his most recent performance review. After the end of the evaluation, his manager said. “Nobody scores that high!” and then proceeded to lower the employee’s scores.

If the scale is 1 to 5 and no one ever gets a 5. then that means you ‘re a lousy manager. Why can’t the people who report to you ever hit the mark? What’s sad is that the boss who is afraid to acknowledge that someone has met or exceeded expectations never understands why people quit trying to meet or meet expectations, If you never give 5 (or even a 4) when it’s deserved, you create a culture where 3 becomes your standard of excellence. Mediocrity is not only acceptable, it’s as good as it gets.

On the flip side is the failure to let someone know that they’re just not getting the job done. Too many bosses are so fearful of conflict or hurting people’s feelings that they ignore bad behaviour and poor performance even when it’s detrimental to the organization. Once people understand that no one will ever call their hand when they fail to meet expectations, the tail starts wagging the dog. Guess what happens when a supervisor gives a 3 or a 4 when the employee deserves to be shown the door? Pretty soon you end up with a group of employees that makes the three stooges look competent.

The annual review is not going to go away, but the real performance review should be taking place in real time every day. Good or bad performance needs to be recognized immediately and consistently. The manager’s role should be like that of a fight instructor. The employee’s role is like that of a student. The instructor and student fly side-by-side.

CLEARLY DEFINE EXPECTATIONS

First there has to be a flight plan with clearly defined expectations. To establish the plan, as manager you should ask your employees to complete a list of expectations of their job from their perspective. This should include what they believe their responsibilities are and what authority they possess. You should do the same from your perspective, Then, set up a discussion to reconcile the two lists until both are in agreement. You also need to learn what the employees believe they need from you to successfully do their job.

MEASURE BEHAVIOUR, VALUES, AND SKILLS

As well as establishing these expectations, you should complete assessments to measure behaviour, values, and skills required for the job. Then your employees should complete corresponding assessments to see how they compare. This establishes a benchmark that helps you understand their strengths and helps you understand how to capitalize on these strengths. It also identifies areas that need strengthening. It’s important to remember that the employees have to be a good behavioural fit for the job. No amount of coaching can remake people into something they are not.

COMMUNINCATE CONSTANTLY AND CONSISTANTLY

Now, that there is a fight plan in place. It is your responsibility to provide a system and process for constant and consistent communication. You have to coach the employees, not just evaluate their performance to keep the plane on course. In my first job out of college, my sales manager called me every Monday morning. His questions included: “What’s going on?” How are doing? What can I help you with?” This provided him with what he needed to know to help me do my job. It provided me with the help I needed do my job.

PROVIDE SPECIFIC FEEDBACK

When employees meet or exceed expectations. tell them they are on course. Be specific. There is nothing in the world that will inspire them more to keep doing  a great job than to hear from the boss that you are doing a great job. The only exception is when those words are either insincere or untrue.

When employees fail to meet expectations, you need to tell them that they are off course again, be specific. If they don’t hear what you need to improve on, the only assumption to make that they are doing what you should be doing — or you don’t  care what they do. I know of a case where employees describe their manager as a wonderful person but do not think he is a good manager. They like him but dislike working for him because he gives them no direction. They feel like they are flying blind. This creates a high level of anxiety for the employees and the manager.

CHOOSE YOUR DIRECTION

Employees need and want direction. How and when it is done is what makes the difference — for the employee, for the boss, and for the organization. Like flying a plane, reviewing performance should be a matter of constant course adjustments.  If you wait until the end of the flight to make adjustments to the course, you will always be disappointed with where you land. Worse yet, someone else will probably be sifting through the wreckage to figure out why the plane crashed.

How To Increase The Productivity of Temporary Workers

You have determined that a specific project or work in one of your departments could benefit by hiring a temporary rather than permanent  employee. Follow this advice to increase efficiency and productivity.

Determine needs

First meet with managers and others who will be working directly with the temporary worker (temp) to determined required skills, duties, and responsibilities. Knowing these will help the agency you select to find the best person for you.

Work with an agency

When possible, contact agencies that specialize in your type of business to get the right person for the position.

Work with the agency to determine salary ranges. Because temps will be facing new environments and unusual challenges, experience is always desirable. This usually comes at a price, but is almost always worth it.

Orient the employee

Before the temp arrives, prepare an orientation guide to help get them up and running. include all the little things your regular employees have become used to, such such as working hours, check-in and check-out procedures, break and lunch  schedules, safety regulations, names of managers and co-workers, and the names and contact information for direct supervisors, Take advantage of orientation brochures provided by the agency that assigned the temp: These often offer insightful suggestions for bringing temps up to speed quickly.

Do not leave the new worker alone the first morning, lest they become disoriented in their new environment. Assign a co-worker, preferably a long-time employee “mentor”, to give the temp someone to ask questions of and look to for input.

If your temp is required to operate equipment or to undertake specialized duties, make sure that a regular employee will be available right away to train or help them. Remember to plan and co-ordinate the schedules of all employees improved.

Set up lines of communication so the temp can get answers to questions quickly. Just because a temp doesn’t ask questions, don’t  assume they are completely on top of the job. Have managers or supervisors contact temps frequently to monitor progress and to make sure the temp is not being overwhelmed. Temps often feel that much more is expected of them because of the short term of their employment to demand that a temp become completely competent in a week when a full-time employee takes several months.

Look at permanent possibilities

If permanent employment may be available to a temp, inform the agency at the start of your relationship. Some temps will be eager for the opportunity, while others will know that they can’t take advantage of such an offer. Talk with the temp when they arrive and set up parameters so they know exactly what they need to accomplish to be considered.

Bringing temps on board can be a great solution to your business for short-term projects, seasonal up-ticks in business, or a variety  of other reasons. You never know: that temporary employee might turn into your next superstar!

How to Prevent Injuries and Illnesses At Your Workplace

As an employer, you are responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. A safety and health management system, or safety program, can help you focus your efforts on improving your work environment.

Whatever you call it, your plan describes what the people in your organization must do to prevent injuries and illnesses at your workplace.

Your organization will have its own unique system, reflecting your way of doing business, the hazards of your work, and how you manage the safety and health of your employees. If you manage a small business in a low-risk industry, your system may simply involve listening to your employees concerns and responding to them. However , a large business in a hazardous industry may have notebooks full of written policies and procedures and a full-time safety director.

What’s most important is that your system works for your organization. It’s up to you to decide how best to operate a safe and healthy workplace, and to put your plan into practice.

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL SYSTEM?

A successful system will be part of your overall business operation, as important as the other things you do to succeed in business. Successful safety and health systems have the following in place.

  • Managers committed to making the program work
  • Employee involved in the program
  • A system to identify and control hazards
  • Compliance with safety and health  regulations
  • Training on safe work practices
  • Mutual respect, caring, and open communication in a climate conducive to safety
  • Continuous improvement

Take a look at your safety and health system: Some components may be strong; others may need to be strengthened. The following sections describe the key factors and give ideas about how to make them part of your program. Use them as a practical guide to adapt to your needs. Because small business often cannot afford in-house safety and health professionals, you may need help to set up your system.

1. Make a commitment

Put as much as energy into your commitment to safety and health as you put into any other important part of your business. Make sure to include workplace safety and health in your business plan and integrate it into all facets of the business.

  • Write a policy that emphasizes the importance you place on workplace safety and health.
  • Commit the resources (time, money, personnel) needed to protect your employees.
  • Begin meetings with a safety topic.
  • Encourage employee participation in safety and health.
  • Let your employees know you expect them to follow safe work practices, and follow them yourself.
  • Respond to all reports of unsafe or unhealthy conditions or work practices.
  • If injuries or illnesses occur, make it your business to find out why.
  • Go beyond the regulations; address a;; hazards, whether or not they are covered by laws.

2. Involve employees

In a safe and healthy workplace, employees have a stake in the success of the program- safety and healthy is everyone’s responsibility. For your program to succeed, actively encourage employee involvement. Hold people accountable and make sure every one does their part.

  • Establish an active workplace safety and health committee.
  • Make daily safety inspections part of some employees’ jobs.
  • Keep employees informed about safety inspections, injury and illnesses statistics, and other safety related issues.
  • Give everyone a meaningful activity that supports safety.
  • Value employee input and feedback: Employees often know more about safety problems and solutions then managers do.
  • Make sure employees help review and improve the program.
  • Hold employees accountable: Include safety and health responsibilities in job descriptions, and make following safe work practices prat of performance evaluation. Set safety goals and hold everyone accountable. Discipline employees who behave in ways that could harm themselves or others. Establish a clear system for reporting hazards, injuries, illnesses, and close calls. Recognize employees who contribute to keeping the workplace safe and healthy.

 3. Identify and control hazards

Before you can control hazards, you need to know what they are. These are some ways to identify safety and health hazards:

  • Review records of accidents, injuries, illnesses, and close calls.
  • Review health and safety logs, first aid logs, workers compensation reports, complaints, and close calls.
  • Look for trends or common factors in: Kinds of injuries or illnesses. Parts of body. Time of days/shift. Location. Equipment. Protective equipment. Department.
  • Survey employees.
  • Review inspection reports from enforcement inspections, insurance surveys, or consultations.
  • Learn the safety and health regulations that apply to your workplace.
  • Inspect your workplace for safety and health problems, current and potential: Use checklists to locate dangerous conditions. Watch employees at work to spot unsafe work practices. Perform a job hazard analysis. Conduct air and noise sampling where exposures exist.

Once you know the hazards, decide how to control them:

  • Prioritize the hazards you found: Which are most likely to cause serious injury or illness? Which can you fix immediately? Do you have make long-term plans to correct some of the hazards?
  • Make a plan to correcting the hazards: Conduct a job hazard analysis to identify how best to correct the hazards. Find out best practices from companies in your industry.
  • Correct the hazards: Engineering controls eliminate the hazards through safe tools, facilities, and equipment. These are the best controls. Administrative controls don’t remove the hazards, they reduce exposure by changing the work practices, such as rotating workers, rest breaks, and training programs. Personal protective equipment(e.g. gloves or safety shoes) puts a barrier between the employee and the hazard. If you use personal protective equipment, you have to assess  the hazard beforehand and train employees the right way to use it.
  • Evaluate the changes to ensure they have corrected the problem and not created other hazards. And periodically re-survey the work environment and work practices.

4. Comply with regulations

Identify the regulations that apply in your workplace and comply with them:

  • Develop required programs.
  • Maintain a safety and health log if required for your business.

5. Train Employees

Train personnel about the hazards they may be exposed to at work and how to protect themselves. Keep records of all training. Provide:

  • General safety orientation for new employees and employees starting new jobs, including company safety and emergency procedures.
  • Specific training on the hazards of their jobs and how to do their jobs safety. Many safety and health standards include specific training requirements.
  • Retraining: as required by the standards. When jobs change. When employees return from long absences. As needed to ensure employees know how to do their jobs safety.

 6. Support a culture of safety

Workers hold safety as a value, they actively care about themselves and others. Mutual respect is the norm.

  • Establish effective two-way communication. Respond to the needs and concerns of workers.
  • Make sure management goes beyond the regulations to ensure a safe workplace.
  • Encourage workers to go beyond the call of duty to ensure a safe workplace.
  • Support a work environment that fosters trust, creativity, and general well-being.
  • Celebrate your success with recognition programs.

7. Continually improve your system

Review your program’s strengths and weaknesses. Does it accurately reflect how you want to manage safety and health?

  • Review annually and as needed.
  • Investigate accidents, injuries, illnesses, and close calls as they occur.
  • Conduct frequent (daily, weekly as needed) inspections of specifics equipment and processes.
  • Evaluate your injury and illness statistics.
  • Document all your safety efforts.
  • Review new and changed processes. materials, facilities, and equipment for hazards (change analysis).
  • Ensure hazard correction systems are in place and working.
  • Evaluate effectiveness of training.
  • Listen to your staff: Do employees know the hazards of their jobs and how to work safety? Are managers enforcing safe work practices and praising safe behaviour?