Excerpt

Preface

This book is written from a grass-roots perspective of how you as a manager work with and lead ‘your people’*, i.e., what you need to know and what skills you bring to the table that address two key questions:

What can I do as a manager and leader to create a work environment that fosters positive personnel development?

Preventive maintenance – avoiding difficult people concerns and difficult situations through competent management and inspired leadership

And,

What foundation of knowledge do I need, and what skills can I learn to be able to deal with concerns that are present or that may arise?

*Author=s Note: My Dad, a career army officer always talked about >his people.= It wasn=t a mark of possession, but an indication of his deep and abiding concern for who they were and how they were doing.

Starting from a premise that you are consistently working on your management and leadership skills, and even more importantly, that you CARE about the people who work for you, this book will focus on key areas that foster positive personnel and team development. You set the stage through your example, through your management style, and through what you are willing to put up with relevant to how people interact, how they produce, and how they feel at work.

The first part of this book is about knowing yourself. Then we will focus on how you can use that self-knowledge to understand how things you do and say impact your employees. We will touch on key management and leadership ideas that help foster a positive growth environment for you and your team members. If you are a new manager and still learning basic skills, I encourage you to read as much about leadership as you can and commit yourself to a program of learning, self-understanding, and improvement as long as you are in a leadership role.

Part II of this work will demonstrate how to apply your personal strengths and your management and leadership skills to working successfully with difficult personnel concerns and with difficult situations that may arise.

Know Yourself
Management, Leadership, People

Management is the…

AProcess of coordinating organizational resources to meet a goal.@

(Rachman, et al)


Your most important resources are the people who work for you. Making sure they are >on the bus= and >in the right seats= is probably one of the most challenging management tasks you will face. (Collins; Peters). However, if you can accomplish this, you will very likely have far fewer personnel concerns in the long run.

Your employees want to be content with what they are doing and they want to feel they are contributing in key ways. Making an effort to understand who they are and what is important to them helps build their personal commitment to who you are and what is important to you and the organization.

Leadership is the…


ASkill of persuading others to achieve organizational goals
by showing how things are done
and by setting an example in behavior and spirit.@
(Rachman, et al)


Much of this book is about leadership; which, in turn, is all about applying your knowledge and skills in such a way that your team members care about what they are doing and how they are doing it.


Five Key Leadership Qualities you NEED to have

Integrity

How do you perceive yourself? B Your personal integrity?
How do others perceive you?
Do they trust you?
Believe you?
Appreciate who you are and how you do things?
How do you perceive others?
Do you trust your team members?
Do you believe in them?
Do you know who they are and what they do?
Do you understand their motivations and what motivates them?
Do you appreciate, acknowledge, and recognize them for their efforts

Honesty

Honesty is more than telling the truth; it also means being open to the truth. Being honest is the foundation for trust and for open communications – Trust is the foundation for Integrity.

Ownership

Do you >own up= to your life, to your work?
To the decisions you make?
To the decisions your team members make?

Ownership is about taking responsibility for your life and work. When we >own= something we have the power to change it, to make something of it, and when there is a problem, the ability to find solutions.


Responsibility

As a manager and a leader you assume a great deal of responsibility B

To yourself
To your team members
To your organization

To anyone and everyone that your position influences throughout your work day

When we assume responsibility we have the opportunity and obligation to find solutions.

An important leadership perspective worth remembering is:

When you accept responsibility for a problem,

you have a much better chance of finding a solution B
even if you don=t feel the problem originates with you.


Taking responsibility is a form of personal EMPOWERMENT


Caring

AIf you are in a leadership position and you can=t or won=t care for
the people you work with and for, then get out.
You might be a manager, but you will never be a leader.@

(Koob, Leaders Managing Change)


True leaders care for:
How they lead others
What they do and say and how that impacts others
The people they work with and for; and most especially, those who work for them
Caring is a personal commitment to excellence. It is a commitment not only to others, but to yourself. When you care, you can make a difference in the lives of other people.



The Seven Keys to Being Successful with Difficult People
Self-Awareness
Self-worth
Self-confidence
Self-control
Honesty
Kindness
Positivity


These are all centered in >How YOU approach other people.=


Your best opportunity for working through concerns with a difficult employee is to effect change by being a leader, i.e. to set a positive example based in these key skill areas.

By knowing yourself, your management style, your personal foundation for leadership, you set the stage for being successful in difficult situations.