Tag Archives: Management

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How to Build a Successful Work Team

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Successful Work Teams

Building a cohesive, high-performing team is vital to business success. Below are things business leaders need to keep in mind when hiring and managing employees in order to build a successful work team.

Communication

Communication is at the center of all successful work teams. It’s what enables a team to function properly, fulfill goals and complete projects. Communication must be a core concern when building a team, so make sure each member of the group is comfortable with the communication channels or willing to learn how to use them. Provide the proper tools for communication as well, whether it’s company phones or project management software.

Diversity

Team diversity doesn’t just refer to a healthy variety of cultures and personalities, but also a diverse set of skills. Diversity is important in any successful work team because it provides a wide range of views and opinions necessary to make well-informed decisions and different viewpoints on issues. Having a diverse skill set as a team will also allow for comprehensive project completion and ensure there is an expert for all the different areas of a job.

Innovation

A team must be innovative in order to succeed and grow. If your team is just doing what has always been done, the results will most likely remain the same instead of constantly improving. Invest in team members who are innovative, always willing to test new ideas and excited about change and improvement.

Responsibility

It should go without saying that successful work teams must be comprised of responsible team members. These are the key players who are punctual, on top of their tasks, goal-oriented and can think with common sense. If a client needs something done, your team members should step up even if it means doing a little extra work or research to get it completed.

Conflict resolution

A successful work team must understand the importance of conflict resolution and be able to apply it in workplace disputes. They should be able to work past differences towards a common goal, and put aside any personal complaints they may have against each other for the job. Knowing how to resolve conflict will make it easier and more efficient for the whole team to operate cohesively, even with differences of opinion and diverse outlooks.

Defined roles and responsibilities

Some team members are able to operate in multiple departments with different sets of duties, but in order to get a project done efficiently you should implement clear roles and responsibilities–especially if there are multiple of them. You don’t have to outline every detail of someone’s job, but you should clarify the roles of the team so different team members know to take ownership of a task. For example, you can have a designated content person for social media, and another for the blog. Be sure they know who is in charge of what.

Feedback and praise

Finally, you must implement a feedback system and understand when to give praise. Feedback is important so your team members understand their strengths and weaknesses, and how to improve in the team. Praise is important so your team members understand what they are doing right, and focus there. In order to build a cohesive and successful work team, you need everyone to have a grasp of their own and their colleagues strengths and weaknesses.

What else is vital to build a successful work team? Let us know in the comments below.


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Public Seminar: The Professional Supervisor

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Leadership Series_Professional Supervisor

Join us from September 16 to 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for our Leadership Series: The Professional Supervisor workshop. In today’s changing workplace, many new supervisors are unsure of their roles and responsibilities. They have little experience dealing with the challenges of managing work through others. They haven’t had the opportunity to develop those critical skills of planning work, leading their group, and communicating with their employees, their colleagues, and their manager. This three-day workshop will give you that opportunity.

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Participants will be able to understand the scope and nature of a supervisory position, learn how to deal with the challenges of the role and recognize their responsibilities to themselves, their team and their organization. By the end of the course, attendees will have identified key techniques to help plan and prioritize effectively.

This course is ideal to acquire a basic understanding of leadership, team building, communication and motivation. It will teach strategies for effective supervision and teamwork.

Course Outline

Adjusting to your role
A supervisor’s responsibilities
Making plans
Setting goals
Leadership
The Situational Leadership model
Problem employees
Synergy
Trust
Team development
Communication skills
The communication process
Motivation
Orientation
Training
Providing feedback
Delegation
Dealing with conflict
Discipline

For an investment of P12,500 plus VAT, you will receive instruction by an expert facilitator, small group workshops that provide “active learning,” snacks and lunch, a specialized student workbook and a personalized certificate of completion.

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About the Facilitator

Dr. Maria Vida G. Caparas holds a Master’s Degree and Ph.D., Summa Cum Laude, in Psychology. She is an Accredited Trainer of the Philippine Government with invaluable experiences in Organizational Development as a Human Resource, Training and OD practitioner. She authored three books on Psychology/HR Management and was a Trainer Delegate of DFA-Foreign Service Institute in Italy and Singapore in 1999-2000. Dr. Caparas is a recipient of various national awards and also a professor in prestigious universities.

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How to Write Compelling Job Descriptions

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Job Interview with Smiles

The propose of compelling job descriptions is to attract the right candidates to apply for a position. In order to get top talent on your teams, you should understand how to portray your company mission and vision in the best light. Inspire job candidates to apply for a job they can enjoy, are qualified for, and believe in with compelling job descriptions.

Consider your ideal candidate

Think about who you’re writing this job description to attract. Is your ideal candidate fresh out of college? Or more experienced? If he or she is more experienced, do they potentially have children and a family? Depending on who you want to hire, you should use a different voice and highlight different aspects of your company. For example, the recent graduate may be attracted by fast-paced growth and promotion opportunities, whereas an experienced professional with kids wants to work for a family-friendly company.

Use your personas to find the right kind of voice to use in your job description.

Make a list then write the description

You may be tempted to organize all needed qualifications and responsibilities into a neat bullet point list, but a list of responsibilities is rarely engaging. Instead, compile your list in order to gather all the information that needs to go into the job description, and then write the description. Instead of just saying “able to type at least 100wpm,” say “should be able to type fast enough to keep up with your fast-talking managers.”

Create your list of desired skills and what the candidate will have to do, and then expand on that list and turn it into a job description.

Inject personality

Reminiscent of the previous tip, injecting personality into your job descriptions will go a long way to engaging readers and candidates. Give your job candidates a glimpse into the company culture by injecting personality into the job description. For example, instead of just saying “we’re looking for a qualified programmer,” you could say “we’re looking for a programming geek who loves building Android games as much as we love playing them.”

Attract your future top talent by conveying an interesting job and company in the job description.

Take pride in your team and company

A great job description doesn’t just get job candidates excited about a position, it gets them excited about the people they will be working with and the company they will be a part of. If you have an impressive leadership team at your company, put it in your job description. If one of your employees has published a best-selling book about the industry, give it a mention to peak candidates’ interest.

Brag about your company and the great teams already in it to give job candidates a glimpse into an exciting company culture they could be a part of.

Highlight the perks

Does your company provide a generous vacation policy? Do you provide free parking in a busy metropolitan area? Do you give free bus passes or transportation allowances? Do you offer learning and development opportunities? Whatever work perks your company may offer, play them up in the job description. If a job candidate is passionate about the industry, the perks should do even more to draw him or her in. For example, if you are a winery looking to hire a marketing coordinator, your job applicants will probably love wine. Let them know they get free wine tastings every month and the occasional bottle of wine from your cellars.

A final word

Be authentic in your job descriptions. It should go without saying that they need to be accurate, not misleading. If you need someone to do clerical duties, don’t advertise the job as a strategic partnership role. Even if you write the most compelling job description, your candidates will walk out when they discover the job isn’t what they applied for.

Did you enjoy this post? Check out the rest of our blog or read about job adverts vs. intimidating job descriptions.


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Leading by Example

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1_print

In addition to being good in principle, leading by example also inspires loyalty and trust in your employees. In order to keep enthusiasm and goodwill among your team members, you need to do more than instruct, you need to lead. Below are a few ways you can lead by example and inspire your employees to succeed.

  • Make a firm commitment to your team and purpose. Remind yourself why you started the journey and took on the role you’re in.
  • Before you ask someone to do something, think about whether you would be willing to do it yourself. For example, if you change office hours, follow the same schedule you put your employees on.
  • Examine your own behavior and make sure you aren’t mirroring any behaviors you critique others for. For example, if you don’t tolerate interruptions at meetings, you should hold yourself to the same standard.
  • Establish a standard of excellence. Set high expectations and hold both yourself and your team members to it. Showcase your work and display the high quality of results you expect.
  • Remember to take the same leniency with yourself that your team members are allowed. If you want your team to take full lunch breaks to relax, you should take them too so that your team doesn’t feel the need to mirror your dedication.
  • Deliver on your promises. Focus on results and make sure what you say will get done gets done. If you tell your team member you will provide a set of data, deliver that data.
  • If needed, bring in a team of experts who can get a job done. This shows your team that you aren’t too proud to ask for help, and that results are the end goal.
  • Be transparent. Treat people well and be honest about their work. If they ask questions, answer truthfully and, if needed, explain your motivations. Your transparency will inspire transparency from your people, and will enhance your teams’ ability to develop authentic working relationships.
  • Develop relationships. Value your team members and develop listening and communication skills that will foster trust and healthy working relationships.
  • Accept responsibility for any mistakes instead of blaming others. Being responsible helps showcase your credibility and reliability, whereas blame makes people defensive and hinders growth.
  • Cooperate with others. Your team can produce higher quality product and work more efficiently when collaborating, so show your value in teamwork by working well with others.
  • Invest in learning and development for both yourself and your team members. Demonstrate your commitment to professional improvement and provide resources for your team members to do the same.

Leading by example is the best way to show your team that you will also do what you expect from them. It will make them more likely and willing to help you achieve your goal. Overall, leading by example makes you a leader people want to follow. Tell us what other ways you can lead by example in the comments below.


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Talent Management Advice from 5 Experts in HR

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Building better teams

The talent management advice below was taken from various online sources. Find the original articles by following the links after the tip.

1. If you’re an HR leader, nothing will make you look better than a talented HR team.

Hire people who are at least your equal or preferable a little bit better. Too many B and C players will ruin your department and your leadership reptuation. – Paul Sohn, 30 Powerful Tips to Be an Outstanding HR Professional

2. Successful people don’t have all the answers; they’re the ones who ask the best questions.

The better the questions, the better the answers. And in my experience, asking the right questions—the really good questions—takes work. Like everything else, asking good questions takes experience because finding the right questions, the ones that elicit really insightful and strong answers, comes from a lot of trial and error. – Dan Oswald, Ask the Right Questions—Find the Right Answers

3. HR is a creature of, and serves, the business strategy.

It’s important for HR people to know what that strategy is and what makes the business tick so the approach to HR can be tailored accordingly. Never think of HR in isolation, because if HR professionals think of themselves as ‘just HR,’ that’s what the rest of the organization will think, too. – Bob Brady, The 9 Essential Skills of Human Resources Management – How Many Do You Have?

4. Provide opportunities for growth and development.

Ensure that managers and direct reports are having quarterly conversations about career goals and the knowledge and skills that need to be developed for advancement. Instead of formalized training programs, maximize informal learning, mentorships, job rotations, and other developmental experiences. – Kevin Kruse, How to Create an Engaged Workforce

5. Mine your network for thought leadership and learn

From a knowledge perspective, who you know can also help you expand what you know. Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn can serve as supplements to the traditional lunchtime professional seminar, in terms of both meeting new contacts and spreading information. Well-curated groups on both networks enable a constant, fluid exchange of professional information. This will also help you quickly synthesize any trends or broader issues as you get access to more people and information.

Just as you’d go to professional lunches with colleagues to identify problem spots and share experiences, (and they may be pitifully or productive in your locale) discussion groups on social networks can provide an active forum to table real-world problems, and help you discover methods, solutions or resources you might not otherwise find. – Bob Calamai, 5 Tips for New HR Professionals


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4 Ways to Make HR More Approachable

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Millennials

One of the critical roles of HR teams is to settle disputes and worries in the company, which they can’t do if no one is willing to use them as mediators. When your employees know they can turn to the HR department with problems that need to be solved, they will enlist professional help instead of trying to fix big disputes themselves. This could avoid major fallouts and extended arguments that affect employee productivity. Here are four ways that you can make HR more approachable and trustworthy.

1. Be Efficient and Effective

No one wants to turn to an HR department that can’t get anything done. For example, if HR is known to take months to fix a minor issue, whenever an issue of any size appears employees will be inclined to try and fix it themselves, sometimes causing bigger issues. However, if HR is known to be discreet and effective, employees will know the HR teams are competent and resourceful. By making sure HR is consistently efficient, employees will be encouraged to trust them with important problems and issues.

2. Be Available

Employees won’t approach an HR department that is hidden away, or who treats complaints as nuisances. Being available means being available both physically (in the office) and mentally (in your attitude while addressing concerns) to solve problems and gain results. For example, you could have an office directory where employees can easily find the office phone numbers of HR team members. The directory could also list the specialties and responsibilities so employees will know exactly who to call with their particular concerns.

3. Be Knowledgeable

Being knowledgeable does more than just make HR more approachable, it also ensure problems are handled expertly and accurately. In addition to demonstrating knowledge gained through education and experience, which will earn trust and faith with employees, your HR teams must understand rules and regulations when it comes to compliance. For example, when working through a workplace harassment complaint, HR should be trusted to handle confidentiality and proper protocol. Being knowledgeable also ensures trust in their decisions and recommendations for next steps.

4. Use Multiple Forms of Communication

Just like your customers are available on different platforms (social media, website, in-person, calls), so are your employees. Some of your employees may prefer to speak to HR in person, others might prefer emails or even SMS. The key to making HR more approachable is to allow employees to speak on their terms. First, provide multiple ways an employee can contact HR with a concern, and then be just as responsive and helpful in each communication channel.


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Public Seminar: Appreciating Project Management

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Join the next installment of our Project Management Series in a two-day workshop from March 26 to 27. This public seminar will benefit anyone involved in projects – whether as project manager, project team member, planner or senior manager. This course provides an introduction to the concepts and approaches for managing projects with methods and tools. It focuses on project planning and control, including scheduling, application, project development, organizing, staffing and evaluation.

Participants will define the team members’ role within a project team, identify and set project objectives, recognize the relationship between project and process life cycles, learn and understand the Project Life Cycle, recognize the hand-over readiness of a project, and identify the importance of completion report, record retention and support agreements.

Course Outline

  • Overview
  • What Are Projects?
  • Project Manager and Project Management within an organization setting
  • Project Life Cycle
  • Initiation, Definition and Planning Phase
  • Implementation Phase: Execution of project plan and accomplishment of project goals; Project Recording, Progress Measurement and Reporting; Project Audit; Quality Control
  • Deployment and/or Closing Phase

The course fee is P8,500 plus VAT and includes instruction by an expert facilitator, specialized student workbook and course materials, a personalized certificate of completion, snacks and lunch, and a complimentary Profiles Team Analysis.

A Profiles Team Analysis supplies team leaders and managers with a blueprint for team building that delivers maximum results. This analysis highlights a team’s strengths and areas for further development, enabling management to improve the performance of individual team members and the team as a whole.

About the Facilitator

Dr. Rosario Alzona, Ph.D. holds a Master’s Degree in Statistics and Ph.D in Organization Development. She is an accomplished Organization Development professional with almost 20 years of experience in diverse workplace environments. She has varied experiences in organizational assessment, OD intervention design and implementation, learning and development and process/procedure design and development. She is a frequent speaker at various seminars and workshops with topics on Leadership, Team Building, Organizational Assessment, Strategic Planning, Change Management and Appreciative Inquiry. She is a High-energy Trainer and Creative Facilitator, skilled in guiding learners through engaging breakthrough learning opportunities.

Click here to sign up


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Managing Older Employees

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Leading older employees can get tricky, especially if you’re younger than them. However, older employees in a company often bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that takes years to attain. By understanding and accepting a few things about older employees, you could tap into a mentor and resource that was years in the making.

  • Everyone learns differently. Don’t assume that older workers have enough experience to negate the need for additional training, and don’t assume they are completely clueless on modern technology either. Discover the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, no matter their age, to help them succeed in the company.
  • Be consistent with your leadership and management style. Remember that your employees are all colleagues, despite any age gaps. Although they seem different, it’s important not to show preferential treatment–whether to younger or older workers.
  • Be open to criticism. Feedback is important, and when it comes from someone who has been with your company longer, consider they may know the facets of the company a little better.
  • Don’t be offended if they associate youth with inexperience, just prove them wrong. If you were hired for a position, it means you’re qualified for it. Instead of letting older employees wonder about your qualifications, manage the position and yourself with expertise and confidence.
  • Understand that they have different goals. A 35-year-old employee may be concerned about sending his kids to college, whereas a 50-year-old employee might be considering retirement and is worried about keeping active. Be sensitive to their goals as a manager, since you may end up negotiating their compensation packages with the finance department.
  • Use their preferred communication styles. Some employees love instant messaging or texting to communicate, and some don’t. If your employees prefer having meetings face-to-face instead of on a video conference, indulge them if you can. If it makes more sense for productivity and efficiency to use video conferencing, work with any older employees who aren’t comfortable to understand the technology.
  • Finally, don’t be intimidated by them. No matter how much older they are, you could lose valuable time, resources and talent when you hesitate to confront an older employee. If they are doing something wrong, they should be spoken to just like everyone else.

For more articles on HR, leadership, marketing and other business topics, follow our blog!


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Public Seminar: Change and How to Deal with It

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Managers traditionally have had the task of contributing to the effectiveness of their organization while maintaining high morale. Today, these roles often have to be balanced off with the reality of implementing changes imposed by senior management. Managers who have an understanding of the dynamics of change are better equipped to analyze the factors at play in their own particular circumstances, and to adopt practical strategies to deal with resistance.

This workshop will help you deal with change and will give you strategies to bring back to your employees. Participants will learn how change is an essential element, identify the stages of change, and develop strategies for dealing with and accepting changes in your organization.

Course Outline

The change process
The human response to change
The pace of change and the pace at which people adopt change
The pyramid response to change
Resisting and welcoming change
The Four-Room Apartment of change and how to use it
How to increase your resiliency to change
Managing anger
Dealing with stress
An action plan for success

About the Instructor

Dr. Agnes D. Padilla holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies. She has worked for Civil Service Commission for18 years and served as Executive Director IV (with the rank of Assistant Commissioner) in Civil Service Institute for 2 years as her last term. Dr. Padilla is currently engaged in consultancy work providing subject matter expertise on human resource management and development and as learning service provider (trainer, facilitator, resource person) on strategic planning, leadership and managerial competency development, values orientation, enrichment and demonstration, customer service and ethics and accountability.

Investment

P9,520 includes all course materials, instruction by an expert facilitator, a personalized certificate, an eBook on Change Management, and a complimentary ProfileXT assessment.

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Public Seminar: EQ Management in the Workplace

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Image from forumevents.com

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is ability to be aware of and manage emotions. EQ is important in personal and professional success, as it determines your ability to connect with others and manage your own emotions.

When we look at truly extraordinary people who inspire and make a difference, we will notice they do connect with others on a personal and emotional level. This one day workshop on EQ will go over what EQ means and how emotional and physical health are connected. Participants will learn techniques to control emotional intelligence in the workplace, create a personal vision statement, understand the difference between optimism and pessimism and validate emotions in others.

Course Outline

History of emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence defined
EI blueprint
Optimism
Validating emotions in others
Understanding emotions
Setting your personal vision

About the Instructor

Dr. Maria Vida G. Caparas holds a Master’s Degree and Ph.D., Summa Cum Laude, in Psychology. She is an Accredited Trainer of the Philippine Government with invaluable experiences in Organizational Development as a Human Resource, Training and OD practitioner. She authored three books on Psychology/HR Management and was a Trainer Delegate of DFA-Foreign Service Institute in Italy and Singapore in 1999-2000. Dr. Caparas is a recipient of various national awards and also a professor in prestigious universities. She authored three books on Psychology/HR Management namely “Psychological Assessment: Theory and Practice”, “Uses of Psychological Tests”, and “Human Resource Management.”

Investment

P5,040 includes all course materials, instruction by an expert facilitator, snacks and lunch, a personalized certificate, an eBook on EQ and a complimentary Emotional Stability EQ Profiler.

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