iFS Supervisory Skills Sept 2014 v1.4 WORKBOOK · SUPERVISORY SKILLS iSpeak, Inc. 2014© i Supervisory Skills iSpeakTM prepared this workbook for use in the area of Training and Development

Foundation Series®

Supervisory Skills

inform – inspire – implement – improve

S U P E R V I S O R Y S K I L L S

iSpeak, Inc. 2014© i

Supervisory Skills iSpeakTM prepared this workbook for use in the area of Training and Development for continuing education. It is intended that these materials will be used to assist students in the learning process during a workshop, after the workshop for review, and continued learning as a reference guide.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Curriculum Developers: Russ Peterson Jr. Kevin Karschnik

Copyright Notice Copyright © 2014 by iSpeak™. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. iFS_Supervisory Skills_Sept 2014_v1.4 WORKBOOK Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication, including additional handouts, reference guides, or any part thereof, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of iSpeak™.

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Welcome to Supervisory Skills “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” - Benjamin Franklin

Supervisory Skills is the iSpeak course developed to enhance your abilities in coaching and developing high caliber teams through motivation, leadership and process management. Management skills can provide the fuel required to power your team in today’s demanding business environment.

Leading, managing or supervising may come easy to some people, but if you follow those people through their career, you will find that, while it may appear to come easy to them, there is a substantial amount of preparation and work that takes place to position them at the top of their profession. What you will also discover is that the reason their success appears to come naturally is because they have learned how to work smarter and not harder.

Many claim that with regard to management skills “you are either born with it or you aren’t.” This claim is not true; managing is a skill that can be learned. Just as a sports skill like baseball can be learned, so can the skill of effective management or leadership. Just as highly successful baseball athletes add their own style to the skill to create an art form, so do highly successful managers.

Research shows that participants who interact during this course will gain a superior understanding of the course content over those who passively read the workbook or listen to the facilitator.

You bring to the class the skills necessary to be a great manager and supervisor. Research shows that participants who interact during this course will gain a superior understanding of the course content over those who passively read the workbook or listen to the facilitator. Supervisory Skills will challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone to learn new techniques. To become a skilled coach, manager and leader, you must challenge yourself to improve these skills, and that means participation and practice.

The information and inspiration will be provided by your iSpeak facilitator, but the implementation is the single most important factor in your improvement. During the next two days, you will be asked to role play with others and with your facilitators. Only through your implementation will you internalize the skills required for success.


iSpeak, Inc. 2014© iii

Exercise: Course Expectations

What do you want to gain after completing the Supervisory Skills course?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

iv iSpeak, Inc. 2014© www.iSpeak.com

Table of Contents

Welcome to Supervisory Skills ii

Unit One: Management Foundation 1

What Do You Want in a Supervisor? 2

Leadership Defined 3

iSpeak Management Model 4

Leadership Strategies 5

Supervisor Approaches 6

The Leadership Formula 8

Degrees of Delegation 9

Unit Summary 12

Unit Two: Management Communication 13

Communication Skills for Managers 14

Communication Factors 15

Communicate With Your Team 16

Communication Elements 18

Active Listening 18

Developing Active Listening Skills 21

Unit Summary 24

Unit Three: Coaching Employees 25

The Coaching Process 26

Keys to Effective Coaching 27

Providing Feedback 28

Types of Questions 30

Coaching Feedback Questions 31

Setting Goals 33

Creating SMART Goals 34

Recognition 36

Process for Recognition 37

Delivering Discipline 39

Unit Summary 44

Unit Four: Team Development 45

Why do Teams Fail? 46

How Do Teams Succeed? 47

Recognizing Conflict 48

Conflict Response Strategies 49

Resolving Conflict 50

Motivating the Team 52

Motivational Truths 53

Unit Summary 54

Implement to Improve 55

iSpeak After the Class 56

Satori 57

Kaizen 58

21-Day Habit 59

Recommended Reading Materials 60

Foundation Series Curriculum 61

iSpeak Workshops 62


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Table of Exercises Exercise: What characteristics do you want in a supervisor? ..................................................................... 2

Exercise: Leadership Self-Assessment ......................................................................................................... 7

Exercise: Guidance and Encouragement .................................................................................................... 10

Exercise: Communication Barriers.............................................................................................................. 14

Exercise: Define your Communication Plans .............................................................................................. 16

Exercise: Drawing Diagram ......................................................................................................................... 17

Exercise: Active Listening ........................................................................................................................... 20

Exercise: Apply leadership styles ............................................................................................................... 22

Exercise: Characteristics of a good coaching session ............................................................................... 27

Exercise: Types of Questions ...................................................................................................................... 30

Exercise: Coaching Situations .................................................................................................................... 32

Exercise: Setting Goals ............................................................................................................................... 33

Exercise: Setting Personal and Team Goals ............................................................................................... 35

Exercise: Offering Recognition ................................................................................................................... 37

Exercise: Implementing Recognition .......................................................................................................... 38

Exercise: Delivering Discipline .................................................................................................................... 40

Exercise: Coaching Practice ....................................................................................................................... 41

Exercise: Why do you think teams fail? ...................................................................................................... 46

Exercise: Resolving Conflict Exercise ........................................................................................................ 51

Exercise: Team Motivation .......................................................................................................................... 52

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Unit One: Management Foundation “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” – Peter Drucker

trong management is the defining cornerstone of a high performing organization. Within any company, there is always a need for someone who can direct a team, set goals, light a path, and persuade others to follow. The responsibility of a supervisor is to get their message out in a way that inspires, makes the most of limited time, and build roads to resources.

The leader is the one person who can create conditions that will determine the caliber of work, and ultimately the success of the company. The figures below show the importance of effective leadership on an organization.

In the book The Extraordinary Leader, by John Zenger and Joseph Folkman, they found that superior leaders achieve a lower rate of ________________ among their employees, better __________________, and higher ________________ than do their lower-rated peers.

In 2002, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee sited in their book, Primal Leadership, that roughly ____________of how employees perceive their organizations climate can be traced to the actions of one person – the boss.

In this unit, you will learn:

Define leadership

Get introduced to the iSpeak Management Model

Understand four strategies for approaching situations

Learn the degrees of delegation

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What Do You Want in a Supervisor? “Practice Golden-Rule 1 of Management in everything you do. Manage others the way you would like to be managed.” – Brian Tracy

As a supervisor your employees are looking to you for leadership. The expectation is that you will take ownership of your team and coach them to victory. After understanding what is expected of you and your team, you can then develop the necessary strategies to effectively achieve those objectives. You serve as the communication line between your team and the executive management. It is important to communicate with the executive team regularly to maintain their support.

Exercise: What characteristics do you want in a supervisor?

In the space below, list the characteristics that would define the “perfect” supervisor.



Leadership Defined “Leaders must let vision, strategies, goals, and values be the guide-post for action and behavior rather than attempting to control others.” - Daniel. F. Predpall

In the past, leaders and managers have been defined as two completely different types of business personnel. While distinct traits can be defined for each of two types of people, high caliber business professionals tend to have traits from both definitions. According to Daniel Predpall, quality improvement author, a leader is defined as “someone who sets direction in an effort and influences people to follow that direction.” Remember that a leader cannot be a leader if there are no followers.

As a professional manager, leadership skills will be essential in communicating the vision and goals of the corporation to the team. Often times team members will see corporate goals, like “create business value for our customers,” and they will wonder how they can actually make a difference to help achieve that goal. As the leader for the team, it is imperative to interpret the corporate goals into a vision for success at the team level.

Contrary to belief, leaders are not only “born,” they can be created. With the proper education, experience, mentoring and nurturing, good managers can become great leaders. In their 1993 book, Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It, James Kouzes and Barry Posner identified the top characteristics that people admire in their leaders.

Leadership Characteristic Selected as an Admired Trait

Honesty

83%

Competence 67%

Forward looking (visionary) 62%

Inspiring 58%

Intelligent 43%

Fair minded 40%

Broad minded 37%

Straight forward 34%

Imaginative 34%

Dependable 33%



iSpeak Management Model “Management works in the system; Leadership works on the system.” - Stephen R. Covey

At the core of every successful manager are strong leading, managing and coaching abilities. To be a great manager and supervisor, certain skills must be exercised. Organization skills, the ability to motivate others and effective communication skills are required. A great manager can elevate a team to perform greater than the sum of their individual skills.

Define The manager’s first duty will be to define the team, the objectives for the team, the team players, the standards for service and delivery, and also the recognition and rewards.

Empower Without empowerment, the team will be able to achieve little. Empowering employees, within limits, can set expectations with employees, and also serve as a tremendous motivator and confidence builder.

Develop As the coach of your team, your organization expects you to improve the skill sets of your team by developing their skills. Development of their skills serves both the organization and the employee, creating benefits for both.

Execute All the training and simulation in the world cannot achieve great results until they are implemented. Execution on the defined plan, utilizing the enhanced skill sets provided by the manager, success becomes more likely.

Evaluate Once the team has executed for a period of time, an evaluation must commence. The evaluation provides the much appreciated continual feedback to employees. Adjustments are made after the evaluation phase so that new standards, goals and objectives can be defined.



Leadership Strategies “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” - Sun Tzu

When researchers looked at the lives of people like Churchill and Lincoln, both of whom are considered great leaders, they found that both men had suffered personal defeat many times. Churchill was sent home from school in grade four because his teachers said he was too slow. Lincoln ran for office and was defeated 19 times before he became President of the United States. While overcoming failure was common between many great leaders, it was not consistent across all leaders.

The “ ” Approach Beyond overcoming failure, researchers continued to study by observing what effective leaders did. The idea here was if it could be discovered what leaders did, then people could become effective leaders by doing the same thing. This can be thought of as “the one best way” approach. However, once again, research was inconclusive. The way one leader got results might in no way resemble the way another leader got similar results.

The “ ” Approach The next major step was to look at the relationship between the situation in which the leader acted and the way the leader behaved. This “it all depends” approach led to the development of a number of contingency or situational theories of leadership. What these theories had in common was the idea that a leader's behavior should be determined by the nature of the situation. In other words in situation A, leaders should do X to be effective, while in situation B, leaders should do Y to be effective.

Instruction and Encouragement Leadership is complex and can be studied from many different vantage points. While it may be appropriate to apply complex leadership models in some cases, all leadership situations share two major dimensions of leadership.

One is the level or amount of emphasis devoted to getting the work done.

The other is the amount of attention given to providing support and encouragement to the people doing the work.

Various names have been used for these two dimensions, such as Task and People, but we will use the terms Instruction and Encouragement. With these two dimensions of leadership, the role of the supervisor becomes a balancing act between the two types of involvement. Depending on the situation and the type of follower, leaders may utilize the appropriate levels of guidance and encouragement.

Instruction Characteristics: Autocratic, Task oriented, Top down, and Direction

Encouragement Characteristics: Democratic, People oriented, Bottom up, and Supportive



Supervisor Approaches “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” - Kenneth Blanchard

Supervisors need to approach every situation by first slowing down and evaluating the situation. Depending on the people involved and the situation they are in, they will have different needs from the supervisor. The evaluation of the situation by the supervisor should include a response to two different questions, both directed at what the individuals need from the supervisor:

Do they know what they are supposed and how they are supposed to do it?

Do they want to do it?

In 1968 the Situational Leadership Model® was developed by Paul Hersey of the California Centre for Excellence and Ken Blanchard. Their theory is that the supervisor will base their leadership on the amount of direction and the amount of support the leader must provide, given the situation and the readiness of the follower or group.

Regardless of any model you use, it seems obvious that a leader will alter their approach with team members depending on the person they are dealing with and the situation. For example, when a manager is speaking to a new hire employee about standard procedures they will provide much more instruction than if they were speaking to a seasoned veteran within a firm. On the other hand, even a seasoned veteran may need additional direction when a new process is implemented.

Instructing

High Instruction

Low Encouragement

Provide specific instructions and closely monitor

Selling

High Instruction

High Encouragement

Explain your decisions and provide opportunity for clarification

Assigning

Low Instruction

Low Encouragement

Turn over responsibilities for both implementation and decision making

Encouraging

Low Instruction

High Encouragement

Share ideas, guide the process, and facilitate in decision making



Exercise: Leadership Self-Assessment

In your designated groups, determine the characteristics of each supervisor approach. What are some examples of how and when would you use that approach?

Encouraging

Selling

Assigning

Instructing



The Leadership Formula “The value of achievement lies in the achieving.” - Albert Einstein

In addition to a leader’s style, the follower’s readiness will also determine the level of success. The follower’s readiness is defined as the ability and willingness of a person to take responsibility for directing their own behavior.

People tend to have varying degrees of readiness, depending on the specific task, function, or objective that a leader is attempting to accomplish through their efforts. Their level of readiness frequently determines their level of commitment to the job and the organization. As we will see later, motivation and skill level will also determine the strength of the team.

Readiness Levels Researchers have identified four levels of follower readiness:

R1: Followers who are not willing and not able

R2: Followers who are willing but not able

R3: Followers who are able but not willing

R4: Followers who are willing and able

Commitment Levels Researchers have also identified four levels of commitment.

C1: People do what they are told and wait to be told what to do next

C2: People do what they are told and ask what to do next

C3: People do what they are told and suggest what to do next

C4: People do what they have been told and then go on to the next step



Degrees of Delegation “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” - George S. Patton

Delegation is the art of giving someone else a task or responsibility that has been a part of your role. This task or responsibility is suited to the employee’s skills and abilities and gives him/her opportunities for growth and development.

Too often a manager delegates a project only to take it back in the future because they are dissatisfied with the progress or quality of work. By taking these tasks back, a manager soon becomes overwhelmed with the tremendous amount of work that they have to do. In addition, the team does not improve their capabilities and the entire organization begins to suffer.

Sometimes supervisors believe that they must delegate complete authority for a task before they can delegate at all. In actuality there are “degrees of delegation” that can make it easier for supervisors to test their own ability to delegate effectively, or for them to monitor the degree to which they are comfortable delegating to new or previously untested employees.

As a supervisor or manager, you decide which degree is appropriate by considering the nature of the task, the ability of the person doing the work, and the amount of time available to complete the task.

Investigate and report back The employee investigates and brings you the facts. You make the appropriate decision and take action.

Investigate and recommend action The employee investigates, researches or identifies options available, and recommends a course of action. You evaluate the recommendation, make the decision, and take action.

Investigate and advise on action planned The employee researches or identifies options, and decides on a course of action, complete with justification. You evaluate the decision made, and approve or veto the suggested action.

Investigate and take action; then advise you The employee researches or identifies options, decides which option is best, takes action, then advises you immediately, so you have a firm handle on what is happening.

Investigate and take action The employee is turned loose. This is full delegation and displays your complete faith in the individual's ability. You will be kept informed through regular reporting procedures.



Exercise: Guidance and Encouragement

Read each situation below and discuss in your group. Decide how much (1-10) of your leadership will be Guidance and Encouragement for each. Also indicate which management style you would use.

Situation 1 Next month you will be attending a telecommunications conference in Atlanta, GA. In your absence, you have asked one of your team leaders to run your weekly meeting with your team. This individual has been with the organization and your team for two years and has stepped in to run your weekly meetings before.

In preparing this individual before you leave, how much instruction would you give?

How much encouragement?

Which management style would you use?

Which degree of delegation would you utilize?

What do you think is their readiness level? Why?

What do you think is their commitment level? Why?

Situation 2 A member of your team has mastered the basics with a task you assigned him last quarter, but in his efforts to improve his speed, he is making an increasing number of mistakes. You can see he is becoming frustrated and that much of his early commitment to learning the task is evaporating.

In coaching this individual, how much instruction would you need to give him?








Situation 3 You have a small team of experienced people within your work group who work on relatively simple tasks which took time to master, but they are now a very competent team. Recently, however, there is an individual who has been making minor mistakes and their productivity has slowed. They do not seem as interested in their work as they once were, and once or twice they have asked you questions to which you are certain they know the answer.

In coaching this individual, how much instruction would you need to give him?






Situation 4 You have a new person in your work group. She is intelligent and enthusiastic, but so far knows very little about the work your group does or the layout of the equipment and facilities. You have discovered that you have an urgent need for assistance with a client presentation. The newcomer is the only person available to help.

In coaching this individual, how much instruction would you need to give her?








Unit Summary Strong management is the defining cornerstone of any high performing organization. Within any company, there is always a need for someone who can direct a team of people, set goals, light a path, and persuade others to follow. The responsibility of an enlightened manager is to get their message out in a way that inspires, make the most of their limited time, and build roads to resources. They must negotiate alliances, improve their colleagues, and align the ambitions of the many with the needs of the organization.

In this unit we learned the following: In management you have employees who are looking to you for inspiration, leadership,

motivation, information, guidance and support. A successful supervisor will understand what their team wants and expects.

After understanding what is expected of you and your team, you can then develop the necessary strategies to effectively achieve those objectives. You serve as the communication line between your team and the executive management.

Leadership can be adjusted by just asking yourself two questions before acting:

Does this person know what to do and how to do it?

Do they want to do it?

Four styles of leadership include:

Encouraging (Low Guidance and High Encouragement)

Selling (High Guidance and High Encouragement)

Assigning (Low Guidance and Low Encouragement)

Instructing (High Guidance and Low Encouragement)

At the core of every successful manager is a strong coaching ability. To be a great manager and coach, certain skills must be present. Organization skills, the ability to motivate others and effective communication skills are required.

The process for effective management includes five steps of managing your team, Define, Empower, Develop, Execute and Evaluate.

The top characteristics that people admire in their leaders include: Honesty, Competence, Forward looking (visionary), Inspiring, and Intelligent.


Unit Two: Management Communication “To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.” - John Marshall

he ability to communicate is vital to achieving advancement for yourself and for your ideas. It does not matter if you are meeting someone face-to-face, talking over the phone or presenting in front of a large group, you have to prepare, develop and deliver a message. Having an organized communication process will help you develop all types of

relationships, both personal and professional.

In the book, How American Chief Executives Succeed, The American Management Association surveyed over 5,000 CEOs and asked “What is the most important thing you have learned in order to perform your role as an executive?” They ranked communication skills as number one. Few skills in life will contribute to your success as much as communication skills.


Learn the communication funnel for providing coaching and feedback

Discuss the three elements of communication

Improve active listening skills

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Communication Skills for Managers “The genius of communication is the ability to be both totally honest and totally kind at the same time.” - John Powell

Executives of Fortune 500 firms that were surveyed on the most beneficial skills for excelling in professional business have year in and year out ranked communication skills at the top of the list. Effectively communicating with peers, subordinates and the executive management team eliminates wasted time, effort and expenses. Information and direction is understood the first time and completed down to the very last detail.

Communication skills for a manager, leader and coach go beyond the standard visual, verbal and vocal conversation. Supervisors must also pay close attention to the team members’ communication with each other.

Barriers to Good Communication While we speak and communicate with others with the best of intentions, our messages can be misinterpreted by the recipient. When the true meaning of a message is not apparent, misinterpretation can lead to disastrous results in business.

When communicating with our team and our teammates, we must make a conscious effort to deliver our messages as clearly as possible. Focus will allow you to overcome some of the obstacles that prevent good communication.

Exercise: Communication Barriers

List some of the barriers that prevent good communication.



Communication Factors “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” - Peter Drucker

Executives of Fortune 500 companies that were surveyed on the most beneficial skills for excelling in professional business have consistently ranked communication skills at the top of the list. Effectively communicating with peers, subordinates and the executive management team eliminates wasted time, effort and expense. While we speak and communicate with employees with the best of intentions, our messages can be misinterpreted if not delivered effectively.

Congruent Communication When a manager communicates in person, employees receive information through what is said verbally, how it sounds vocally, and how the communication appears visually. The entire package must be synchronized for maximum benefit. In Dr. Jeffrey S. Philpott’s research paper at the University of Nebraska, “The Relative Contribution to Meaning of Verbal and Nonverbal Channels of Communication”, he analyzed the results of 23 communication studies and found that adults rely more heavily on nonverbal cues and paralanguage (69%) than they do on what is said (31%). Our messages are most persuasive when all three of these areas are in alignment and sending the same message.

When interpreting a message from their manager, employees rely more heavily on the visual (what they see) and the vocal codes (how they speak) than the verbal code (what they say).

Communication Retention We would all like to think that our employees are retaining every word we speak and implementing all our advice, but this is simply not the case. Author Walter Pauk reports that people will only remember 54% of what they read or hear after one day and only 21% of what they read or hear after 14 days.

People process information in one of three ways: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. People tend to rely on one of these approaches more often than the others, but use all three of these approaches at different times. When you understand that your employees will all learn in various ways, you can focus on the different methods to communicate, address, and train each style.

Visual Employees learn by seeing. Words that work with visual learners include “see, watch, look, envision, imagine, and picture.”

Auditory Employees learn by listening. Words that work well with auditory learners include “hear, listen, sound, resonate, harmonize, sense, experience, understand, think, motivate, and decide.”

Kinesthetic Employees learn by doing. Words that are effective with these students include “feel, touch, hands-on, do, grasp, concrete, get hold of, and solid.”



Communicate With Your Team “Quality is not an act. It is a habit.” - Aristotle

It is vital to the success of the team that the defined objectives be measured and progress communicated regularly. The team must be able to identify how their current performance is measuring up to the standards set for the group. One of the best ways to communicate this measurement is with daily or weekly updates via email or in team meetings. Depending on the office layout, a “watch board” can be created to show the current ratings and progress towards a goal. The consistency of the communication achieves several objectives:

The team will have a sense of how their performance measures up

It will exemplify a sense of urgency and importance

It shows that management is truly concerned with the metrics and performance

It will ultimately lead to improvements in performance

In addition to the team benefits from consistent communication, the metrics should also be communicated to the upper management team as well. With regular reviews of the metrics, the management team can revisit the metrics, ensuring that the objectives and goals are reasonable and fair. This is also an excellent time to recognize individuals for their performances.

Exercise: Define your Communication Plans

List the methods for regularly communicating to your team.



Exercise: Drawing Diagram

Listen to the participant describe a picture and draw the diagram to match the description.



Communication Elements “There are no facts, only interpretations.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Communication filters emphasize the skill of listening and how it relates to verbalizing information, feedback, and feeling. While listening may not be the only ingredient in the formula for good communication, it does play a vital role. As we listen to information from the speaker, it passes through several filters before the listener’s interpretation is determined. When we understand this funnel, we can rely on it to:

Find out where we are in a complicated interchange of ideas and opinions

Evaluate the way others respond to us

Learn how to handle those responses, even if they are unexpected or unwanted

Examine alternatives for changes of direction without sacrificing our goal

It helps to have a model of what we are doing, where we want to go, and what we must do to get there. The communication funnel answers this need, by helping us design a strategy for our communications with others. A model of the Communication Filters is shown below.

VISUAL(Speaker’s appearance)

VERBAL(Speaker’s words)

VOCAL(Speaker’s tone, pace)

Past Experiences

Assumptions

Biases

Education

Distractions

Emotions

Listener’sInterpretation

Lis

ten

er’

s F

ilte

rs

VISUAL(Speaker’s appearance)

VERBAL(Speaker’s words)

VOCAL(Speaker’s tone, pace)

Past Experiences

Assumptions

Biases

Education

Distractions

Emotions

Listener’sInterpretation

Lis

ten

er’

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ilte

rs



Active Listening “All top managers have one thing in common…they are all great listeners!” - Tom Hopkins

By actively listening you can pick up on not only what is being said, but what is not being said. In 1991, The U.S. Department of Labor did a study and found that the average worker spends 55% of his communication time listening, 23% speaking, 13% reading, and less than 9% writing. Any signal sent to your employee that gives them the feeling that they are not important will lead to problems.

Comment “When I simply asked if I could have more time to complete my report, she responded with, ‘If you think more time is necessary, then take it.’ What did she mean by that comment? It sounded like she really didn’t want me to take the additional time.”

Response “So, you asked for more time, you got what you wanted, but you’re not comfortable with the response, correct? What do you think she was saying to you with her feedback?”

Richard Hunsaker, author of Understanding and Developing the Skills of Oral Communication, states that we are distracted, preoccupied or forgetful about 75% of the time we are listening to another person.

Passive Listening When you listen passively, you are really only there in person or on the other end of the phone. You are completely tuned out and get neither the spoken or unspoken messages being delivered. Your focus is not on what the employee is saying or on how they are saying it. This form of listening is one-way communication. How can you ever fully recover from not listening to your employee?

Selective Listening When you listen selectively, you fade in and out of active listening. You hear the voice but sometimes you do not hear the words. Or, you hear the words but you are not focused on the tone. This type of listening can be very harmful to employee relations. If you do not listen and hear what your employee wants or needs, how will you ever be able to meet or exceed their expectations?

Active Listening When you listen actively, you focus totally on the person with whom you are communicating. You hear their voice, you listen to the words they use, the tone of their voice, the rate of speech, the quality of voice and other important messages, some of which are not even spoken. When you give your focus to active listening, you are able to detect moods, hidden meanings and other things that are not spoken. You may detect anger, happiness, frustration or sarcasm. Usually during active listening you are having two-way dialogue. You listen, respond, question, listen some more and reply accordingly.

The average speaker speaks at ___________ words per minute.

The average listener can process ___________ words per minute.



Benefits of Active listening: You will be more likely to hear the real problem or concern

The words your employee uses may not always be the best choice to relay their needs

You will be able to “hear between the lines” (pick up on emotions, moods and feelings)

You will demonstrate a personal interest in your employee’s issues

Barriers that Prevent Active Listening: We are all human and sometimes it may be difficult to stay focused on the communication exchange with your employees. Some things that can get in the way of active listening may be: Thinking more about what you want or need than what this person wants or needs

Listening only for details or facts

Your mood or your personal feelings about the person

External distractions (other employees, music, talking, crowded environment, etc.)

Multitasking (working on other projects while selectively listening to the person)

Miscommunication of what the person is saying

Exercise: Active Listening

Listen to the instructor’s words and document your answers.



Developing Active Listening Skills “Are you really listening... or are you just waiting for your turn to talk?” - Robert Montgomery

Focused Attention Focused attention provides a way for you to concentrate on your employee and on what is being said. While speaking to your employees over the phone, do not multi-task. It will cause you to miss significant information, and will also be noticeable to the employee. As Ernest Hemingway said, “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.”

Taking Notes In your phone conversations, taking notes will not only provide you with the documentation you need after the call, but it will also show your employee you are actively listening and genuinely interested in their issues. Without notes you may lose key information that was provided in the conversation.

Walter Pauk, author of How to Study in College, reports that people will forget 46% of what they hear after one day and 79% of what they hear after 14 days.

Paraphrase and Summarize Paraphrasing and summarizing allows you to rephrase in your own words what you think the employee is saying. Summarize or recap to check the accuracy or your interpretation of your conversation. The notes you were taking will provide a great structure to what you will say during your summary. It also validates that you mutually understood the information. After your paraphrase, give your employee an opportunity to clarify or expand on the information.

Verbal prompts Verbal prompts throughout the conversation are a way for you to show continued interest in what your employee is saying. It communicates to your employee that you are paying attention. The following are common verbal prompts you can use: “I see”, “Okay”, “Right”, “Yes” and “Uh huh”.

Test Yourself After your next conversation, test yourself to see if you were truly listening – or just waiting for your turn to talk. Ask yourself the following questions: What did I learn from the other person? Who did more talking? Did I interrupt the other person? Did I ask clarification questions? Did the subject get changed? Who changed the subject? What will I do differently in my next conversation?

Ask Questions When you ask questions to fill in gaps, complete your understanding and show interest, you are more likely to get a complete picture of what your employee needs. Showing interest by asking additional questions goes a long way toward building rapport and a positive relationship. You will better understand your employee’s thoughts and feelings. This will also demonstrate to an employee that you are interested in what they are saying.



Exercise: Apply leadership styles

For each scenario, define the type of leadership style you would implement to address each.

Scenario:

Leadership Style you would implement:

Why?

Scenario:


Why?



Scenario:


Why?

Scenario:


Why?



Unit Summary Effective management skills are imperative to communicating your ideas in an organized manner. It does not matter if your communication is face-to-face or in front of a large group, you are aspiring to inform your audience about a particular subject or influence your audience to take a particular action. Having an effective communication process will help contribute to the success of your presentation.

In this unit we learned the following: The words you use, the sound and inflection in your voice, as well as the body language will

make up the message that your employees and co-workers receive. Their perceptions will be a direct interpretation of how you communicate with them.

Listening is an important part of communication and active listening cannot be done all the time because it is extremely difficult.

In management, listening is more important than speaking. The three types of listening include Passive, Selective and Active listening.

Active listening skills should be practiced routinely. Active listening provides the most accurate information and shows a concerned attitude toward the other person. Active Listening skills can be developed by:

Asking questions.

Paraphrasing and summarizing (reflective listening).

Using verbal prompts.

Practicing focused attention.

Communication filters emphasize the skill of listening and how it relates to verbalizing information, feedback, and feeling. While listening may not be the only ingredient in the formula for good communication, it does play a vital role.


Unit Three: Coaching Employees

“Coaches who can outline plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player and motivate.” -Vince Lombardi

ver the past decade, professional coaching has grown tremendously. Today there are thousands of registered professional coaches in the United States. While professional

coaching consultants work with business individuals, successful managers and leaders play the role of coach for their teams on a daily basis.

Supervisors are part coach, part friend, part motivational speaker, part manager and part consultant. As the manager or supervisor of your group, you will be required to coach the individuals on your team and assist them towards greater accomplishments and responsibilities. Coaching creates accountability and in most cases, measurable results.


Define the Coaching Process

Learn effective methods for providing feedback

Practice coaching situations

Unit Three

3

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U N I T T H R E E : C O A C H I N G E M P L O Y E E S


The Coaching Process “Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” - John D. Rockefeller

When it comes to getting results as a coach and manager, it helps to have a process to serve as a framework for assisting your team members. As a manager, your team will expect you to do more listening than talking. The communication funnel below separates the communication into three areas. The effectiveness of the communication will be dependent on the appropriate utilization of the three phases of the communication funnel. Here are three critical steps of the model.

1. Listening - understand the employees; feelings and position on a particular situation

2. Questioning - proper techniques used to clarify the situation and bridge into the talking

3. Feedback - responding in the form of information and positive or constructive feedback

Manager’s Note

It is important to understand that Steps 1 and 2 may be repeated several times when coaching employees.

Acknowledge Feelings

Encourage

Acknowledge Ideas

Question

Inform

Direct

Criticize



Keys to Effective Coaching “A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” - John Wooden

While great coaches can positively affect an individual in so many ways, the three key areas to effective and successful coaching include:

Effective communication skills

Thought provoking feedback focused on results

Motivation, support and encouragement

For coaching to be effective throughout the organization, executive management needs to recognize the needs and benefits of coaching. By providing structure around the coaching process with an alignment towards corporate goals, coaching results can be measured and tied back to corporate successes. When coaching is combined with corporate systems thinking, the results can be extremely effective with new processes for the business as a direct result.

Exercise: Characteristics of a good coaching session

List below some detailed characteristics of a good coaching session:



Providing Feedback “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

Team members will look to their coach for feedback and guidance, but at the same time, very few individuals actually enjoy criticism. As a result, feedback must be delivered very carefully to obtain the desired effect. Feedback is essential for growth to all members of an organization. Think of feedback as a compass that is guiding a hiker through the woods. The compass can reassure that you are heading in the right direction and it can also provide corrections when you are straying from the appropriate path.

Missed Opportunities We sometimes miss opportunities to give supportive feedback because we think people know when they are doing well. However, people often don’t know if they are on the right track, unless you tell them. Supportive feedback reinforces that the decisions or choices they made are right and are noticed by you. We also miss opportunities to give corrective feedback because we are afraid that giving unpleasant feedback could result in a difficult to handle response or harm a relationship. In reality, delaying corrective feedback can do more harm in the long run.

Providing Positive Feedback If you are giving an employee positive feedback, what should you keep in mind?

Make the feedback specific, so this person knows what they are doing well.

Be timely. Don’t wait for a convenient time to tell them they did something well.

Make it sincere.

Give them this positive feedback in public if you feel they will not be too embarrassed. Often, even the shy person likes a bit of public praise. You know your employee. You decide.

Providing Constructive Feedback If you are giving an employee constructive feedback, what should you keep in mind?

Make sure the employee knows right up front that your intent is to help them.

State the constructive purpose of the feedback and what you hope to accomplish. This provides the focus you need for your communication to be effective. If you are initiating the conversation, it means the other person doesn’t have to guess where you are headed.

Describe the behaviors that you have specifically observed and describe your reaction.

Give the other person an opportunity to respond.

Offer specific suggestions for ways to change behavior, if they have no suggestions to offer.

Summarize and express your support.



Criteria for Effective Feedback Always start by asking them to provide feedback on themselves. Individuals tend to be their

strongest critics.

Question them on what prevented them from achieving total success. “What were the barriers that stood between you and your goals?”

Provide positive feedback, then an area for improvement, and then close with more positive feedback.

Feedback sessions should be scheduled ahead of time, rather than imposed on an impromptu basis.

Provide feedback in a timely manner. Feedback provided weeks after the performance will have little to no lasting effect on the person. In addition, regularly scheduled sessions for conversation and feedback will have more lasting results.

Feedback should be specific rather than general.

Feedback should be descriptive rather than evaluative or judgmental.

Feedback should be directed toward behaviors that the team member has control over and can actually do something about to change.

Check that your feedback is clear to the team member. Have them paraphrase, summarize or apply your suggestions.

Compare a person only to themselves and not others. They should always be striving to improve upon their personal best.

Choose your words and phrases carefully and avoiding negative phrases like “you won’t” or “you can’t.” Instead opt to use phrases like “you may want to try” or “another approach may be.”

Limit the feedback to one or two items. Like learning a golf swing from a golf pro, you cannot expect them to implement everything that needs changing after just one meeting.

Utilizing stories and examples from your own experience to explain and support your recommendations.

The feedback should be in alignment with the performance objectives set at the start of the performance period (month, quarter, year, employment, etc.) If the feedback does not show a direct alignment with the goals set by the individual earlier, the review may appear unfair since they are being judged on “new criteria” for which previous goals were never set.



Types of Questions “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” – James Thurber

As a supervisor, you will use different types of questions at different points in a conversation to invite explanations, gain understanding, discover information, foster progression or verify information. The type of question you use will be up to you, based on the desired result. Always be confident (yet sincere) when asking a question, be sure to avoid accusatory questions, and be sure to give employees time to think about an answer before answering or asking another question.

Open Questions Open questions are used to gather information. They are not asked when looking for a specific answer. This type of questioning usually stimulates a more complex answer. Open questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. This type of question will often begin with how, why and sometimes what. Open questions may provide personal or business motivators that can be used when determining the best course of action for a team member.

Closed Questions Closed questions typically are structured to limit the respondent’s answer. They may be used to verify information gathered while asking open questions. Closed questions usually demand a finite answer and will deliver specific information. This type of question will often begin with who, will, did or have.

Alternative Choice Questions When multiple solutions may be right for an employee, alternative choice questions can be used to help the employee make a decision. This type of questioning involves the employee in the solution and puts them in the driver’s seat.

The Recency Theory, developed in 1957 by A. S. Luchins, illustrates that people are often inclined to respond with the last option they have heard.

Exercise: Types of Questions

In your group, share an example of an open, closed, and alternative choice question.



Coaching Feedback Questions “If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the A-B-C of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.” - Edward Hodnett

Without telling a person how to correct their actions, it is most often more effective to assist the individual by asking appropriate questions so they can lead themselves to the answer. What are some of the questions you could ask when providing feedback?

What did you think of your performance?

If you had to pick one area to work on, what would that be?

How do you want to approach that?

What specifically will you have done and by when?



Exercise: Coaching Situations

What can you do in the following situations to deliver appropriate coaching and feedback? Discuss in your groups and share your thoughts and observations with the rest of the class.

One of your employees was recently promoted to supervisor and is dealing with insubordinate direct reports that they used to work with.

An employee agrees with what you say, but you feel he/she is not really committed to change.

A team member is angry about departmental policies and regulations. He/she blames the policy or regulation for the problem you are discussing.

The individual refuses to accept responsibility. He/she blames you for not providing enough support and other people for not doing their jobs properly. It is always someone else’s fault.



Setting Goals “The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.” - William Shakespeare

The team members should all be aware of their responsibilities and what will be defined as successful and unsuccessful performance on the job. Goals must be set on a regular basis. Once a set of goals has been achieved, new goals can be identified. At any time, the team member should know what their responsibilities are and what they are being held accountable for. Consider the goals setting to be the starting point for managing your team. Consider the first day of work for a new member on your team. Their first thoughts arriving at work that day will include “What are my responsibilities here at work?” and “What will I be held accountable for when my performance is measured?”

Managers must take the time to specifically identify the goals for their team and for the individuals on their team. How else will the team members know if they are performing adequately? How will you, the team manager, know whether or not they are performing?

Goals will serve as the target for all performance. When performance is measured against this standard, we are able to determine whether the performance is above or below our standards. If the response from a team member is “My job performance can’t be measured against any set standard?” it is possible your organization has no need for this person and this role. You may consider eliminating that person’s role to see if there is anything lost by the organization.

Exercise: Setting Goals

Answer the questions about how you set goals today with your team.

How can the performance of your team members be measured today?

What types of goals do you have in place today?

Are there some goals and measurements you would like to put in place for your teams? What are they?



Creating SMART Goals “Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” - J.C. Penney

Before you can develop plans, you have to know what you want to accomplish—your goals, targets or tasks—how you want to accomplish them, what resources of time, money and materials you have, and who will carry out the implementation. Most of us cannot hit a target if we cannot see it. Make sure to set some targets for yourself and your team; targets that everyone can see.

SMART objectives from “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management Goals and Objectives” by George T. Doran as found in the Management Review from November, 1981 can help define the purpose and key objectives for the individual and their role in the organization.

S.M.A.R.T. Description

Specific What exactly do want to accomplish?

Describe a particular desired accomplishment and be specific in the context of developing objectives that illustrate an observable action, behavior or achievement. You want to use concrete examples and action verbs.

Measurable Can we measure success?

Produce quantifiable benefits and measure progress towards the achievement of the objective. You want to use numeric examples of quantity, percentages, or returns.

Attainable Is it attainable?

Must be able to be accomplished with a reasonable amount of effort and application and with available resources (individual or a department). You want the objectives to be feasible and appropriately limited in scope.

Relevant Will it lead to the desired results?

First, the objective being set with the individual is something they can actually impact or change. Secondly, the objective must be important to the company. Relevance can be accomplished with alignment to the company goals.

Timely When will this objective be accomplished?

Have a specific date & time defined for completion of the objective. You want to identify the target date and time.



Exercise: Setting Personal and Team Goals

Answer the questions below regarding personal and team goals.

What are the areas of accountability for your team members? List as many as you can.

What are the standards for performance in these areas of accountability? Assign a standard to each.

Areas of Accountability Performance Standard

What types of instructions will you have to define or review with your teams to make certain they are equipped to meet these standards?



Recognition “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” – Les Brown

The more consistently successful your people are, the higher you rise in the organization. Managers are not judged by their individual skills as much as they are judged by the performance of their teams. Think of any coach at the professional or collegiate level. Some coaches have become legends and are consistently defined as the world’s greatest coaches. Why are they seen as the greatest coaches of all time? It is very simple. Their teams have always been extremely successful.

Just as a successful coach continues to produce winning sports teams, successful managers will be able to produce successful teams in business. Great managers understand that to help people reach their full potential, they must catch them doing something right to praise them.

The famous Coach Bear Bryant once said that he would always praise his players for great performances immediately after the game and in front of the entire team. Being recognized for great performance will build a person from the inside out. Recognition cannot be shallow, false or undeserved. When used properly it can bring out the best in people.

Everyone likes to hear when he or she does a good job. Hearing sincere praise for a job well done provides additional confidence to an individual, especially when they are first learning their roles and responsibilities. There are three keys to making the recognition effective:

Timely The recognition must be timely. If a manager thanks an individual for their quality work on a certain project that was completed six months ago, the individual will immediately start to think, “Why did she wait six months to tell me this? I wonder what she wants now?”

Specific Praise for a job well done must be specific to be effective. A simple “good job” or a slap on the back does not go nearly as far as a specific description of the behavior that was observed. By making the feedback specific, the individual knows that you understand exactly what they are doing and that you are being sincere.

Consistent Regardless of your own situation or the status of the entire organization, a good manager will be consistent in how and when they offer praise. If the manager is having a difficult time with the entire organization and yet still takes the time to praise an individual when they have done something right, the individual comes to trust and respect the manager even more. There is no wondering, “which boss will show up today” depending on the manager’s mood.



Process for Recognition “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford

The process for delivering recognition includes the following steps:

1. Tell a person up front that you will let them know how they are doing in their roles.

2. Offer recognition immediately after it has been observed.

3. Tell the person specifically what they did right.

4. Let the person know how it makes you feel, how it helps the other members of the team and how it helps the entire organization.

5. Pause briefly in silence to allow the compliment to be “felt.”

6. Encourage more of the same behavior

This type of feedback is critical to team members when they are new to their roles. As they learn the ropes of their role, they will need much more feedback than the veterans on your team. In time, the more experienced veterans will review data with you to examine their performance and sometimes they will even catch themselves doing something right.

As the person becomes more seasoned in their roles, less recognition is necessary, but it will never completely disappear. No matter what their tenure, all individuals want to feel needed and appreciated. Never forget to offer recognition for a job well done.

Exercise: Offering Recognition

Answer and discuss the following questions.

Do you find yourself looking for opportunities to discipline more than praise? If so, how can you change that?

How do you think positive consequences affect performance?



Exercise: Implementing Recognition

In the scenarios below, document how you would provide praise to the employee / team.

One of your employees assists a new team member during their first week on the job. The new employee comments to you how smooth their orientation was due to your employee’s assistance.

Would you recognize this employee?

What would you say?

What is an example from your own experience where you either could have, or you did, deliver recognition?

How did you word the recognition when you delivered it? What would you change in the future?



Delivering Discipline “Criticize the act, not the person.” – Mary Kay Ash

While recognition may be the more desirable managerial duty between recognition and discipline, people will not improve if inadequate or unacceptable behaviors are not changed. It is the responsibility of the manager to not only set goals and praise when things are going well, but a manager must take on the tough tasks of discipline.

Individuals cannot be expected to improve their performance if they never receive communication in the form of a discipline when the behavior needs to be corrected. How the discipline is delivered to the individual will determine the effectiveness.

The goal of any manager is to discipline the behavior of an individual to either eliminate or change it in future situations. Disciplining must be done with care. When an individual is new to a group or learning a new skill they may have high energy, but also high anxiety since they are taking a risk by taking on a new skill. When they try and fail, the last thing a good manager wants to do is kill the enthusiasm and the willingness to take a risk.

If the person sees nothing but discipline and negative consequences every time they venture to learn a new skill or take a risk, they will cease taking risks. This stifles the growth and development of the individual and also stifles the development of the team and organization.

Before critiquing the performance of an individual, it is important for the manager to make a clear determination regarding the person and their capabilities. If the person does not yet have the capability or knowledge to perform a task, discipline is not the appropriate response. In this case, reviewing the goals and potentially setting new goals will be required. In addition, the manager would be wise to provide training to further develop the skills of the individual. This is also an excellent opportunity to set new goals for the learning and development training!

If an individual has all of the necessary skills but is not performing to the goal standards that were originally set, discipline is in order as the consequence. For discipline to be effective, it must contain three elements.

1. Tell the person which behavior was wrong.

2. Tell the person how you feel about it.

3. Remind them that they are valuable and worthwhile to the organization.

Manipulation is defined as getting people to do something they don’t agree with and it is only for the manager’s best interest. Effective management is not manipulation.



Exercise: Delivering Discipline

Answer the following questions after discussing with your group.

What makes delivering discipline challenging?

How can this process make it easier for you to deliver discipline?

Give an example of what you will say when delivering discipline to your team. Get feedback from others in your group on how it sounds.



Exercise: Coaching Practice

In all of these situations, setting specific goals together is the first part of the solution. In groups, or with a partner, coach the other person based on the scenario given by the instructor. When time elapses, alternate roles and perform the exercise again. Document your coaching questions and notes.

Coaching Situation An employee is constantly asking for time off, calling in sick, showing up late, or leaving early. As a result, they are behind on their work and the rest of the team is suffering.

What would you say when delivering your discipline for this situation?

Coaching Situation An employee has very poor customer service skills when working with external and internal customers.




Coaching Situation A team member is shy and reluctant to take any risks in advancing their skills or making decisions.


Coaching Situation An employee is having difficulty with a new procedure or policy. The employee states very clearly, “That’s not the way we used to do it.”




Coaching Situation

What would you say to address the situation?

Coaching Situation

What would you say to address the situation?



Unit Summary The final stage in any implemented process will be evaluation. Without a reflection on the actions taken or the changes implemented, measurement of success would be impossible. When objectives and goals have been set, processes and procedures implemented, the review process to evaluate the effectiveness will provide the information required to set a course for even more adjustments.

In this unit we learned the following: At the core of every successful manager is a strong coaching ability. To be a great manager

and coach, certain skills must be innate. Organization skills, the ability to motivate others and effective communication skills are required.

In management, there are three types of feedback that should be a part of management evaluations:

Employee’s feedback of the individual, team and company

Manager’s review of an individual’s performance and the team’s performance

The employee’s feedback of themselves and the manager

The effectiveness of the communication will be dependent on the appropriate utilization of the three phases of the communication funnel: Listening, Questioning, and Feedback.

Informal employee feedback can be gathered either in conversations or via every day emails or communications. Asking the question, “So, how are we doing?” when speaking to the employee can provide excellent insights into their perceptions.

Formal feedback methods involve an employee survey provided to select individuals. In most cases, the feedback is gathered anonymously or with an optional location to provide their name. Depending on the employee and type of business, formal employee feedback can be utilized on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

Performance reviews are usually scheduled with each individual employee on a regular basis. Depending on the type of role and the individual, performance reviews may be scheduled every month, quarter or year. The performance review is a time to compare recent performance measures with the development plan created earlier.

As a manager and team leader, it is important that you have a mechanism for listening to your team. While it is a manager’s duty to provide feedback to the team to help them grow, it is just as important for the team members to evaluate their manager, their team and their company.


Unit Four: Team Development “We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” - Benjamin Franklin

he word team itself is an acronym for “Together Everyone Achieves More”. In the 1930’s Babe Ruth said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t

be worth a dime.” Whether the focus is on service, quality, cost, value, speed, efficiency, performance, or other similar goals, teams are the central methodology of most organizations.

There is no magic formula for building a high performance team. When team members know the goals of the organization, understand their roles and responsibilities on the team, agree with the methods for communication, receive coaching and give feedback, success is inevitable.


Understand what makes a team succeed or fail

Utilize methods for identifying and dealing with conflict

Learn how to effectively motivate your team

Unit Four

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U N I T F O U R : T E A M D E V E L O P M E N T


Why do Teams Fail? “A major reason capable people fail to advance is that they don’t work well with their colleagues.” - Lee Iacocca

Managers and leaders are responsible for a group of individuals. The team’s success can be boiled down to two basic ingredients, motivation and skill. These two ingredients must then be mixed in the right proportions and with the right types of skills to create a successful team.

Just like it is with cooking a prize-winning meal, when you alter the recipe of success, it can lead to team failure. Removing just one ingredient can cause the recipe to change dramatically.

Exercise: Why do you think teams fail?

In the spaces below, list the reasons that will cause a team to fail.



How Do Teams Succeed? “It may just be the single most indelible moment in all of U.S. sports history.” - Sports Illustrated, speaking on the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team defeating the USSR

Successful team performance can be summed up in two words: skills and motivation. When a team possesses the skills and tools for completing a task, there is no guarantee that the team will meet with success. The United States discovered that sending an All-Star NBA team to represent the USA in International basketball does not guarantee a gold medal. Although the team may be the most skilled at each position, without the motivation to play as a team, they do not always end up with a win.

The discoveries of Dr. Meredith Belbin’s “Apollo” studies show that there are key elements that must be present for team development to occur.

Team members see themselves as belonging to a team rather than as individuals who operate autonomously. They are committed to group goals above and beyond their personal goals.

Team members have faith in each other to honor their commitments, maintain confidences, support each other, and generally behave in a consistent and predictably acceptable fashion.

The team understands how it fits into the overall business of the organization. Team members know their roles, feel a sense of ownership, and can see how they make a difference.

Communication refers to the style and extent of interactions among members, between members, and to those outside the team. It also refers to the way that members handle conflict, decision making, and day-to-day interactions.

Everyone has a role in the team. Despite differences, team members must feel a sense of partnership with each other. Contributions are respected and solicited, and a consensus is established before committing the team to action.

Once a team has a clear purpose, it must then adopt a process to achieve that goal. The process should include problem-solving tools, planning techniques, regular meetings, meeting agendas and minutes, and accepted methods for dealing with problems situations.

Every successful team had a designated leader for the group. The leader assisted the group with open communication, processes, maintaining a vision on the goal and decision making.



Recognizing Conflict “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out. ” – Rodney Dangerfield

Relationship vs. Task Conflict When team members have personal incompatibilities, they have relationship conflict. This type of conflict is detrimental to the entire group. When the focus of a group turns to animosity and tension, less time is spent on solving the actual tasks. Relationship conflict can also make team members less open to ideas, conversation and suggestions.

Task conflict is beneficial to the overall synergy of a group. If the focus can remain on the difference of opinions and ideas, better decisions can be made. Teams that recognize the importance of respecting and exploring alternate solutions will designate a “devil’s advocate” to keep themselves from prematurely settling on an obvious solution too quickly.

How to Recognize Conflict Recognizing the initial signs of conflict allows a group member to address the conflict before it has time to mature into a much more difficult situation. To effectively recognize conflict, one must actively listen and observe for signs of conflict. Indicators that conflict may be present or forming:

Ineffective or minimal communication

Dissatisfaction with management style, leadership, direction and goals

Lack of open dialog and communication

Closed messages sent through body language

Overt disagreements, regardless of the issue

Withholding information

Unexpected information or actions

Continuous outspoken opinions directed at an individual

Airing disagreements to others (talking behind one’s back)

Disagreements in values

Overt lack of respect for management and policies

Strong pessimistic views with no alternative solutions offered



Conflict Response Strategies “Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” – Ronald Reagan

In 1974, Kenneth W. Thomas and Ralph H. Kilmann introduced their Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. This instrument is referred to as the TKI and it popularized conflict style inventories. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode instrument uses the Jane Mouton and Robert Blake axes - one axis defines the “concern for people” while the other axis defines the “concern for the task.” Plotting a style on these two axes will identify which of the five different styles of dealing with conflict is preferred. The five conflict styles are:

Competing (assertive, uncooperative) Forcing an issue to one’s own way.

Avoiding (unassertive, uncooperative) Staying away from or withdrawing from a conflict.

Smoothing (unassertive, cooperative) Giving in to the other party and ignoring one’s own goals.

Collaborating (assertive, cooperative) Focusing on one mutually satisfying outcome.

Compromising (intermediate assertiveness and cooperativeness) Giving in on one need in order to get another satisfied.

SmoothingDisagreements are smoothed over or ignored so that surface

harmony is maintained in a state of peaceful coexistence.

CollaboratingValid problem solving takes place with varying points of view objectively evaluated against facts; emotions,

reservations, and doubts are examined and worked through.

AvoidingNeutrality is maintained at all

costs. Withdrawal behind walls of insulation relieves the necessity of dealing with

situations that would arouse conflict.

CompetingConflict is suppressed through authority-obedience approach. Win-lose power struggles are

fought out, decided by the highest common boss or

through third party arbitration.

CompromisingBargaining and middle ground positions are accepted so that no one wins - nor does anyone

lose. Accommodation and adjustment lead to "workable"

rather than best solutions.

Concern for People

Co

nce

rn f

or

Tas

k

High

High

Low

Low

SmoothingDisagreements are smoothed over or ignored so that surface

harmony is maintained in a state of peaceful coexistence.

CollaboratingValid problem solving takes place with varying points of view objectively evaluated against facts; emotions,

reservations, and doubts are examined and worked through.

AvoidingNeutrality is maintained at all

costs. Withdrawal behind walls of insulation relieves the necessity of dealing with

situations that would arouse conflict.

CompetingConflict is suppressed through authority-obedience approach. Win-lose power struggles are

fought out, decided by the highest common boss or

through third party arbitration.

CompromisingBargaining and middle ground positions are accepted so that no one wins - nor does anyone

lose. Accommodation and adjustment lead to "workable"

rather than best solutions.

Concern for People

Co

nce

rn f

or

Tas

k

High

High

Low

Low



Resolving Conflict “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” – Bill Cosby

Conflict in any community setting is inevitable. Every individual has a core set of values and beliefs that will guide and direct their actions. Every action is based on a decision. Every decision is based on a value or belief. With the wide myriad of individuals with their own personal goals, values and beliefs, it is expected that conflict will eventually arise.

Conflict comes in good (functional) and bad (dysfunctional) ways Conflict does not have to always be viewed as something that is “bad.” Without conflict, the free market economy would not work. Conflict creates tension and that tension creates motivation for change. The motivation to change leads us to many improvements that we have seen. For example, conflict can lead to the opening of communication lines that were previously shuttered.

Functional Dysfunctional

Opens up communication lines that were previously shut

Leads to a better solution or improves a process, cooperation or teamwork

Serves as a positive release for tension, anxiety and emotion

Takes the attention away from the true problem

Resorts to foolish name-calling or derogatory statements

Splits groups into multiple camps who refuse to negotiate

Conflict Resolution Process With every conflict, the path towards a resolution will involve several steps. According to Velsoft research in 2005, the following six steps were identified to address organizational conflict.

1. Acknowledge that conflict exists. Do not bury your head in the sand or ignore it. It rarely goes away on its own and usually just gets worse.

2. Pinpoint the cause of the conflict. Talk about the behaviors that cause conflict, not the attitudes. Attitudes are subjective, observed behaviors are objective.

3. Hear all points of view. Listen to each person’s side, and ultimately you want those involved in the conflict to be in the same room with you, to explore the issues.

4. Find common ground. Usually the parties involved can find some common ground or points of agreement, even if it is no more than the fact they want to keep their job.

5. Choose the solution that all parties can agree on. This may not seem the best solution but ultimately they all must agree, so you have to start from there.

6. Follow up. Without follow-up, almost any agreement can come unraveled.



Exercise: Resolving Conflict Exercise

Document a scenario you have dealt with at work and answer the following questions.

Situation:

Which conflict response strategy would you use?

Why do you think that is the best option? Provide at least two reasons.



Motivating the Team “Your mental attitude determines your success or failure in business.” – Napoleon Hill

As the manager, coach and team leader, the success of the team can be affected by how motivated the team is when performing their tasks. To improve the team’s level of success, motivating the team becomes a necessary element of successful management.

Motivation True or False Many statements have been made about individual and team motivation. Many of these comments and opinions have developed into myths and falsehoods. Research shows that there are distinct elements of motivation that are true, while others are false. See how you do. Which of the following statements would you say is a truth and which is a false myth?

1. Fear is the best motivator True False

2. Money is the best motivator True False

3. Everyone’s motivation is different True False

4. I can motivate other people True False

5. Personal motivations can change True False

Exercise: Team Motivation

What are the motivators you use to motivate your team? What new motivators can you implement?



Motivational Truths “Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” - Stephen R. Covey

While there is not one “silver bullet” for creating highly motivated teams and individuals, there are a few core elements that can lay the foundation for developing highly effective and productive teams. These truths can assist you in coaching your team to greater success. Three truths of motivation include:

Everyone’s motivation is different – Just as people are different, so is their motivation. While motivational theory suggests that we all have some basic motivations at our core, motivation is still very personal. While money is an excellent motivator for some, in many scientific surveys money is rarely the top motivator. Fear will motivate very effectively, but the motivation is short lived. Also, it will not create respect between managers and team members.

In weekly meetings, understand the individual’s short term and long term ambitions

Offer choices for SPIF’s and other types of rewards to address differences

When motivational rewards are the same, focus on a core motivator that everyone shares

Individuals must be self-motivated to achieve perpetual success – People actually need to motivate themselves. While managers and coaches can influence other people’s motivational levels, ultimately, a person needs to motivate themselves to reach their peak performance.

Utilize effective coaching sessions to create a positive and supporting environment

Supporting your team by providing the necessary tools and resources they need to be successful can create a motivating atmosphere

Celebrate successes with individuals and the team

Public praise and recognition in front of peers

Provide learning opportunities for skill enhancement

Motivation can change for each individual over time – While a certain motivation may apply to you on one day, the motivation may be completely different the next. Do not assume that if someone’s motivation is money today that it will still be money as a motivator tomorrow.

Align personal goals with the company goals

Performance appraisals should be checkpoints for determining motivational changes

Maintain and review development plans with individuals

Socialize with your team to consistently monitor and understand their personal drivers



Unit Summary Team development will occur over time and not without moving through conflict. The key for the successful supervisor is to expect conflict. Then, the supervisor needs to know how to deal with it.

In this unit we learned the following: Teams succeed when they have a high level of trust with each other and when communication

flows openly. Teams will begin to crumble when communication shuts down and trust is not present.

Conflict can be either functional or dysfunctional. An example of functional conflict is the role of “devil’s advocate” when brainstorming ideas. An example of dysfunctional conflict is when discussions resort to name-calling.

There are five key methods for responding to conflict. These five response strategies can be plotted by using two axes of relationship and task.

As the manager, coach and team leader, the success of the team can be affected by how motivated the team is when performing their tasks. There are a few core elements that can lay the foundation for developing highly effective and productive teams. Three truths of motivation include:

Everyone’s motivation is different

Individuals must be self-motivated to achieve perpetual success

Motivation can change for each individual over time


Implement to Improve “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” - Johann Goethe, German Writer and Statesman

n business, to be a successful, you must have a plan. This iSpeak course has provided you with the information and the inspiration to improve yourself towards personal success. The final two steps are up to you. You must implement what you have learned and that will lead to improvement.

While the implementation phase can be the most trying, it is also the most significant. Without implementing the new knowledge and skills that you have gained, improvement will be impossible. To assist you in the transition from classroom to real world experience, iSpeak offers this section to record how you will implement what you have learned in this course.

Implement

I

I

I M P L E M E N T T O I M P R O V E


iSpeak After the Class “We shall neither fail nor falter; we shall not weaken or tire... give us the tools and we will finish the job.” - Winston Churchill, British politician

iSpeak University At iSpeak we are always adding videos, downloads, and tools for you! iSpeak developers continually enhance our curriculum with modern tools and job aids. As the tools and videos are created, they are added to the iSpeak University site. If you want a refresher on any of the iSpeak content, you will find it available at iSpeak University!

http://www.ispeak.com/ispeak‐university

iSpeak on Facebook When you “like” us on Facebook, we will keep you posted on free training tools and instructional videos with posts to our wall.

@CorporateOvations

iSpeak on Twitter Twitter is our tool for communicating relevant and timely information to you for aiding in your own professional development. Read motivational quotes, links to leadership blog posts, links to instructional videos, and announcements of upcoming events.

@iSpeakInc @CorpOvations @RussPetersonJr @KevinKarschnik

iSpeak Instructor Blog Our content experts not only deliver in the classroom, they also document their research and insights on our iSpeak Blog. Be a part of the conversation and post your comments and replies to our instructors!

http://www.ispeak.com/news.asp

iSpeak YouTube Channel Informative videos (and some just for fun!) of our instructors are placed on our YouTube channel. You can view a sample of some of our instructors to get a feel for the energy they bring to the classroom. Each of our instructors has a unique style they love to share with the students.

http://www.youtube.com/iSpeakDotCom



Satori “The difference between success and failure is the ability to recognize an opportunity when one presents itself.” – Russ Peterson Jr.

Satori (Sa-to-ree) is a Japanese term that means state of sudden spiritual awareness. Satori is a Zen Buddhist term for enlightenment. The word literally means “to understand.” iSpeak programs consistently produce what we call “Satori Moments”, also known as Light Bulb moments or Ah-Ha Moments. It’s like a light switch that gets turned to the “on” position inside of you. We encourage you to write down ideas, thoughts, or observations when you realize a place in your work or home life where you can apply the information.



Kaizen “There is no best. There is always a better.” – Kevin Karschnik

Kaizen is a Japanese term that refers to a philosophy of continuous improvement. “Kai” means change and “Zen” means good. The term kaizen translated at its fullest means “the willingness to constantly pursue improvement one small step at a time.”

Throughout this iSpeak program you documented “Satori Moments” - information you indicated was important. The next step is to take this information, combine it with inspiration, and implement these techniques in the workplace and in your home life. This can be done in the form of a commitment you make to yourself – a promise to take action on what you have learned. Focus on only one or two commitments at a time. Trying to implement too many changes at once can be overwhelming, decreasing your efficiency and creating anxiety.

Commitments

What positive changes do you want to implement?

1.

2.

Signature Date



21-Day Habit “If you create an act, you create a habit. If you create a habit, you create a character. If you create a character, you create destiny.” - Andre Maurois

The sky is the limit when it comes to your presentation skills when you apply the psycho-cybernetics 21-day technique for personal growth and success. This concept was developed by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of The Power of Psychocybernetics. As a plastic surgeon, Dr. Maltz noticed that it took 21days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb. From that somewhat obscure beginning, the 21-day phenomenon has evolved into a staple of self-change literature. This means that you must persist in performing a new behavior for at least 21 days before a new behavior becomes automatic.

Take the 21-Day Challenge and experience the powerful difference it can make in your personal and business life.

Forming new habits is hard work. To change any habit takes practice—framing, forming, and molding our minds to do certain physical behaviors that are repeated over and over again. The following are three steps in defining and mastering a new habit.

Decide exactly what you want to do. The first step is to decide what you want to do and why you want to do it. You must write it down and review it daily. Use SMART objectives when finalizing your goal to ensure that it is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Practice what you want to do. The implementation phase can sometimes be the hardest. Remember, it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so dedication plays an important role in your success. You need to schedule out 21 days on your calendar and consistently practice your new habit daily. There are no excuses for not practicing your new habit. If you miss even one day on your schedule, start over and schedule another 21 days. Don’t give up!

Mastery of what you want to do. Your new habit can become natural or automatic in only 21 days. However, once accomplished, you must be sure not to let your bad habit creep back in. You can do this with continued practice. Only with continued practice can you reach a level of true improvement. Also, don’t forget to schedule new goals every 21 days. This technique is powerful and can be used in all aspects of your personal and business life.



Recommended Reading Materials “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” - Theodor Seuss Geisel, American writer, poet, and cartoonist

Customer Service

Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service, Ron Zemke & Kristin Anderson, American Management Association, 2002

Positively Outrageous Service, T. Scott Gross, Master Media, 1991

The Nordstrom Way: The inside Story of Americas #1 Customer Service Company, Robert Spector & Patrick McCarthy, Wiley, 1997

Customer Service 101: Basic Lessons To Be Your Best, Renee Evenson, Bull’sEye Publishing, 1997

Leadership

The Art of Leadership, Bothwell, Lin, 1983

Leadership Skills for Managers, Caroselli, Marlene, 2000

You're the Boss, Josefowitch, Natasha, Ph.D., 1989

Four Competencies for Success, Portnoy, Robert A., Leadership, 1999

Communication

You’ve got to be Believed to be Heard, Bert Decker, St. Martin’s Press, 1992

Conversational Magic, Les Donaldson, Prentice Hall, 1981

Messages: The Communication Skills Book, Matthew McKay & Martha Davis & Patrick Fanning, New Harbinger Publications, 1995

You’ve got to be Believed to be Heard, Bert Decker, St. Martin’s Press, 1992

Sales

Cut the C.R.A.P. and Make the Sale, Russ Peterson, DC Press, 2003

SPIN Selling, Neil Rackham, McGraw Hill, 1988

Solution Selling, Michael T. Bosworth, McGraw Hill, 1995



Foundation Series Curriculum The iSpeak Foundation Series of 1-day workshop curriculum is written by authors who are also speakers, facilitators and instructors with over 20 years of experience. All courses have been tested and delivered in classrooms for corporate audiences ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500. Curriculum can be purchased at Amazon.com.

Supervisory Skills

Strong management is the defining cornerstone of a high performing organization. The responsibility of a supervisor is to lead in a way that inspires, makes the most of limited time, and build roads to resources. Learn the tools for communication as a manager, how to coach, & methods for building your team strength.

Selling Skills

Professional selling is more than having a good pitch. Today’s sales professionals master the question. This course delivers techniques for uncovering additional opportunities, navigating past objections and presenting aligned solution. Learn how to use a sales process to improve sales with prospecting, dealing with tough questions, and closing.

Time Management

Time is a limited resource. Studies show how lost time during the day can lead to lower levels of productivity, increased levels of stress and increased costs for businesses. Learn how to use tools for improving organization, prioritizing tasks, minimizing interruptions, managing your calendar, using assertive communication, defining stress and implementing methods for dealing with stress.

Customer Service

Effective customer service at every level of the organization creates the internal service culture that separates the good companies from the great ones. Serving our customers in a manner that will not only meet, but exceed their expectations is the key to creating passionate advocates for your company. Learn communication techniques to help you provide better customer experiences.

Business Writing

The ability to write well is essential when you want to communicate your thoughts and ideas. It gives you the ability to inform, persuade, and motivate others. Written communication in business comes in the form of letters, email and proposals. Exercises put the learning into practice to reinforce persuasive writing, grammar and visual appeal. Learn tools for delivering bad news or a sales proposal requires articulation.



iSpeak Workshops “Many people give presentations, but rarely do people have this kind of thorough training for doing so. Corporate Ovations is a great way to get intensive training in public speaking and improve your skills to succeed.” – Jan Gunter, Communications and Community Relations Director, The Ronald McDonald House

Presentation skills for today’s business professionals need to be customized to the individuals and their role. Our workshops are designed and delivered for maximum impact and behavioral change. iSpeak provides presentation skills training and tools for Sales professionals, Leaders and Individual Contributors. Whether you are an executive casting a vision for your company or a sales professional communicating to potential customers, we can help you prepare, develop and deliver that message. Business Professionals As a business professional you are asked to create and deliver messages to your peers and managers. These messages may be informative, such as a financial review, or they could be persuasive as in a request for a budget approval. The response from your audience will be dependent on both you and your message. In these programs you will learn how to succeed at both. These classes cover writing and delivering a presentation from beginning to end, with a focus on powerful openings, confident closings, and engaging supporting data. Students leave class with an SD card containing their classroom presentations. Sales Professionals As a sales professional you will be presenting your ideas to customers in a persuasive manner. In this program you will learn how to uncover the data you need to effectively design and deliver a persuasive message that inspires action from your prospect. This class provides an opportunity for you to practice communication and questioning techniques by understanding a customer’s decision criteria, develop a presentation to meet their needs, and practice methods of persuasion. Students leave class with an SD card containing their sales presentations in various customer settings. Leaders If you are a manager or leader in your organization, this program is specifically designed for you. In this program you will not only learn professional methods to deliver your message, you will practice your delivery with eight video-recorded presentations. After each speaking opportunity you will receive one-on-one coaching to enhance your skills. Whether you are speaking at a team meeting or to the entire corporation, this workshop is designed to develop your effectiveness as a leader.

Documents

iFS Supervisory Skills Sept 2014 v1.4 WORKBOOK · SUPERVISORY SKILLS iSpeak, Inc. 2014© i Supervisory Skills iSpeakTM prepared this workbook for use in the area of Training and Development