Leadership Skills Text

8/11/2019 Leadership Skills Text

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Table of ContentsThe Kepner-Tregoe Matrix.......................................................................................................1The Ladder of Inference............................................................................................................2Lewin’s Change Management Model.......................................................................................2

sing Maslow!s "ierarch#........................................................................................................$

Memor# %ames..........................................................................................................................$&tor# Telling...............................................................................................................................'()lind’ *igsaw +, les...............................................................................................................Tri/ia 0,i es.............................................................................................................................Metaphorical Thin ing..............................................................................................................3ominal %ro,p Techni4,e........................................................................................................5ptimism6 The "idden 7sset....................................................................................................87dapt #o,r lang,age and o,tloo ............................................................................................95rgani ation :esign................................................................................................................1;+ic le *ar Theor#.....................................................................................................................11+rioriti ation............................................................................................................................12

+ro<ect :ashboards..................................................................................................................1'&chein’s Career 7nchors.........................................................................................................1'&wim Lane :iagrams..............................................................................................................1&#nectics....................................................................................................................................1Theor# = and Theor# >..........................................................................................................1Treas,re Mapping....................................................................................................................18

nderstanding +eople!s :e/elopmental 3eeds.....................................................................18The rgent?Important Matrix................................................................................................1@Creating a Aal,e +roposition..................................................................................................19Bor ing In Airt,al Teams......................................................................................................19

ero :efects..............................................................................................................................2;

7dopting ero :efects.............................................................................................................22

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The Kepner-Tregoe Matrix

Making Unbiased, Risk-Assessed DecisionsNo matter what position you hold, from the board room to the mailroom, you makedecisions every day And the end result in business is directly linked to the!uality of the decisions made at each point along the way "o not surprisingly,decision-making is a universally important competence in business "omedecisions clearly have a greater impact on the business than others, but theunderlying skill is the same# $he difference is in the scope and depth of theprocess you go through to reach your decision

%ne reason why decision-making can be so problematic is that the most criticaldecisions tend to have to be made in the least amount of time &ou feelpressured and an'ious $he time pressure means taking shortcuts, (umping toconclusions, or relying heavily on instinct to guide your way

)n your organi*ation, you+ve probably heard of someone who made it all the wayto by relying on his gut to make decisions At the other e'treme is the guywho simply can+t make a decision because he analyses the situation to death $hebottom line is, you have to make decisions, and you have to make good decisions

oor decisions are bad for business .orse still, one poor decision can lead toothers, and so the impact can be compounded and lead to more and more problemsdown the line

$hankfully, decision-making is a skill set that can be learned and improved on"omewhere between instinct and over-analysis is a logical and practical approachto decision-making that doesn+t re!uire endless investigation, but helps youweigh up the options and impacts

%ne such approach is called the /epner-$regoe Matri' )t provides an efficient,systematic framework for gathering, organi*ing and evaluating decision makinginformation $he approach was developed by 0harles 1 /epner and 2en(amin 2$regoe in the 3456s and they first wrote about it in the business classic, $heRational Manager 734589 $he approach is well-respected and used by many of theworld+s top organi*ations including NA"A and :eneral Motors

The Ladder of Inference

Avoiding ;(umping to conclusions;1ave you ever been accused of <putting = and = together and making 8>, meaning

that the other person thinks you have (umped to the wrong conclusion?

)n today+s fast-moving world, we are always under pressure to act now, ratherthan spend time reasoning things through and thinking about the true facts Notonly can this lead us to a wrong conclusion, but it can also cause conflict withother people, who may have drawn !uite different conclusions on the same matter

@specially in a fast business environment, you need to make sure your actionsand decisions are founded on reality "imilarly, when you accept or challengeother people+s conclusions, you need be confident that their reasoning, and

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yours, is firmly based on the true facts $he < adder of )nference> helps youachieve this"ometimes known as the < rocess of Abstraction>, this tool helps you understandthe thinking steps that can lead you to (ump to wrong conclusions, and so helpsyou get back to hard reality and facts

$he adder of )nference was first put forward by organi*ational psychologist0hris Argyris and used by eter "enge in $he Bifth Discipline# $he Art and

ractice of the earning %rgani*ation

Lewin’s Change Management Model

Understanding the $hree "tages of 0hange0hange is a common thread that runs through all businesses regardless of si*e,industry and age %ur world is changing fast and, as such, organi*ations mustchange !uickly too %rgani*ations that handle change well thrive, whilst thosethat do not may struggle to survive

$he concept of <change management> is a familiar one in most businesses today2ut, how businesses manage change 7and how successful they are at it9 variesenormously depending on the nature of the business, the change and the peopleinvolved And a key part of this depends on how far people within it understandthe change process

%ne of the cornerstone models for understanding organi*ational change wasdeveloped by /urt ewin back in the 3486s, and still holds true today 1is modelis known as Unfree*e C 0hange C Refree*e, refers to the three-stage process ofchange he describes ewin, a physicist as well as social scientist, e'plainedorgani*ational change using the analogy of changing the shape of a block of ice

Using Maslow's Hierarchy

2uilding a happier, more satisfied team:ood leaders recogni*e that if they+re to build productive and highly successfulteams, they need to understand and look after the needs and well-being of teammembers $his is a fundamental part of the <emotional contract> between leadersand their teams# .hen followers know they+re being looked after by their leader,they+ll usually give their best in return

Maslow+s 1ierarchy of Needs is a popular way of thinking about people+s needsDeveloped by psychologist Abraham Maslow as early as 34 E, this theory contendsthat as humans strive to meet our most basic needs, we also seek to satisfy ahigher set of needsMaslow presents this set of needs as a hierarchy, consisting of#

hysiologicalFbodily needsG "afety needsG oveFbelonging needsG "elf-esteemG and"elf-actuali*ation 7the desire to be <all that you can be>9

$he theory argues that the most fundamental level starts with the physiologicalneed for food, water and shelter $his is followed by security and social needsMaslow believed that the higher level needs, such as self-esteem and self-fulfillment, could only be met after the lower level needs had been satisfied

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Memory ames

1ave fun, while you improve your memoryH

1ave you ever looked up a phone number and repeated it over and over to yourselfuntil you dialled it correctly? $his draws on your working memoryG however, (ustmoments after dialling the telephone number, chances are you have forgotten it

$his is because the telephone number was not <committed> to your long-termmemory And, while working memory is reliable for !uick recall of bits ofinformation 7like phone numbers9, it can hold only a few pieces of informationand only for a very short time

$o remember things for a longer amount of time, you must connect the newinformation with information you already have, <committing> it to your long-termmemory, which stores more information and, for a longer period of time

$he Memletics Accelerated earning rogram is a well-researched acceleratedlearning course that helps you improve your memory and assimilate informationmore effectively

$here are, of course, many Iserious+ techni!ues for improving your memory 7Andyou can find many in Mind $ools memory techni!ues section 9 2ut you can alsohave a bit of fun <working out> with memory games $his article introducesseveral games to workout your memory, individually or in a team

!tory Telling%ne way to remember the information you need to commit to long-term memory is to

make up a story that <connects> the items or facts you need to remember, thusmaking them easier to recall $he idea here is that it+s easier to remember moreinformation when one fact or item connects to another

.hile making up the story, create a strong mental image of what+s happening$his helps to <connect> the data to an image and better cement it in your long-term memory

Bor an e'ample, read our article on story telling techni!ue

)t+s fun to practice using this techni!ue in a group ractice by laying out =6or more ob(ects on the table and trying to remember them @ach member of thegroup takes his or her turn to add to the story by including another ob(ect

)f the first three ob(ects are an apple, a key and a mobile phone, here+s howthe story might start#

erson 3# )n the orchard, ripe apples were falling from the trees

erson =#2ut the gate to the orchard was locked and John had brought the wrongkey

erson E# "o he called "ue from his mobile phone to see if she could help

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%nce all the ob(ects have been included in the story, remove them all from theroom "ee who can remember the most items Now tell the story again as a group,taking it in turns $he group will probably be able to remember the whole storyand so recall all the items

e'eso# Matching airse'eso involves matching pairs of like cards or tiles from a large group, when

one of each group is hidden

2ecome a highly effective leaderG minimi*e stressG improve decision makingGma'imi*e your personal effectivenessG and much, much more

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&ou play e'eso with a set of cards or tiles that includes pairs of picture ornumbers &ou can play using half a pack of standard playing cards C (ust remove= of the suits, so you have (ust = aces, = kings, = !ueens and so on

"tart by laying out = of the cards, making sure the = cards consists of 3=matched pairs %nce face down, move the cards around so that you do not knowwhere any single card is located

$urn one card over at a time, take a look at the number or ob(ect, and then turnit face down again Repeat this process until you turn over a card that matchesa card you turned over earlier Now find the card+s Imate+ by remembering fromearlier where it is located As you find a matched pair, remove them from thegroup $he number of cards dwindles until all the pairs are matched

$ime yourself and see how you improve 7get faster9 each time you play

As you get better, increase the number of cards you start with, moving from theoriginal = to E6, then to E5, = and so on

"#lind’ $igsaw %& lesAnother fun and ine'pensive way to give your concentration and memory a boost isthe good old-fashioned (igsaw pu**le laying it Iblind+ means without referringback to the picture on the bo'H

Birst, look at a picture of the completed pu**le :ive yourself a few minutes to

commit it to memoryNe't, mi' up the pieces to the (igsaw pu**leNow, work to put it back together without looking at the picture of thecompleted pu**le again 7until you are done9

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Tri(ia )&i esA great way to improve how well you recall information is to play trivia!ui**es $he trivia can be about anything C movies, history, even about yourspecific business

.hilst you can easily purchase trivia !ui* board games and books, you can alsomake up your own !uestions when you are playing in a group

@ach person submits a list of !uestions 7and answersH9 and then to I!ui* master+takes !uestions from each person+s list in turn

.hen you play with a new set of trivia !uestions, you rely on your recall ofprior knowledge and e'perience to find the answers )f you play with the same!uestions in a few days or weeks later, you will also rely on memory of playingthe game last time 2oth new !uestions and re-runs are good for building youmemory skills

Metaphorical Thin*ingUsing 0omparisons $o @'press )deas and "olve roblems<$ime is moneyK> 1ow often have heard that statement? robably many times and invarious conte'ts 2y thinking about time as money, you can create some powerfulimages $ime wasted is money down the drainK $ime well spent is an investmentK$he seconds are ticking awayK

A direct comparison between two unrelated or indirectly linked things is calleda metaphor And as we see in the e'ample of <time is money>, metaphors cancreate strong images that can be used to great effect in everyday communicationsand thinking $he manager who stands up in front of his team and says, <.e needto finish this work !uickly>, creates considerably less impact that the manager

who opens his comments using the metaphor# <As we all know, time is moneyK>

$he @nglish language is littered with metaphors, and this is testimony to thetheir power

"o metaphors can be used to improve communications# $hey can add impact or canhelp you e'plain a difficult concept by association with a more familiar oneMetaphorical thinking can also be used to

+ominal ro&p Techni,&erioriti*ing issues and pro(ects in a way that achieves consensus

.hen a group meets, it+s often the case that people who shouts loudest, or those

with higher status in the organi*ation, get their ideas heard more than others"o when it comes to gaining consensus on important decisions or priorities, howdo you make sure you get true consensus and a fair decision for the group?

%ne techni!ue to help with this is the Nominal :roup $echni!ue, a face-to-facegroup process techni!ue for gaining consensus A typical application is inorgani*ational planning when a group needs to agree priorities in order toassign resources and funds

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$he benefit of the techni!ue is that the group shares and discusses all issuesbefore evaluation, with each group member participating e!ually in evaluation$he evaluation works with each participant <nominating> his or her priorityissues, and then ranking them on a scale of, say, 3 to 36

Nominal :roup $echni!ue is (ust one group process for achieving consensusAnother group consensus techni!ue is the Delphi Method, which is used amonggroups of e'perts to make comple' decisions, usually without face-to-facemeetings

ptimism. The Hidden /ssetAmong the topics that young people study before they enter the workforce iscalculus, the mathematics of change and motion .hile training in calculus isundoubtedly valuable, ) believe that training in optimism is also importantJust as it is good discipline to solve problems like the velocity of a car at acertain moment in time, it is also crucial to figure out what drives people togive us the very best that they have to offer )ronically, eibni*, one of theinventors of calculus, is also known for his philosophy of optimism 1e wasconsidered to be an inveterate optimist, asserting that we live ;in the best ofall possible worlds; %ptimism is an emotional competence that can help boostproductivity, enhance employee morale, overcome conflict and have a positiveimpact on the bottom line

)n writing about optimism, you face the danger of being seen as advocating a< ollyanna> or !ui'otic approach $he truth is, however, optimism has beenproven to be a powerful tool that will pay dividends for your personal life andgive you a competitive advantage professionally in your career $here is a lotto be gained, indeed, in cultivating an optimistic outlook

$ake leadership, for e'ample Nowhere is optimism more important than in leadingorgani*ations 1ighly effective leaders have a transforming effect on their

constituents# they have the gift of being able to convince others that they havethe ability to achieve levels of performance beyond those they thought possible$hey are able to paint an optimistic and attainable view of the future for theirfollowers# $hey move others from being stuck with ;how things are done aroundhere; and help them see ;how things could be done better; )n $he eadershipAdvantage, an essay from the Drucker BoundationLs eader to eader :uide, .arren2ennis tells us that optimism is one of the key things people need from theirleaders in order to achieve positive results @very ;e'emplary leader that )have met,; writes 2ennis, ;has what seems to be an unwarranted degree ofoptimism - and that helps generate the energy and commitment necessary toachieve results ;

0onsider, as well, the reverse# the effect that pessimistic individuals can have

on an organi*ationLs creativity and innovation $o be innovative, you need to beopen to new ideas, wide open to seeing possibilities, willing to take risks andencourage others to take risks - willing to challenge the process in order tocreate new solutions or products or improve processes )n short, you need tohave a sense of adventure and an e'pectation of success $hose who have apessimistic outlook typically approach changes to the status !uo with thefamiliar# ;.e tried this before;, ;)t wonLt work;, or ;)t will never fly; "uchindividuals often label themselves as ;devilLs advocate; 1ow can someone whohas a pessimistic outlook embrace change over the safety of the known?

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$here are other areas which are impacted positively by optimism $ake sales, fore'ample# A study shows that new sales personnel at Metropolitan ife who scoredhigh on a test on optimism sold E percent more life insurance in their firsttwo years than pessimists 7"eligman, 34469 )n another study involving debtcollectors in a large collection agency, the most successful collectors hadsignificantly higher scores in the area of self-actuali*ation, independence andoptimism 72achman et al, =666, cited by 0ary 0herniss 9

erhaps more significant are the countless studies that have shown that peoplewith an optimistic outlook have healthier relationships, en(oy better mental andphysical health and live longer )n $he .isdom of the @go, Dr :eorge @ aillant,

rofessor of sychiatry at 1arvard Medical "chool, writes about individuals whohave ;both the capacity to be bent without breaking and the capacity, once bent,to spring back; aillant mentions that, in addition to e'ternal sources ofresilience 7such as good health or social supports9, these individuals haveimportant internal sources which include a healthy self-esteem and optimism

$hese coping mechanisms are fully e'plored in Dr alliantLs subse!uent book#

Aging .ell# "urprising :uideposts to a 1appier ife, a truly fascinating studythat will be particularly interesting to fellow boomers $his is a compendium ofthree studies involving over 66 individuals, men and women, rich and poor, whowere followed for more than 86 years, from adolescence to old age )n it, wediscover that one of the most powerful predictors of successful aging ishabitually using mature coping mechanisms or defenses, what aillant calls theability to ;make lemonade out of lifeLs lemons ; aillantLs study discoveredfive of these coping mechanisms# Altruism 7doing for others what they need, notwhat we want to do for them9G "ublimation 7diverting energy to more constructivepursuits such as creativity, art, sports9G "uppression 7postponement ofstressors, not repression9G 1umor and anticipation Anticipation is realistic,hopeful planning for the future $his means not operating in a pessimisticcrisis mode but preparing and adapting for whatever life brings

"o how do you recogni*e an optimist? Alan oy Mc:innis, author of $he ower of%ptimism, studied the biographies of over 3666 famous people, and isolated 3=characteristics of the optimistic personality Among these is# ;%ptimists lookfor partial solutions;, that is, freed from the tyranny of perfectionism andfrom paralysis by analysis, they are open to taking small steps towardsachieving success Another characteristic of those who have an optimistic natureis# ;%ptimists use their imagination to rehearse success;, in other words, theyplay positive mental videos of preferred outcomes, much like sports figures doMichael Jordan, for e'ample, once stated that he never plays a game that hehasnLt first visuali*ed Another trait is that ;%ptimists think that they havegreat capacity for stretching; - they believe that their personal best is yet tocome

Dr Martin @ "eligman, the modern scholar most often associated with studying thetraits of optimists, and former president of the American sychologicalAssociation and rofessor of sychology at the University of ennsylvania, hasdevoted decades to studying optimistic people and reports three traits that theyhave in common# $hey view adversity in their lives as temporary, specific ande'ternal, that is, not entirely their fault, as opposed to pessimists who viewadversity as unchangeable, pervasive, and more personal )n the face ofsetbacks, challenges or difficult (obs, pessimist are more likely to do worsethan predicted and even give up, while optimists will persevere %ptimism,therefore, is also an important component of achievement, and is especially

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important in times of chaos, change and turbulence $hose who have an optimisticoutlook will roll with the punches, will be more proactive and persistent andwill not abandon hope

"o, where does optimism come from? )s it something we are born with or is itlearned? Bor some lucky individuals, being optimistic comes naturally $he goodnews is that, for those who donLt have it naturally, optimism is an attitudethat can be learned and practiced 1ere are some strategies you can consider inyour (ourney to becoming more optimistic or in helping someone else who suffersfrom pessimism#

Avoid negative environments )f this is not realistic, make every effort to seekthe company of positive individuals in your organi*ation "ometimes this maymean fraterni*ing with peers in other departments "tay away from theprofessional complainer

0elebrate your strengths $he key to high achievement and happiness is to playout your strengths, not correct your weaknesses Bocus on what you do well 7)fyou are not sure what your signature strengths are, consider reading NowDiscover &our "trengths which includes a web-based !uestionnaire that helps you

discover your own top-five inborn talents 9

$ake care of your spiritual and emotional well being by reading inspirationalmaterial on a daily basis $his may be different for each person "ome may beinspired by daily !uotations, others by reading biographies of successful peoplein their field and yet others may derive inspiration from reading about all theinnovations that we are graced with A useful website for this is the .orldButure "ociety, which keeps up with new inventions

Manage or ignore what you cannot change .hen faced with setbacks, identify whatyou can change and proactively try to find ways to do something about it .ehave often heard this advice - it bears repeating 2e inspired by 2en(aminBranklinLs words# ;.hile we may not be able to control all that happens to us,we can control what happens inside us ;

earn to reframe $his involved deliberately shifting perspective and lookingfor the hidden positive in a negative situation# the proverbial silver lining

ook for the gift in the adversity

)f you are serious about developing greater optimism, there is no better bookthan earned %ptimism# 1ow to 0hange &our Mind and &our ife by Dr Martin @"eligman earn Dr "eligmanLs A20D@ model for disputing pessimistic thoughts$his is a very useful and powerful tool to help you change the way you e'plainevents that trouble you from optimistic to pessimistic

/dapt yo&r lang&age and o&tloo*

0onsider how a simple shift in the language you use can make a difference inyour outlook# Do you fre!uently say# ;yes, but ; in response to yourconstituentsL suggestions? $he ;but; automatically negates anything you havesaid in the beginning part of the sentence A simple shift to ;yes, and ;might make a positive difference 0heck the emails you have sent recently 0ountthe proportion of negative to positive words )t could be enlightening

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2ecome aware of your stance in business meetings Are you known as the ;devilLsadvocate;, the one who is !uick to shoot down othersL ideas? Jumping in too!uickly to negate an idea can derail the creative process %ften valuable ideasare the result of an initial ;cra*y; thought At meetings, even when we donLthave the floor, we are under a magnifying glass ractice being more upbeat,practice speaking last, and see what happens

Bocus outside yourself, on important people in your life, on pursuits andpro(ects that fire you up 2ertrand Russell once said that the !uickest way tomake ourselves miserable is to continually focus on ourselves )t was his loveof mathematics that kept him going

Nurture a culture of optimism when you are in charge of other people at work@'pect people to succeed @ven when they occasionally fail to achieve what theyset out to do, encourage them so that they can tackle the ne't challenge Asimple# ;) know youLll do better the ne't time; can have very positive effects

0ultivate spontaneity 0onsider putting aside all your plans once in a while totake a walk with your kids, play a game or catch a show :etting out of yourcomfort *one by being spontaneous helps to develop your optimistic muscle, asspontaneity essentially involves an e'pectation of having a pleasurablee'perience

0onsider the health benefits )f you need an e'tra motivation for practicingoptimism, consider the statistics linking optimism to greater health As Dr"eligman e'plains, there is evidence to believe that immune systems amongoptimistic people are stronger than among pessimists

$his paper would not be balanced if we did not address the benefits ofpessimism essimists, as "eligman e'plains, may be more realistic and accurateabout dangers and risks At times, when there is a risk of serious negativeconse!uences, a cautious, risk-avoiding evaluation is appropriate and desirable2ut the positive effects of being optimistic - fighting depression, aiding inprofessional, academic and sports achievement, and boosting mental and physicalhealth - outweigh the benefits of being a career pessimist $he answer then is,as "eligman e'plains, ;fle'ible optimism;, i e having the wisdom to assesssituations and identify those that re!uire a pessimistic in!uisition, and thosethat call for optimism, for having a ;can do; attitude; and taking a chance.inston 0hurchill had a reason for saying# ;A pessimist sees the difficulty inevery opportunityG an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty ;

ractice seeing the opportunity

rgani ation 0esignAligning %rgani*ational"tructure with 2usiness :oals)s your organi*ation well-designed? And how do you know? .hat does a well-designed organi*ation look like, and how does it feel to work there? And how isit different from a poorly-designed one? $hese are the types of !uestions wewill e'plore in looking at organi*ation design

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Many people e!uate organi*ation design with an organi*ation+s structure# $hewords <lean> and <flat> are used to describe organi*ation design as well as it+sstructure )n fact, organi*ational design encompasses much more than simply thestructure# %rgani*ation design is the process of aligning an organi*ation+sstructure with its mission $his means looking at the comple' relationshipbetween tasks, workflow, responsibility and authority, and making sure these allsupport the ob(ectives of the business

:ood organi*ational design helps communications, productivity, and innovation)t creates an environment where people can work effectively

Many productivity and performance issues can be traced back to poor organi*ationdesign A company can have a great mission, great people, great leadership, etcKand still not perform well because of poor organi*ational design

$ake the e'ample of a company whose sales department and production departmentboth work well as separate units &et they need to communicate about customerneeds and have not been organi*ed to do so# 0ompany performance suffers as aresult $hen take the e'ample of a company that wants to grow by ac!uiring newcustomers &et its sales team is rewarded for customer retention instead# Again,

company performance is compromised as a result

1ow work is done, business processes, information sharing and how people areincentivi*edG all of these directly affects how well the organi*ation performsAll of these factors are facets of the organi*ation+s design and each facet isimportant to organi*ation+s success

:iven the importance of organi*ational design, why is it so often to blame forinefficiency and ineffectiveness? $he reason is because

%ic*le $ar TheoryMake your schedule work eave time for funH

< ickle Jar $heory> uses the analogy of an empty pickle (ar to think about howwe use the fi'ed amount of time available to us each day )f we think of it aswe plan our schedule, we can get important work done while still leaving timefor the small things that make life fun

)magine a huge empty pickle (arKBirstly, forget about time management altogether, and (ust imagine that you havea huge empty pickle (ar 7think of the largest pickles you have ever seen9 Now,imagine filling the (ar with golf balls And, when you get it to the point youthink it can hold no more, try adding another golf ball or two

@ven though it seems full, youLre not done yet &ou+re going to now s!uee*e in a

handful of marbles :ive your pickle (ar a shake and as the golf balls andmarbles start to settle and create more room, add in a bit of sand Now, fillyour pickle (ar to the tip-top by adding back in some of the pickle (uice

.hat this meansKNow, back to time management

"ure, this analogy seems simplistic, even elementary

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%rioriti ationMaking best use of your time and resources

rioriti*ation is the essential skill you need to make the very best use of yourown efforts and those of your team

)t is particularly important when time is limited and demands are seeminglyunlimited )t helps you to allocate your time where it is most-needed and mostwisely spent, freeing you and your team up from less important tasks that can beattended to laterK or !uietly dropped

.ith good prioriti*ation 7and careful management of deprioriti*ed tasks9 you canbring order to chaos, massively reduce stress, and move towards a successfulconclusion .ithout it, you+ll flounder around, drowning in competing demands

Simple PrioritizationAt a simple level, you can prioriti*e based on time constraints, on thepotential profitability or benefit of the task you+re facing, or on the pressureyou+re under to complete a (ob#

rioriti*ation based on pro(ect value or profitability is probably the mostcommonly-used and rational basis for prioriti*ation .hether this is based on asub(ective guess at value or a sophisticated financial evaluation, it oftengives the most efficient results

$ime constraints are important where other people are depending on you tocomplete a task, and particularly where this task is on the critical path of animportant pro(ect 1ere, a small amount of your own effort can go a very longway

And it+s a brave 7and maybe foolish9 person who resists his or her boss+spressure to complete a task, when that pressure is reasonable and legitimate

rioriti*ation $ools.hile these simple approaches to prioriti*ation suit many situations, there areplenty of special cases where you+ll need other prioriti*ation and timemanagement tools if you+re going to be truly effective .e look at some of thesebelow#

.hile these simple approaches to prioriti*ation suit many situations, there areplenty of special cases where you+ll need other tools if you+re going to betruly effective .e look at some of these below#

Paired Comparison Analysis:aired 0omparison Analysis is most useful where decision criteria are vague,

sub(ective or inconsistent )t helps you prioriti*e options by asking you tocompare each item on a list with all other items on the list individually 2ydeciding in each case which of the two is most important, you can consolidateresults to get a prioriti*ed list 0lick here to find out more about aired0omparison Analysis

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Grid Analysis::rid Analysis helps you prioriti*e a list of tasks where you need to take manydifferent factors into consideration 0lick here to learn how to use it

The Action Priority Matrix:$his !uick and simple diagramming techni!ue asks you to plot the value of thetask against the effort it will consume

2y doing this you can !uickly spot the <!uick wins> which will give you thegreatest rewards in the shortest possible time, and avoid the <hard slogs> whichsoak up time for little eventual reward $his is an ingenious approach formaking highly efficient prioriti*ation decisions 0lick here to find out more

The Urgent/Important Matrix:"imilar to the Action riority Matri', this techni!ue asks you to think aboutwhether tasks are urgent or important

Bre!uently, seemingly urgent tasks actually arenLt that important And often,really important activities 7like working towards your life goals9 (ust arenLtthat urgent $his approach helps you cut through this 0lick here to find outmore

The Ansoff !oston Matrices:$hese give you !uick <rules of thumb> for prioriti*ing the opportunities open toyou

$he Ansoff Matri' helps you evaluate and prioriti*e opportunities by risk $he2oston Matri' does a similar (ob, helping you prioriti*e opportunities based onthe attractiveness of a market and your ability to take advantage of it

Bor more information on the Ansoff Matri', click here# And for the 2ostonMatri', see here

Pareto Analysis:.here you+re facing a flurry of problems needing to be solved, areto Analysishelps you identify the most important changes to make

)t firstly asks you to group together the different types of problem you face,and then asks you to count the number of cases of each type of problem 2yprioriti*ing the most common type of problem, you can focus your efforts onresolving it $his clears time to focus on the ne't set of problems, and so on

Bor more information on areto Analysis, click here

"ominal Gro#p Techni$#e:Nominal :roup $echni!ue is a useful techni!ue for prioriti*ing issues andpro(ects within a group, giving everyone fair input into the prioriti*ationprocess $his is particularly useful where consensus is important, and where arobust group decision needs to be made

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Using this tool, each group participant <nominates> his or her priority issues,and then ranks them on a scale, of say 3 to 36 $he score for each issue is thenadded up, with issues then prioriti*ed based on scores $he obvious fairness ofthis approach makes it particularly useful where prioriti*ation is based onsub(ective criteria, and where peopleLs ;buy in; to the prioriti*ation decisionis needed-------------------------------------------

%ro1ect 0ash2oardsOuickly communicating pro(ect progress)n today+s busy organi*ations, pro(ect and program managers need to know e'actlyhow the pro(ects they+re responsible for are doing 2ut they also rarely havethe time to read through detailed status reports covering all aspects of thepro(ect

erhaps ro(ect A is on time and on budget, but is it going to deliver all ofthe functionality that your sponsor needs? %r maybe engineers have been workingovertime to ensure that every last bug has been ironed out 2ut how can you findout what this overtime has done to the budget?

Just as a car+s dashboard provides immediate and up-to-date information aboutthe speed of the vehicle, the amount of gas in the tank and the temperature ofthe engine, a ro(ect Dashboard provides immediate and up-to-date informationabout the status of a pro(ect A common and easily understood approach to usingthe dashboard is to use red, yellow or green symbols that !uickly identifywhether the thing being measured is in good shape 7green9, re!uires attention7yellow9, or is critical condition 7red9

.ith a ro(ect Dashboard you no longer have to wade through E different reportsto determine whether the production department received the widgets it needed,and got permission to hire its new employees )nstead, if the widgets had

arrived but a decision on staffing was pending, you would see that the Materialsgauge was in the optimum *one and that the 1uman Resources gauge was registeringin the warning *one

!chein’s Career /nchorsUnderstanding what inspiresyou in your career)t used to be that once you decided on a career, you stayed in that career untilyou retired

Not so anymore# $he notion of lifetime employment has been replaced withlifetime employability $his means that you can+t rely on your employers tomaintain your employment# &ou alone are responsible for your career progressionand development

0areer management and planning in this environment is a challenge "o that youremain satisfied and fulfilled by the work you are doing, you need to ad(ustyour career development activities accordingly

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!ynecticsA useful ;backstop; creativity process"ynectics is a creativity and problem solving process which combines astructured approach to creativity with the freewheeling problem-solving approach

used in techni!ues like brainstorming

)t+s a useful techni!ue when simpler creativity techni!ues like "0AM @R,brainstorming and random input 7which are embedded within the synecticsapproach9 have failed to generate useful ideas, as it uses many differenttriggers and stimuli to (olt people out of established mind sets and into morecreative ways of thinking

1owever, given the sheer range of different triggers and thinking approachesused within synectics, it can take much longer to solve a problem using it thanwith, say, traditional brainstorming C hence its best use as a <backstop> whenother creativity techni!ues have failed

2ackground#$he word <synectics> means <bringing different things together to create aunified connection>, which is what+s done using the synectics process

)t was developed by .illiam J J :ordon in the early 3456s and developed 7in anartistic conte't9 by Nicholas Roukes

Theory 3 and Theory 4Understanding team member motivation

.hat motivates employees to go to work each morning? Many people get greatsatisfaction from their work and take great pride in itG %thers may view it as a

burden, and simply work to survive

$his !uestion of motivation has been studied by management theorists and socialpsychologists for decades, in attempts to identify successful approaches tomanagement

"ocial psychologist Douglas Mc:regor of M)$ e'pounded two contrasting theorieson human motivation and management in the 3456s# $he P $heory and the & $heoryMc:regor promoted $heory & as the basis of good management practice, pioneeringthe argument that workers are not merely cogs in the company machinery, as$heory P-$ype organi*ations seemed to believe

$he theories look at how a managerLs perceptions of what motivates his or herteam members affects the way he or she behaves 2y understanding how yourassumptions about employees+ motivation can influence your management style, youcan adapt your approach appropriately, and so manage people more effectively

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Understanding $he $heories&our management style is strongly influenced by your beliefs and assumptionsabout what motivates members of your team# )f you believe that team membersdislike work, you will tend towards an authoritarian style of managementG %n theother hand, if you assume that employees take pride in doing a good (ob, youwill tend to adopt a more participative style

Treas&re Mappingisuali*ing your goal for greater achievement

.hen you want to achieve something really badly, have you ever tried closingyour eyes and imagining yourself <there>? &ou touch it, feel it and see itclearly &ou scan every detail in your mind+s eye

$his is a powerful and important techni!ue for motivating yourself and buildingthe self-confidence needed to achieve your goals &et when you open your eyes,the vivid image start fades# it takes real concentration to visuali*e again eachtime you want some inspiration

.hat if you could keep hold of that vivid image and refer to it when ever youneed a little motivation or reminder of what you are working towards?

$reasure mapping is a simple tool to help you do (ust that isuali*ation itselfis a very powerful techni!ue And treasure mapping can be the icing on thevisuali*ation cakeH

)t+s a very simple but effective idea# $reasure mapping involves

Understanding %eople's 0e(elopmental +eeds.e offer four different ways of assessing team members+ development needs $hese

are %bservation, )nformation :athering, $alking $hings $hrough, and Use of"kills Assessment Assignments

Using the $ools#

%bservation#

<My dear .atson, you see a lot but you observe very little >

"herlock 1olmes may not be remembered a great coach, but he sure has a knack ofputting the solutions in perspective Bor, as 1olmes obviously knew, observationhelps a lot in understanding a person+s strengths and areas of improvement, bothat a personal and professional level

"uccessful leaders never let go of an opportunity to observe the way that theirteam members work or behave during the normal course of their work $hisobservation itself is not an end in itself, but is an ob(ective means ofgathering information for evaluation

Do remember the following while you are observing your team members#

"ee your role as that of a faithful recorder of factsGAvoid <breathing down people+s necks>G

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Do not allow yourself to be (udgmental until you feel you have a good picture ofthe way things workG andDo not let stereotypes or hearsay affect your observations

)nformation :athering#roviding you+re sensitive, you can also gather a lot of information from others

who work closely with the individual Depending on culture and circumstance,these information sources may include internal or e'ternal clients, past bosses,or even peers and co-workers &ou can also gather information from records ofpast reviews or E56-degree feedback forms

Remember the following while involving alternative channels in informationgathering#

Make sure you don+t undermine the person+s dignity, and that you respect theconte't Bor e'ample, in some cultures it may be acceptable to talk to co-workers )n many others, this will have to be done with the greatestsensitivity, if at allG

2e careful that your !uestioning does not arouse old grudges that wouldotherwise be forgottenG and

Avoid unfocused generali*ation# Ask people to back up their observations andcomments with specific e'amples

%bservation and )nformation :athering will help you form some of the picture,however they+re unlikely to tell you what the individual is thinking

$alking $hings $hrough .ith the )ndividual#

$his is where it+s essential to talk things through with members of your team%nly by talking can you understand what they want and how they, as individuals,see the .orld And only if you understand this can you best help team membersdevelop their approach to work

$he most pleasant way of doing this is (ust to have an informal <chat> withindividual team members Unfortunately this often does little more than buildtrust C team members will !uite naturally want to present a positive impressionto you, and you will rarely do more than <scratch the surface> of any issuesthat need to be addressed

$his is where use of a tool like D)B".%$ can help you frame a more insightfuldiscussion#

The Urgent5Important Matrix

Using time effectively, not (ust efficiently.e+ve all been there# $he pro(ect is due for today+s meeting and we are onlythree !uarters done %ur an'iety is at its peak, we can+t concentrate,everything is a distraction, and then, finally, we blowK $ime stressors are themost pervasive source of pressure and stress in the workplace and they happen asa result of having too much to do in too little time

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.ith this kind of pressure all too common, effective time management is anabsolute necessity &ou probably use a day-planner and to-do list to manage yourtime $hese tools are certainly helpful, but they don+t allow you to drill downto one of the most essential elements of good time management# Distinguishingbetween what is important and what is urgent

:reat time management means being effective as well as efficient Managing timeeffectively, and achieving the things that you want to achieve, means spendingyour time on things that are important and not (ust urgent $o do this, and tominimi*e the stress of having too many tight deadlines, you need to distinguishclearly between what is urgent and what is important#

)mportant activities have an outcome that leads to the achievement of yourgoals Urgent activities demand immediate attention, and are usually associatedwith the achievement of someone else+s goals, or with an uncomfortable problemor situation that needs to be resolvedUrgent activities are often the ones we concentrate on $hese are the <s!ueakywheels that get the grease > $hey demand attention because the conse!uences ofnot dealing with them are immediate

Creating a 6al&e %roposition"imply and clearly, communicate thebenefits of your product, service or idea)magine a world where everyone is in sales .ell, the fact is, everyone is insales, in some fashion )t+s not (ust the salesman at the car lot or computerreseller who !ualifies# Maybe you are trying to sell your spouse your ideas forthe ne't holidayG Maybe you+re pitching a new pro(ect to your bossG Maybe youare headhunting someone to (oin your firm )t+s all selling, and, whatever youroffer 7product, idea, pro(ect or (ob9 it+s important to have a really strongvalue proposition

A value proposition is a short statement that clearly communicates the benefits

that your potential client gets by using your product, service or idea )t;boils down; all the comple'ity of your sales pitch into something that yourclient can easily grasp and remember 7

7or*ing In 6irt&al Teams$eam .orking $hat %vercomes $ime Q "paceMore and more companies are going global And more professionals are workingfrom home 2ecause of this, businesses are increasingly relying on virtual teamsto get their (obs or pro(ects done

ike any conventional team, a virtual team consists of a group of people whointeract to complete interdependent tasks and work towards a common goal 2utinstead of working in the same office, the team members work in differentplaces, often at home, and in different time *ones And they may never meettheir co-workers face-to-face

irtual team working has become possible because of advancements incommunication technologies Members of the virtual team mainly interactelectronically by email, messaging and oice over ) technologies like "kype

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$hey may also communicate by telephone, teleconference and, to a lesser e'tent,through video conferencing .hy 0reate or .ork in irtual $eams?

irtual teams often evolve rather than get planned that way .hether youconsciously decide to set up a virtual team or your virtual team has evolved,it+s likely to be for one or more of the following reasons#

$he choice of best skills irrespective of your business+s physical locationG

= hour coverage by team members working across time *onesG

Reduced office overheads when team members work from homeG and

0ost effective and fle'ible resource scheduling# &ou can scale up or down asdemand re!uires

As a member of a virtual team, you can benefit from greater fle'ibility andfreedom from many of the constraints of office working Among the benefits youmay find are-----------------------------

8ero 0efects:et it right first time1ow much do !uality failures cost your company?

Ouality defects have significant costs associated with them C some of the mostobvious being money, time, resources, and lost reputation And programs toeliminate !uality defects can be e'pensive and time consuming Do you insist on

eliminating defects entirely no matter the cost? %r, do you accept that acertain, albeit very small, percentage of defects is acceptable, and (ust acceptthe costs and learn to live with them?

%ne of the most influential ideas about this was the notion of <*ero defects >$his phrase was coined by hilip 0rosby in his 34 4 book titled, <Ouality isBree >

1is position was that where there are *ero defects, there are no costsassociated with issues of poor !ualityG and hence, !uality becomes free

@'plaining the )deaero defects is a way of thinking and doing that reinforces the notion that

defects are not acceptable, and that everyone should <do things right the firsttime> $he idea here is that with a philosophy of *ero defects, you can increaseprofits both by eliminating the cost of failure and increasing revenues throughincreased customer satisfaction

$ip#.hile this will probably be true, it may not be true in every caseH

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< ero defects> is referred to as a philosophy, a mentality or a movement )t+snot a program, nor does it have distinct steps to follow or rules to abide by$his is perhaps why *ero defects can be so effective, because it means it+sadaptable to any situation, business, profession or industry

$he !uestion that often comes up when *ero defects is discussed, is whether ornot *ero defects is ever attainable @ssentially, does adopting a *ero defectenvironment only set users up for failure?

ero defects is N%$ about being perfect ero defects is about changing yourperspective )t does this by demanding that you#

Recogni*e the high cost of !uality issuesG

0ontinuously think of the places where flaws may be introducedG and

.ork proactively to address the flaws in your systems and processes, which allowdefects to occur ero defects is a standard )t is a measure against which anysystem, process, action, or outcome can be analy*ed .hen *ero defects is thegoal, every aspect of the business is sub(ect to scrutiny in terms of whether it

measures up

<$he !uality manager must be clear, right from the start, that *ero defects isnot a motivation program )ts purpose is to communicate to all employees theliteral meaning of the words I*ero defects+ and the thought that everyone shoulddo things right the first time >--Ouality )s Bree by hilip 2 0rosby 7Mc:raw-1ill 2ooks, 34 49

.hen you think about it, we e'pect *ero defects when we are talking about itemsor services that we use )f you buy a fancy new plasma $ and your pi'els startburning by the thousands, you demand satisfaction .hen you take the car in forbrake service, you e'pect that the mechanic will install the parts e'actly asthe manufacturer prescribes No defect is an acceptable defect when it affectsyou personally

"o why then, is it so easy to accept that <defects happen> when you are the oneproducing the product or providing the service? $his is the interestingdichotomy that presents itself ero defects is one of the best ways to resolvethe discord between what we e'pect for ourselves and what we can accept forothers

$ip# 2e very careful about where you apply *ero defects )f what you+re doingcontributes towards a mission critical or comple' goal, you+d better adopt a*ero defects approach, or things could !uickly unravel

1owever, if you fanatically follow a *ero defects approach in areas which don+tneed it, you+ll most likely be wasting resources %ne of the most important of

these resources is time, and this is where people are accused of time-destroying<perfectionism >

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Leadership Skills Text