Hello and welcome.

This is the first in a series of short presentations on "How to Manage People Masterfully".

The slides take 3 minutes to view. These notes add extra detail & take 12-15 minutes to read.

I'd love to hear your experience of what it takes to manage people masterfully. Please send your comments to: jonathanbiss@gmail.com

Cheers,
Jonathan

This first presentation introduces 7 situations that cover common workplace 'people problems' & 'people possibilities'.

Most new leaders face, & often struggle with these situations in their first 3 years of managing people.

Subsequent presentations give more detail on how to manage each of the 7 situations.

When new leaders face 'people problems' they're often CONFUSED about why people behave the way they do.

Leaders get FRUSTRATED when what they try either: a) doesn't work or, b) makes things worse or, c) improves things for a while, but then the 'problems' come back!

New leaders can experience significant WORRY, ANXIETY and STRESS when they can't solve their people issues, no matter what they try.

If you're struggling with people issues at work, you're not alone!. And, it's important to find help rather than struggle on - by yourself. The people issues you face are not new. There are proven, practical ways to deal with them.

A 'situational' approach to leadership implies there is no 'one best way' to manage people; each situation needs an approach that's best suited to that situation.

An analogy is; one situation may need the leader to use the knowledge, skills & tools of a gardener. Another situation may need the skills & approach of a chef, or a sailor, etc.

When a leader fully understands a situation, they know what role is required (chef, sailor, etc). That 'role' is an expert in their situation. They follow, what for them are - relatively simple, sensible, systematic steps to manage 'their' situation masterfully.

When a leader fully understands a situation, they're CLEAR on what's really going on.

They're CALM because they know what role & approach are needed to handle that situation.

They're CONFIDENT because they know the leadership approach they use will work.

It may not be easy to solve every issue but, the manager will know the relatively simple, sensible, systematic steps that enables them to a) calmly & respectfully engage the real issues, b) confidently solve the problems & then, c) start to bring out the more productive & enjoyable possibilities that are always 'on the other side' of any people problems.

As you view the following 7 slides, consider which situations are most relevant and important for your success & satisfaction at work right now.

It's unusual for all 7 situations to be important at the same time! However, it is common for a few specific situations to be critical for a people leader's success within the next 3 to 12 months.

Which ones are most important for you right now?

When a leader needs to ensure people deliver reliable results - the leader must take the role of 'The Manager'.

Most jobs are dominated by this situation; trying to deliver results & 'get things done' every day.

The knowledge & skills of 'The Manager' are the foundation for mastering all the other situations. Every leader must know how to manage people (nice & difficult people) so they 'get things done'.

How important is it for you to calmy, confidently & respectfully manage people so they deliver reliable results every day?

When a leader must develop a person or group's capabilities - they need the role of 'The Coach'.

Workplace coaching focuses on: a) quickly developing people to be fully competent & confident in their job or b) bringing out & engaging people's potential (beyond their job).

The Manager & Coach roles are often confused. Coaching focuses on people's development NOT results or 'getting things done'.

How important is it for you to develop people quickly so they become fully competent & confident in their job? How important is it for you to engage & bring out people's potential?

When a leader must guide people through change, they take the role of 'The Change Agent'.

Navigating change is very different from managing people's results in a 'business as usual' environment. Change brings logistical complexity, emotional turmoil and unsettling uncertainty into play. A 'Change Agent' knows how to deal with these difficult dynamics.

Guiding people through change is NOT easy. However, there are well proven principles and practices that make the process of change less disruptive & much more likely to succeed.

How important is it for you to guide yourself and others through the complexity, turmoil and uncertainty of the current change(s)?

When a leader must build high performing teams, they need the role of 'The Team Builder'.

'The Manager' role ensures individuals deliver reliable results. 'The Team Builder' knows how to get people working synergistically together.

There is a lot of talk about high performing teams and - a lot of confusion on exactly how to do it.

As for all the 7 situations, there are proven, relatively simple steps that any leader can apply - in this case, to turn a group into a synergistic, high performing team.

If you've been in a truly synergistic team, you know how wonderful it is. How important is it for you to build high performing teams at work right now?

When the leader must engage people in a vision of the future, they need 'The Visionary Strategist'.

Vision & strategy are usually senior management responsibilities however, every leader needs to engage their team in a meaningful vision.

This role complements 'The Manager' role which focuses on ensuring 'our success today'. The Visionary Strategist engages the team in 'our success in the future'.

Engaging a vision is usually more relevant for new leaders after they've established 'the 4 basics' of a) managing results, b) coaching development, c) guiding the current change(s) & d) starting to build synergy in the team. Then, engaging your team in a meaningful vision of their future will be an important part of leading your people masterfully.

When the leader must increase (& use) people's creativity, they need 'The Practical Innovator'.

Like many of the situations in this presentation, 'creativity & innovation' may be talked about however, practical ability to do it is often lacking.

How important is it for you right now to increase the level of people's creativity at work and to make practical use of their ideas & innovations?

The knowledge and skills of this role allow new leaders to take a sensible, systematic approach to the intriguing situation of bringing out & using people's creativity & innovation at work.

New leaders are often uncomfortable in a 'political situation' & don't want to lower themselves to 'playing politics'. The solution & opportunity in this situation are to take the role of 'The Honourable Politician'.

Every group has some politics 'in play' because politics is simply the use (& abuse) of personal power & influence.

The challenge in mastering politics is to increase & use your power to achieve results that 'serve the greater good' (not just your own goals) and, to do this without compromising your personal values. The saying "power corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely" is true. The more power you gain, the more you will be tested!

How important is it for you to engage honourably in workplace politics right now?

The common element in every situation you'll face as a leader is - facing yourself.

To master any 'outer' situation you must also look inward to understand & develop yourself. Mastery (in anything) is a daily journey of knowing & 'growing' yourself.

Unfortunately, rather than 'knowing & growing' them self, people can sometimes 'lose them self' at work. They play a workplace role that is fake, not true to them self. The people you lead need to relate to a real, authentic, flawed & fabulous human being, not a leadership fad or facade.

To truly master each of the 7 situations - you must be authentic. Be authentically you first, then be masterful as well.

How do you see yourself as a people leader?

Imagine what managing people masterfully can make possible for you.

Imagine the excitement, the challenge, the growth, the satisfaction, the significance of what you can contribute and who you can be?

What would your life be like if the points on the following 5 slides were true (on most days - allowing for the occasional 'bad' day)?

All of them are enjoyably achievable. There are simple, quite self-evident, proven steps that any leader can learn, apply & master.

If you knew some simple, sensible and systematic first steps toward managing people masterfully - would they make a difference to your work life right now - this week - in 3 months - in 3 years?

Approaching the management of people as a daily journey toward mastery can transform your work, your career, your contribution, your impact and your satisfaction.

Instead of struggling with people problems you learn to understand & calmly master them. You see people's potential & the possibilities 'on the other side' of typical workplace people issues.

To continue your steps toward mastery, please visit my website or contact me and let's chat...

I hope you've enjoyed the presentation.

It's a pleasure to share this information with you.

You can see a 3 minute slide presentation on each of the 7 situations at: www.managepeoplemasterfully.com

You can contact me by email at: jonathanbiss@gmail.com

Until next time,
very best regards,

Jonathan

LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbiss

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