From the outside looking in, leading and managing can seem really easy.  How many times have you heard people who are not leading or managing anyone talk about how they could do a much better job?  Probably quite a few if you have been around in organisations for some time.  The reality is that when it is done well, leading and managing others can appear easy.  On the other hand what are 5 truths you need to keep at the forefront of your mind?

Truth 1: It is a lonely existence

When your role involves delivering results with fewer and fewer resources and lots of people with differing agendas, leading and managing can sometimes be quite a lonely existence.  After all there are always people senior to you with expectations as well as those that you lead or manage.  It can sometimes feel like you don’t have anyone to turn to.  This is why it is vital to build up some sort of support network.

Truth 2: Every choice will be unpopular with someone

People know on some level that you need to weigh up the options in each situation and take on balance what seems like the best decision from the choices available.  Despite this they will still react with some form of resistance in some cases when things do not go their way.  To address this cut yourself some slack and recognise you cannot please everyone all of the time.

Truth 3: People have short memories

You might have been the model boss for the last two years but you go through a sticky patch when you are struggling to get folks on board and move things forward.  Superiors in particular often have short memories so make sure that when your performance is being reviewed a balanced picture is presented.

Truth 4: You will mess it up at times

Every single one of us makes mistakes from time.  Few of these are terminal and it is important not to let mistakes stop you from taking balanced risks in the knowledge that you will sometimes get it wrong.  Clean up the mess, reflect and learn and then move on.  You cannot change the past but you can influence the future.

Truth 5: You are leading and managing for a reason

You were promoted into a leadership and management role because people believed that you had something to offer, not because they wanted to be nice to you and do you a favour.  When self doubt appears remind yourself of all the brilliant things you do and focus on looking for ways to do even better.

Bottom Line- Leading and managing is challenging but don’t let temporary setbacks get in the way of your long term success.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective leaders and managers.  For more information click here

As a leader you are ultimately judged on the results that you deliver.  The further you climb the career ladder the more you earn.  This higher level of earning can sometimes lead to complacency which can result in performance going down rather than up.  So how can you transform the results that you deliver and stay on the high performance track?

Get clear on the goals

What are you ultimately judged on?  Contrary to what many of us believe, we rarely have a crystal clear picture or understanding of what it is we are expected to deliver.  Clear goals allow you to say explicitly whether you have or have not delivered.  They are not vague, fuzzy or a list of activities.  If you are not crystal clear on what you are to deliver or on what your success is to be measured, make a pint of finding out straight away.

Allocate your time to things that contribute to results

Time is everyone’s ultimate limiting factor.  We can buy more of it even if we wish we could.  Before you can start to decide how to allocate your time, you need to know what the critical things are that contribute to you delivering results.  We can all keep ourselves busy doing stuff but are you doing stuff that contributes to results?  Remember the 80:20 rule.  In essence, 20% of the things that you do contribute to about 80% of the results you achieve.  So what’s your 20% that contributes towards 80% of the results you achieve?

Coach your team and provide feedback

It does not matter how driven or committed you are, you cannot do it all by yourself.  You need a team around you that you empower, can solve their own problems and make their own decisions so that you deliver.  Invest time coaching your employees and providing feedback on how they are doing and how to get better, so that they become more valuable to you and the organisation.

Develop a what’s possible mindset

Ask people to come up with 1 solution and chances are that you will get 10 problems.  It is natural to focus attention on the obstacles rather than on what can be done.  When you see yourself falling into this trap, step back and think about what is possible from where you are right now. Even a small step can act as a catalyst for moving forward and once you have momentum you start to make rapid progress.

Bottom Line – Leadership is ultimately about results and by having a clear direction, investing your time wisely, equipping others to be more self sufficient and focusing on the possibilities you can make huge steps forward to achieving more success as a leader.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective managers and leaders.  For more information click here

As a leader or manager, chances are that for the vast majority of time your people will consistently deliver great performance.  From time to time you are likely to encounter some who are not performing as expected.  So what questions should you be asking in these instances?

Does the employee have the personal ability?

It is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that people have the skills, experience or know how to do something.  We can assume because someone has done something similar in the past maybe in a previous organisation that they can do certain tasks.  Don’t assume, check out that they have the personal ability.

Are you giving clear enough direction and articulating expectations?

We can sometimes, especially if in a busy job, fall into the trap of skimming the surface when it comes to giving instructions, which leaves others guessing.  Ask yourself whether you are really giving clear direction for work that you are asking others to do and making your expectations clear.

Does the person have the right resources?

Asking people to deliver something without resourcing them to do it is setting up people to fail.  When asking someone to deliver a specific outcome, make sure they have access to the resources to make it happen.

Is the work environment contributing to poor performance?

As a leader and manger you need to make sure the work environment is conducive to delivering good performance.  Imagine for example you have someone doing a role that requires a lot of concentration.  Having them sitting in an open plan office with discussion and phones ringing all of the time might not be the best environment.

Is it a process problem?

Most processes impact on many different parts of the organisation.  If part of the process is not working it impacts on an individual’s ability to deliver.  For example, if the process for interfacing information from the payroll to the budget reports is not working it will impact on the ability of the management accountant to deliver timely budget reports for managers.

Are there personal circumstances?

We spend a lot of time at work but we also have busy lives outside of work.  If someone is struggling at work make sure that there are no personal circumstances outside of work that are getting in the way.

Is it all too easy?

Most of us need sufficient challenge in our work to keep us motivated.  If the job becomes too easy then people become complacent or just get bored.

Do you have a square peg in a round hole?

If you have considered all of the above, think about whether you just have a square peg in a round hole.  By that I mean someone who has the wrong skill set or personal attributes for the job you are asking them to do.

Bottom Line – Performance problems are part and parcel of leading and managing.  The key to dealing with effectively is to be systematic and avoid jumping to conclusions.

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective managers and leaders.  For more information click here 

In any organisation whether small or large, teams of people from different backgrounds with different experiences need to be able to work together to deliver results.  If you are a leader or even just a member of a team, what are 5 golden rules to keep in mind to encourage effective team working?

Golden Rule 1: Find things people can easily agree as the key focus

This is particularly important when in a large organisation where it can be all too easy to get narrowly focused on the activities of your department without considering the overall purpose of the organisation.  For example, professional accountancy firms exist to serve clients, schools to educate and hospitals to deliver healthcare.  People, no matter what their functional bias can generally get behind and support the overall purpose.

Golden Rule 2: Recognise good team working

It is all too easy to attribute team successes to a leader or particular individuals but in truth most of the results will have been achieved by people working together and bringing their own unique contribution to the challenge.  Make a point of recognising good team working, especially cross functional team working.

Golden Rule 3: Get people understanding each other better

We all tend to look at things through a particular lens which is usually influenced by things like our experiences, training or even professional discipline.  Encourage people to avoid stereotyping and help them to better understand the different ways different people look at the same problem or challenge.

Golden Rule 4: Focus on contribution from all

The fact that people look at things differently is not a drawback but a distinct benefit of team working.  Get people listening more to others contributions so that the best solutions can be arrived at from the range of possibilities.

Golden Rule 5: Don’t expect it to happen overnight

Teams take time to come together, gel, bed down and deliver results.  Don’t expect improving team working to be like a light switch where the time from flicking the switch to having more light is almost immediate.  View it more as a longer term project where small steps are made that eventually lead to big results.

Bottom Line – For just about any organisation, team working is important to success.  So what do you need to start doing to get teams working effectively?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps teams in large organisations to deliver better results.  For more information click here

If you are part of a profession or area of an organisation that is or is at least perceived to be complex, it can be challenging when it comes to presenting information.  For example, when I worked in accountancy, there was a perception that it was really complex and in some cases people had a phobia when it comes to numbers.  So what are some of the golden rules when it comes to presenting technically complex information?

Golden Rule 1:  Think first about the about the audience

Chances are you will have some people who are pretty comfortable and complex receiving presentations from people in your area.  When thinking about the audience, consider what it is they definitely need to know as opposed to the stuff that would be nice to know.  When dealing with complex stuff I generally have found that the more you focus on the key stuff the less likely you are to lose people.

Golden Rule 2:  Think about something similar that people can relate to

I generally found that if you can relate the thing you are presenting to something that people can relate to then it becomes much easier.  I can recall when working in the NHS I had to explain a new funding system called payment by results.  Essentially you were paid for the work you did and coded.  I used the example of scanning your shopping to illustrate the similarity with coding.  If the item does not get scanned the seller does not collect the money.

Golden Rule 3: Keep it jargon free

We all tend to get caught up in the jargon that goes with our particular area.  If you are going to use technical terms then make sure you explain them but ideally avoid them all together.

Golden Rule 4: Focus on the key messages

People can only handle so much at any one time so focus on getting your key messages across.  If for regulatory or other reasons you need to make people aware of certain things give them a handout and make reference to it in your presentation.

Golden Rule 5:  Check understanding and leave plenty of time for questions

With complex stuff less is better than more. At the end make sure that people have understood and build in more time for people to ask their questions.

What other Golden Rules would you add to the list?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to become highly effective managers and leaders.  For more information click here 

While doing one of my regular sessions at the gym recently it occurred to me that there were many things that we can learn about leading and managing from the way we approach and what we do when it comes to working out.

So what are the key things that we can learn about leadership and management success from our gym workouts?

We need to have a goal

Most of us decided to join the gym for a specific reason.  It might have been to lose weight, build our stamina, help manage our stress levels, fun or just to maintain good health.  If we want to achieve success as a leader or manager we need to have clear goals.

Start small and build from that point

I can remember when I first ever went to the gym about 10 years ago.  The training plan I had was focused on doing a little bit on a range of exercises.  I did not try and jump straight to wild challenges in terms of times on the cardio machines and the weights I was lifting.  When new in post as a leader or manager, don’t try to go for glory from the outset, focus on achieving some easy wins.

It’s a long term project

When you start something new, especially exercise, you tend to find that you get pretty dramatic improvement initially, you plateau and then seem to struggle to get up to the next level.  As a leader or manager chances are that you will make some quick improvements and during the first couple of months it can feel like you are on the crest of a wave.  However, what you are really looking for is sustained success over the long term, so view leading and managing as a long term project.

We all need to do maintenance

When working out we know that it is important to do our stretching if we are to avoid injury or damage.  Most managers and leaders started in a particular professional discipline.  Even if you have a broader role now, it is vital that you maintain your knowledge and keep your skills up to date through continuing professional development.

Bottom Line – Just like working out, your aim as a manager or leader is to achieve long term sustained success.  So what do you need to start focusing on to achieve more success?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to be successful managers and leaders.  For more information about his Services and Programmes click here

Pick up any of the many textbooks out there on the subject of management and you will find plenty of advice about how to do certain things, how to develop the rights behaviours and get the best from others.

In my experience, less is written about the importance of making the mindset shift when transitioning to management.  So why does this matter anyway?

You probably got promoted because you were great at doing

Look at the way most organisations decide who gets promoted.  In most cases they look for people who are doing a great job at a lower level and consistently delivering.  While this tells you a lot about the individuals personal drive and ability to get things done by themselves it tells you nothing about their ability to get results from others.  A key part of your successful transition is being able to start to get to work on getting results from others.

You might hold on to what you know

The great thing about those things we know how to do and are good at doing is that they help us build our self esteem and self confidence.  The danger you need to be alert to is holding on to things that you really should be letting go of and delegating to others.

You have new expectations

As a manager your performance is measured differently to when you were one of the team.  Being clear on what you are expected to deliver is an important part of your success and so is being able to change how you work so that you deliver on these new expectations.  Where do you need to be focusing your attention?

You probably have a huge portfolio of work

If you are like most folks, you will have to manage and still deliver on significant pieces of work personally.  If you don’t make the mindset shift that time needs to be set aside for managing it will probably never happen.  If the managing piece does not happen how your bosses assess your performance is likely to be less favourable than if you were actually making time for managing.

Bottom Line- Successful transitioning to management requires you to shift mindset.  So what mindset shifts do you need to make to achieve more success?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health profesionals to be highly successful managers and leaders.  For information about services and programmes click here

You have just heard the good news that you have secured your first leadership role.  You probably feel a combination of elation and possibly even a bit of apprehension.  So what are my 5 quick tips for transitioning to leadership?

Quick Tip 1:  Do some research

As the new leader you need to quickly get a handle on the organisation or part of the organisation you are going to be leading.  It is vital that you get to understand a bit about the history, the strengths, the opportunities, your peers and your team to name just a few areas.  Make the time to do this as it will be time well invested.

Quick Tip 2:  Create a plan

You will probably have lots of areas that you could potentially tackle but what you want to try and create a plan of action that gets you some early wins while laying foundations for longer term success.  A scatter gun approach is rarely the most beneficial way to go as the new leader.

Quick Tip 3: Make listening the core component of your communication

When someone new arrives or is arriving it creates a degree of uncertainty in those that are going to be impacted.  It is tempting to think that you can step into the job with the blueprint to sort out all of the things that are not working so well.  In practice this rarely works.  People, especially those who have been with an organisation for a significant period of time can offer great insights, if you are willing to make the time to listen.

Quick Tip 4: Regularly remind yourself that the role is different

It is easy and sometimes highly tempting to forget that you are in a different, more senior role with new demands and expectations.  Make a point of reminding yourself of this regularly to avoid the trap of falling into old ways of working and behaving.

Quick Tip 5: Expect it to be a struggle

It takes time to adjust to any new role and this is even more important to remember when you are stepping into your first leadership role.  Chances are you will have gone from a situation where you are top of the tree at your current level to being at the bottom at the next level.  If there is no challenge or struggle you are either not truly stepping into the new role or you are in a job that you are over qualified.

Bottom Line- Your first leadership role will require you to make a major transition.  So what steps are you taking to set yourself up for success?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to be successful managers and leaders.  For more information about his Services and Programmes click here

When teams get to performing there is no doubting the value and benefit that they bring.  Sometimes however, teams just do not work effectively.  So what stops teams from working effectively?

Fuzzy goals or objectives

If a team does not know with absolute clarity what it is to deliver, chances are that at best it will deliver something of little value or at worst nothing at all.  Don’t compromise the ability of the team by leaving it to try and finger out what it is to deliver.  Make it crystal clear.

Roles are not defined

Just imagine a scenario.  Something has not gone as expected and everyone is saying that they thought that someone else was doing the task that was so critical.  When riles are not defined things fall down a track and when things fall down a crack no one wins.  Get clear on who is doing what.

Bad decision making

Taking decisions as a team is different to taking decisions individually.  It requires team members to rely on each other, a concept that might be alien.  One thing is certain you will get some decisions wrong.  The key is to aim to get a clear decision making process on the team that everyone understands.

Policies and procedures that are past their sell by date

Organisations, especially big organisations need to have some boundaries and protocols which are typically set out in policies and procedures.  Trouble is these policies and procedures can easily become onerous our out of touch with current practice.  Make sure that policies and procedures are still relevant.

People don’t interact with each other appropriately

We all based on our experiences, background, professional disciplines have different preferences.  Trouble is people often forget this and fail to adapt their style to move closer to the people they are interacting with.  Make a point of thinking about the other person’s preferences when interacting.

Bottom Line- Teams when working well together have the potential to deliver great results.  So what’s getting in the way of successful team working in your organisation?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professionals improve their leadership and management skills and improve team working.  Click here for more information.

The need for change, transformation, new ways of working and innovation to name just a few is never off the agenda.  Yet the realities between the desire and the delivery of change are somewhat different.  So what realities do you need to face up to when making change?

Reality 1: Most folks don’t like change

Sure we all have to adapt a little bit all of the time and in the main do this without thinking.  On the other hand talk about any sort of significant scale change and chances are that the barriers will go up pretty quickly.  We all to a greater or lesser extent thrive in consistency and stability.

Reality 2: People focus first on what they will lose

Think about a time in the past when you have had to consider making change.  Chances are that people’s initial reaction was not to focus on the opportunity or challenge.  They are more likely to focus on what they will lose.  It is human nature and almost a sort of safety mechanism.

Reality 3: People will feel isolated

People might normally feel that they are part and parcel of a team of supportive people.  Then a change comes along and it can be easy to feel isolated.  This is even more likely if you are the person who is leading the team.

Reality 4: People all have a different level of readiness for change

Some people thrive on continually having new challenges thrust in their direction while for others it will feel like a huge burden.  As the leader the challenge is to be aware of the fact that everyone responds differently and that you will need to test readiness for change.

Reality 5: People worry that they won’t be able to do it  

One or two might be sceptical but change is still possible.  On the other hand if there are many all starting to doubt the ability, skills or resources to make change then there is a potentially big problem.  As the leader you have a key role in supporting people through these times of doubt.

Reality 6: People have only got so much capacity

Even the most enthusiastic can suffer from change fatigue from time to time.  There is a fine balancing act between challenging people and burning them out.  Be alert to the fact that people may only have so much capacity so don’t overload them with change initiatives.

Reality 7: People need to fail safe

Whenever you are considering change you are asking people to take some risk.  They will only take those risks if they know that if it does not work out that they will be acknowledged for having a go.  Remember without some form of risk taking nothing ever moves forward.

Bottom Line – The natural tendency is to resist change, so what are you doing as a leader to help other achieve success when it comes to making change?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps professionals to become better leaders and managers.  For more information click here