There is evidence that leaders who are considerate in their leadership style are higher performers and are more satisfied with their job. Other considerations leaders use in their approach to others or their subordinates are time allotments, relationship development, information process, the training and professionalism of the other people or their subordinates, and how well they know the tasks. Leaders need to address any legal ramifications, laws or established procedures, such as OSHA or training plans.

It has been generally accepted that there are three basic styles of leadership:

1. Authoritarian (autocratic)

This style is used when the leader tells his or her employees what she wants done and how she wants it done, without getting the advice of her followers. This style of leadership should only be used if you have all the knowledge on a particular subject and have preliminary plans as to how to carry out your project, but you are short on time. Normally you have already established a working relationship with your employees, and they are motivated to help you finish your project within the deadline.

The authoritarian style should normally only be used on rare occasions. It can be used, within limits, if the subordinate is a new employee who is just learning the job. The leader can use this style in a competent method to teach and mentor the new employee on the new work environment.

2. Participative (democratic)

This type of style is used when the leader knows what the ultimate goal is that needs to be accomplished, but not necessarily the procedures required too achieve it. The leader informs the others or the subordinates of the goal, and discusses it with the actual employees involved to achieve it. This style of leadership could be called fact finding to determine the best procedures to accomplish the project. However, the leader remains in authority. He determines the procedures to be used based on the information received from his employees. This is normally used when you have part of the information, and your employees have other parts. Using this style is of mutual benefit - it allows them to become part of the team and allows you to make better decisions.

3. Delegative (free reign)

In this style, the leader allows the employees to make the decision. However, the leader is still responsible for the decisions that are made. This is used when employees are able to analyze the situation and determine what needs to be done and how to do it. You must set priorities and delegate certain tasks. This is a style to be used when you have the full trust and confidence in the people below you. The employee needs to take ownership of the job.

Ineffective Leadership Styles

When leaders use ineffective leadership styles it produces internal conflicts between the subordinates themselves, and between the employees and the supervisor. The working environment becomes stressful. Sometimes the atmosphere in the working environment becomes so thick; it feels like the stress could be cut with a knife. When employees become fearful of being penalized for mistakes by their supervisors; it sometimes is easier to do nothing; in lieu of being chastised for making a mistake. Negative leaders act domineering and superior. They believe the only way to get things done is through penalties, such as loss of job, days off without pay, reprimand employees in front of others, and other demeaning actions. Some people tend to think of this style as a vehicle for yelling, using demeaning language, and leading by threats and abusing their power. This is not the authoritarian style...rather it is an abusive, unprofessional style called bossing people around.

They believe their authority is increased by freighting everyone into higher levels of productivity. Yet what always happens when this approach is used is that morale falls; which of course leads to lower productivity.

The autocratic style of leadership should only be used for new employees that might need some training or mentoring; but, almost never with a well-seasoned professional group of employees. Employees that have been working for the organization for a period of time become resentful by an autocratic leadership style. The leader would be more effective to use these people in consultations.

Another style of leadership, if you want to call it leadership, is where the supervisor has a hands-off approach to managing, is known as laissez faire or laisser faire. This is a leadership style where the supervisor does not participate in managing his employees. When this style of leadership occurs in a work environment the employees will select an informal leader to help them guide and inform them. This approach to leadership quite often happens when the supervisor is merely putting his time into the office waiting for his retirement.

Hay/McBer, a consulting firm, conducted a research, with a random sample of 3,871 executives selected from a database of more than 20,000 executives worldwide. The study determined that most leaders use more than one style of leadership. It, also, offers an understanding of how different leadership styles affect performance and results; and, offers clear guidance on when and why a manager should switch between the different leadership styles.

The research found six distinct leadership styles. The styles, taken individually, appear to have a direct and unique impact on the working atmosphere of a company, division, or team, and in turn, on its financial performance. The research indicates that leaders with the best results do not rely on only one leadership style; they use most of them in a given week seamlessly and in different measure depending on the business situation.

What are the six styles of leadership?

1. Coercive leaders demand immediate compliance.
2. Authoritative leaders mobilize people toward a vision.
3. Affiliate leaders create emotional bonds and harmony.
4. Democratic leaders build consensus through participation.
5. Pacesetting leaders expect excellence and self-direction.
6. Coaching leaders develop people for the future.

Let's divide your daily activity into three segments; these are the elements around which your role revolves -

 

Customer 

Customer is the king of every business, he is the one for whom we work and his satisfaction is our ultimate goal. So lets find out what to do to please our customer as a role as manager -

Do's 

1. Keep your customer informed about all day to day activity and especially any development at your work
2. Interact regularly with customer with no communication break
3. Be honest in what you communicate to the customer
4. Close loop in business well on as an actionable item
5. Send minutes in e-mail to customer after any call or meeting
6. Build a reputation of delivering consistency in business

Don'ts

1. Do not assume things, always talk to customer
2. Do not over commit on deliverables or timelines
3. Do not be inflexible when dealing with the customer
4. Do not be afraid to express your opinion
5. Business: Business or the process which you takes care on day to day basis and it's your deliverable to give the best, your efficiency is being counted in your skills to handle your business.

Do's

1. Fearlessly escalate to your boss any significant issues faced in your day to day business handling.
   • Floors walk at least thrice a day to check the things
   • Always display energy at work
   • Be hands-on and know your business well
   • Be involved and help the team resolve process issues

Don'ts

1. Do not work in isolation; be aware of your surroundings and set your self well wit it
2. Do not settle for quick fix solutions to problems
3. Do not hesitate to question the status quo
4. Do not ignore early warning signals for the process. Always keep your eyes and ears open to check the changes going on floor.
5. People - In today's world every manager has to be first people's person than only he can manage his customer and business well. People are the resource who makes his vision applicable and all managers need to understand that people are the greatest resource for an organization.

Do's 

1. Be straightforward and clear in your communication with the team.
   • Stand by your team and support them
   • Share credit with your team
   • Develop the strengths of your team
   • Know your team members
   • Acknowledge good work publicly
   • Show respect for the individual even when delivering hard messages
   • Be available when the team needs you

Don'ts 

1. Do not too casual with your team members
2. Do not over use e-mails when you can interact in person
3. Do not underestimate your team's potential
4. Do not shy away from giving negative feedback
5. Do not be dictators; instead, engage your team
6. Do not play favorites

These are some of the tips to make your image as effective manager and will help you to climb the ladder of success at your professional front.

In their book, saving your marriage before it starts; Doctors Les and Leslie parrot said "communication is the lifeblood of marriage." Several years ago they attended a marriage enriched seminar with other couples. And at the end of the seminar, they asked the other couples what they found most helping about the seminar.

Without exception, all the couples said they were help most by the discussion that dealt with communication. Communication is communication, whether in a marriage or corporation setting, and the basic principle holds true.

The more effective communication is, the more effective relationship become. Business experts have come to the conclusion that is the inability to communicate strategies and not necessarily a lack of strategies that is the major reasons business organizations fail. It has been said that listening is the "is the cornerstone for all communication." in the work place as in other places, honest listening can sometimes be enormously painful, but if you are willing to listen with an open mind the exercise leads you out of self-centeredness. You may not agree with the things you have heard, but you will be forced to reconsider your attitudes. It starts down the road toward the development of a wholesome relationship at work.

The discipline of listening will surely be worth all the pain and trouble it caused you. You may even experience a sense of freedom, knowing you have broken loose from your pride, fear, and self centeredness.

Why Is It So Difficult To Be  A Good Listener?

While we almost never want to admit it, the truth is that we aren't always interested I listening.

Many of us filter the things other people say to us through our own prejudices, opinions and feelings; we find it difficult to listen because we second-guess other people. Most managers often do this by refusing to allow partner to put a "period" at the end a sentence. The author of the proverbs exposed the flaw of second guessing when he wrote "he who answers before listening -that is his folly and his shame." It doesn't make sense taking decision before knowing the facts.

Most of us fail to listen because we think we might be threatened by what we hear. In business life, we often hear other people's suggestion for a change; we think it will somehow erode our individual liberty. Worse yet, we fear the loose of control. Sometimes, we think, "if I really listen to my colleague, my worse fault will be exposed."

If you don't listen to your subordinates are effectively saying that you don't want to know how they think or feel. It is an indication of your lack of care and concern. It represents a refusal to display a common decency and respect toward the people you promised to "provide an enabling work environment for."

Why Do You Need To Practice The Act of Listening?

1. To show respect to those who work with or for you.
2. To meet your own basic needs. Maybe the second reason seems a bit stretched at first glance, but consider the thoughts of Dr. Williams Glasser; he said, "At all times in our lives we must have at least one person who cares about us and who we care for ourselves. If we do not have this essential person, we will not be able to fulfill our basic needs (goals)."

Dear managers, in summary, listening is vital to the development of an impactful relationship with the person who helps you meet your goals.

If an organizational environment is stable and predictable then traditional organization of work on the basis of division of labor and hieratical structure and bureaucratic practices and process are sufficient to meet the goals of an organization. This because the problems to solve are mostly predictable and the processes and policies if staff is supervised effectively then the organization can meet the goals. In addition, the organization will not face unexpected issues or problems to solve and the speed of change is slow and not dynamic and discontinuous and there fore the operations organized in this sense need not to be flexible and can be rigid and the change process can be orderly in a slow phase. As well, if staff is having a culture in a hierarchical organization they mostly like to have clear instructions from above and they normally don't like to face unexpected problems and don't like challenging work. Therefore in such conditions teams are not relevant and they will be ineffective.

In other words, teams will not be effective if the work is organized in a hierarchal structure and based on bureaucratic control, strict division of labor and the tasks are not complex and can be divided in to manageable parts and the external environment is stable. Teams will not be effective in all conditions and the quality of teams and how it is managed. As well, in all organizations hierarchical structure is applicable to some extent as division of labor is inevitable to enhance productivity and group similar activity so that specialization can occur.

However, due to human factor and co-ordination problem and communication channel gets bigger the organization becomes very inflexible and rigid to respond to changes in the outside environment. This is one of the disadvantages of hierarchical organization.

Teams become effective, if teams are managed properly and staffed with appropriate skills and the objective of the team is linked with organizational goals and the problem needs innovative solutions and open communication necessary for quality improvements on a continuous basis then teams become more effective in these conditions. As well, if the nature of operations are complex and brain storming is necessary and staff are motivated by challenging jobs and like to take part in decision making rather than motivated by money alone then, if teams are built properly and have adequate resources and top management support teams become more productive as well as effective teams.

As discussed above, teams will not be effective in all conditions and the team effectiveness depends on the conditions and the quality of the team in terms of skill, motivation, clear goals and top management support as well the nature of task itself is complex and needs team work to resolve issues as nobody knows every thing of the issues affecting their work. This is one of the reasons some teams fail and some teams are successful in meeting organizational goals.

The main purpose of teams is to solve problems quickly ad to adept to external conditions as soon as possible and meet quality standards and produce innovative solutions to the work problems and issues of improving efficiency of operations and safety as well as quality to meet organizational goals in dynamic and competitive external environment.

If this purpose is not emphasized then the team can meet its goals but not attain organizational goals and becomes dysfunctional at best.

Step 1: Define clear goals of your advertising campaign

The most important aspect of any advertising campaign is to have a clear objective in mind. You may be targeting a specific group of people, your initial aim may be to target at least 1000 internet surfers and so on and so forth. Have a well defined, clear purpose.

Step 2: Identify the most effective sites for achieving your goals

Sites that are most relevant to your product or service will, more than likely, be your best bet; but also consider larger sites or networks that can target the audience you're trying to reach. They can be very cost-effective. If you have multiple products or services that appeal to various target markets, you'll have to consider sites that reach all those various segments.

Step 3: Craft your message to fit the needs of the audience you're targeting

This comes down to understanding the audience of the sites you're advertising on. The message you use on a technology site to appeal to technologically savvy customers won't have the same appeal for visitors on a small-business site. Focus your campaign.

Step 4: Content of your Ad

Pay particular attention to the content of the Ad. The content should be such that it clearly distinguishes your product or service from your competitors’. Have a catchy headline. The headline is probably the most important part of the Ad – It is the customer puller.

Step 5: Formulate the specific promotional messages that correspond to your goals

The promotional messages should concentrate on the major selling points of your product or service and have a strong call-to-action.

Step 6: Make the desired action clearly visible

This certainly doesn't mean the desired action should necessarily blink, bounce or do flips, but it should be visible within an accepted format for the media you're using. In the case of the Internet, underlined text links, "click here" text entry boxes, and pull-down menus are all ways you can make the desired action clearly visible.

Step 7: Design the ad so it looks like it belongs on the sites where you're advertising

For instance, you may want to use the site's font faces in your text, color schemes in your background, font color choices overall, and emulate images where appropriate. Try to conform to the environment so potential customers visiting the site don't gasp in shock when they see your ad.

Step 8: Produce multiple versions of each ad

Create three or four versions of each ad, changing the promotional message, call-to-action, font faces and color schemes. This is especially important if you're doing price testing or gauging reaction to specific promotions. By splitting your advertising buy among the various versions of your creative, you can then start to optimize your buy based on the message that works best.

With these tips, you will not only be able to create an ad, but you will be able to create an effective ad that does what it is supposed to do – sell your products and services.

 

Take the example of an individual employed at an emerging high tech company in the Digital Resource Management (DRM) application space. Having experienced recent distinguished successes, the employee roster has grown from five people only three years ago working in a local office, to over one hundred working worldwide in every time zone. In the early years, positive progress was common, easily repeatable, and expected, as competition was fairly light. Because successes were easy to recognize and achieve the expectation of always reporting success was soon recognized as a corporate standard.

As the application matured and grew in complexity, there were more factors to account for in coding and testing, thus making it more difficult to determine and report positive progress. In this workplace, there is a condition that can only be described as behavior of "The Three Monkeys". For the uninitiated, The Three Monkeys is a reference to a common Japanese legend depicted by three monkeys in which one is covering it's eyes, another it's mouth, and the last covering it's ears. The usual understandings of the poses are: "See no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil". The basis of the legend stems from the Koshin belief of everyone has three monkeys which refuse to speak the misdeeds of their owner. In this modern instance, the behavior can be described as "I will not speak if I have negative results to report" An example of this would be, if a person had to make a report of a project not progressing as expected, they would do their level best not to say anything. Even in the circumstance of if the report were to be neutral, the subject would still be reluctant to make the report. Only in the event of being able to produce a positive report, would they feel comfortable reporting status. The subjects studied were actually observed planning a series of "ghost" lunches in order to avoid being able to be scheduled into a meeting where they would have no choice to report negative status.

There is a noted atmosphere of ensuring positive outcomes regardless if the outcome was a stated objective. In other words, if the team were focused on creating a specific application, and for whatever reason had not made appropriate progress, the team lead would chose not to report on the progress, but instead would insist on reporting positive progress on another similar, but unrelated project, even if they were not supposed to working on the similar project. This unspoken tribal law of "speak of good, not bad” permeates the entire organization at every level. This theory of operation comes from surveying the subjects behavior over the past eleven months, following their individual progress (in the form of daily status reports), and comparing the weekly reports, which are supposed to summarize past weekly activity. The behavior is so pervasive, even in the circumstance where this condition was brought up in a departmental meeting, the subject still insisted on delivering the incorrect positive information, rather than what was written in the daily reports.

The negative business outcomes resulting from this behavior are people being required to work unexpected extra shifts or project timelines being stretched due to "unforeseen" issues appearing near project end. This is turn causes employees trust in project reports (and the managers who gather them) to decline, which goes further to make people question the ability of the company to operate in a fiscally responsible manner. The faith placed in the company processes to produce applications is shaken from the employee to the end-user.

When first exposed to this conduct with earlier companies, it was thought this behavior was an abnormality, a misperception on behalf of the author, further observation (and job opportunities with other companies) proved the facts otherwise. In the normal role of a single department manager (Software Quality Assurance), only having insight to one perspective of a multi-department effort, this perception could easily have been arrived at mistakenly. However, as the authority to govern other departments (Engineering and Customer Care) was granted to the individual, it was noted through documented reports the noted behavior was accurate, and not subject to misinterpretation. The status being reported in the weekly summaries did not reflect the status noted in the daily reports.

It appears the initial culture of not reporting negative status while the company was small had become an expected behavior, regardless of the true status, promoting the conduct as a corporate norm. This learned behavior of confused communications was subtlety passed on to new hires during corporate indoctrination. Among senior employees, the conduct is so well accepted it is not even noticed. People recently hired are quick to adopt the process in an attitude of wishing to fit into the corporate structure, seeking acceptance from their new co-workers. If the new hires displayed any compunction about the negative behavior, they would quickly overcome any negative feelings by stating this is the way they feel they are expected to behave.

A casual survey was performed by comparing six months of daily reports to the weekly summaries provided by the random individuals, in almost every example, the weekly report did not align to the daily status, where if there were issues reported throughout the week, the issues or culmination of them would not be reported in the weekly report. It was further noted, in the instance of ad hoc status reporting, the person under examination would rather defer to the positive portions of a report rather than the negative. This over riding air of “speak no evil” sets up the expectation one should never report a negative status. The unspoken pressure to report only positive progress was confirmed through formal and confidential interviews with persons within and without the QA department. Even though the people given the task of training were aware of the proper process, they still incorrectly informed the new employees of the reporting posture. In another instance, a Software Engineer would request a Quality Assurance Engineer to back up the erroneous claims of progress. This behavior was not limited to the mentioned groups. The conduct was noted throughout the organization from every level: employee to employee, manager to employee, and vice-president to manager. This manner of reporting was endemic from the junior to the most senior company officer.

To those not exposed to companies experiencing this stage of evolution, it is easy to misinterpret the described behavior as abnormal. I this conduct were to be noticed in an established company, it would be abnormal, because the larger company should have already established and communicated a truthful standard for those reporting progress, regardless if the progress were negative or positive. It is only in companies at this particular stage of growth would this behavior be considered normal. Having worked extensively with companies in this stage of growth, it is in the author's experience this type of entrenchment behavior is common amongst small companies experiencing rapid growth. If one were to analyze behavior patterns of burgeoning companies, this method of poor communication is not indicative of abnormal conduct. If anything, it would be noticed this manner of acceptance to an implied standard is considered common to companies in this state of growth. From this standard, the tribal communication standard is then actually considered normal. The perspective of abnormal is then shifted to one of predictable normal behavior of corporations at this stage of growth. The company's challenge at this point is to instill proper motivations within the working groups to report actual status, rather than what the reporters managers expect to hear.

In conclusion, if one were to critically observe the reporting style of the mentioned company, it would be easy to draw the conclusion there are abnormal behaviors being practiced and promoted, which are to the detriment of the company. The truth of the matter is while the ineffective conduct is indeed a tripping point; it is a common factor for a company in this stage of growth. The challenge presented to the company at this stage of evolution is to overcome the behavior by readdressing the need to provide actual status reports regardless of negative or positive indicators. Removing the stigma of reporting negative status by reassuring all levels of workers true status is more important than preventing conflict. A concise status will allow all aspects of the company to progress towards a predictable production environment, which is a benefit which will be appreciated not only by employees, but also the clients the employees serve, as ultimately, precise and timely reporting within the organization will benefit the customers, as products will be delivered when they are expected.

Phone Numbers

Generally speaking, it is best not to include phone numbers in your commercials. That seems counterintuitive, but it is true. Phone numbers take up lots of time that you could use to talk about your products or services and few people will be able to remember them or write them down before the commercial is over. Much of your radio audience at any given time will be in the cars and they will not be able to write down a phone number. If you insist on having a phone number, make sure it is repeated at least twice. Otherwise, you are just wasting time.

Business Name

Obviously, you want to mention the name of your business, but you do not just want to mention it once, you should mention it at least three times. That sounds like a lot, but it is quite easy to do. Say it in the first sentence and in the second sentence and at the end of the commercial. Your audience needs to have no doubt about who the commercial was for by the time it finishes.

Location

Do you want people to come to your office or business? Then you have to tell them where you are! Furthermore, you have to tell them at least twice, preferably three times. People generally remember locations better than they do phone numbers because they can associate a location with their knowledge of the city. Do not just give the audience your street address, however. That is OK, but it is better to relate it to something else. For example, if your business is located at the intersection of two major streets, saw that in your commercial. Your listeners will be far more likely to remember an important intersection than they would the numbers of a street address. Do not be afraid to relate your location to another business. If their is a popular store that is not a direct competitor across the street from you, mention it. There is no harm in it.

Memorable

You have to make your commercials memorable if you want the audience to remember them. That does not mean, however, that they necessarily have to be funny. Humor often works very well, but there are other ways of making a commercial memorable. The easiest way is to use the same song for all of your commercials. When you begin an advertising campaign pick a song you would like as an intro to all of your commercials and then stick to it. Even when you change your commercial, keep the song or jingle from the original. Loyal listeners will remember the song and will instantly associate it with your business, even before you say anything.

If you can manage to remember these few simply guidelines, you should see a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of your advertising. Perhaps your lackluster success with radio in the past is the result of failure in one of these areas. If you suspect that it the case, try a new radio campaign. You literally have nothing to lose since advertising costs are tax deductible.

Fast and easy does not necessarily mean “good” or “better”. Many E-Mails are poorly written, confusing, and unnecessary. It may take you much longer to read and understand a badly written E-Mail than it took the sender to write the note! And while it's equally possible to write gibberish with a pencil or a typewriter, the ease and speed of writing an E-Mail can lead to lazy or sloppy work.

If you don't want your important messages to get lost in the shuffle or, worse still, read but misinterpreted, try these tips.

Have a purpose and a desired response

Many people quickly scan message headers or first sentences in order to decide if they need to read an E-Mail immediately. Your best bet for getting their attention is to clearly define the purpose of your E-Mail.

If you want the reader to make a decision, or support your action plan, make sure you tell them at the beginning of the message. If you need them to do some work, be clear about that! At the end of the message, ask them to respond or confirm that they understand what you want and that they'll do what you are asking.

Organize your thoughts

Organize your message before writing . Too many E-Mails wander from subject to subject for no apparent reason.

Like a good story, your E-Mail should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It should also have a clear purpose. If your message is too confusing, people might just ignore it or else do the wrong thing because they don't understand what you are saying.

Keep It Short and Sweet

Write the E-Mail using simple, but complete sentences. Omit unnecessary words, just like Strunk and White wrote many years ago.

Spelling and grammar count. I've seen far too many E-Mails with incorrect spelling and poor grammar, which looks sloppy and makes you question the competence of the writer. Don't just rely on your spell-checker, check the spelling yourself.

Write with your audience in mind

Generally speaking, you give fewer details to people at the upper levels of an organization than at lower levels. A company executive will want to understand the underlying logic of the message. People in different levels in the organizational hierarchy, by contrast, may need to see the details.

Try to give people exactly what they need and nothing unnecessary. Use technical terms, acronyms, or jargon sparingly and only when you know the entire reading audience will understand these terms.

One other warning: if you present something as being a fact, make sure you can prove it!

Predict how the message will be received and write accordingly

Do not commit personal attacks in your E-Mail. In addition to being poor etiquette, it's unfair and will generally create bad feelings.

Don't include personal information in your E-Mail unless absolutely necessary or you know that the reader won't mind. You shouldn't assume that co-workers want to know about your personal problems or your daily activities.

Use humor with care - we don't all share the same sense of humor. This is particularly important when communicating with people from different cultures.

Never write something in an E-Mail that you wouldn't want to see used as evidence in court. It happens.

Don't proofread on the screen; print out and proofread

The Millenials/Generation Y might be better at onscreen proofreading than I am, but I still recommend using paper. I cannot count the number of times that I've found mistakes on paper that my mind missed onscreen.

Yes, it can take longer to print, then read, but that's often a good thing. If your brain is still in the high speed communication mode that it was while you were writing, it helps to take a minute to switch gears for a more careful editing mode. It may help you to read the E-Mail out loud to see if the message makes sense. Better yet, get a trusted colleague to assist you in proofreading if the message is particularly important.

Ensure that you send the E-Mail correctly

Ensure names or E-Mail addresses are correct before sending: misspellings can cause E-Mails to be lost or sent to the wrong person, particular in an internal E-mail system where several people may share the last name.

Beware the "Reply All" function! Don't send a reply to a group of people unless it's necessary. Feel free to edit the number of people on the TO or CC lists if they don't need to see the information, including distribution lists. However, make sure that anyone who needs to see the E-Mail gets copied on the E-Mail.

Beware the "Forward" function! Someone else may forward your E-Mail to other readers. Take care to ensure your comments are clear, accurate, and well organized: you never know who might be reading them.

Finally, never send an E-Mail when angry or upset. You are more likely to make a mistake or upset the reader when you aren't thinking clearly. Take a breather if you need to before sending so you clearly understand what you're about to communicate. Better yet, wait until the next day, then proofread the E-Mail one more time before sending. You may prevent yourself from making serious mistakes.

E-Mail can still be quick, easy… and productive

Despite the warnings in this article, E-Mail can still live up to its purpose and it does on a daily basis. The tips in this article will give you an even better chance of getting the desired results from your E-Mail. Is it more work? Yes. Is it worthwhile? Definitely!

It is a simple but vital process of introduction, information giving and planned training which enables people to become comfortable and productive in their new job role in the shortest possible time.

Why is it necessary?

• To provides new starters with important information about the organization and get them off to a good start.
• To introduce them to their working environment and their job and to integrate them into their team.
• To equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to do their job so that they can become effective in a short space of time.
• To help those who are new to a job role (for example first time managers) to settle confidently and easily into it and to become effective as quickly as possible.

Who is responsible for it?

Induction is the responsibility of the line manager for the new, returning or redeployed employee.

It needs to be:

• Carefully planned
• Well structured
• Tailored to meet the employee's individual needs

Who should be involved in induction?

As soon as the need for induction arises the line manager should:

• Decide who will be involved.
• Convene a planning meeting.
• Develop the Induction Plan.
• Assign responsibility for delivery.
• Monitor and review the induction.

The line manager for the new employee should lead the planning of the induction process and decide who will be involved in it. A contribution should be made by other members of the team.

Line managers do not have to personally deliver every part of the programme although they must be involved and they are responsible. Team members and other support staff can all play an active part in induction.

This helps the new starter to integrate and form good working relationships at an early stage. It also spreads the workload involved in the induction process. The more people that are involved, the quicker the new employee will settle and become effective in their job.

A “buddy” within the team should also be appointed. The role of the buddy is to provide a helping hand to the new employee, answering questions, offering advice and information and guiding the person through the first few weeks in their role.

The buddy, along with others in the team, may also be involved in delivering one to one training for the new starter.

An induction planning meeting should take place at least a week before the new employee starts. The line manager and others who will contribute to the induction of the new employee should meet to:

• Assign a buddy.
• Brief those involved in the induction.
• Agree what aspects they will be responsible for.
• Allocate timed slots and venues for each topic.

The outcome should be an Induction Plan which caters for the new employee's needs for up to the first few weeks of their employment.

Towards the end of the first 2 weeks, a progress review should be made by the line manager and, if required, the plan should be adapted. We all learn and assimilate information differently and some people may take longer than others to settle into their role.

New starters are keen to learn as much as possible about their new employer so sending them information before they start is welcomed and appreciated. There are a number of advantages in doing this:

• It enables the new employee to learn something about the organization, in their own time and at their own pace.
• It gives them an opportunity to think about questions they might want to ask when they start their employment.
• It helps to overcome the common problem of “information overload” once they are in post.

A visit to the office or place of work before the formal start date has the following benefits:

• The employee is able to meet their line manager and immediate colleagues.
• Tthey can see the office environment and the area they will be working in.
• They can check out their journey times and route to the office.
• It may help to overcome first day nerves or apprehension.

It is recommended that the line manager should take responsibility for conducting this visit, introducing the new employee to their immediate team members, showing the new employee around the office and answering any questions.

On the first working day the line manager should meet and greet the new starter on the first day of employment and spend time putting the employee at ease, making them feel welcome and explaining that they will go through the Induction Programme.

The Induction Plan should be shared with them and the line manager should conduct the tour of the office and make introductions to their immediate team members. The line manager can then hand over to or involve other staff members who have been designated to take part in the Induction Programme and who have been assigned responsibilities within the Induction Plan.

The overriding priority is for the employee to be introduced to their work environment and the organization's basic operating systems. Right from the start, the new starter should feel valued, supported and comfortable in finding their way around the office and their work area.

By the end of the first week the employee should be able to carry out their work and correctly use the range of resources and support that are available to them, with guidance and supervision.

The designated buddy plays a key role during the first week and they should be ready and able to offer advice, answer questions and steer the new starter whenever required.

During the first week the emphasis should be on helping the employee to become familiar with the operating systems that enable them to carry out their work and do their job.Sufficient time should be allocated to discuss progress, allow the employee to ask questions, check their work and ensure that they are correctly using resources and following procedures.

The line manager should meet with the employee at the end of the first week and discuss how they have settled into the job and deal with any queries or concerns they may have. He/she should also take feedback from anyone else who has been involved in the Induction Plan so far and adjust or extend the plan if necessary. Arrangements should also be made to meet any training needs that have been identified.

Once the employee is settled into their role and comfortable about carrying out their job, they can be gradually introduced to other information about the organization and the business.

This information might be complex and there may be a lot to take in. This part of the induction should be prioritized, covered bit by bit and in sufficient depth for the person to understand what the organization does, how it is done, and who the clients or customers are.

Information overload is a problem. The best approach is to plan and diarise short sessions during which different topics are covered with time in between for the employee to do their work.

During the first month, the line manager should maintain regular contact with the employee and with those who are involved in the Induction Programme. The Induction Plan should be reviewed and amended if required.

The employee's work should be monitored for quality and quantity and it should be made clear what is expected in terms of their performance. Feedback should be given to the employee about how they are doing, what they may need to improve upon and what is going well.

At all times the new starter should be encouraged to ask questions and seek help in any aspect of their work or to get to know more about the organization.

Line managers should be confident that all aspects of the Induction Programme have been covered and that people who are new to the organization or those new to a role have been given the best possible start.

One of the most common reasons for high turnover of staff and people leaving a job shortly after they started is because there is no planned induction and they are left to fend for themselves. Don't let this happen to your organization!

Here are 9 ways to do just that:

Have no team purpose

A team needs a common purpose so that the team members understand what the team is all about and know what they are there to achieve. It's easy to lose sight of what the team as a whole is working towards and the rationale for its existence. A team without a purpose can soon lose its sense of direction.

Share no goals

A team is a collection of individuals who work together to achieve a common purpose. In order to move together towards a desired outcome or result, the team needs to develop clear goals and objectives that they all share, understand and are committed to achieving. Team members who work in isolation of each other with only their own agenda in mind dilute the energy and capability of the team.

Have no clear roles and responsibilities

Even when the team's purpose is clear, people in the team still need to know exactly what their role is and what they are expected to contribute in order to achieve the team's goals. Muddled job roles, blurred lines of accountability and responsibility and confusion about what is expected from individual team members will waste effort and risk goals not being met.

Pay no heed to individual development

The individual contribution that team members make is vital to the overall success of the team. Each member must be supported in their learning and development so that they can develop the knowledge, skills and behavior that is relevant to their role within the team. Neglecting the individual development of team members will put the team at risk of failing to achieve its goals and create weak links.

Have no co-operation

Teams that don't co-operate can't operate! Managers must work with their teams to foster good relationships between members, to promote mutual support and to create an atmosphere of willing assistance. A team that pulls together, stays together.

Have no trust or openness

Trust is the cornerstone of teamwork. Team members should feel safe amongst their colleagues, be able to express their views honestly and openly and not live in fear of being betrayed or let down by others. When people in the team protect their own backs and look after themselves the team suffers. Managers have a responsibility to create a safe environment in which people feel okay about making mistakes, asking for help or feeling out of their depth.

Allow no freedom to act

For teams to perform above and beyond expectations they need autonomy and freedom to act. Managers should aim to give teams the maximum amount of responsibility to carry out their activities, to make their own decisions and to focus on self management and self direction. When the team takes ownership of its performance it takes pride in the output and quality of its work.

Give no feedback

One of the key things that motivates people is feedback about their performance. We all need to know “how am I doing?” Individuals within the team and the team as a whole need regular, constructive feedback about their performance. Recognition for great performance, praise, guidance when things could be done better, attention to gaps in performance are essential for the team to feel valued and to continuously improve.

Discourage innovation or creativity

Teams are dynamic and they pass through stages in their development, changing as members come and go, adapting to changes in the task or when new goals are set. Teams need to be able to think on their feet in a crisis, explore new ways of doing things, pool their ideas and stretch their imagination. Any team can soon become stale and listless without a conscious effort to exercise their creative muscles.

So there we have it - 9 things that can topple any team! How does your organization compare? Are your teams about to fall down?

Take a walk around your organization, talk to managers, talk to employees, ask them how they feel about the team that they belong to. Ask if they feel that they have a common purpose, shared goals, clear roles, trust and all of the other things that add up to building an effective team.

More importantly, find out if your managers have what it takes to build their teams and take them to the next level.