Rex is Rex, Bill is Bill…and Both are Great Coaches:

There’s More than One Way to Successfully Lead a Football Team

I live in New York.  I am a die-hard Jets fan.  And yes, I love Rex Ryan.  I love his bluster.  I love the confidence he’s injected into the Jets franchise and its fan base.  I love the way he finds the right message to get his team keyed up every week.

I don’t love Bill Belicheck (hate might be strong, but it likely applies).  On more than one occasion, I’ve resisted the impulse to throw a half-full beer can through my television screen when I see his ugly mug front and center.  But unlike many fans and sports pundits who insist that one of these AFC Divisional head coaches has it right and the other has it wrong, my management analysis shows that both are very good football coaches who manage to squeeze a lot of performance from their respective teams even though they each do it in starkly different ways.

To suggest that there’s only one way to be a successful football coach (or manager of any work team) is ludicrous.  And, too often, head coaches (and managers) try to take on the personas of predecessors they admired, even if their predecessors’ natural style was quite distinct from their own.

The most critical components of success are:

1.      Knowing who you are:  Take a personality inventory, get personal feedback from friends, colleagues, direct reports, and/or superiors.  Don’t take on another’s persona…be who you are.

2.      Knowing whom you’re coaching/managing:  Take stock of the people on your team.  Who are they?  What are their skills and weaknesses?  What drives and motivates each one?

3.      Committing to a philosophy that factors in both:  You need underlying principles by which you shape your team policies.  These principles should evolve from your core values and take into consideration who’s on your team.

Rex’s predecessor in New York, Eric Mangini, now admits that when he became the Jets’ head coach, he tried to be someone he wasn’t (apparently, Bill Belicheck) – a coach who was stern, impersonal and cranky – and it wasn’t until that first head coaching job failed and he heard painful but useful feedback from his friends and family about what a different person he had become that he began softening his tone to fit his own style.  (The result?  Back-to-back 5-11 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, which resulted in his getting fired at the end of this season.  Ok, maybe he still has some fine-tuning and self-analysis to do.)

So just because you bleed Jets green, don’t be so quick to adopt Rex’s persona as you manage your work team.  Take a minute to figure out who you are, and whether, given that, Rex’s coaching behavior has any application to you.

About the Author

Sean O’Neil is Principal and CEO of One to One Leadership (www.one2oneleadership.com), a sales and management training firm with clients that include the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, News Corporation, First Data, ADP, Xerox, the Oakland Raiders and the New York Knicks.  Sean is the co-author of Bare Knuckle People Management:  Creating Success with the Team You Have – Winners, Losers, Misfits and All, which is due to be published in May of this year.  Sean has contributed to or been featured in, among others, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Selling Power Magazine and Incentive Magazine.

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There’s More than One Way to Successfully Lead a Football Team

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You know the scenario: you’re in the middle of sales negotiations when something goes terribly awry. The client is making demands and becomes very aggressive with you; you’re stressed and need to figure out how to meet the clients’ requirements while satisfying your own needs. You stare blankly at the client. Negotiations become tense and grind to a complete halt.

Knowing how to handle an aggressive client during sales negotiations is an art within the art of negotiation itself. Remaining calm and buying yourself time can help you remain in control of the negotiation, but you have to know what to do and exactly when to do it. Five tips to handle heated negotiations include:

1. Stay Calm, Cool and Quiet

When you feel like you’re backed into a corner during negotiations, stay calm and don’t say a word. You don’t want to blurt out something you might regret later. Take a deep breath and let the tension of the situation go; you’ll soon find yourself being objective and willing to listen without feeling defensive. Breathing deeply allows more oxygen into your system; you’ll find clarity within your thoughts and how you process information.

2. Take a Walk

Step out and cool down. A quick walk around the building can give the tension of the situation a chance to dissipate. Use this break to clear your thoughts and focus on how to come to an agreement with your client. Tempering the emotions of the negotiation can lead to closing the deal.

3. Delay, if Necessary

If a quick walk won’t be enough to rectify the stress of the negotiation, perhaps breaking for coffee, lunch, dinner or another longer delay is in order. Sometimes clients can be very stubborn; deferring the negotiation can provide a much-needed opportunity to clear your mind and start fresh.

4. Replay the Conversation

Think back to what was said during the negotiation. At what point did it take a hostile turn? Review the conversation and focus on the hot-button issues. Try to remain objective in your thoughts. Pinpointing pivotal moments in the conversation can help streamline your response and counteroffer.

5. Don’t Make Quick Decisions

In the heat of battle, the last thing you should do is make a quick decision. You never want to agree to anything while feeling angry, stressed or defensive; you’ll likely lose something important. Take the necessary time to figure out the next steps. Don’t worry that the client will bail on the deal – they’re hoping for a win and want to see if you’ll bend to their demands.

The goal during a negotiation is to make all parties happy. If you make rash decisions during a hostile debate, you’ll likely lose what you needed from the deal. When a client becomes aggressive with his needs, relax, take your time and focus on regaining control. A calculated response to an antagonistic situation can make or break the deal.

This guest article is by the University of Notre Dame which offers online negotiation training courses to improve negotiation skills. The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of University of Notre Dame and do not necessarily reflect those of Great Management.

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Five Tips to Properly Handle Heated Negotiations

Meetings

Love them or hate them (and you most likely hate them), the chances are that meetings take up most of your day as a team manager.

People book in meetings for everything from a quick catch-up to a day-long workshop, and it’s expected that, as a manager of people, you will attend and then cascade what has been discussed to your staff.

With the average manager spending about half of their time each day in meetings of one form or another, it can seem as if your working life is all about talking, and you are left with barely any time for actually achieving your objectives.

Although many managers try and block out their diaries in an attempt to dissuade people from booking time in needlessly, it can be almost impossible to deflect the constant barrage of bookings from people eager to conduct their business face-to-face.

According to research conducted by effectivemeetings.com, eleven million meetings take place in the United States, every day. Professionals who work in a corporate environment go along to over sixty meetings every month, and the research suggests that over half of this time spent in meetings is completely wasted. For every hour-long meeting which is held, over the course of a single month, employees can waste over thirty hours (that’s four full working days).

Bad meetings are not just a waste of time – they are actually counterproductive when it comes to keeping staff informed and motivated. A poor meeting can lead to attendees feeling frustrated, resentful of the time spent away from their regular activities, and wary of attending future bookings.

It’s a sad fact of corporate life that the majority of people in the work environment have never had the benefit of attending a truly effective meeting, which makes it harder to persuade your team and stakeholders that there can be any value in yours, when you book them.

Imagine if, just once, everyone who walked out of a meeting room after an hour of discussion felt that they had just been party to something supremely valuable? It may seem unlikely, but it is possible to achieve. The first rule for a great meeting is to make sure that there is actually something valid to discuss.

Many meetings are booked formulaically, meaning that when delegates arrive, there is actually very little to say. In addition, having an effective facilitator on board can make meetings run well, with items being ticked off swiftly, actions ascertained and allocated, and a genuine sense of productivity permeating the room.

Another rule of thumb for the effective use of meeting time is to make sure that everyone in the room actually needs to be there. Rather than inviting people out of a sense of duty, check that they will benefit, and have something to contribute, when you book the time in their diaries.

Finally, keep the meeting to a set agenda, which is circulated beforehand. Allocate things to do as they arise, have someone on hand to take minutes and then distribute them, and keep the meeting brief. If you follow these simple guidelines, you could stand to gain half of your time back for ‘real’ work, and your meetings will be looked forward to as something truly positive.

How do you manage meetings?

Please share your views in the comments below.

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Are You Handling Your Meetings Effectively?

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The seemingly mundane experiences that make up your everyday life can be transformed into skills that increase your value in the workplace. The same tasks can be transformed from daily bores to steps on your personal path to happiness. The best part is that you don’t have to dramatically increase your workload or pay for specialized training to make it all happen; all it takes is cultivation of a paradigm shift.

I’m talking about viewing every moment as an opportunity to gain experience. For example, imagine a young father of three who is employed as a driver for a rental car company. He picks up and drops off drivers of the rental cars for eight hours a day, five days a week. The man has a high school education and dreams for a yacht and a brand new BMW 7 Series, but no concrete plans for making it happen. During his daily drives, he could talk with his passengers about their businesses, gaining new insight and fresh ideas along the way. Simultaneously, he could be adding efficiency to his work by reducing left-hand turns and avoiding busy intersections. Conversely, the man could turn up his favorite “Top 40” radio station to drown out thoughts about how he should be getting paid more.

If the driver chooses the first option, he will have more and better choices than if he does the second, though the latter may seem more comfortable. One outcome of the first, mindful choice might be to open a business of his own with help from the contacts he met while driving. Alternatively, the man could ask for a raise or earn a promotion because of his increased driving efficiency and his habit of being a good listener.

This same man can gain management experience at his home life, and his family will probably be better off for it. For example, let’s assume that his children have birthday parties. The man can put on parties for his kids that require directing half of the prepubescent guests to one game and the rest to another. He could even practice delegating by teaching one of his older children to run one of the games for a younger child’s party. This type of experience may be unconventional to bring up as part of a resume or advancement opportunity, but it is valuable experience nonetheless.

Furthermore, the driver can enroll in an almost unlimited number of classes to work toward a degree from an online school. Spending just a few hours a day studying and listening to lectures requires more effort than watching television, but the rewards of an online education will provide both knowledge and credibility for his future.

As you go about your own life, I challenge you to recognize its happenings as opportunities to become a better person. Of course, defining “better” will have to be up to you. However, many of the things that would make you a better employee or entrepreneur will also make you happier and more effective on your down time.

One of the key aspects of making this paradigm shift work for you is confidence. To go back to our young father example, it might be true that some people don’t understand how a person can gain efficiency skills by driving around town all day every day or by putting on children’s parties. However, if that dad can take ownership of his upward spiral, he will show his capability in action better than a certificate or letter of recommendation ever could.

Realize that changing how you think about the world can change your place in it. When you take time to be conscious of your own actions and the learning opportunities laid at your feet (or on your computer desktop), your mind will become the best possible tool for finding wealth and happiness.

Rebecca Palmer is a staff writer for NorthOrion.com, a brand new site chock full of information on the training and qualification needed for success in dozens of occupations. Rebecca graduated for Weber State University in Ogden, Utah with a bachelor’s degree in communication and has worked as a professional writer for more than five years. With questions, contact her at rpalmer (at) toptenreviews.com.

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Gain Experience Through Everyday Life

How can we get everything done within short timescales?

How do we support our teams to deliver effectively, when it seems that everything which we need to get done should have been submitted yesterday?

Managing time is a hugely challenging skill, and yet with a few simple steps it’s possible to get on top of it once and for all, streamlining the management process and freeing up space to focus on what needs to get done.

In my experience, there are three types of manager.

There is the kind of person who writes endless “Things to Do” lists, in the hope that they will somehow manage to keep on top of everything by writing it all down, and this will support them to succeed in delivering all their objectives within the required deadline.

There is the haphazard manager, who delegates random tasks to their team as they arise, in a bid to manage each task which comes in to their department.

Finally, there is the organized manager, who keeps ahead of the Things to Do list through careful delegation and a systematic approach to time management.

In essence, effective time management does come down to the princely art of delegation.

If we acknowledge that no single person has either the resource or capacity to undertake the challenges allocated to an entire team, it’s evident that the art of delegating will feature quite heavily in the list of skills needed for the effective completion of everyday tasks. Knowing how, and who, to delegate tasks to is an invaluable skill, and supports the busy manager to reduce a heavy workload without compromising on the quality of delivery.

However, there are also a number of key skills associated with great time management which can reduce pressure and streamline the management process, as follows:

Stay on top of new requests

When any manager gets a new request for a task to be completed through their team, the temptation is to drop everything and focus upon getting it done. However, this can be disastrous for your existing (or Business As Usual) work. A better way to handle it is to develop a form of queuing system, where new requests are logged and come to in order, so that all your customers and stakeholders are dealt with in a fair way.

Manage expectations

While it’s great to imagine that we will get everything done straight away, this is rarely possible for a busy team. By contacting your customers and being honest about your workload, you can give them a realistic date for completion of work, which doesn’t leave them champing at the bit wondering whether you have forgotten about them as their deadline looms.

Explain why it will take you so many days to complete a task, and keep communications lines open so that they can contact you or your team and check on progress.

Change your working pattern

So many people realise the benefit of changing their working hours in order to get more done. By going in to the office two hours earlier (even if you leave two hours earlier at the end of the day), it could be possible to buy yourself an extra four hours worth of ‘doing’ time.

This is because normal offices operate on a 9-5 shift, and you can gain dividends from getting in early and reaping the benefits of an undisturbed quote of time before the phone and e-mails start up.

Use innovation rather than effort

Rather than working harder, try identifying ways that you can streamline processes and automate tasks to get more done, faster. A bit of creative thinking and innovation can go a long way when it comes to buying yourself time.

What can be enhanced?

What processes could be dispensed with, or implemented, to save effort and make time?

Thinking about things in this light could pave the way to a more streamlined way of working.

Make a compelling case for more resource

If you are really struggling to cope with a heavy workload, it may be time to petition for more support, whether this comes from outsourcing, more staff, or getting a temp in to help out for a while. It is never worth pushing yourself beyond your natural limits, so make a compelling business case for your department as to why you need more help, and what this help will bring in terms of benefit to the company.

How do you find time to do everything?

Please share your views in the comments below.

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Manager Skills: Time Management For Busy Managers

President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new,

Job Interview “Secret”

There are thank you notes that cover basic etiquette, the kind that will get you by. “Thank you for meeting me to discuss the administrative assistant position at your company. I enjoyed speaking with you. Sincerely . . . ”

And then there are thank you letters that go the extra mile, the kind that not only express appreciation but also engage the interest of the hiring manager. You‘ll want to write one of those if you hope to be remembered, called back for a second interview, and considered a person of character and thoughtfulness.

Take Note On The Thank You Note…

Such letters are written in the job candidate‘s own handwriting, not typed, and not sent as an e-mail attachment. Take the time to sit down and write a professional yet friendly thank you note that expresses your gratitude and also includes a small but timely ‘informational gift.‘

Such a gift is not a coffee card or clothing store certificate. An informational gift could be an article, a tip, a web site, or a contact name and phone number that relates to something you and the interviewer discussed. That might be golf or jazz or quilting or some other shared interest. One job candidate noticed the interviewer‘s passion for impressionist art. In his thank you note he provided a link to an article about Cezanne masterpieces.

It takes so little to be above average. You can move to the top of the hiring manager‘s list of job candidates with a thoughtful post interview thank you letter that goes the extra mile.

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new “Secret Career Document” job landing system.

Visit our friends at Job Interview “Secret” and discover Jimmy Sweeney’s breakthrough strategy that will have you standing out from the competition like a Harvard graduate at a local job fair… DURING your next job interview.

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Go the ‘Extra Mile’ With a Post Job Interview Thank You!

President of CareerJimmy and Author of the new

Amazing Cover Letter Creator

Have you ever read a letter, article, or book that annoys you because of its high-falutin‘ wording and pretentious tone?

The writer seems to think he or she is superior to the reader.

This can occur in a cover letter too. Some job seekers, eager to make a good impression, create a buffet of fancy words, hoping it will appeal to the hiring manager. However, just the opposite occurs. Such writing is not only inappropriate, it‘s ineffective.

Write An Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter

Think about a conversation you‘ve had with a good friend over coffee––easy, friendly, and stress-free. You can strike a similar tone in the cover letters you write. Choose familiar words that anyone can recognize and understand. Basically, you‘re communicating your interest in the company they represent and the job they want to fill. State your qualifications and refer to your attached resume for more information. Then assure them that you are enthusiastic about joining the organization and contributing your knowledge and skills to the company‘s success. Close with a request for an in-person interview where you can talk further about what the hiring managers are looking for.

Try this: Thank you for posting your need for an assistant administrator. I have five years of experience in this line of work and would really appreciate the chance to speak with you in person about how I can contribute my skills to your new company.

Not this: I would be duly honored to present myself and my award-winning skills to the attention of your senior administrator with the sincere hope that I would be highly considered for the position of assistant administrator to which you refer in your recent job posting . . .

Be Yourself!

Write as you speak, share your personality, and ask for a job interview.

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letters Creator. Jimmy is also the author of several career-related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Job Search Secrets.”

Visit Amazing Cover Letters Creator and in just 3½ minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!

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Post from: manager skills

Cover Letter Tip: Avoid “Pretentious” Writing

Attending meetings.

Doing all your business as usual activities.

Relationship management, ad hoc requests, and dealing with unexpected issues.

Any team manager has a wealth of activities to undertake every day, that can make the simple task of actually doing your ‘real’ defined job seem almost impossible.

When we sit down each year and develop our list of objectives for the next twelve months, it’s rare for these peripheral activities to be even mentioned, let alone set out as criteria which your progress can be measured against.

Have you ever sat down in an appraisal, and commented on the fact that you attended every team meeting which you needed to go to?

Or stated with pride that you got back to every single customer who contacted you within two hours of their initial query?

No?

It’s a sad fact that these niggling tasks take up most of our day, and yet as team managers we will never gain recognition for doing them to a great standard.

The main point is that every team manager is expected to undertake a series of jobs every day which are taken for granted. These include looking after your team, looking after stakeholders and ensuring the smooth running of all the processes which make up your day to day responsibilities.

Each role has a set of objectives attached to it, and yours will be based upon the specific requirements of your job title.

Unfortunately, it’s only the big objectives which will get you noticed – the projects which stand out as being tough to have delivered, or gain wide attention for improving and enhancing an element of the company which you have responsibility for.

Getting these large milestones landed can seem impossible at times, however, and it takes a savvy manager to juggle the everyday ‘bread and butter’ tasks well enough to free up resource for landing the big, visible achievements.

One of the tricks which you can use, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with your business as usual activities, is to break up your day in to sections.

Let’s say, for example, you work an average eight hour day. You could draw up a structure which compartmentalizes each activity, listing your tasks and how long should be allocated to each. Consider all of the peripheral tasks which you undertake almost without thinking, including:

• Responding to e-mails

• Team meetings

• Writing up outputs

• One to ones with your team

• Relationship management

• Doing your BAU job

• Administration

When you’ve allocated a time for each, you can free up space for the killer activities that will get you noticed and promoted, such as introducing new ideas, streamlining processes or delivering a new solution to an existing issue.

The administrative and pastoral activities should take no more than twenty percent of your every day role, and your everyday objectives should formulate approximately another fifty percent of your time. After this, you have at least one hour each day to implement the outstanding solutions and deliveries which will get you noticed.

It may sound obvious, but splitting your day keeps you focused, supports you to establish your priorities, and goes a long way to getting a successful and strategic task management schedule in place to keep you on track for getting the recognition which you deserve.

How do you deal with all the activities needed to be a great manager?

Please share your views in the comments below.

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Task Management For Busy Managers

While the format and structure of appraisals differ greatly, all performance reviews are designed for the same purposes:

• To discuss the overall output of your team members and progress they have made

• Identify any potential issues, and establish a plan for mitigating them

• Discussing how your team feel about their role, your management, and the overall daily tasks which they undertake

• To establish a benchmark against the objectives which were set at the last review and develop a new set of activities in line with career progression

• To discuss opportunities for career advancement, and identify any development or learning opportunities.

As long as all of these elements are covered the chances are you will be compliant when it comes to submitting your appraisal for each member of your team, and obtaining sign off for them.

However, many managers struggle with the actual format of the meeting, unsure as to the best way to conduct the appraisal, and what to do in the event that a member of staff is not performing to the standard you would expect.

I know of a manager who takes each of his team members to the pub on a Friday afternoon, armed with a sheaf of paper and notes, and discusses the overall performance with the assistance of copious amounts of beer. While this unorthodox approach may not fit the profile of most companies, it does serve to lubricate the discussion and facilitate an open and honest approach.

Other managers choose to document the process as formally as possible, which can be an ideal approach if there are any potential issues which may crop up in the course of the review.

The following tips are designed to support you to make the most of your appraisal process with your team, using the time to optimise the performance of each member and enable open and honest discussions on performance.

• Listen, as well as talk. Most members of staff are delighted to have a formal opportunity to discuss any issues, grievances or ideas with their manager, and the appraisal offers an ideal platform for this

• Make sure you book enough time out to enable a thorough coverage of all aspects of the performance process, so that you don’t feel rushed or stressed for time

• Be prepared. Take a copy of the last review to benchmark against, and ensure that you have a full understanding of the member of staff’s performance

• Don’t allow other meetings to invade your appraisal time. It’s unfair to reschedule appraisals, no matter how close you are to your team, or how busy you may be

• Ask for each team member to prepare a list of what they have achieved, consider anything they would like to raise before the meeting, and any feedback they may have about your own performance as manager.

Once the meeting is over, take time out to write up the results as soon as possible in order that you capture everything which took place, and provide a sound framework for your team’s subsequent activities.

How do you deal with completing appraisals?

Please share your views in hte comments below.

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The Managers Guide To Doing Killer Appraisals

Traditionally, the thought of team building brings to mind ideas of building rafts, clearing cemeteries or picking up litter in the local park.

While most of these activities are perfectly reasonable, it’s sometimes difficult to see how taking valuable time out from the office can support your team to work more effectively together in the business environment.

Team building is there for a reason, however difficult it may be at times to appreciate that. People who spend all of their time within work without socializing tend to miss out on the finer nuances of personality traits and personal triggers which make the team tick as a unit, and pulling your team out of the business environment for a day can work wonders when it comes to developing strong relationships between peers. That said, many activities can be difficult to sell to your team, especially when things are busy and deadlines are tight.

Most teams are made up of a number of disparate personality types, and it’s nearly impossible to settle upon an activity which meets the needs of each individual within the team, and is met with universal enthusiasm. That said, your role as a manager is to gain buy-in for activities which may at first glance seem peripheral to your overall objectives, regardless of the reception which your planned day may initially receive.

How to choose what to do with your team

Your choice of team building activity depends largely upon what your budget is, the role of your team and what you want to achieve. If it’s networking you are looking for, then it’s no good going out paint-balling or white water rafting.

Similarly, a team which need to be brought together will get little benefit from a competitive activity such as bowling or archery. Start by working out what your team most needs to thrive, and plot backwards from there to determine the best choice of activity.

Gaining buy-in for non-standard activities

When it comes to selling your idea to the team, it’s pretty straightforward. You can sell team building in terms of an incentive, rewarding them for work well done, or explain that you have some challenges ahead and all need to be able to pull together in order to meet the challenges head on.

The main thing to remember is to stay positive about the activity, and encourage your team to follow suit.

Make sure that any pressing business-as-usual (BAU) activities are dealt with, so people don’t feel as if they ought to be in the office and fail to give their full attention to the day.

Capitalizing on the day

Following the team building, it’s a good idea to concretize some of the lessons learned, even if that’s just recapping in a meeting to remember the benefits of spending time away from work together. The chances are, whether they realise it or not, your team will have grown closer and be more amenable to future activities when you plan them.

How have you got your team to bond together?

Please share your views in the comments below.

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How To Get Your Team To Bond