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Articles by Shona Garner
Five Common Mistakes Managers Can Make Which Kill Morale, Motivation And Engagement
Even in good times a manager needs to maintain engagement and minimise complacency. When business is slow, or there's lots of internal change and pressure, a manager needs to know how to respond and work with their team in such a way as to keep people on board.
Talent Management - What Every Manager Needs To Know About Talent Before They Manage It!
Some of the most exciting and robust research of the last three decades I believe has come from Gallup, who have made it their focus to study excellence in organisations; where it exists; how it manifests and what we can learn from it. After years of research and study into peak performance some interesting ideas have emerged which perhaps challenge some of our perceptions and beliefs about human talent and ability.
Creating Positive Corporate Culture Change – Why The Manager’s Role Is So Critical
High performing companies do believe in agreeing values and behaviours; there’s often much time spent deliberating and agreeing what those standards are going to be; and even much time and energy into finding ways of communicating this across the whole organisation – which is great. You’re defining your corporate culture.
Emotional Intelligence And Leadership – Part Two
We all do it sometimes: when we are under pressure we can often feel frustrated, upset, annoyed or some other such negative emotion. As a result, we may say or do things in a way which have a negative impact on others.
People Skills Training For Managers - Can You Afford Not To?
As a coach, I know it's more about asking the right questions, to help you come up with better answers! So ask yourself what you can do to support your managers in the next 3 months and see what you come up with!
Why Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence Will Increase Your Success As A Manager
Getting the best out of people does not require the logic and reasoning of IQ. Getting the best out of people requires another form of intelligence entirely – what psychologists call EQ or emotional intelligence – and we all know emotions are generally anything but logical or rational!
How To Manage Change Effectively
A recent CIPD/ACAS report in June this year simply reinforced what I am finding in my own practice. As we find ourselves in the rather quiet period over the summer break, I'd like to share some of their findings because this is I think, quite a good time to reflect on and plan your strategy for the final quarter of 2009. You're busy, so for ease, I'll bullet some of the main points from the report which particularly struck a chord with me.
How Managers Can Reduce Gossip, Politics, Blame And Moaning In Their Team
Do you ever think if your staff put even half the same energy into more productive and focused discussion and behaviour you'd be getting a darned sight better results?
How To Select The Right Person For The Role 5 Top Tips For New Managers
From your perspective as a manager, at best, this can cause tensions and lack of focus within the team and is almost certainly going to negatively impact overall performance - at worst, it can swallow up some of your already precious time, trying to sort out or find ways round the issue.
How Honing Four Critical Skills Can Make You A "Great" Manager"
Your skills, knowledge, experience and talent have likely played a large part in helping you carve out your path up the promotion ladder, and you may well have your eyes on the higher rungs too.
Can A Manager Create A Motivated, Conflict-free Team?
I find managers often talk of feeling frustrated or uncertain about how to deal with conflict or apathy and underperfomance on their team. As a coach, it saddens me that, quite frequently, I'm brought in to coach someone where tension, conflict and disengagement have already reached quite serious levels, and are negatively impacting individual or wider team performance.
How To Maintain Motivation Through Unsettling Change
As a manager you need to get good at motivating others - but never more so than when your staff might be worrying about their jobs, about restructuring or other major changes to their work.
What To Do When In-Fighting And Underlying Tensions Threaten The Stability And Performance Of Your T
I hear managers raise this issue time and time again; what begins as an underlying tension between two or more of your team members, with covert "sniper" tactics, strained atmospheres, gossip mongering and occasional snide comments is turning into more open hostilities.
How To Successfully Manage A Difficult Or "Bully" Boss
In the last article I wrote, entitled "How to Successfully Manage your Boss", I gave four simple rules to help you build a good relationship with someone who could prove to be critical to both your job satisfaction, and your career prospects.
How To Successfully Manage Your Boss (And Increase Your Chances Of Promotion)
Two critical skills which the highest performing managers have in spades are the ability to influence and persuade. The most obvious targets for your powers of persuasion are your team, and sometimes your peers in different departments;
The 3 Secrets To Motivating Your Team
Shona Garner reveals 3 simple, but vital actions you need to take if you're to improve the teamwork and motivation of your employees.
Why The World's Highest Performing Managers Talk Less And Listen More.
Shona Garner explains why, before you get on your soap box in your next meeting, or your next conversation with an employee, you should take some tips from the world's most successful managers, and you'll not only get better performance from your team, you'll make your own life easier in the process!
Are We Undervaluing Management Skills?
There is much emphasis these days on leadership skills. Almost every organisation talks of the need to develop these; and almost every manager or aspiring manager is encouraged to develop them. But in the race to invest often huge sums of money and time into leadership development programmes, have we forgotten
Four Secrets To Pain-Free Performance Reviews
Most of us, managers and staff alike, appreciate the value of monitoring peformance and encouraging development. However, sometimes, the whole appraisal process can become just another hoop to jump through, with laborious form filling, and a sense of "fait accompli" to the whole procedure.
Managing Under Performance Of Bad Attitude: How To Avoid The First Five Traps Managers Can Fall Into
Shona Garner reveals the reasons why the first action you should take when you are facing an underperformance issue is to examine your own approach to performance management. Learn the 5 mistakes every manager should avoid if they want to turn round a disengaged individual or team.