The best managers must both build a cohesive team AND motivate the individuals on the team.  If the manager supports people and their daily progress in meaningful ways, it improves not only the work lives of the individuals, but enhances the long-term performance of the department and company.

Often, departments within the same company will have a competitive relationship with one or more other departments within that company.  In the end, this can actually negatively impact a department in multiple ways.  In this episode we discuss some of the benefits to a manager of encouraging cooperation with other departments in their firm.

Setting goals is a critical part of being a successful manager.  By setting goals for both their department as well as individual staff members, the manager ensures that the department meets or exceeds its corporate objectives.  There are two types of goals successful managers set for staff –Productivity goals – that is, meeting the relevant production or service objectives set for the department and personal development goals – that is, goals for improving the skills and abilities of individual team members.  We’ll cover setting developmental goals in this episode.

Setting goals is a critical part of being a successful manager.  By setting goals for both their department as well as individual staff members, the manager ensures that the department meets or exceeds its corporate objectives.  There are two types of goals successful managers set for staff –Productivity goals – that is, meeting the relevant production or service objectives set for the department and Personal Development goals – that is goals for improving the skills and abilities of individual team members.  We will cover setting productivity goals in this episode.

This week on Management Mastery, we interview a guest: Jake Kilrain a former senior sales executive who talks with Fred and Rick about his experiences when he first became a manager.  He relates his experience of going from being a member of a department to being its head, and some of the problems related to going from being a peer to being the boss.

The ability to successfully delegate is critical to the success of any manager. Nevertheless, errors in delegating can lead to results that sometimes can be worse than not delegating at all. We’ll cover some of the more common mistakes and how to avoid making them in this episode.

Leaders often experience feelings of isolation at greater levels than other employees.  They have fewer peers, lots of scrutiny, a good deal of pressure, make decisions sometimes without much data, and have information that must be kept confidential.  In addition, they have to watch for feelings of isolation among their staffs.  In this episode we’ll discuss some of the challenges leaders face regarding feelings of isolation and how to address them.

No manager likes to hear bad news.  But a good manager knows how important it is that their staff feel comfortable enough to give their manager bad news when it is important.  In this episode, we’ll talk about how to develop the level of trust needed to ensure your staff will tell you what you need to hear.

Asking yourself “Am I delegating the right amount?” is an important question for you as well as the members of your staff.  Delegating is entrusting a task to another person. Here we’re referring to an assignment given that is beyond one’s normal job description. This might be adding additional duties or handling a unique or special project. A key aspect of delegating is granting autonomy and trust to staff members who are looking to developing skills and want an opportunity to grow in their careers.  

In this episode we’ll look at the value delegating has for the manager and staff member and what the manager must remember if delegating is to be successful.

We have discussed in previous episodes the importance of content and presentation in being an effective communicator.  In effective communication, how much you say – that is the quantity of your communication and when you say it – that is the timing of your communication – can, at times, be as, if not more important than the content of what you are trying to communicate.