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How to manage remote team members

One of the most common concerns for many managers is – can I trust my employees to be productive when working from home? And relatedly, “how do I know they are getting their work done”? This is a short piece we use to promote discussion in our new People Management Fundamentals workshop1. Communicate, communicate, communicateCommunication is by far the most important component of making remote work for everyone. And not just sharing work related goals, objectives and projects, but also on ...

Embracing Excellence

I'm sometimes accused of being a perfectionist. It's true that I like things done "right" and to a "high standard"; the best that it can be done. But I learnt a long time ago that the concept of perfectionism is a flawed one; it implies that there is one right way and is, in reality, unattainable and therefore, demotivating, stressful and unfun (yes, that is a word).Instead I like to embrace the concept of Excellence (capital letter deliberate). The following is from a handout we use o...

Find your strengths and use them

On our Authenticity workshops (training and facilitation skills), we use a strengths-based feedback model which invites participants to focus on what they did that worked during their practice sessions. It's remarkably challenging for some people to do. If they are anything like me, they find it much easier to run the list of things they didn't do well. We often have to firmly coach people through the process of identifying specific, evidence-based actions they took to deliver well. And it'...

Keep your learners alive, awake, alert and enthusiastic

A mentor of mine once told me that "all learning is state-dependent". Meaning, unless a learner is in the right "state" they are unlikely to engage in the learning process. So what is "state"? The dictionary says, "the condition of a person..." I think about useful states for learning as including - excited, interested, curious, relaxed, or intense. Not-so-useful states could be bored, tired, angry, or sad. So any time I am not getting the behaviour I want, the first and easi...

Facilitation rules!

As I was writing some feedback for a trainer we are certifying to deliver one of our workshops, the words I wrote felt very familiar. Those words were - take the time to facilitate more deeply; especially during the debriefs. I'm pretty sure it's been the suggestion I've given every trainer I've come across; including myself. By being a more facilitative trainer and recognising that there are huge benefits to inviting participants to expand on their initial responses, we help put them at source ...