Monday, October 6, 2008

Tips to Effective Mangement - Tip Four

Know Your People

Assessments: Building and managing a team is an ongoing process and ideally it begins with the hire. But let’s assume that you have a team in place. It’s functioning OK but if you take a closer look you see that some are constantly busy and achieving, some are coasting and some just aren’t delivering. Before you take action, step back. When was the last time you did a thorough assessment on each individual of your team (including yourself)? There are a myriad of tools out there- Myers Briggs, DISC, Birkman, 360’s and many more. I strongly recommend you use them for you current team and for your hiring process. The second thing I recommend is that you use the information constructively and as the basis for an action plan. I see too many managers or leaders review these assessments and then do nothing. These assessments not only tell you about someone’s strengths, but they also detail – and fairly well, predisposition, values, behaviors and recommended actions. The second thing is that some of these assessments will allow you to map your team which allows you to see if you have a good mix of people and skills. Sometimes you have the right people doing the wrong job. Sometimes the person isn’t a good fit for the company. Sometimes they are well suited and looking for a strong career path. You owe it to the company, yourself, and your team to find out. One other thing, take the time to say hello and to take interest. Its recognition and it goes a long

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