I was tasked with changing the culture in the branches of the Royal Trust Company in Canada from administrative to sales focused. The branches were divided into divisions and in each division I appointed a Divisional Sales Manager. Sales was positioned as ensuring customers were aware of what products and services could be provided. For […]
Triumph at 1 on 1’s
Managers who have frequent one-on-ones end up with more engaged, more productive, more successful, less likely to resign direct reports according to Gallup research. That is all the reason you need to look at having regular one-on-ones. If you have a small number of direct reports – up to 6, then have one-on-ones weekly. If […]
The Butterfly Effect
The butterfly effect has nothing to do with actual butterflies! The use of the butterfly stems from the way a diagram looked when data analyzing weather patterns was plotted. The work was done by Edward Norton Lorenz investigating Chaos Theory. He found that if original conditions of weather were different by a hundredth of a […]
KPI Sandbagging Avoidance
KPIs are widely used by companies. My experience with developing KPIs together with staff and the wide experience of Managers, Middle and Senior as well as individuals suggests that sandbagging is a major constraint to better results. What is sandbagging? Researching the origin resulted in confusion with two common factors generally agreed. The first was […]
Those Pesky KPI’s
Many managers struggle with approving KPI’s for their direct reports and, possibly ,for themselves. The challenge originates from the tension that is created by the “push me pull me” nature of the negotiation. And KPI’s have become a point of negotiation. To help make the development of KPI’s an easy task I start with their […]
10 Thoughts on Succession Planning
Thought 1: FORWARD LOOKING Succession planning in a company is a forward looking activity, not one that is triggered by the promotion or departure of an incumbent. Thought 2: READY A company’s organization is never static. Incumbents in various roles are subject to an upward, lateral or exit move. When a role becomes vacant or […]
10 Thoughts on Performance Measures
These thoughts are confined to performance measures of individuals and teams. Thought one: A performance measure is a tool. Thought two: Performance can be measured as an outcome, for example, the final score in a basketball game. Performance can also be measured as a data point on the journey to an outcome. When performance is […]
Five thoughts on managing your career
My oldest brother knew before he went to university what he wanted to do. He had been advised by a vocational guidance professional that he was an entrepreneur. It was suggested to him that he qualify as a Quantity Surveyor but that he should not practice one .Rather he should use what he had learned […]
Triumph at implementing change
In business change always means doing something different. For most people resistance to change is a real thing. You can judge this for yourself by considering how you feel if I insisted that you make the following changes: ◦ Wake up one hour earlier each day. ◦ Stop drinking coffee (or tea or your favourite […]
Decision Making for Middle Managers – part 3
This article introduces you to critical thinking that can be is used with great effect in decision-making. Critical thinking. The phrase has the word ‘critical’ in it. This could mean vitally important. Or it could mean being suspicious. In critical, thinking, it is about being suspicious of information, data, observations , assumptions that are used […]