Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Way We Manage is Changing – Are You?

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

management-training-1[2].jpgI’m old enough to remember working in the 1960s. (Yes – I’m that old.) Back in those days, you didn’t question authority. When management told you to jump – the only question you were allowed to ask was how high. Social Psychologist Douglas McGregor branded that style of management as Theory X. Management believed that people were inherently lazy and needed to be bullied or brow-beaten into performing their work. Unfortunately, there are still managers out there who use that style in an attempt to motivate their workforce. Times have certainly changed. What you need to decide now is – will the management style that got you here – be the same style that will get you to where you need to go? Would you work for you?

There’s been a dramatic shift in people’s attitudes towards work. Worker’s wants and needs have changed. For the newest generation, life outside of work – is just as important as life at work. Today’s managers and business leaders must manage differently to keep pace with that change if they want an engaged and productive workforce. Productivity is still the name of the game and that equation will never change. Management’s role is to minimize input and maximize output. Unfortunately downsizing, another word for layoffs and thin margins have put added pressure on managers to hold the line on the expense side of the ledger while still growing the profit side. In order to accomplish both managers must switch from being task-focused to people-focused.

Daniel Goleman, in his groundbreaking book – Working with Emotional Intelligence, said it best. “We are being judged by a new yardstick: not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle our selves and each other”. If you can’t make an emotional connection with the people you work with and interact with, you stand little chance of managing or leading. The good news is that managers and leaders aren’t born – they’re made. You can learn how to communicate and interact more successfully, build collaborative teams, problem solve, negotiate win-wins and motivate others to perform at their personal best. It just depends on how willing you are to change. Trust me – If you don’t, you’ll go the way of the dodo bird and dinosaurs.

Copyright (c) 2019. Brian Smith-PLD. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com

Are You Ready For Generation Z ?

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Dealing with Difficult People, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Uncategorized

Are you ready for Generation Z? If you thought managing and leading Millennials was a challenge – Generation Z is a whole different ball game. Gen Z, born between 1995 and 2005, are the first truly wired generation who adopt quickly to new technologies. The leading edge of this generation are just entering the workforce. According to the most recent stats they now make up 40% of the working and consumer population. Chances are they are already working for you. The data suggests they will soon out number millennials. Are you ready?

The good news is that people are just people. Everyone wants to feel that they are valued and are treated with respect. They want to be included – not excluded – on matters that will impact them personally or professionally. They want to know that they have been heard and that their contributions to team success is not only encouraged but are appreciated. They want management to take a vested interest in their development by equipping them with the skills set they’ll need to take advantage of any opportunites for advancement.

No one likes to be micro managed. You need to inject some autonomy and allow them do their thing their way as long as it accomplishes the task on time and on budget. Timely face to face communication is important. They need to know how they are doing – good or bad. For the first time in our lifetime we have the potential of working with 4 different generations in the same workplace. Each generation communicates and interacts differently. Each generation is motivated by different wants. Each generation manages and likes to be managed differently. However, when you get right down to it the common denominator is that people are just people. Treat them accordingly and the challenges managing and leading each generation won’t matter.

Copyright (c) 2019. Brian Smith, Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To find out more about Brian and how he can help you and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com

Soft Skills are Today’s Essential Skills

brian smith-pld, Dealing with Difficult People, Leadership Development, Management, Personal Development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Uncategorized

Daniel Goleman, in his ground breaking book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” said it best: “We are being judged by a new yardstick: not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other”. If you can’t communicate and interact effectively with others you stand little chance of being successful managing or leading in today’s workplace. Think of a job that you could do that doesn’t involve working with others. You’d be hard pressed to come up with one.

Results of a study conducted by the HayGroup, a leading authority on EQ (Emotional Intelligence) shows that for most jobs that involve working with others, EQ is twice as important as IQ plus technical skills. Sixty-seven percent of the competencies needed to manage and lead others effectively are emotionally based. You need the ability to make an emotional connection and demonstrate patience, open mindedness and empathy.

The good news, like most skills, EQ is a learned behaviour. You can learn how to communicate more effectively, build collaborative teams, problem solve, resolve conflict and motivate others to perform at their personal best. Some will learn quicker than others, but we all have the capacity to learn new things. It just depends on how willing you are to make the necessary changes. Trust me – your future depends upon it. Soft skills are today’s essential skills.

Copyright (c) 2019. Brian Smith-PLD. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit https://briansmithpld.com

Have You Ever Licked a 9volt Battery?

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

pexels-photo-67102.jpegHave you ever licked a 9-volt battery? (I’m not suggesting that you do – I’m just asking if you have). When adults do something that makes them feel good – that gets them excited – what are they more apt to do? If you licked a 9-volt battery and you liked that sensation – then more than likely you’d lick it again. I believe the key to motivating someone is to figure out what turns their crank – figure out what they are looking to get out of the deal. People do things for their own reason – not yours.  All you have to do is figure out what’s in it for them and use that to get them to do what you need to get done.

#Worth Remembering – It’s only when a person has their own generator that we can talk about motivation. They need no outside stimulation. – Frederick Herzberg 

What motivates you to do what you do? I believe everyone can be motivated. I’m certain of that. But not everyone is motivated by the same thing – or in the same way. Some people are motivated by money. Some people are motivated by a fancy job title or that premier parking spot. You need to create an environment where people will want to motivate themselves. Trust me – if you have the means to help them get what’s in it for them – then you have their attention. If you don’t – they won’t be motivated enough to try.

#Worth Remembering – Smith’s Motivation Equation: Personal Want + Goal-Directed Behaviour = What’s in for me. People will act in a way that will get them what they want. 

If you can’t find a way to motivate others, you can’t lead. Motivation is inside out – never outside in. Most people are self-serving and will only do something if they are going to get something out of the deal. Even someone who volunteers their time and energy is getting something from it or they wouldn’t keep volunteering. The next time you need to motivate someone to do what needs to be done – try the carrot, what’s in it for them, instead of using the stick approach. Trust me – it works every time. It’s like licking a 9-volt battery.

Copyright (c) 2018. Brian Smith-PLD. Not to be reproduced without permission. Brian’s available for keynote speeches or facilitating workshops on a variety of soft-skills topics.  To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit: https://briansmithpld.com