How to Manage Highly Engaged Teams

How to Manage Highly Engaged Teams When working in a team environment, many managers reasonably assume that treating people differently is a bad thing, and showing favouritism, bias or nepotism is never going to help in those regards it certainly is. However some of the best managers I have come across are those who have been able to understand how individuals like to be managed, and what type of approach they respond to above others. The most successful managers I have seen in my career have been able to adapt their style to suit individuals within the team, whist managing the team as a whole to achieve a common goal. This is quite a balancing act, as people will require different approaches, the truth of the situation is that everyone has different personalities, and the more discussion that connects with each person the better. Acknowledging limitations while building on strengths: The key to being a successful manager is a combination of understanding those who work with you and understanding yourself. There is too much negative focus placed on people’s weaknesses or limitations, but it is nonetheless important to know what they are, and to acknowledge them. Some of the best leaders in history have not been well-rounded, and this does not mean you are any less of a leader, paradoxically it is more important to be very good at a few specific things, that suit your given area, than trying to be good at everything. There simply isn’t time to build a specialisation in everything, and those who try often risk lacking depth. Knowing your limitations will allow you to find and recognise in others the potential strengths that you may be lacking, and surrounding yourself with those skills not inherently found in yourself will give you a strong team. It is important to celebrate the strengths of the people who work for you and allow them to further build on those natural abilities. Don’t judge: It is easier said than done, but a fundamental part of developing individuals and making improvements is to remain open-minded about their behaviour or the causes behind certain actions. It is often easier to assume you have understood a person’s motivations based on past experience of their character, but in a work situation where you are encouraging them to make changes it is important that you give them a second chance in explaining their actions before you assume you know what has occurred, or you could lose them when they were actually on-board. If you are someone who normally reacts quickly to situations, it is especially important not to react at all. Time will allow you to consider other avenues, and you simply have to give people the belief that you will see them change. If you are usually the type of person who doesn’t openly react, you might have the opposite issue where a person may not realise the  seriousness of their actions and it is imperative to explain these at a time when things are going well (rather than at a time of conflict) and ensure they understand they must make the changes required. Define your management style Speaking broadly, I think most managers fall into four approximate categories. The key to successful  management  lies in a combination of good understanding both of yourself, and those who work for you: 1) The Authoritative Boss: Key Characteristics:  Strong  management  style, able to influence to a high level, managing through concern to achieve results. This manager is able to push their staff to new levels and they find their teams deliver best when they are managing them very closely and reporting to them frequently. Many managers in this category feel this is the only way to achieve consistent results, although they can push too far at times. They tend to be very good at delivering short-term results but in the long term can have complications building solid teams as they create very competitive environments. They are more often found in firms with classical heavy hierarchies, or sometimes within owner-managed businesses. This can be any kind of SME business (within asset  management     family offices, private equity funds, hedge funds, or small law firms). Structures where the majority of decisions are taken at higher levels with little team communication. The manager maintains the team through occasional praise, although this is not consistent and team members are left trying to please. Often such managers have been trained in this way and assume this is the right way to keep on going, and they do work well, especially in more transactional environments, where dealings are at a higher-volume, with shorter-term involvement. Typically team members are more junior, so for example, would probably be successful managing a team within a Transfer Agency environment due to their focus on urgency and results. 2) The Analytical Activator: Key Characteristics:  This is the  lead by example  management  style where the manager is leading the way in setting expectations and standards. Work is organised according to tasks, priorities and assigning these to team members, then overseeing them through to completion. These managers are typically well-organised, with good concepts of time and priority. Such managers are very good at overseeing complex projects where there are several different ongoing requirements that need to be juggled, but at times they can become very ‘hands-on’ and take on too much. This type of manager is well suited to a Programme or Project  Management  role, or a position that requires a strong operational component, such as Risk Compliance, where needs can be analysed first, and then delegated to appropriate team member(s). They keep their team  engaged  through effective allocation of tasks and the freedom to complete them. This style of  management  requires hiring team members who are highly- motivated and competent in their own roles, or the manager will be compromised. Activator managers often display inherent skills in understanding complex problems and are able to carve out suitable business frameworks from new understandings, they simplify complexity. This is therefore a very useful  management  style for areas of business that require in-depth understanding of the business. This is the type of manager who will have all bases covered, projects completed to schedule, and a team where each person has clearly defined roles. This is a very pragmatic and responsible manager, and I often see many managers of this ilk reach Chief Risk, COO or CEO positions as a result of their strengths. 3) The Visionary Leader: Key Characteristics:  This is the type of style which combines strong interpersonal skills with business relations, with a strong ability to inspire, motivate and energise teams. Although this  management  personality suits many people who reach the top of organisations, the more classic examples of this type lie outside of finance and make me think of Politicians, Activists, and your classic CEOs of FMCGs. They are normally those with a personality that is seen both inside and outside their business. They provide long-term direction and vision, both through common discussion with the team and through their own unique ability to understand the business, which is the reason they are often found steering firms large and small. In order to lead, people have to follow, and this  management  style is very effective in giving people the hope and vision to develop the organisation into a better place. Organisations lacking in direction hire visionary leaders to turn them around, as they pro vide the vision and the belief that can make things change. In order for this  management  style to work effectively, the leader must develop their employees, and they must appear credible. This is about both style and substance, and it is only in this combination that visionaries make successful leaders. Managers who have this style can come from any area of the business, but often people who have this style come from sales, relationship  management, or investment backgrounds, as these people often have the combination of business and interpersonal skills, with being good under pressure, that are required to be successful in a visible role like this. 4) The Friend and Mentor: Key Characteristics:  These managers are close to their staff. They approach their teams with a depth of understanding and a depth of feeling that brings their team towards them, given that they take the time to understand individuals within their teams, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Because of this understanding, people working for them respond to them very positively, as they have taken the time to establish how they like to be managed and this leads to honesty and trust. Employees are given clear career paths, and feel they know where they are going. As well as understanding individuals within the team, these managers appreciate the differences between them, and are keen to see harmony among their employees, creating a pleasant place to work. This style can also involve a lot of meetings, as individuals are typically invited to share their views, and consensus of approach is sought. This  management  style works best in environments where there isn’t a large amount of stress and where the manager will have the time to approach issues with the time they require to get the best out of their staff. While they are the best managers at giving personal help to their employees, this manager isn’t so effective if the employee is more task-oriented and not really interested in having a relationship with them. In order to avoid this, the  Friend and Mentor  manager needs to ensure that they hire staff with the same kind of approach, those who are looking for a friend as much as a boss. Conclusions: Im afraid I have to mix everything up again!  I think it’s instinctive to analyse yourself whilst reading the various personality styles and to assess yourself; which style is most similar to yours, your personality and character. That approach is probably the best you have found, the winning style most of the time. My guess is that while you probably felt akin to a particular style, you realised you were similar to a couple or more of them, and you didn’t fall neatly into any one of the boxes. No ‘right’ path to  management: I am not really a fan of putting people in boxes, and with  management  much like anything else, I don’t think it works.  There is no ultimate  management  route out there, no ‘right’ way that works above others. The best leaders use all styles, in the right combination and at the right times, to achieve the results that they need. While it is true that certain traits come through more in one person or another, it is very rare for effective managers to use one style exclusively. It’s all about balance, between you and your team, the workload, the hours and the energy you put into it. If one party feels they are pulling all the weight it ultimately doesn’t work. You could look to those last  techniques  to try and help you address that, as there is good in all of them. It could be that more direct  techniques  might help, or on the opposite hand, giving your team more flexibility might help your team to feel good, and help you to redress the balance. Why balance is important: Just because you are the manager and have the final responsibility it doesn’t mean you need to be working late every night, and just because your team members are doing well this isn’t the cue for you to disappear. At a fundamental level we are all just the same, with personal drivers and emotions, regardless of title or hierarchy. If one of us feels the balance is out it affects everything and everyone else. Imbalanced teams don’t work effectively although sometimes it isn’t clear why, because on the face of it everyone is pretty good. This is the reason that many organisations with heavy hierarchies lack fresh talent and innovation. Also, some organisations that lack clear reporting lines and decision-making powers don’t get anywhere fast. Finally, and I know someone  will  kill me for writing this, but I think it is important to have gender balance, if possible, in organisations. I just believe that on every level, organisations work better this way. Too much of one or t he other invariably leads to problems, and I think we all know what that imbalance can feel like. Reflect on the following : directing / telling , leading / following , mentor / friend , do-er / activator. I deliberately placed the words side by side, I think the human brain has a way of automatically zoning in on one, but the right response is good use of all of the above. I personally err more on the side of  directing  than  telling, but I know you need both at times, especially when you have deadlines and need to get things done. Be up for the challenge: There is no secret to good  management, it is challenging, and there are always new things you discover. I find that often much of the learning isn’t about others but actually about what they tell you about yourself, and sometimes they are the hardest things to follow. I believe it is a little more straightforward when managing a team with more transactional-based work, but the minute that complex business issues and client relationships get involved, it becomes more difficult. In order to manage well, it isn’t just about good ‘management’ skills but also human or people skills. I deliberately use the word ‘human’ because I think it is much closer to what I mean than ‘interpersonal’ skills. That word gets banded around a lot, and to me it has lost a little meaning…  There are no short-cuts. It is the same qualities that people look for in other people; honesty, hope, trust, and compassion, that create the kind of leaders that people want to follow. Management  is just another term for dealing with people, which requires you to understand your staff on a personal level, not as your employees, but as people that they are. Only then can you motivate, mentor and develop them into becoming the best that they can be, and that is the only sure route to building a strong organisation. Author: Rana Hein-Hartmann is Director EMEA of  Funds Partnership,  a specialist firm for mid-senior hires in Asset Management and Asset Servicing operating throughout Europe and Asia. RELATED:  Are You a  Manager  of Teams or a  Leader  of People?

Writing Career Objectives For Resume

Writing Career Objectives For ResumeThe best way to get a job these days is to build your own writing career objectives for resume. A resume is a reflection of your professional skills and objectives. Resume writing is a skill that can be developed over time. If you follow a few tips for writing career objectives for resume, then your resume will stand out above the rest.Career objectives for resume are part of your resume. It is imperative that your resume includes your writing career objectives for resume. It is not enough that you have an impressive educational background. You must also show how you can contribute to the company. Here are some useful tips for writing career objectives for resume.You must make sure that your writing career objectives for resume are personal and unique. Your goals, objectives and experience must be a reflection of you as a person. Use real examples. Avoid faking experiences and goals. Make sure you write about yourself as you really are. Your first impressions should come from your resume.Another important tip for writing career objectives for resume is to be precise. Don't just list the information you want, make sure you list it in order. When writing about objective, don't just list the information you want, make sure you list it in order.Most of the successful writers will list their strengths and weaknesses along with the areas in which they have had experience. The first page of your resume is the first impression. You must make sure that it is what you want it to be. Your resume needs to be short but sweet.When you are writing career objectives for resume, don't be shy to include any experiences that you want to include. List all of your achievements as you can. Make sure you do this. By doing this, your writing career objectives for resume will stand out.Make sure you list your job history, interests and hobbies. This is all part of how you can be of use to the company. Your writing career objectives for resume will re flect your personality. Be honest, show how you can be of service to the company and reflect your positive attitude.In conclusion, when you are writing career objectives for resume, always take care in listing your achievements. Show how you can be of use to the company. Your writing career objectives for resume will stand out above the rest.

How to Ensure Product Safety and Avoid Recalls - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Ensure Product Safety and Avoid Recalls - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career With a growing focus on consumer safety, manufacturers from nearly every industry and all parts of the globe are working to ensure the efficacy of their products. Failure to develop products that are safe and user-friendly could result in monetary fines, loss of contracts and even mass recalls. In fact, an all-time high of 51 million vehicles were recalled in 2015 alone. The automotive industry isnt the only one to suffer from widespread product recalls. According to a recent study by a Swiss research firm, worldwide food recalls have effectively doubled since 2002. Given trends like this, efforts to ensure product safety and avoid recalls definitely need improvement. Monitoring Standards and Regulations Standards and regulations that define product safety are constantly changing, evolving and adapting to new societal trends, needs and demands. In fact, OSHA maintains an online database that provides information and resources regarding new and existing regulations throughout dozens of industries. OSHA is one of the most prolific and well-known safety agencies, but theyre not the only one. Depending on your specific industry, you may be subject to laws, rules or regulations from any number of other agencies. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, recently won a $15.45 million civil case against multiple appliance manufacturers in China as well as the United States. With that in mind, entrepreneurs and business owners must pay attention to existing and new regulations alike. By staying on top of these changes, and by attaining new certifications as necessary, youll be better poised to avoid future recalls or penalties. Pursuing Testing and Certification While institutions like OSHA and the CPSC can provide information, resources and, in some cases, actual safety testing and certification, some processes require third-party interaction, inspection and analysis. Some companies, like National Technical Systems, offer an array of product testing services throughout several different industries. Their tests, which focus on different standards and regulations, can ensure compliance with safety organizations from all corners of the globe. Specific products that can be tested by NTS include industrial machinery, lighting components and power supplies, audio and video hardware, household and commercial appliances, laboratory equipment and more. Bolstering Your Supply Chain Certain companies have even reduced their own product recalls by bolstering their strategies in supply chain management. Increased transparency throughout the entire chain can identify errors quicker and more efficiently while simultaneously improving communications with the general public in the event that a recall does occur. With todays emphasis on mobile communications, its also important to facilitate mobile accessibility between sales representatives, compliance officers, distributors and customers. Supply chain and e-commerce apps can be coded to work across multiple platforms, including hardwired and mobile devices, which offers on-the-fly access and real-time monitoring. Establishing a Compliance Team If necessary, consider establishing a designated team of compliance specialists. It doesnt matter if these are third-party consultants or in-house experts. Instead, focus on securing reputable compliance specialists that have experience in your exact line of business and industry. While this will require you to allocate additional resources to the new team, the costs of avoiding product recalls and improving safety might be worth it in the long run. However, its important to understand that the establishment of such a team is no straightforward task. A compliance team must avoid or overcome many challenges, including overly complex business models, conflicting viewpoints, stringent industry regulations and more. Keeping Your Competitors Close Theres an old adage that tells us to keep our friends close, but our enemies closer. This same saying can be applied to the world of manufacturing: By paying attention to your competition, youll be able to identify new safety requirements as soon as they emerge. Moreover, you may even be able to learn from the mistakes of your competitors and avoid future recalls of your own. Bucking the Trends Although product recalls are still common and even increasing in some industries, others have seen significant improvement. According to the CPSC, the overall number of toy recalls has experienced a sharp decline since 2008. The total number of toy recalls involving lead-containing products have been nearly eliminated. In some cases, a high number of recalls can actually prompt change on its own. According to the American Marketing Association, the number of automobile recalls between 1995 and 2011 eventually resulted in fewer accidents. Statistics like this show that there is a bright side after all. Maintaining Product Safety Into the Future As a manufacturer, product safety should be your top priority. There are few better ways to drive away a solid customer base than by releasing defunct or hazardous products. In some cases, the results can be downright deadly. By sticking to the tips outlined above, and by taking a proactive stance toward manufacturing and consumer safety, youll be able to maintain the safety of your products and avoid mass recalls in the future.

7 Inspirational Instagram Accounts to Follow for Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Inspirational Instagram Accounts to Follow for Your Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Many of you probably use Instagram to follow the lives of your friends and family members and maybe learn about the current fashion trends and discover exotic travel destinations. How about getting some career inspiration while scrolling down through your news feed? Below are the Instagram accounts to follow in order to get the drive and motivation you need to be successful. LinkedIn: If you are looking for quick motivational tips to brighten up your day, then, this account is for you. It also shares statistics about recruitment, jobs and industries that are hiring. Moreover, it posts the skills you need for certain types of jobs or situations. Entrepreneur Magazine: If you want to start your own business, this is the account you need to follow. It shares the pictures of different types of entrepreneurs from everywhere around the world, tells about their businesses and their stories such as how they decided to start their businesses and what they went through. Fast Company: This account shares the stories of inspirational men and women through interviews. It also posts about successful companies that are not heard of by many people. In addition, it provides educational posts that help grow your knowledge. Career Contessa: This account is especially intended for women because it features strong women and inspirational career quotes that will give many women motivation while working. It is also great to find a role model to look up to. Business Insider: Business Insider is much more than just career advice. It keeps you up-to-date with current economic and political trends. It even gives recommendations for great vacation spots. As a result, Business Insider is good for gaining a lot of information at one spot. Levo League: Levo League is great for social media career advice. It shares quotes from inspirational people and post surveys for its followers. Sometimes, it posts questions to open up discussion among its followers so everybody can learn from each other. Most of its followers are women but that doesn’t mean that men cannot follow. Richard Branson: Richard Branson is a highly successful businessman and he has a very fun personality. His account also reflects his fun personality and therefore, he doesn’t only post his business ventures and career quotes but also, he posts his travel photos and glimpses about his luxury life.

How to Properly Submit Your Resume to a Job Board

How to Properly Submit Your Resume to a Job BoardIf you want to make the most of your resume.com submission experience, then you need to consider using the correct format for your email. Unfortunately, even seasoned professionals can get it wrong and accidentally send their resume through a spam filter. Using a poorly formatted resume could ruin your chances of getting hired. So here are the proper ways to submit your resume.com to get the job you want.First, keyword usage is very important. If you enter a keyword that does not have a significant amount of searches in the top ten or twenty search engines, then it will not be used. Try to avoid keywords that are difficult to type such as 'FREE APPS'. This is why applying to jobs via resume.com is so important.The most popular resume websites do not offer their services on the cheap. Even though the cost is minimal, many employers only use them when there is a need for a specific skill set. For example, if your resume asks for Adobe Ph otoshop skills, then you should not submit it to a website that is free.Furthermore, it is important to include specific keywords in the first line of your resume. You can do this by changing the first word of the title to your keywords.Secondly, there are several sections in the resume. They are called parts. When you see a section that says 'Research Interests', what you should do is look up each part and go from your own interests to your employer's interests. This way, the proper section is completed and you don't leave anything out.The most effective technique for including a section is to only put the parts that are relevant to the job. Also, make sure that your area of expertise is indicated with a bullet point in the resume. This makes the job board's job of searching for resumes much easier. Just remember to make sure that you go with keywords in your bullet points to make sure that you are getting ranked well.In addition, many companies offer online software programs that will help you submit your resume. These programs are extremely valuable because they not only allow you to submit your resume without going through an additional step, but they also speed up the process. Many people complain about hiring managers who spend so much time with lengthy questions that they cannot answer that they give up before they even get a chance to submit their resume.Once you start using resume.com, then you will be able to apply to as many jobs as you can get. This will only increase your chances of getting hired since employers cannot afford to miss out on hiring someone who is not getting in the door.

What Do I Do When My Boss Is Threatened By Me - Kathy Caprino

What Do I Do When My Boss Is Threatened By Me Welcome to Episode #6 of my weekly video blog Work You Love! Today, Im addressing a powerful question I received from Tina about a challenging relationship with her boss: My boss is out to get me. I have more experience than she does. She’s threatened by my work, and my solid community of friends and supporters. She undermines me, and keeps me from gaining exposure to senior leadership. I’m considering going to HR to talk about this situation, but I’m reluctant to take that step. What do you think? Here are my thoughts on that: Dont despair you CAN deal with these challenges, and find a way to take control. Get some outside support in the form of a sponsor, mentor, or coaching buddy to help you brainstorm and pursue new, effective ways to address this problem.   There are other alternatives besides fight or flight. Todays top message (and tweetable): CLICK TO TWEET: If your boss undermines you, take control of the situation you dont have to remain a victim. Thank you for watching Work You Love, and many happy breakthroughs. See you next week! (If you have a burning career question youd like me to answer, SUBMIT IT HERE! Ill do my best to address it in some form in the weeks to come.) Also, join me on November 19th from Noon to 1:00 pm for my FREE teleclass Breakthrough To Your BOLD Plan for More Happiness, Success and Reward.     Find out how to take your career to the next level of success and happiness!    

Beat the Bot and Get to the Hiring Manager

Beat the Bot and Get to the Hiring Manager How to ensure your résumé gets past an ATS When you’ve put time and energy into perfecting your résumé, you want to make sure it’s being seen by the right people. With technology playing a bigger role in recruitment, it’s essential that you consider the role of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) when writing your résumé. Neglect this, and you risk your application being filtered out by the computer system. While this may sound daunting, with some thought and extra care, it’s easy to do. Follow our advice below to help you beat the bots. I spoke to Alice Greedus, Career Expert at Résumé-Library, who walked me step by step through the best way to “get past an ATS.” Know how an ATS works To master something, you need to have a solid understanding of how it works. Therefore, you must know exactly how the recruiter will be using this software if you hope to maximize your chances of success. An ATS is computer software that handles a number of recruitment needs, including sorting through résumés. But how does this actually work? Simply put, résumés will filter through the software, which searches for key phrases and criteria. The computer will then rank the résumés in order of relevance. The idea is to save the recruiter time, while matching them with the best candidates. Recruiters will usually conduct a number of keyword searches to help them get the best results from an ATS. If you’re careful and selective about the information you put in your résumé, you don’t need to worry about the ATS hindering your chances. Instead, think of this as a way to help you get your application in front of the hiring manager. Make use of keywords Recruiters use keywords for their ATS search. Therefore, if you hope to get your application seen, you must do so too. Neglect this step and you risk your résumé being lost in a sea of applications. Start by analyzing the job listing. You need to read through this carefully and highlight the key skills and qualities the employer is looking for. As an example, they might be looking for someone who is organized, so you would then use that keyword in your résumé. Once you have a better understanding of what the recruiter is looking for, you need to incorporate these keywords into your application. But be careful not to overdo it, each paragraph must flow and look professional. Tailor your résumé for every role A generic résumé that looks like it was plucked from an Internet template won’t get you far. To get past an ATS you must tailor it for every role you apply to. So, even if you think you’ve perfected your resume for one role, you might need to make some adjustments for another company. Phrases that don’t really say a lot about your abilities such as “team player” need to be revamped with the company in mind. Do some research into the company to help you get a better idea of its core values. Then you should be able to think of ways you can reflect these in your résumé. Pay attention to language and formatting While the ATS is a clever tool, it still requires your résumé to be laid out in the correct way. Therefore, you must include titles for each section. For example, these might be Skills, Qualifications, Experience, and Hobbies and Interests. Having these categories will make sure that the computer picks up the right information from the right parts of your résumé. Alongside this, ensure that you have a simple format. Avoid any complicated graphics because the software picks up words not images. What’s more, you should avoid any styles that use unusual bullet points or fonts, because the ATS may not register these properly. Follow the rule that everything should be kept simple; use easy-to-read fonts such as Calibri or Arial. In summary Don’t let the ATS scare you off. Instead, think of it as a tool to help the hiring manager find you! Follow this advice to help you create a résumé that will beat the bots and end up in front of the hiring manager. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class now and get the most comprehensive job search system available!