Get clarity on the work you (and the team) have

Get clarity on the work you have.  Most managers are ineffective when they don't manage the overall workload.


You should start thinking about this in terms of the output of the team.  This is because your primary role as a manager is to manage and be responsible for the overall output of the team.  This should cover the activities themselves (the what), the manner in which they are delivered (the how) and the motivation to do so (the why).  More on the how and why later but today I just want to focus on the process on managing the what.


Work can be defined in two ways, standard work and projects.


Standard Work is the repetitive tasks and activities which should be expected and in most cases predictable.  This is the type of work where processes and checklists are invaluable in simplifying the job to be done.


Projects are the pieces of work which tend to be one offs or new initiatives.  Its the area where it's more challenging (less safe) to be and where the potential for motivation of your employees lies.


Guess where you and your team can add value to the organisation?  (Hint, its not doing the same stuff you did yesterday.)  


Get clarity on the work you have in order to consciously work towards reducing the time spent on the standard work where possible and increasing the valuable time spent on the projects.  I guarantee your employees will thank you for it and you'll thank yourself.


More on this topic next time.   


Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

A place to start

Look first to yourself for a place to start.  After all its what you've (theoretically) got the most control over.


Some of these posts will be focused on books that can help with the topics I want to cover.  The first is possibly one of the most famous out there, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey.  You can find it on Amazon here.


The first 3 habits are all about you and, alone, can be some of the best learning out there for you to develop yourself.  The 3 habits are:

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first

I won't go into all the specifics as you can find a detailed explanation for the habits at Stephen R Covey's website.


However, really taking this seriously, taking your development seriously will get you started and build a solid foundation to start managing others.


Please see my website at www.managingforthefirsttime.com for more techniques, tips and advice on this topic and others.

First Look Inwards

Focus on yourself first.  Now I don’t mean that you become the selfish, inwardly focused manager who simply serves (and demands others to also serve) their ego and objectives.  This is about you organising yourself for the benefit of others.  In this case your team.

You must give as much time to organising yourself as to your people.  Most of the management books I have read seem to focus on ways to ‘control’ your team.  Instead look at yourself first and seek improvements there.

In other words, first look inwards and then outwards. 

What benefits might you find there, if you truly do organise yourself better?  I guarantee at the very least, you will look more professional, more calm and definitely more in control (a relatively crucial skill as a manager don’t you think).

Have you ever seen that great manager who seems to have it all under control?  You want to be more like them, right?  They are leading by example and engaging you to do the same simply by the way they present themselves.  You can do the same, but it requires you to first look inwards.

Managing for the First Time - Welcome to this first post

This is the first post on the Managing for the First Time Blog. It is complementary to my website www.managingforthefirsttime.com

Would love to hear your comments, feedback and idea.

Over the years, I've noticed one simple mistake being repeated again and again from business to business. No-one every tells you how to be a manager. I don't mean the theoretical stuff and the management training courses which jump straight to inspirational leadership and strategic thinking. I'm also not talking about the management of tasks and ever bigger projects which accompany this new elevated role.

I'm talking about the simple things, the day to day things; usually involving people, which really do test whether you are management material or not.

Of course, you can avoid all the difficult bits. Just focus on the easier bits to get your head around. These will be the things you were good at which lead to the promotion into the realms of management in the first place. The technical specialisms or worse case, the length of time you've been in the department. Don't get me wrong, I truly value experience and the wisdom it can bring but is that really what makes someone the best next manager from the pool available?

This blog seeks to address these more practical skills which are required especially when dealing with a team of people. Real people, that variable element, at times unpredictable but potentially able to produce incredible results.

However we don't want to get hung up on the terminology, Manager 'v' Leader. These are very closely linked and overlap considerably. Also organisations have a admirable but misplaced focus on Leadership without the Management focus first. You can't run until you can walk. A colleague of mine once used the analogy, managing is knowing how to sail in tough but familiar waters, leadership is pointing the boat into the open sea.

There is no single right answer in dealing with people. That's the bad news. The good news is that there are literarily hundreds of great and simple things you can do to get the best from your people.

Let's take a look at how.