Happy New Year!

What goals have you set for yourself this year?  How determined are you to achieve them?

New Year's Resolutions

It is estimated that 70% of people who set New Year’s resolutions will have abandoned them by the 3rd week of January and of the 30% that don’t, 90% of them will have given up by June.

So, what can you do now to ensure that you arrive at the end of the year, in the top 5% of those that do follow through and achieve what they set out to achieve at the beginning of the year?

Follow my top tips for setting and achieving goals and notice the difference when you see yourself still on track as the months go by.

Step One
Always write your goals down on paper.  It is proven that you are 70% more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down.

Step Two
Use my SPADE criteria when setting your goals:

S stands for specific.  Be as specific as you can.  If your goal is to earn more money, then exactly how much?  If you earned an extra £1 you would be earning more so your subconscious needs to know exactly how much more.
P is for present and positive tense.  Write your goals as if they are happening now and always in the positive so don’t write what you don’t want, write what you do.
A is for achievable. You don’t want to set yourself up for failure.
D is for date. When are you going to achieve this by?
E is for emotional evidence.  You need an end step so that you know that you have got your goal and put some feelings into it.

Step Three
Now you have your goal you need to break it down into manageable milestones and diarise them.

Step Four
Read your goals every day and visualise yourself achieving them.  Imagine that it’s happening now. Remember, you get what you focus on so focus on what you want to be happening.

Step Five
Take action.  Ask yourself everyday, “what can I do to get me closer to my goal.”  “Is what I am doing now moving me closer or further from my goal?”

Step Six
ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Yvonne Bleakley
Learning Consultant, Capita Learning & Development

Does analysis paralysis prevent you from managing effectively?

The ability to make decisions that are timely and powerful is a critical management skill; being overly contemplative and over-analysing a situation can be damaging as Shakespeare’s Hamlet would attest to.

So how do managers know that chosen decisions are the best ones and avoid falling into the trap of just “making a decision for the sake of it, because any decision is better than none?”

To help managers produce effective decisions there are a few simple rules:

Plan, plan, plan
A common error is reactive decision making - a situation that at best ends with a serendipitous result but more often with a poor outcome.  Planning allows for decisions to be made simply, comfortably and in an effective way.

Planning provides benefits to decisions:

• opportunity to establish independent goals through a conscious and directed series of choices
• a standard of measurement of whether there is movement towards or away from a desired result 
• finite (often limited) resources can be committed in a structured and orderly way

Do your research but avoid information overload 
Information overload can be defined as "a gap between the volume of information and the tools needed to assimilate it”; the more information overload, the worse the quality of decisions made. The overload of information can be related to problems processing and tasking, which impacts decision making.

• There are a number of factors concerning information overload and consideration of these may help focus information collection and processing:
• Personal Information characteristics - qualifications, experiences and attitudes 
• Information Characteristics - information quality, quantity and frequency 
• Tasks and Process - standardised procedures or methods for gathering information and undertaking work 
• Organisational Design - organisation processing capacity and relationship - both of which affect the ability to collect, assimilate and analyse information
• Information Technology - IT management, and general technology that assist with both collection and analysis

Keep decisions rational
It is often considered that people are rational, free to make their own decisions and therefore behave according to the rational choice theory - making decisions by determining the likelihood of a potential outcome, the value of the outcome and then multiplying the two. However, in reality, there are some factors that affect decision making abilities and cause people to make irrational decisions.

Cognitive and personal biases can lead to decisions being affected and it is therefore important to be aware, to understand and to reduce (or eliminate) these.

Some common biases in decision making include:

• Selective search for evidence – the tendency to be willing to gather facts that support certain conclusions but disregard other facts that support different conclusions 
• Premature termination –  the tendency to accept the first alternative that looks like it might work 
• Cognitive inertia – the unwillingness to change existing thought patterns in the face of new circumstances 
• Selective perception – screening out information considered unimportant 
• Wishful thinking – a tendency to want to see things in a positive light 
• Recency – the tendency to place more attention on more recent information and either ignore or forget more distant information 
• Repetition bias – the willingness to believe what one has been told most often and by the greatest number of different sources 

Use a logical approach
Within decision making, managers must consider a structured approach that ensures:

• Objectives are first established 
• Objectives are then classified and prioritised by importance 
• Alternative actions are developed 
• The alternative(s) are evaluated against all the objectives 
• The alternative that is able to achieve all the objectives is the tentative decision 
• The tentative decision is evaluated for more possible consequences 
• The decisive actions are taken together with any additional actions required to prevent any adverse consequences from becoming problems and re-starting both problem analysis and decision making.

Building effective decision making steps
Managers do not work in isolation in decision making and are most effective when working with the team when implementing the logical approach above. This enables a collaborative approach to developing the following steps - increasing awareness of and overcoming any possible social, cognitive and cultural obstacles along the way.

1. Establish team ethos -  creating and nurturing the relationships, norms, and procedures that will influence how situations are understood and communicated 
2. Increase group perception -  recognising that a situation exists that needs a decision exists 
3. Interpret - identifying competing explanations for the situation and evaluating the drivers behind those interpretations 
4. Judgment - sorting various possible actions or responses and determining which is more justifiable 
5. Motivation - examining the competing commitments and then prioritising and committing to team values/needs over other personal or social values 
6. Action - following through with action that supports the more justified decision 
7. Reflect on action

So, does analysis paralysis prevent effective management? It does – but following these rules will help to overcome potential decision making obstacles and prevent this scourge of the well managed organisation.

Written by David Mathieson, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.

Advanced Selling Skills: Stop Selling, Start Helping

Over the last decade sales training has moved forward considerably. It is however important to consider why this evolution has taken place. This has happened not necessarily due to more ‘sales techniques’ being developed, but actually due to the customer becoming more educated and powerful than ever before.

Advanced Selling Skills

Gone are the days of the hard sell, or the deliberate 'mirroring technique' of the customer sales teams employed in order to get the customer/client to say ‘yes’.  Sales teams have to realise that they need to start helping customers in order to build repertoire and partnerships.

This may sound like common sense, yet old habits die hard and there are many sales people out there who are still using out-of-date selling techniques and forgetting that customer service is in fact key to successful sales.

Business goes where it is invited and it stays where it is looked after.

Think about any previous encounters you had with 'good sales people' and 'bad sales people', what were their common character traits?   Were they passionate?  Were they pushy or rude? Did they possess a good knowledge of the product or service you were interested in? Did they help you in any way or provide you with more information?

Although passion and product/service knowledge does help make a good sales person, the question being posed today is what makes a ‘great’ sales person?

A great sales person cares about you getting the most for your money, will happily take the time to really understand your needs and assist you with finding solutions for those particular needs. In Buddhism this is called ‘unselfish intention.’

A good sales person knows all the techniques to employ to get customers to say 'yes'.  A great sales person will have a pure ‘intention’ of the customer being completely satisfied in the purchase they have made or are about to make. Not only this, a great sales person understands that money has value and when the customer passes that money over, in return they need to gain a product or service that to the customer is worth more than the money they have spent.

These are the simple things which distinguishes between efficient and exceptional sales people and which will keep a customer returning over and over again.

Today, more than ever before companies need to hold on to the customers they already have as we are in an age where having the number one product or service doesn't necessarily equate trust or loyalty.  Even having a great brand doesn't ensure success.  We are dealing with more sophisticated buyers who want more for their money. And that ‘more’ comes in the form of the service when they pick up the phone to your company, the after care service when they have made their purchase and most importantly, the customer service they receive when making that all important decision to purchase from your sales person.  

Training your sales team to help/assist customers will significantly increase your customer base and retention. Here are a few quick pointers to think about when ‘helping’, not selling.

• Have an intention to help the customer make the best decision for them, don’t just think about making the sale. Customers see ‘selfish’ sales people a mile off.
• Remember, sales and customer service are becoming more and more aligned, so always go the extra mile to help your customers.
• ‘When you educate your build rapport, when you sell you break it.’  People will buy when they understand so rather than just close the sale, keep informing and educating - see what difference it makes.

Capita Learning & Development offers an Advanced Selling Skills Training Course, which will introduce you to new selling skills and also help you cope with the changing demands of the customer.

Written by Pete Scott, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.

How to Lead a Team and Gain Respect After Internal Promotion

Most of us start at the bottom of the career ladder and work our way up. We become so proficient at our job, earning respect of the management and becoming a valued member of the team. Eventually promotion is offered, usually within the same team and we can find ourselves leader of the team we were once part of. This does have its advantages, however, doesn't come without its problems.

New to Team Leadership

There is nothing that can gain respect more than people knowing that you have been there and done the job for yourself. You know the systems and procedures, what is expected and the problems that your team may encounter. You can see things from their point of view. This can be a great advantage when leading a team. You know when to cut the slack because of genuine difficulties, but you also know an excuse when you hear one.

The problems arise though when some of the team members may have been there much longer than you, may be older with more experience, or may feel that they were the ones that deserved the promotion. You may find it difficult to be assertive and to feel that you are taken seriously as a manager. Since you were once in their position, you will know how hard the job is and may feel guilty for enforcing deadlines.

So how can you gain respect from your team and get them to do what you need them to without them thinking that power has gone to your head?

Firstly, stop beating yourself up and congratulate yourself on your promotion. It is quite normal to feel this way when you have been used to working on the other side of the fence, as it were. The dynamics of your team have now changed so now you need to embrace this change and take control.

In order to gain respect, you have to give it. Show your team that you value them and support them by listening to how you can help them. Listen to any ideas that they may have. Think back to when you were in their position. If you had a problem, how would you have liked your leader to have handled it? Remember that the only way to get what you want is to ask for it. Never assume that anyone in your team knows exactly what is expected of them. When enforcing a deadline, explain to them when it has to be done by and why, then ask how they think they can achieve it, what do they need to make this happen, how can you best help them? Once they know that they have your full support, then they will do whatever they can for you.

Capita Learning & Development offers a training course in New to Team Leadership, which will help you develop and grow your leadership and management skills.

Yvonne Bleakley
Learning Consultant, Capita Learning & Development

Should managers operate in a pressure free environment?

One of the overarching responsibilities of the manager is to “get the job done” and creating the environment in which this work can be done effectively and efficiently is crucial.

But should this environment be pressure free?

Pressure free management? 

“Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors” the African proverb tells us. Managers want skilful sailors (effective staff) on their team – but there is a major difference between the pressure of gentle swells and the stress of tidal waves.

It is important that managers understand the difference between pressure and stress.

There is a difference between pressure and stress. Pressure can be positive and a motivating factor, and is often essential in a job. It can help individuals achieve goals and perform better.

Stress often describes both the events that are a source of pressure and the subjective feelings associated with external events and stimuli.

The Health & Safety Executive defines stress as: 'the adverse reaction a person has to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed upon them'.

This makes a distinction between 'pressure', which can be a positive state if managed correctly, and 'stress' which can be detrimental to health.

Is pressure good?
There is a direct link between performance and the appropriate levels of pressure – too little pressure results in boredom, too much results in exhaustion. Pressure must be appropriate not only in terms of volume of work but also on its longevity.

It is natural to feel under pressure at times, because of life and work demands. If the pressure is unrelenting and there is no time for recovery, negative health effects can result.

Who has the responsibility for maintaining pressure at the appropriate level?

In 1936 Kurt Lewin advocated that Behaviour is a function of both the person and the environment -  B= f  (P/E)

This clearly states that behaviour can be influenced internally and externally – the individual manages their own internal state and the manager influences the external state. So both have a part to play in creating and maintaining pressure that makes that skilful sailor.

The management responsibility
Managers must create an environment in which their people can cope. Coping means balancing the demands and pressures placed on an individual by the job requirements with the skills and knowledge required by the capable individual within that job – so well-designed, organised and managed work is vital.
It is essential that managers have an active role in facilitating and supporting staff to do their job effectively and to contribute to the success of their team and the organisation. So within the context of that role, managers can ensure they establish the following:

• Role – do people understand their role within the organisation and whether the organisation ensures that the person does not have conflicting roles? Are jobs designed to avoid conflicting demands and are the expectation of the job role clear? 
• Appropriate Demand - are the workload, work patterns, and the work environment appropriate?
• Control -  how much empowerment do people have in taking responsibility for the way they do their work 
• Support - what encouragement, support and resources are provided by the organisation, line managers and colleagues? Are people fully trained to undertake the demands of their job?
• Relationships - is a positive working environment promoted to avoid conflict and deal with unacceptable behaviour, identify or respond to issues of concern promptly and seek constructive solutions? 
• Changes - how are organisational changes managed and communicated - are people engaged in this process?
• Feedback – are there regular opportunities for feedback on performance e.g. regular 'one to one' meetings and team meetings?

The Employees responsibility
It is essential that managers ensure their people play an active role in maintaining pressure at the appropriate level by encouraging them to:

• maintain good communication with colleagues and line management structure 
• engage in discussion about  performance and act on feedback 
• raise issues of concern at an early stage and seek constructive support and solutions 
• make use of the support and training resources available 

So, should managers operate in a pressure free environment?

No – managers should operate in a pressure controlled, pressure maintained and pressure appropriate environment.

Written by David Mathieson, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.

Predictions for Learning & Development in 2014

With the recovery of the recession in full swing, training is on the rise again.  With that said, we have a prediction for Learning & Development moving into 2014 which might just surprise you.

Before we press on with today’s article, here are a few questions you may wish to consider for your business heading into next year:

“How could Learning & Development help your staff members both individually and as a team in 2014?”

“What specific skills would help your business deliver an even greater service to your customers?

“What are the 3 main areas you would like to see up skilled within your team by the end of next year?”

“Combining all of the above, how could Learning & Development help your business rise to the next level?”

Training Predictions for 2014

You do not need to answer these questions in detail right now, however once you have read today’s predictions for Learning & Development you may wish to revisit these questions and see how closely they link to your business and aims for next year and beyond.

The prediction relates to an area which even just 10 years ago didn’t really exist in the Learning & Development world but in contrast, over the last 12 months has been bubbling up and by next year will be ready to explode. This area is called Intrapersonal Skills (relationship with yourself), this includes courses like Emotional Intelligence Training Course, Presenting Skills Training Course, Building Personal Resilience Training Course and Leadership Training Courses.

Presenting skills and leadership courses also relate to Interpersonal Skills (your relationship with others), which no doubt these courses are about that, yet we are realising more and more now that in order to influence others and communicate effectively, we must first own a confident and good relationship with ourselves, especially in the business world. 

Emotional Intelligence takes this one step further and delves into the depths of the subconscious mind, being present and understanding that we can control our emotions or at least manage them, something that is essential when working in a busy and high demanding office environment.

Why are these types of courses becoming so popular in the business world?

• Intrapersonal Skills courses are no longer considered fluffy or non measurable.  This is greatly due to training companies ensuring they are delivering to a higher standard but also because of the growth of the personal development industry over the last 5 years and the direct impact it is continually having on people’s lives for the better.  How many people do you know who have read at least one personal development book at your office?  Perhaps you have read one or more yourself?
  
• Stress costs the UK economy up to 12 billion per year - a recent study done by mental health charity MIND revealed that work is the most stressful factor in peoples’ lives, with one in three people (34 percent,) saying their work life was either very or quite stressful.  Therefore, companies are now being very proactive by investing in their staff members’ health and wellbeing.  Businesses are achieving this by offering staff courses such as some already mentioned in this article.  After all  ‘Prevention is always better than cure.’
  
• With technology making such dramatic advances over the last decade, the focus and emphasis has now been put back on ensuring team members are up to date on these technological advances.  This ‘change’ within a business can also come with a lot of resistance so once again this is where Intrapersonal skills play a vital role in staff members being able to be adaptable and open minded to change.
  
• The above point also relates to companies being fully aware of the uncertainty felt by many working Britons about their job security so by offering staff a variety of training courses team members can feel the company is investing in them and more so than this, the staff member can keep their skills sharp and even be up for promotion internally when the opportunity arises.

Overall, Learning & Development has the ability to bring staff members together in a fun but professional environment, it allows people to speak their mind about their views and vision with their current company. It can also work as a great motivator even if each staff member takes 2 or 3 skills or tips back to the office with them after a training day and finally, the one thing that is constant is change, training will always work as a facilitator to assist with that change.

Now could be a good time to return back to the questions at the beginning of this article.  However, this time when asking each question, have a pen & note pad ready and consider how Learning & Development could impact the mindset, skills and emotions of staff members within your business and even yourself.

‘All change starts on the inside.’ 

To train your team, have a look at what courses Capita Learning & Development offers in 2014. If you need any tailored courses please call 0800 022 3410.

Written by Pete Scott, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.

How can managers step up to the challenge of managing remotely?

In days when going to work meant commuting to the office and sitting at one’s own desk, managers were encouraged to be present – to keep their eyes open and their hands off and promise the metaphorical open door.

Working from home

But what about in days when being present means occupying virtual space and the door has been replaced with a portal? How do managers maintain the correct level of contact with their teams whilst ensuring effective performance and appropriate behaviours?

To understand what to do it’s worth understanding what has created the need to manage remotely:

• Virtual teams created by the availability of technology
• Matrix management created by the need to be leaner, more effective and more responsive to client demands 
• Flexible working environments (e.g. working patterns, working space configuration)  created by the reaction to customer/user demands and the social needs of workforce

The challenges presented by these newly created environments, means that the manager must be aware of, and support, the shifting needs and feelings of many:

• Those taking the step into remote working for the first time
• Those experienced members of the team who need to retain a sense of belonging whilst maintaining the motivation to achieve
• Those working in virtual teams who may been spread throughout the country or the globe  
• Those on the team who do not have the opportunity to operate remotely and often openly deride their colleagues for (cue fingers indicating inverted commas) “working at home” 
• The manager who must tussle with the potential feeling of  loss of control

When developing his “Action Centred Leadership” model in the 1960s and 1970s, John Adair could not have anticipated the increased significance it would have taken on but never have the underpinning needs of its component elements  –  to manage and develop the individual, grow the team and achieve the task – been more relevant.

Of course in there are some very simple management actions like keeping electronic diaries free of unnecessary meetings and placeholders but it goes way beyond that. This is about setting conditions and environments for matters like communication, performance objectives and expectations from all. So what good practices can managers adopt?

Get the team emotion right

• Consider the effect of motivation of those working at the office versus the perceived (and often real) benefit for those working at home
• Remember that new working arrangements cause a shift in behaviour with the team (they are reverting to storming) so is it time to reconsider the ideology of the team – how do we work together, what is expected of each other, how do we communicate, what does respect look like, how do we deal with issues and problem, what does “belonging” mean and so on)
• Consider the practical (e.g. time) and cultural elements of global virtual teams  
• Develop the collective maturity and capability of the group so that you can progressively increase group freedom and authority 

Get the individual expectations right

• One size does not fit all – what feels right and gets the best out of one relationship doesn’t work for another. Start with the default position of asking the individual what they need to make remote working effective and come to agreeable solutions
• Develop individual freedom and authority - avoid overcompensating for not having sight of individuals. In remote situations “management by exception” has to be the de facto approach – agreeing standard communication up front and agreeing what constitutes exception situations when additional communication is required
• Remember that recognition and praise is not as immediate or ad hoc so take the time to provide this – it means even more when working alone for periods of time to have effort and good work acknowledged
• Remember that working in isolation is not necessarily always felt to be a reward (or indeed a preferred way of working) – what motivation does the individual require and how can you provide this? (NB – motivation itself is a huge topic and is covered in other blog articles)   

Get the performance management of the task right

• Manage by outputs and outcomes not inputs or process 
• Be accurate in your expectations surrounding deliverables (measures, timescales, strategy and tactics responsibilities), objectives (accountabilities and measures) and task (standards, quality, time and reporting parameters)
• Consider what resources (physical and emotional) the individual requires
• Do they have a support network provided? 

In achieving the right balance in all these, the manager has the chance of nurturing a successful remote working environment and step up to effectively perform the sole responsibility of managing remotely.

Written by David Mathieson, a learning consultant at Capita Learning & Development.