Getting the Best from Your People

3 Day Course

A First Line Supervision course

Overview

Team building and proper team management is the key to effective use of human resources. The objective of this course for first line managers is to equip participants with the tools required to exercise effective supervision and foster team building.

As a result of this course Participants will be able to:

  • Describe the role of Manager and Leader
  • List the key practices of successful leaders
  • Use a conceptual model to balance their activities between the task, team and individual
  • Use project management techniques to plan, organise and implement work
  • Identify appropriate motivation techniques for their individuals
  • Communicate more effectively and know how to influence others without relying on direct authority
  • Build balanced and effective teams
  • Use different personality types more effectively

Content

The course is designed to ensure that a manager’s attention may be balanced appropriately between the tasks that have to be accomplished, the individuals doing the tasks, and the group or team. This reflects the Action Centred Leadership model created by Professor John Adair, which will provide a context and flow to the course. The course has a mixture of individual and group activity to complement the didactic input, ensuring that participants are able to internalise the learning as well as identify short-term opportunities to apply it.

The Role of the Manager

  • The relationship between Manager, Leader and Administrator.
  • How a manager adds value.
  • What a manager actually does
  • Action Centred Leadership – the balancing act.

Getting Results

  • Task centred activity.
  • Defining priorities and setting clear objectives.
  • Defining activities in terms of inputs/outputs, expectations, constraints and inter-relationships.
  • Planning the implementation.
  • Delegating responsibility and authority.
  • Monitoring progress and taking corrective action.
  • Ensuring the work process flow is correctly tuned.

Working with Individuals

  • Understanding the differences in people.
  • Motivating your staff to perform at their best.
  • The value of resistance from other people.
  • Assist staff to grow and develop for improved performance.
  • Empowerment without abdication – getting initiative and action from others without losing control.

Effective Communication

  • Identifying and overcoming barriers to communication.
  • Active listening skills.
  • Influencing people to do what you need without relying upon formal authority. The 6 types of power and when to use them.
  • Achieving consensus and commitment rather than compliance and resistance.

Building Teams

  • When a team is not a Team
  • Choosing to use a Team or a Managed Group
  • Four stages in creating a team
  • The five critical practices of the Leader
  • Team building by design – not accident
  • The balanced team

Putting It All Together

  • Get the right balance as a manager
  • Building trust and commitment
  • Introducing change
  • Personal Action Plans