4.2 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Basic Skills to New Hires

(EXTRACTION FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Effective Recruitment at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Teaching Basic Skills to New Hires

Before you can work on building basic skills, you need to identify your new hires' strengths and weaknesses.  Although "hard skills" (such as literacy and technical skills required for a job) are relatively easy to assess, "soft skills" (such as interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence) are just as valuable.

Important soft skills
Organization and Time Management Skills	·        Basic organization skills such as managing email, filing, using To-Do Lists and prioritization are important for staying on top of a large workload ·        time management skills
Communication Skills	·        the basics such as writing skills, compose emails effectively, and write reports ·        Understanding the Communication Process ·        highlighting the importance of Active Listening
Problem Solving	·        basic problem solving skills includes how to identify a problem, brainstorming potential solutions, evaluating solutions, and then implementing the best idea ·        focus on teaching a variety of problem solving techniques such as Appreciative Inquiry, Drill Down, and the 5 Whys
Interpersonal Skills	·        develop qualities such as empathy, emotional intelligence, conciliation, positivity and supportiveness ·        work on their assertiveness   and conflict resolution   skills
	·

Appreciative Inquiry Solving Problems by Looking at What's Going Right (pioneered by David Cooperrider of Case Western Reserve University in the mid 1980s)
·        focus on the things that aren't working, and think about how you can fix them ·        look at the things that are working, and build on them ·        focusing on positives can build the unique strengths which bring real success
Appreciative Inquiry	·        Appreciation means to recognize and value the contributions or attributes of things and people around us ·        Inquiry means to explore and discover, in the spirit of seeking to better understand, and being open to new possibilities ·        focus on positives; positive energy approach helps you build on your strengths
The 5D Approach	Define, Discovery, Dream, Design and Deliver

Drill Down Breaking Problems Down Into Manageable Parts
·        a simple technique for breaking complex problems down into progressively smaller parts
The technique	·        start by writing the problem down on the left-hand side of a large sheet of paper ·        write down the points that make up the next level of detail on the problem a little to the right of this ·        For each of these points, repeat the process ·        Keep on drilling down into points until you fully understand the factors contributing to the problem

 

5 Whys Quickly Getting to the Root of a Problem
·        Involves looking at any problem and asking: "Why?" and "What caused this problem?" ·        The answer to the first "why" will prompt another "why" and the answer to the second "why" will prompt another and so on; hence the name the 5 Whys strategy.
Benefits of the 5 Whys	·        helps to quickly determine the root cause of a problem ·        simple, and easy to learn and apply

The Peter Principle Avoiding Promoting People to a Level of Incompetence
·        dealt with someone who just isn't up to the job they're doing ·        various features of the design of hierarchical organizations that make them places where the Peter Principle can easily take hold o   First, internal promotion is popular o   second, entry-level jobs tend to be technical in nature

4.1 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Finding the Best People For Your Team

(EXTRACTION FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Effective Recruitment at http://www.mindtools.com)

In theory, recruitment is simple.  In reality, it is more than just the process of ‘picking the best’.  Recruitment mistakes leads to:

·        waste time, money, and organizational resources, and

·        they can really hold a team back

Effective recruitment matters because:

1.    The right people in the right roles will be more productive

2.   A poor hiring decision may cause stress and conflict within your team

3.   You'll save time and resources

Creating a New Role

Hiring a team member at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons can cost you time, and waste money.  There are several factors that do not justify a permanent addition to your team:

·        Seasonal increases in workload

·        One-time or unusual projects - consider using contractors to meet this temporary change in staffing requirements.

·        Sick or vacationing team members

·        Complaining staff members

Justify creating a new job in your organization:

·        Consistent work overload

·        Regular use of contractors

·        Improvements in the economy

·        Time spent on tasks that don't need your expertise

·        Analyse the hidden costs as well as the more obvious costs

Creating a new role
1	Hire in advance	·        hiring in advance allows training of new people before workloads increase, so that quality levels can be maintained ·        risky, because if the expected increase in workload doesn't actually materialize, then you'll be overstaffed
2	Wait until the need is obvious	·        will have to recruit and train during a very busy time ·        will risked upsetting existing staff because they're overworked and stressed
3	Compromise with a "halfway" plan	·        Hire someone part time