Newsletter - April 2004

WORK PREFERENCES AND YOUR TEAM - PART 2

Are you the kind of person who is a stickler for detail and are driven mad by work colleagues who are full of big ideas but never get to the bottom line? If so you could have a practical preference for gathering information.

This month we will examine the second of four work preferences which form part of the Team Management Profile, “How You Gather and Use Information”. Margerison and McCann in their research of work preferences identified that there are two kinds of work preference in this area. Some people have a “Practical“ preference whilst others have a “Creative” preference. These two preferences are situated along a continuum so some people may be very strong in their preference and be situated at one end, while others may be more even in their preference and be based more toward the middle of the continuum.

Practical people are drawn toward clear and tangible problems that impact on the team now. They prefer to work with facts and figures and a standardised approach to any situation. These people follow the rules meticulously and handle routine work with relish. They sometimes do not ‘get’ the bigger picture because they are so focused on the detail right in front of their face.

Creative people prefer to work with ‘blue sky’ propositions and will happily design the best practice team of the future with no thought to cost or delivery dates. These people will shrivel up and die if they are forced to deliver routine work for any length of time. In fact they are likely to develop a new way to deliver the same output whilst daydreaming on the job. They are very quick to grasp big picture concepts and often fall down when asked to examine the detail associated with any proposal.

IN THE TEAM

In the workplace the person with a creative work preference may bring a new idea to the team meeting and be totally frustrated by the people with the practical work preference. Practical types will ask questions which focus on detail, for example, how much will that cost? Is that part of our team’s vision? Is there money in the budget for that?

People with a Practical work preference become frustrated when the creative person is unable to answer their questions with any satisfactory detail. One practical team member commented “Why don’t you ever come with something other than a great idea?”

COACHING TIPS FOR PRACTICAL AND CREATIVE PEOPLE

As the team leader it is important to remember that both practical and creative work preferences are useful in a team. Practical people are excellent at examining detail and will find any loop hole in a proposal. Creative people are better at big picture ideas and will often identify an innovative way of delivering the same old service.

Again if you encourage the differing preference types to work together the team will benefit. The creative types can float new ideas whilst the practical types can test the ideas for cost effectiveness and application in the workplace.

NEXT MONTH

Next month I will examine the next workplace preference, " How You Make Decisions ".

Top Ten Motivation Tips

Every one needs motivating. Here are the Top Ten Motivation Tips guaranteed to get you going.

1. DREAM BIG
   Create a big picture of what you want to achieve. Be brave and spend a little time dreaming of what would be possible to make happen in your life, then double it!
2. VISUALISE YOUR SUCCESS
   See yourself actually achieving your success. Make the picture big, bold and bright. Hear the words you would say as you achieve your goals; hear the music, maybe the cheering. Feel the success as it races through your body. The more realistic you can make this experience, the more chance you have of making it happen.
3. GET ORGANISED
   Clear the clutter. Gather the necessary tools and resources you will need to make things happen.
4. CREATE A SUCCESS PICTURE
   Visual Cues are a great stimulation to our motivation. Make a picture of what you want, get you into the picture as well. You may have to cut up a photo or two to make this happen. Create other visual cues like words symbols or slogans to remind you about you target.
5. ENLIST A BUDDY
   Enlist the help of others to keep you motivated. A Goal Buddy will keep you honest and ask you to keep going. Meeting an exercise buddy at the same time every morning guarantees that you will both be there, as you will not want to let your buddy down by not showing up.
6. FILL YOUR MIND WITH POSITIVE THOUGHTS
   Keep your thoughts positive and fill your mind with the possibilities of every situation rather than focusing on what might go wrong. Positive people always attract other positive people.
7. CREATE A PASSION FOR LEARNING
   Never stop learning. Cultivate an inquisitive nature and read motivating books, listen to motivating tapes and CD’s. Seek out positive and motivating quotes and display them at your desk or workspace.
8. CREATE A FINISH LINE
   Draw a line in the sand so that you know when you have achieved what it is you set out to do. Set interim finish lines so that you can measure your progress and know that you are still heading in the right direction.
9. HANG AROUND POSITIVE PEOPLE
   Surround yourself with other positive and motivated people. You will learn from and support each other in your quest to remain motivated.
10. START THE DAY RIGHT
    Jump out of bed with a positive attitude and be clear that this day is going to be a good day. Refresh your mind with positive thoughts as you prepare for the day.

Presentation Skills for Managers

Do you look forward to standing in front of your staff to motivate them to work harder and faster? Are you capable of delivering the key message that shows your decisive planning and leadership skills that will create confidence in your position as their manager? Your staff need to be motivated and inspired to undertake the tasks, which you are presenting to them.

Presenting effectively is simple when you follow these six simple steps.

Step One - Formulate Your Objective

The most effective way to begin preparation is to get clear on your objective. This could be a simple statement about what you want to happen as a result of your presentation. It might be to develop a plan, cut costs, or raise sales targets. If you are unsure why you are presenting you will receive unsure results.

Step Two - Identify Your Audience

It is important to decide who exactly you will be presenting to. If it is the staff in your team, you can use their language or slang. If it is a different group you may have to tailor your presentation to suit that group. A senior management group would require a different approach which may include cost comparisons and profit projections.

Step Three - Create a Structure

All good presentations have a defined structure which guides the listener to a well formed conclusion. Make sure you structure your presentation to adequately explain your issue. A sequential approach is the simplest and most traditional method of presenting and building a solid approach.

Step Four - The Beginning

Begin your presentation with a memorable point or fact. Get the audiences attention straight away and keep it by establishing and following a theme for the presentation. Create rapport with the audience by using language which is peculiar to the group. Look directly at everyone in the group, meet people’s eyes as you scan the audience. Pause occasionally to enforce a point by addressing one person with your eyes and body. Remember to smile.

Step Five - The Ending

The ending is as important as the beginning. Get the audiences attention and signal that you are about to wrap up. You could summarise the main points of your presentation or simply end on a high note with a new proposal or statement of facts.

Step Six - The Delivery

No matter what you say, all eyes will be on you and your body language. People take in a lot of detail with their eyes, so it is important to take care with your appearance and your stance. Your voice and expressions will be taken into your audiences sub conscious next, so make sure you speak clearly and articulately.

Conclusion A well prepared presentation will have a dynamic effect on the members of your team. It’s worth the effort.