The Road Map

Team Presentations

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 02:44:00 +0000

Watching team presentation failure can tough. Participating in one can be down right painful. There is potentially a lot at stake. Failure can be avoid though. One action to take when preparing for a team presentation: practice together. You to get a feel for what others will do and each member can get some feedback. Jot this down--at least person will say team rehearsal is not needed. Don't buy into this. Aileen Pincus says members shouldn't prepare for individual parts alone. She writes:

REHEARSE TOGETHER: However limited your time to prepare for the team presentation, don’t use that time solely for individual members to prepare for their individual parts alone. This is a team presentation and you’ll need to rehearse as a team in order to better see and hear the presentation the way your client sees and hears it. Give each other feedback on performance as well as content, with an eye toward how the potential client might view it.

Read the entire article here. Do you have a story to share about your last team presentation?

New managers: Avoid getting foot-in-mouth

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 20:58:00 +0000

Many times I've seen managers undercut the authority of a their own management team. This sometimes ticks off the Person. What about you? Does this tick you off?

Let me share a few things we do to undercut our own credibility. One, going overboard when asking your employee's thoughts on every single thing. It's fine to seek input but be careful. Two, letting your employees dump their crap on you. Complainers need to bring some solutions as well.

Read this post on other ways you are hurting your credibility: New managers: Avoid getting foot-in-mouth

First Time Manager: Tips For Surviving

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 03:40:00 +0000

Survival is not a word I associate with managing. This doesn't discount that managing is a challenge but thriving is an objective. Over 20 years, my first management role was an eye opener for me. So many personalities and people issues. The technical aspect of the role was no problem. I was an ace technologist and knew how to get things done. However, I learned that a team was needed to get the work done for the department. As much as I tried, one person couldn't do the job. It was an overwhelming experience. This resulted in average team performance.

With a little bit of coaching, I learned to delegate and trust my team. I learned to pass on assignments without micromanaging the job and set check-in periods. I learned the power of getting to know my team and understanding their challenges. Did this happen over night? No, but I did a grow as a manager.

Read more on management in this article by Forbes offering steps for first time managers.

Drop me note to let me know what challenges you have as a new manager.

New Manager Horror Story

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 00:12:00 +0000

Share your first time manager horror story. Check out this blog article here.

Five Keys to Overcoming Team Conflicts

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 06:54:00 +0000

In today's business world, it's very likely you will work with a virtual team. Leading a virtual team adds a few wrinkles to your leadership role when it comes to conflict. While team members are just a few steps away, you can stop by to discuss any issues or conflicts. When people are scattered across globe, you can't just stop to resolve conflicts. You need a different approach. KevinEikenberry.com offers fives keys to overcome team conflicts:

Set Clear Expectations
Don't Delay
Open the Communication Lines
Talk separately and (Maybe) Together)
Set the Right Goals

Click here to read the entire article: Five Keys to Overcoming Team Conflicts

Bearing Gifts On The First Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 06:29:00 +0000

Over at the Ask A Manager blog, there was a discussion about an interesting topic -- bringing food on the first day as the manager.The article reads:

I am a young (25) woman who has just been promoted into a mid-level management position, managing about 25 staff. This is my first "kick at the can" in management, and while I am very confident going into the new role, I naturally have some nerves about the huge change in my career.

Read should I bring in cupcakes for the staff on my first day as a manager? — Ask a Manager



				should I bring in cupcakes for the staff on my first day... A reader writes: I am a young (25) woman who has just been promoted into a mid-level management position, managing about 25 staff. This is my first "kick a

				View on www.askamanager.org	Preview by Yahoo

Become a successful first-time manager

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 00:11:00 +0000

First-Timers, check out this article with video that offers tips on being successful. The author illustrates the importance of identifying what is important to your new boss and other necessary steps. Read on:

Forbes' List Of Essentials For First Time Managers

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 17:00:00 +0000

It's no walk in the park being a first-time manager. There is so much to learn and there's the pressure to succeed. Read Forbes' list of essentials here:

How to Greet on the First Day of Work

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 05:47:00 +0000

What's the best way to greet folks on the first day? This was a question I had asked many years when I landed my first leadership job. I wanted to make a good impression and gain some credibility. Tina Amo writes, "make eye contact, smile and extend your hand for a handshake." Sure sounds simple! But if you think about it, some people don't make eye contact very well.

Read



				How to Greet on the First Day of Work Being the new person in any situation can be intimidating, especially at a new job where you have to meet many new people while learning how to do your job. You can...

				View on work.chron.com	Preview by Yahoo

More networking tips for introverts (and extroverts) | Waypoint

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Many leaders make a big mistake when comes to networking. We stop doing it. A few years back I stopped networking because my life got busy. Boy, what a huge mistake! When my former employer shut the doors, the reality of searching for a new opportunity smacked me head on. Sure, I would find a new opportunity but I didn't have any warm leads in the pipeline.

My former co-worker at the office was a steady networker. As soon as he got the news about the closing, he reached out to his network. He says he landed his new opportunity within a week.

Don't know how to network, check this post:

First Day Manual

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 00:15:00 +0000

First-Timers, day one on your new job is more than filling out paperwork. The unprepared first-timer will focus solely on the paperwork, but YOU will work your strategy. Need help developing your First day plans? Follow the link here:

Common Mistakes Of New Managers

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:56:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal posted this article on leadership. It was adapted from their CEO guide but this applies to you - the new manager. The ideas are all great, however make note of point #5. You likely weren't hired just keep things going. Again, read #5 .....

The Read on: Mistakes

Just Landed Your First Management Job?

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:06:00 +0000

You just landed your first management position- now what? Congratulations! Celebrate your accomplishment but you have to get busy doing your homework. Most experts say you have about 90 days to make an impact. In my opinion, 90 days may be a little generous. You have to hit the ground running on day 1. You aren't going to change the world on day 1 but you need start taking steps to do so. Check out this article which offers sound leadership advice for new managers/supervisors/leads. Read on: You're the New Boss, Now What?

"What is Leading from The Front"

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 15:34:00 +0000

What is Leading from The Front

by Richard Hellen's Pathways

In this week's video, I discuss the difference between leading from the front and leading from the back. Why is this important? Well, I give three examples of why leading from the front maximizes influence.

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Could This Be the Reason You're Not Reaching Your Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 01:12:00 +0000

While doing my daily blog reading, this statement flashed across the screen: "Why you're not achieving your goals." Reluctantly I hit the link to read the article. And I'm sure glad I did. We often get stuck because we are working on the wrong issue. Read the entire article:

Management Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 00:56:00 +0000

Want to get ahead in your leadership role? One method is to develop a broad and deep set of leadership competencies. This can be done by working in challenging, different functions. Read this latest post by Dan McCarthy About.com on a management development program.

Use This Tactic To Keep Your Best Employee From Walking

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 06:51:00 +0000

In my last post on how to keep employees, I shared the a classic article loaded with insight. The key to retaining your best employees starts with communication. How do you do this?

The method you should employ has been around for years. The most successful managers I know utilize this certain method. But I'll be honest with you, it is going to take some work on your part. You must decide that no matter what -- you will stay the course.

The foundation to open communication with your team members begins with 1-on-1's. The 1-to-1's will allow you the opportunity to know what is going with your employee, cover expectations and to uncover any concerns. The majority of you will not conduct these 1-to-1's because they do take time. I know -- but we have to make the time. You are probably thinking is that it.

There is some science behind planning and conducting the 1-on-1's. Trust me. Go listen to this podcast. The guys over at Manager Tools go into great detail on the how's and why's of the 1-to-1's. I promise that you will be blown away. If you are talking about staff meeting material in your 1-to-1's, go listen to the podcast When you're done, leave me a comment with your thoughts.

In my next post, I'll share my biggest 1-to-1 mistake when I was a new manager.

Photo Source: Office Now

Employee left, $1.25 Reimbursement Was Denied

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 06:31:00 +0000

Keeping your best employees is no easy task. As my old ball coach would say--nothing just happens. But where do you start? I ran across an article that gives you a great place to start. Go check it out but here's my take---

In the article titled, How to keep your best employees: Developing an effective retention policy, I agree with June Delano’s ideas on turnover. She suggests frequent and improved communication, and well-defined expectations. I’ve worked with some who were paid a good salary, but they left because the expectations were not clear.

Years back, my good friend went off and designed a database to track errors. She then set up the database to deliver a report each week [huge time saver].. The problem: her manager wasn't excited about the tool because he believed she should have been working on something else. Here's the bigger problem: my friend didn’t receive any direction from her manager—on much. The manager didn’t lay out the expectations of the job. Of course, this put a strain on their relationship. My friend didn’t leave but she started looking.

Money isn’t everything

Money isn’t everything. Leaders can sometimes make the assumption that money or a valuable item will make a difference. This could lead to problems [trust me].

While reading the same article, I got a good laugh when reading about the person who left their job because a $1.25 reimbursement was denied. However, I realize it’s a serious matter. In my opinion, this is where an organization’s leadership and development team should get in the game.

Leaders need coaching on how to retain employees!

So much effort is spent on coaching hiring managers to hire people but little is left on coaching leaders how to retain employees. In my experience, it’s easy to take an employee for granted—assuming they will always be around. So managers have to have support. And I mean not just a line item on the company’s goal sheet or performance program.

That's my two cents. What are your thoughts on the article and keeping your best employees?

P.S. Check back for my next post on a resource to help in this area.

Why Search Engine Marketing is Necessary

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 23:28:00 +0000

When it comes to SEO strategies, many of us are behind the curve. Woz.com offers a loaded document to readers. One key strategy is the use of keywords. We've all heard this tip before but how many much effort do we put into it. It's no accident why some sites are ranking higher in search. Woz.com writes:

"Keywords are fundamental to the search process. They are the building blocks of language and of search. In fact, the entire science of information retrieval (including web-based search engines like Google) is based on keywords. As the engines crawl and index the contents of pages around the web, they keep track of those pages in keyword-based indexes rather than storing 25 billion web pages all in one database." Read the full document here.

After reading the document, I gained a better of SEO and strategies to promote my business. Search Engine Marketing is necessary because it is important for me to get my listings on the 1st page of search results.

The Writing is On the Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 03:55:00 +0000

“The things that get measured get done.” This is the writing on my office wall, scribbled on a small sheet of paper. A former mentor handed me this note several years ago. He told me to keep the message in a spot where I could see it every day. For me, the message serves as a reminder that if there is no measurement around a task or job, there is a slight chance the task could slip through the cracks.

There are two major learning points for me this week that will assist me in preventing things from slipping through the “performance crack.” The first point focuses on accountability and measurement. The second point relates to the measurement process and my admission.

In some groups, there is the unwritten rule of accountability – if you don’t say anything, I won’t say anything. I’ve participated on teams with this attitude. From the audio material I took away four ingredients needed to create a culture of accountability. They are:

Clearly articulate the vision
Establish measurements for success
Establish consequences
Provide Feedback

From this list, there are two accountability items I plan to focus on when I return to the office on next week. One, we have to do a better job of establishing consequences in my unit. Some leaders have established consequences in place, and there are others who could care less about consequences. What good is there to have measures in place when people continually miss those measures? I know there is no overnight fix for this problem.

The next “accountability” item is providing feedback. I’m still surprised to learn that some employees don’t have any idea of their performance within the company. They are hoping they grade out “good” at the end of the year. Is it their fault? I strongly believe that everyone should take charge of their career, even if that involves requesting feedback from their manager. However, leaders should not wait for the request. We should be proactive and reach out to our team. We should take every opportunity to provide feedback.

At times I feel I’m too busy to hold my 1-on-1 meetings with my team, but the class dialogue reinforced the importance of such meetings. One of my classmates shared how her previous manager never acknowledged her contributions. I do not want to be that leader. My 1-on-1 meetings are my method for keeping everyone updated on their performance, and acknowledging their contributions. I know the team appreciates and values the feedback.

My final learning point is an aha moment or an admission of guilt. We recently completed the annual review process, and my biggest gripe was that I needed a better way of measuring performance. For example, at that beginning of the year we were given the objective - to make the customer happy. As I rolled this objective and others out to my team, I saw the puzzled looks on their faces. How do you make the customer happy? How do you measure that?

I felt like the process was senselessness. And I thought the CEO (Harry) and his team were not concerned about the challenges the mid-level management team faced during the performance review process. Boy, I was wrong.

I was wrong because my company leadership group is not alone in the struggle to measure accomplishments and performance objectives such as keep the customer happy.

Reading the course material and participating in the class dialogue, I am beginning to understand the challenge that is involved in this task of measuring accomplishments and performance. I will admit I was surprised to learn that executives are also frustrated with the measurement process. According to Kaplan and Norton (2005), creators of the balanced scorecard system, executives are frustrated that traditional financial accounting measures like return on investment and earnings per share can give misleading signals…(p,172).” So I can imagine the effort executives must make to thoroughly measure performance. Harry, I’m sorry.

“The things that get measured get done.” This message is reminder that talking about measures and accountability is not enough. If I plan to add value to my company, I must have a measurement plan or my own personal scorecard in place.

What are you measuring?

References
Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. R. (2005). The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance. (cover story). Harvard Business Review,
83(7/8), 172-180. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

What is Creating Value?

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 03:42:00 +0000

While reading some material this week on the topic of defining value, I immediately thought of The Platinum Rule by Dr. Tony Alessandra. The Platinum Rule is about treating others the way they want to be treated. This is seen as adding value, or as I like to say – taking care of the bottom line. There are three insights on “value” that I’ve been thinking on since I started reading this material. Let me share those points as I begin my journey towards becoming a leader who adds value.

In my business, we spend countless hours creating and implementing report deliverables for our customers. However, we don’t always ensure that such actions are adding value to the customer. This sounds easy to correct but this is a huge struggle. We have innovative and creative teammates whose sole job is create products and services. Many of the developments are wonderful but they were not created with the customer in mind. We are not treating the customers the way they want to be treated. Customers balk at the high price tag and decline the product offerings. Although our customers do not see value in the services, should my unit be rewarded? They did work hard on the products?

So my first point is, working hard and creating fancy products and services is not enough. As a leader, I must focus on and reward performance that leads to the accomplishment of our organizational goals, which includes adding value to our customers. I cringe to think that I may be leading my staff to focus more on looking busy rather than producing results.

The second point, taken from the subject matter is the need for me to review my department’s approach to generating results through performance improvements. Typically, our approach is to duplicate the behavior of the top performer and use these assumptions to “coach up” low performing agents. I call them assumptions because no careful observation was performed. It has been hit or miss with the method. In fact, it has been more “miss” than “hit.”

In an example of missing the mark, I vividly remember a former agent who left the company because he was not happy. Prior to his leaving, the agent was on a performance improvement to raise his performance to an acceptable level. The improvement process, which included coaching on our “assumptions” of what acceptable performing agents do, only made the situation worse. This agent followed the training and coaching but this didn’t lead to results, only frustration.

The final point, effective leaders are not always the most “successful” leader. I’ve first witnessed this during my first job with a large pharmaceutical company. My manager was neither the smartest nor the most effective team leader but he was the most successful amongst his peers. While his peers were spending time developing their teams and cultivating new leaders, he was busy networking with industry leaders, creating dazzling power point presentations, and lunching with the power players. He used the talents he had to maximize his career.

What does this mean to me? As a leader, I want to effective AND successful. It’s not enough to produce accomplishments but my goal is to be seen as a charismatic leader. When I look at the new promotion section of my company’s newsletter, charismatic leaders are right there in print. Maybe I’ve fallen to the pressures of climbing the corporate ladder. No. I just want to be seen as an effective leader, and one who generates value and results.

Summing it all up, there is plenty to learn about leadership on this journey. This first week of study I’ve learned something new and re-discovered some things that I had forgotten. Yet, I can sum my learning up in one phrase taken from the power point materials. Whether it’s adding value to my customers or my organization, generating results through performance improvement, or standing out as a leader, I must remember that the value I create as a leader is defined by the worthiness of my accomplishments in my organization.
What do you think it takes to create value ?

Another Leadership List (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 09 Feb 2015 05:39:00 +0000

10. An Out-of-the Box Training Program for New Managers
Many of you are probably amazed at the thought of any training for managers.

9. When Are You Going to Learn?

8. Are you a 100 % leader? Be sure you are sitting down when you read the facts.

7. There is a well known politician (JK) who was dogged for his waffling. Don't let this happen to you during your presentation. Waffling...http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/delivery/stop-waffling/

6. For a little humor ...what is Morgan thinking?

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Speech Ideas We Can Learn from Tiger Woods

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:17:00 +0000

This post is not about Tiger's transgressions. However, is there something we presenters could learn from Tiger? Let me suggest a few principles:

1. It's not over till it's over

You may recall seeing many news clips detailing Tiger's [before the accident] charge from behind to capture victory on the golf course. Tiger believes that if he can hang near the top of the leader board, he has a great chance for victory. When it comes to delivering presentations, mistakes happen and we may miss the mark during the opening of your presentations. We've all read the advice -- you only a have few moments to capture your audience's attention.

During your presentation, if you notice your audience is growing restless or tuning you out, what would you do? throw in the towel? Good speakers know the importance of making mid-course corrections to 'get' their audience back. Will it be easy? No, but it can be done.

2. Continue to look for ways to get better

One of the top golfers in the world, Tiger changed his swing while at the top of his game. Those in the sports world questioned the move, and believed Tiger was making a mistake. The change process was not pretty: Tiger had his worst year in the majors; and lost his number #1 ranking. When looking for the reason he changed his swing when he was on top, we can look at the Tiger creed: I improve, therefore I am.

We have to ask ourselves, are we on a path to improve our presentation skills? Are you using stale material or relying too much on borrowed material? As speakers, we have to take risks and stretch ourselves. There are hundreds of ideas on opening presentations, have you implemented any lately?

3. Practice. Practice.

The greatest golfer in the world spends plenty of time on the practice course. There is no question about Tiger's work ethic. It's almost robotic.

To become an effective speaker and presenter, we have to speak. This doesn't mean practicing 30 minutes before our presentations, but really putting the time in to know our material.

Special V.I.P. Session with LES BROWN

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:34:00 +0000

Les Brown in action!

Has Success Eluded You Because You Eluded Failure?

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Bland) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Has success eluded you because you eluded failure? The Great Leadership blog posted an interesting article on the topic of failure. Read it. Let me know what your thoughts are on the list