Influencing Tactics for Leaders Part 1

Influence is the ability to affect the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of others.  The relationship between leadership and influence is extremely complex and of critical importance to all organizations.  Influence is an important social skill required by leaders to effectively and efficiently enable staff to obtain organizational objectives.

The benefits of a leader with influencing skills include increased involvement by team members as well as an increase in team and organizational effectiveness.

The 9 Influencing Tactics Include:

• Rational Persuasion
• The leader employs logical arguments of factual data to influence behavior
• Inspirational Appeals
• The leader uses inspirational appeals to influence behavior by appealing to the emotions or enthusiasm of employees
• Consultation
• The leader uses consultation to influence behavior by allowing employees to participate in the planning or decision making process

  Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Process, Benefits & Preparation Part 3

Performance Appraisals

Performance Appraisal Areas
In the Performance Appraisal process, the main areas of concentration will be:

Performance (What)

• Job responsibilities/duties
• Accountabilities
• Business targets
• Key performance indicators (KPI’s)
• Objectives
• Key result areas

Skills and Knowledge (How)

• Technical
• Managerial
• Interpersonal
• Professional
• Business
• Product/Service

Preparation
To make sure that the Performance Appraisal goes well, advance preparation is essential.

Preparation includes:

• Information gathering: Collect all relevant information, not just what will confirm your own views!
• Documentation
• Make sure that both you and the employee have completed the Performance Appraisal documents correctly.

Location for Performance Appraisal

• Somewhere quiet and private. Make sure phones are off, and put a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the door.

Scheduling a time

• Put it on your calendar and block it from interruptions.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Defining Your Strategic Direction Part 3

CORE COMPETENCY
A final question in defining your strategic direction is: what are your core competencies? Following are the requirements for a competency to be considered core:

• It must deliver significant value to the customer.
• It must create differentiation from competitors.
• It must form the basis for entry into new markets.
• It is not easy for other organizations to replicate.

The requirements for competency to be considered core are stringent. Organizations must possess many skills, technologies, and capabilities in order to succeed, but that does not make them core. They have to meet the criteria mentioned above.

Core competencies are not specific products or services but rather a bundle of skills, technologies, and capabilities that result in a broad class of customer benefits. A well-developed core competency results in competitive leadership within an industry, but that takes time to develop.

TOMORROW'S CORE COMPETENCE
Finally, you will need to jump to the future and consider a core competency that could give you strategic advantage 5 years in the future.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Listening and Communication Skills -- Part 1

Do you want to be a more effective communicator?  If so, let's begin by taking a quick communication skills assessment. This assessment should take only 2 to 3 minutes. 

For our Communication Skills Assessment, please click here.

Communication is the glue that holds organizations together. It affects the outcome of relationships, products, and systems. Simply stated, when you communicate, you share, or make common, your knowledge and ideas with someone else.  Effective communication is sending and receiving a message so that the receiver understands the sender's meaning.  There is often "hidden" meaning in a message which must be deciphered.

Communication gaps are caused by the failure to convey and or understand the information, intent, or meaning of another, especially between individuals with different perceptions.  Stay tuned for more on communication next week!

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Diversity - Summary

To summarize what we've learned in our Diversity series: 

• We have defined diversity as "the differences that make us unique."
• We have discussed that many ongoing demographic changes are affecting the makeup of the workforce, presenting specific leadership challenges, and calling for changes in management approaches.
• We have identified five key skills that can help us manage diversity effectively.
• We have seen that valuing differences, taking action, and overcoming barriers will help ensure that we can leverage the advantages of diversity.
• We have seen that focusing on managing diversity helps organizations attain four business imperatives that will help them gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
• We have explored the Flex-Management model which recognizes that each individual worker retains his or her unique makeup while becoming part of the workplace.
• We have seen how Flex-Management strategies show a deep appreciation of individual differences, recognizing that although people are more alike than they are different, they all have different needs.
• We have come to appreciate that "one size" no longer fits all employees, and one way of doing things will not work in today's diverse workplace.
• We have realized the importance of determining our current skill level to know which areas we can target for personal development in managing diversity.
• We have formulated a personal Managerial Development Plan and committed to taking action that is critical for individual development in managing diversity.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Training Needs Analysis - Part 1 of 2

Needs Analysis is an essential process in every organization, large or small.  A properly performed analysis will ensure that team members receive the most relevant training and will deliver an immediate positive impact on your organization.

The Formalized Approach

• Training is directly linked to human resource needs
• Systematic developmental training linked to performance appraisals
• Knowledge-based courses broadened to skill-based courses
• Line-manager involvement in the development of the course content
• Range of skills required increases
• Pre- and post-course activities increase
• Training is linked to individual needs

Benefits include:

• Training and continuous development will be perceived as essential for organizational survival and an integral part of organizational strategy
• Training becomes a source of competitive advantage
• On-the-job development
• Self-selection for specialized training courses
• New forms of training delivery explored, such as e-learning
• Measurement of learning becomes critical to the organization

Until next time...







Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/