Like him or not, watch the X Factor or not, Simon Cowell is a multi-millionaire with a Midas touch and from whom managers can learn some very useful business lessons, as a reporter from The Telegraph highlighted last month. Some of Simon’s approaches which are extolled in the article (there are 15 mentioned, including ‘Staying Friends with your exes’ and ‘Be nice to your mum’) but the real value is in some of the grittier approaches that Simon takes. The 3 listed below are sound best practises for a new manager to deploy in the workplace:-
1. Admit when you’re wrong
2. Learn to laugh at yourself
3. Don’t get stressed
Let’s face it, being recognised as a great manager is something to which anyone in that position aspires. However, to get there requires more than just possessing the right qualifications or the necessary years of experience within an organisation or business sector. One of the biggest roadblocks to becoming a great manager is learning how to become a great people manager.
Here are 3 top tips from Creativedge Training and Development for managing people that any supervisor or team leader can help to up their game:-
1. Lead the way
The role of a manager requires you to be a role model and set yourself apart; be firm but fair and treat people as equals, make tough decisions and take responsibility for your people’s actions, not just your own. Your people will always learn what behaviour is acceptable by observing your actions. Role models in the workplace are often characterised by credibility and have built trust by doing what they say they will do, or being upfront if they are not able to keep their promise for any reason. (VERY Simon Cowell in my opinion!).
2. Acknowledge and Recognise
Deep down, most people value acknowledgement and recognition for a job well-done, more than they do the money. Feedback on results is the number one motivator of people at work! People who feel good about themselves produce good results. Think about it: how did YOU feel the last time your manager took time to acknowledge something you had achieved? A great manager takes the time to recognise good work and does not gush. This lets your people knows when they are doing something right which, will encourage them to build upon this success even further in the future.
3. Make your people’s success a priority
It’s a very simple concept: if your people do well and succeed, so will YOU! If a manager becomes known for being a great talent spotter – and talent nurturer- then they become an even more valuable asset to their organisation. A great manager discovers their people’s individual goals and then does everything they can to help them achieve these goals. Your role now involved managing a team of people with different styles of working, decision-making and communicating. While your team’s individual styles may not be the approach you might take, if the results are good then you will need to accept these differences. Get to know your team, making an effort to spend time with them both as individuals and as a group, and this will help inform professional and personal growth plans as well as establish the ground rules of team communication.
So if you take Simon Cowell out of the equation, some of his approaches really are useful for managers.
For more top tips for New Managers and other must-have management and personal development tips, visit the new, free, Creativedge ‘Top 10 Tips’ App available for iPhone, Android and Windows smartphones:-
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/top-10-tips/id796349890?mt=8
OR
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elixsoft.creativedge
