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Tips for Managers

This content is taken directly from the Management Series

The Manager's Role in Fostering Quality Leadership

Effective management involves understanding the operational aspects of your project or unit, as well as developing relationships with staff members that support your unit’s mission. As a manager, you are responsible not only for financial and strategic management, but also for the oversight of developing your staff. Most managers consider budget concerns, staffing needs, and strategic planning. It is equally important to understand the importance that your relationships with direct reports and co-workers have on your ability to be successful in the completion of the goals you have set for your project or unit.

Ask yourself these questions...

How would you rate your communication skills with your staff?

What fosters trust in your working environment?

What work situations may be diminishing trust in your environment?

How much time do you commit each week to the important relationships in your work life?

What separates good managers from excellent ones? Research of thousands of leaders indicates that emotional intelligence is critical in many day-to-day leadership responsibilities. As Daniel Goldman, author of Emotional Intelligence has said, The stars of an organization are often those who have thick connections on all networks, whether communications, expertise, or trust. These connections require a host of soft skills such as effective interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, time management, team building and meeting management to name a few.

Listed below you will find a list of the competencies that are outlined in the Management Series program available to UI managers through UI Learning and Development. These are important skills for each manager to possess to be an emotionally intelligent leader. Each section provides content from a Management Series course about a particular skill (such as Effective People Skills) as well as examples and other resource links.

For more information, go to the Management Series site

Listed below are some important skills for each manager to possess to be an emotionally intelligent leader. In the section that follows, we will highlight some basic skills in each of these areas of managerial concern.

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Effective People Skills

The foundation of good communication with your staff members is developing trusting relationships.

Also important is practicing important skills such as listening skills and giving and receiving feedback. Your staff needs to have feedback from you on a regular basis. Both confirming and corrective feedback is important.

Confirming feedback:

Example: I liked the way you trained your co-worker. You outlined the protocol in writing and then listened as he relayed back to you the process. Great job!

Corrective feedback:

Example: I noticed that this report has several typos on each page. I need you to proof carefully before each report is sent out. Let’s talk about a plan to insure these mistakes are caught in the future.

I observed that you were 30 minutes late on Monday and 15 minutes late on Thursday. It is important you be here on time at 8:00 a.m.

Instead of, You’re rude to the students who come in for help, say I noticed you don’t look up and address students with a friendly hello when they come into Student Services. I need you to do this.

Guidelines for providing effective feedback

  1. Deal in specifics. Being specific is the most important guideline for giving feedback whether it is confirming or corrective.
    Example: It’s important to file this data in chronological order. We look the information up by date.
  2. Focus on actions, not attitudes. Feedback must be observable and measurable in order to be effective, and it must be non-threatening in order to be acceptable.
  3. Determine the appropriate time and place for feedback to occur. Give feedback as soon as possible after the behavior occurs. Give corrective feedback in private whenever possible.
  4. Refrain from inappropriately including other issues. When supportive feedback is given, any topic that does not relate to the specific feedback point should not be discussed if it would undercut the supportive feedback. Do not mix issues.
    For example, any statement of praise followed by the use of the word “but” will negate the original praise offered.
  5. Create a supportive working environment. In order to create an environment of authentic communication between people, it is necessary to build a relationship of trust. Information from the video, Keeping the Good Ones, leaders ask each staff member How are you doing ? How do you think the team is doing? What can I do to help?

How do you manage your biases about particular employees in order to develop a relationship of trust?

  1. Listen to how you talk to yourself about each of your employees.
    1. Do you see the positive or the negative?
    2. Do you focus on the differences between yourself and the employee?
    3. Do you second-guess the goals and motives of the employees?
  2. Get other people’s perspectives on your employee’s performance.
    1. Ask other managers and listen for observations that differ from yours.
    2. Analyze your viewpoints for consistency and fairness.
  3. Verify any conclusions you reach by discussing them with your employee.
    1. Remember, communication is critical. Keep the lines of communication open with the employee by communicating directly. Don’t assume you know what the employee is thinking, feeling, or even doing in a particular situation. Listen to the employee’s perspective.

Listening Skills

Listening skills are as important as feedback skills for the manager. Listening involves being present and allowing communication to occur. You do this through the use of open body language, friendly voice tone, and a genuine respect for the other person’s concerns.

Example: Taking the time to sit down in a quiet room, look at the staff member with a concern, and really attend to their needs. If now is not the time when you can talk, let them know and schedule soon when you can really listen.

It is also important to be an empathic listener. Conveying empathy involves being aware of and acknowledging the feelings and experiences of the other person. In an empathic response, the listener conveys to the speaker he understands and accepts the speaker’s feelings and the reasons for those feelings. It is possible to be empathic without necessarily agreeing.

Example: It sounds like the situation was frustrating. You’re concerned because you need more time to run the tests.

Making use of effective feedback and listening skills can greatly enhance your communication with your staff.

Develop Strategies for Managing your Workgroup’s Communication Process

By developing strategies to answer these questions you will be enhancing a work environment that supports the goals of your unit.

To immediately access additional coursework related to Effective People Skills, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu and key in the following course titles:

For more information, see our Effective People Skills course description.

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Time Management and Delegation

Supervisors and managers are responsible, not only for their own work, but for managing the work of others. This takes time. Recognizing where your time is actually going now, is the first step that a manager can take to get control of their time. Keeping a time log can be helpful in order to understand where your time is currently going and if you need to make changes to your schedule.

Here are the top 10 potential time wasters we encounter on a regular basis.

  1. Interruptions. Decide whether or not the task is an interruption or part of doing business.
  2. Shifting priorities. Having clear goals and expectations can minimize this time waster.
  3. Lack of goals, priorities, and planning. Planning saves time in the long run. Make planning time a priority.
  4. Attempting to do too much and inability to say no. Set goals that can be attained. Learn how to say no to those requests that don’t match with your mission and goals.
  5. Personal Disorganization. Again, organizing your office to run efficiently can save you time in the long run. Plan 15 minutes to declutter your office each day.
  6. Lack of Self-Discipline. Decide what your priorities are and create a plan of action.
  7. Meetings. Rethink meetings. Some information can be provided via email. Have an agenda for each meeting and time each section of the agenda.
  8. Email. Use email if appropriate. Do not use email if you need to have a conversation to resolve issues. Conflict can escalate on email.
  9. Incomplete or Delayed Information. Develop good relationships with the parties who are providing incomplete or delayed information. Use good communication skills to try to resolve the issue.
  10. Paperwork and Red Tape. Match staff members with detail orientation to the paperwork/red tape tasks. Understand the why behind red tape and see if changes in the process could be made.
  11. Confused Responsibility and Authority. Make expectations clear with staff. Check for understanding. Listen to concerns.

Here are some basic tips for managing your time.

To immediately access additional coursework related to Time Management and Delegation, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu and key in the following course titles:

For more information, see our Time Management and Delegation course description.

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The Performance Review Process

Performance Management and the Performance Review Process is the responsibility of every supervisor. Feedback about performance needs to occur on an on-going basis throughout the year. Throughout the year it is important to do the following:

It is an expectation at The University of Iowa that each staff member has an opportunity to meet with their supervisor regarding their performance in a formal performance review at least once a year. The University has an optional performance review form you can use, your department or college may have a specific form for you to use, or you may develop your own internal form. What is important is that your practices be consistent for employees in similar classifications.

Also see the Performance Management web site for other ideas and suggestions regarding the performance review process. For further assistance contact your Human Resource Representative or UI Learning and Development at uilearndevelop@uiowa.edu

To immediately access additional coursework related to Performance Management, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu and key in the following course titles:

For more information, see our Performance Review Process course description.

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Performance Coaching

Coaching is not always structured and planned. Coaching is most commonly the result of a perceived need. This need could be over time, soon, or immediately. It depends on the situation.

Over time, it may be to improve individual or workgroup performance. Or, it may be to further develop an employee of high potential. Immediate coaching may be needed to correct a critical incident or to provide feedback in a timely way.

There are four different types of coaching roles.

Mentoring: To provide support and guidance to an employee with high potential.

Performance Deficiency: To provide support and structure to an employee who is not performing up to the standard necessary to succeed in the position they hold.

Counseling: To provide support to an employee who may be experiencing other issues in his/her life which prevent them from being able to focus on their position. Your role as a supervisor here is to listen and provide resources of help to the employee.

Discipline: To provide the employee a very structured process for remediation to the employee which may also result in termination. Reasons for discipline include: 1. Violation of University work rules and /or departmental policies and procedures. 2. Inability to perform the work required.

Practical Coaching Tips

Developing a Performance Improvement Plan

Anytime you have had a discussion about areas for improvement, it is important to create a performance improvement plan.

See the video, The Practical Coach, for more information. Email UI Learning and Development to checkout.

To immediately access additional coursework related to Performance Coaching, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu and key in the following course titles:

For more information, see our Performance Coaching course description.

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Progressive Discipline Steps

Information regarding progressive discipline steps can be found on the Employee and Labor Relations site.

Team Building Skills

Interest in team-building has grown from being looked upon as a “nice-to-have” quality of a work group where employees get along with their coworkers, to an essential ingredient of highly productive organizations. Yet saying team building is important does not guarantee a positive outcome. One of the hardest skills for a manager to learn is how to build a team. Team building does not naturally happen; leaders must be aware of how their efforts can actively support an environment where team building is seen as a priority.

Here are some common characteristics of high-performing teams. (Source: Ken Blanchard’s book, The One-Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams)

Purpose. Gain commitment and “buy-in” across all boundaries on the team. Supervisors and managers can increase the likelihood that staff participate on teams by being a positive role model themselves. This means being “on the level” through direct and honest communication about the team’s objectives. Respect that people all approach teams differently, and that team behaviors may take time to establish. Start small and remain persistent by discussing the benefits of teamwork and by establishing shared goals. Communicating the team’s link to your unit/dept’s mission statement and strategic plan tie in the bigger picture; performance plans can be link goals to the individual team member.

Empowerment. Providing clarity and structure is the essential ingredient leaders can provide for team members to feel empowered. By providing clarity and structure, establishing roles, and managing participation, leaders can support team problem solving and increase the likelihood of team success. Ground rules can be an effective tool in encouraging accountability and positive team interactions, even in times of conflict. Expressing expectations by asking members where they would like to take initiative (and how they can be proactive in situations) can build a sense of personal ownership and responsibility to the team.

Relationships and Communication. Continue the flow of communication throughout the entire team with feedback. Meetings are a prime forum, and can be an opportunity to cement early team norms. Whether dedicated to information sharing, goal setting, problem solving, or celebration, consider holding regular sessions to keep the team cohesive. Adding an element of playfulness, whether to the day-to-day, or to special occasions, can help break down barriers to teaming. Anonymous surveys can also provide helpful insight into what team members believe the team should/should not be doing. Encourage those who have interpersonal issues with fellow team members to take the initiative on their own through respectful one-on-one communication.

Flexibility. Flexibility is grounded in two principles: open-mindedness and trust. Leaders can support this by fostering an understanding that members can express individuality in their work styles and still be a team. By identifying areas of interdependence, members can leverage strengths, overcome weaknesses, and develop stronger bonds to the team. Trust is the foundation for all other team characteristics. It’s not just trust in other members (and their degree of competence or consideration), but trust in the outcomes that the team is striving for.

Optimal Performance. Establishing shared accountability is the first step, whether it be in deadlines or results desired, but also in terms of the degree of involvement the team has in making decisions. This characteristic is a measure of whether earlier mentioned areas (purpose, empowerment, and communication) are working in harmony. Performance depends on clear goals (as a source of shared expectation and motivation) plus timely feedback (both constructive and encouraging) to occur. Helpful activities include: establish shared guidelines for team mistakes to solidify expectations, help provide perspective in difficult times, and work on team challenges collectively.

Recognition and Morale. Recognition must go across all levels to have the greatest impact on morale. Consider ways to encourage “up and down the ladder.” Support the team’s ideas by asking members to complete the sentence, “Morale has really changed around here since we started . . .” Or try weekly team discussions of what members are most proud of accomplishing. For more ideas, see the following Reward and Recognition section.

To immediately access additional coursework related to Team Building Skills, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu

For more information, see our Team Building Techniques that Work course description.

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Reward and Recognition

Recognition, simply defined is the acknowledgement, appreciation, or approval of the positive accomplishments or behaviors of an individual or team. Recognition is one of the manager or supervisor’s most effective tools for fostering on-the-job motivation. Despite this, “only about 40 percent of North American workers say they receive any recognition for a job well done, and about the same percentage report they never get recognized for outstanding individual performance.” It’s no wonder, since only “50 percent of managers say they give recognition for high-performance.” (Kepner-Tregoe study, as reported by Kouzes and Posner in 1999).

Benefits of Recognition

Many studies link motivation to increased work performance and an encouraging leadership approach has been seen to increase productivity, lower absenteeism, and develop stronger bonds between staff members. Bob Nelson, in his book, Motivating & Rewarding Employees states the benefits of recognition are:

Four Basic Steps

In its report, Recognition Best Practices, Association of Quality Participation states the four basic steps to recognition are:

Guidelines of Effective Recognition Systems

Aubrey Daniels’ book, Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement, outlines some important guidelines to increase the effectiveness of recognition:

Money is not the best incentive. Low budgets need not diminish recognition efforts; in fact, employees site non-monetary recognition has a longer lasting impact than monetary rewards. Bob Nelson, President of Nelson Motivation, states of those employees they have surveyed:

  • 78% say it is very or extremely important to be recognized by their manager
  • 84% say that providing non-monetary recognition as a reward has increased performance
  • 91% say that recognizing employees helps better to motivate them

Recognition needs to have personal value. The best form of recognition is that which is personal. Whether it be tangible or intangible, formal or informal, consider the nature of the accomplishment and the recipient. For ideas, consult any of the UI Learning and Development resources, such as 1001 Ways to Reward and Recognize, or better yet, ask staff members what they would appreciate. Visit the Reward and Recognition web site or the UI Learning & Development Resource Center.

Recognition must be earned. When recognition efforts backfire, at times it is because staff members believe: a) it was not appropriately earned, or b) it was not focused on accomplishments that they saw as meaningful. Ideally, strive for a balance between group and individual recognition. A sound approach balances:

  • Type #1 Team rewards for meeting team goals, AND
  • Type #2 Individual rewards based on peer or supervisor evaluations

The delay must be bridged. Avoid the “Delay Error” where increased time between the behavior and reinforcement results in increased confusion. (E.g. the recipient may wonder what exactly was being recognized, and the givers message losses impact over time.) If one has a limited amount of time, spend it reinforcing the behavior while it is occurring! Communicate specifically: 1) what attitudes and behaviors are being recognized, and 2) what positive impact they had can decrease confusion and increase likelihood those behaviors will be repeated.

Recognition is best if made a daily affair. Aubrey Daniel's writes, “Quality and productivity rise when supervisors simply increased their daily frequency of contingent positive reinforcement.” A general rule-of-thumb is to follow the “4 to 1 Rule” where four positive reinforcements are given for every instance of corrective feedback. This maintains a relationship of trust between the employee and his/her supervisor.

Recognition is best if accompanied by a celebration. Celebration does not necessarily mean holding a large formal gala to announce recipients. In fact, some may shy away from such public displays, and not see the event as a reward at all. Just as with the personalizing rule-of-thumb, it’s best to get to know the individual before planning the delivery forum. Whether public or delivered one-on-one, to be effective, the attitude of celebration is key for creating a lasting positive memory of the recognition effort.

For more information visit: http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/oe/worklife/RnR/ and http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/oe/worklife/RnR/guiderec.pdf

For more information, see our Rewards and Recognition Ideas and Practices course description.

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Meeting Management Skills

A 1993 study by the Wharton Center for Applied Research found that senior managers spend an average of 23 hours a week in meetings, while managers spend about 11 hours. These numbers haven't changed much when you consider Weaver and Farrell's research, for their 1999 book, Managers as Facilitators, which states, "The average manager spends as much as half his/her work time in meetings." Furthermore, the organizations Weaver & Farrell surveyed said that as many as half of these meetings were unproductive. Simple math suggests that the average manager is foregoing up to 25% of his/her time to poorly run meetings. Yet, depending on the situation, having a meeting may be the best way to proceed.

Situations Best Suited for Meetings

Situations requiring group action or participation are often the best reasons for holding meetings:

Options for Work Outside of Meetings

Instead of holding formal group meetings, consider alternating them with other avenues for communication, such as group listservs, shared electronic files, or one-on-one meetings. Expand upon this list of tasks that promote work getting done between meeting sessions.

Good Agenda Planning

Make the most of meeting time by planning and/or investigating meeting outcomes, which are structured and communicated through the meeting agenda.

Two Components of Every Meeting

At every meeting, there are basically two focuses: 1) the content (or the subject under discussion) or the task being performed, and 2) the process, which describes various aspects of group dynamics and behaviors. Managers or supervisors who are quite invested in content-based outcomes of the meeting should consider partnering with a skilled facilitator who can address group issues and provide structure for effective participation, conflict resolution, and progression toward decision-making.

Facilitation Skills

Ideally, all members at the meeting share in the responsibility for group facilitation. Consider rotating the facilitator position, or have members try out different roles as a means to increase participation and commitment to meeting outcomes. An excellent starting point for facilitation is learning and using the interpersonal behaviors and group processes outlined below.

  1. Group Task Behaviors: These activities are concerned with a group’s efforts to define and accomplish desired outcomes.
    • Proposing : Initiating a new idea, proposition, or suggestion to spark group action.
    • Building : Taking a group member’s proposal, suggestion, or idea, and then extending, developing, or expanding it to enhance its value.
    • Information Seeking : Soliciting facts, data, experiences, or clarification from others.
    • Opinion Seeking : Soliciting values, beliefs, or sentiments to others.
    • Opinion Giving : Offering values, beliefs, or sentiments to others.
    • Disagreeing : Providing direct opposition to (or raising doubts about) an issue, not the person.
    • Summarizing : Reiterating the content of previously shared dialogue in a condensed form.
    • Testing Comprehension: Periodically testing the level of agreement reached, or whether more discussion of the issue is required.
  2. Group Maintenance Behaviors: These activities deal with the group’s efforts to survive, regulate, grow, and strengthen itself in order to achieve its desired outcomes.
    • Encouraging : Supporting, agreeing with, or recognizing the contributions of others.
    • Harmonizing : Reconciling disagreements and conflict by mediating differences between group members, pointing out the strengths of alternative solutions, or searching for common elements of agreement in opposing positions.
    • Performance Checking : Suspending task operations to tend to internal group processes.
    • Standard Setting: Expressing standards for the group and applying these standards to improve the quality of the group’s processes.
    • Tension Relieving : Easing tensions and increasing the enjoyment of group members by joking, suggesting breaks, or proposing fun approaches to work!

Meeting Ground Rules

Ground Rules can enhance group effectiveness by providing parameters for the group, thereby encouraging group participation in decision-making and monitoring of meeting behaviors. With input from the group, explore ground rules in such categories as:

To immediately access additional coursework related to meeting management, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu and key in the following course titles:

For more information, see our Highly Effective Meetings course description.

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Conflict Management

Conflict is an inevitable part of effective work groups. When dealt with constructively, conflict can push managers and employees to explore diversity, differences of opinion, personality or style and to develop solutions that are more effective than when only one solution is explored. If conflict is left unresolved, it can unravel relationships and eventually effectiveness and productivity of the work group suffers.

People deal with conflict more or less effectively. Depending on their style, they:

The Conflict Continuum

Conflict rarely starts at an extreme level; it grows over time if not addressed. What starts as differences, disagreements or irritations can grow to observable tension with outward arguing or under the surface struggles. Toward the other end of the continuum is aggression, explosiveness or undermining. It is important to deal with conflict at the lowest possible level to prevent the situation from worsening.

Relationship Issues

Just as conflict can increase over time, relationships with the people involved in the conflict deteriorate over time. Stages of relationship deterioration include:

The Managers Role and Resources

The manager or management team needs to be skilled in identifying early stage conflict, create an environment where differences are accepted and worked with rather than marginalized, able to model proactive responses to disagreements or conflict, and be ready to mediate conflict amongst group members. Again, a proactive response to conflict means first and foremost, listening. It also means asking questions, stating opinions clearly and directly, and looking for the concerns or underlying issues that might shed light on potential solutions.

It is also very helpful for the manager to be clear about what types of issues can be negotiated and which can be discussed, even debated but not negotiated. Often manager/employee or employee/employee conflict escalates because people are trying to negotiate things which can only be debated. Or they don’t differentiate between a debate and a problem solving session by ending with a clear agreed upon expectation about what will be different after the discussion is concluded.

Issues that can be discussed not negotiated:

Issues that can be negotiated:

For information about Workplace consultation visit http://www.uiowa.edu/hr/oe/fss/consult.shtml or contact the Workplace Consult group at 5-2085.

To immediately access additional coursework related to conflict management, visit http://skillsoft.uiowa.edu and key in the following course titles:

For more information, see our Conflict Management course description.

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