I have been fascinated over the years by the debate, research and discussion about leadership and management. Increasingly there seems to be a focus on the differences between leadership and management and it seems to me that this has developed in part because of deficits in one or the other.

Most of us would like to become, or to think of ourselves as, strong leaders. There is something appealing about the idea of creating and pursuing a vision and influencing others to support the necessary transitions. True enough, if it wasn’t for good leadership, nothing would change or improve.

Leadership training helps you unlock your full potential and realise your ambitions in the business world. Leadership is firmly at the core of every successful organisation, and the effective management of people is a hugely valuable skill that’s always in demand.

Open learning allows you to gain leadership training without the disruption of traditional study. With open learning you can study in your own time and at your own pace, moving through the training course at whatever rate suits you best. This means that you can easily fit your course around your current life commitments, whether you have family responsibilities, a full-time job or any other constraints on your time. You could even earn a prestigious business degree through open learning, and open up a whole new range of career opportunities for yourself!

However, not as many people seem to be as drawn toward being a good manager. Maybe I am misreading the “climate”, but management is often associated with the mundane, the routine and a whole range of “left-brain” activity for which the kudos are few.

There appears to be a perception that one can be a leader or a manager, but not much acknowledgement that those skill sets can reside in the same individual. I believe this is an erroneous view.

My view of leadership and management is that they do require different skill sets, but must co-exist in order for any change to occur effectively. It is like a hand and a glove. Put together they make a great partnership.

Tim Hoiseth

Tim has background as is business psychologist and work sociologist with expertise in building organisations and teams to solve problems for the future. Tim has expertise in technology and the symbiosis between human interaction and technology in operational processes.

Leadership is a complex thing, anyone who tried to lead others would agree to that. Any team is as unique as the uniqueness of people. So even if there are many strong do’s and dont’s in leadership, nothing offers certainty like so much other things in life. Choosing the right strategy can be hard. I will not go in on any theoretical modules in this article. But enlighten small things to consider when developing leadership strategies for your teams.

Ensuring Successful Analysis, by:

Analysing the operating environments on a regular basis, and additionally when major changes occur; using legal and ethical means to gather information; using experienced specialists to gather and analyse the information; using an appropriate range of information gathering tools and techniques; gathering information from an appropriate range of sources; ensuring that forecasts, trends, predictions, are supported by sufficient evidence. The objective is to carry out an analysis that provides the organisation with a clear picture of the current environment in which it operates, and a forecast of impending changes. This will enable the leaders of the organisation to make changes to existing operational objectives in response to the findings on the current situation, and to longer term plans in preparation for the predicted changes. A thorough analysis should be carried out at least annually, with quarterly reviews. This will ensure that the leaders of the organisation are fully informed at all times, and are equipped with information that will enable them to respond appropriately to any changes which impact on the organisation.

Analysing The External Environment, by:

Identifying the components and the boundaries of the external environment in which the organisation operates; considering the current political, economic, social, technological, and environmental situation; gathering appropriate, sufficient, reliable, and valid information; identifying and evaluating trends;  evaluating the impact of current influences on the organisation; forecasting the impact of potential changes on the organisation. The objective here is to gather information which highlights or predicts changes in the world in which the organisation operates. There are many thousands of local and international influences and forces which impact on the organisation. Indicative examples include demographic changes, cultural changes, and social behaviour changes, all of which can lead to changes in customer markets and buying patterns. Another example is a potential or forecast change in a technology which could end demand for certain products or services. For almost any organisation, of any size, and in any sector, gathering and analysing this type of information is critical.

Evaluating Competitor Behaviour, by:

Identifying current and potential competitor organisations; gathering appropriate information on current and forecast competitor activity; evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of individual current competitors; considering the potential impact of new entrants or changes in competitor behaviour. The purpose of this is straightforward. Competitors are, by default, competing for the same customers, and if they are worthy competitors, they will be carrying out the same type of analytical activity, and responding to their findings. Competitor activity can be a vital component of the information gathered, as it indicates how similar organisations are responding to current and forecast changes.

Considering The Needs Of Stakeholders, by:

Identifying all stakeholders, within and outside the organisation; evaluating the importance of support from each stakeholder group; consulting with stakeholders to identify and understand their needs; explaining to stakeholders the organisation’s strategies and values; resolving conflicts and misunderstandings through discussion. The aim of this activity is to ensure that the needs of the stakeholders are known, and their views taken into consideration. Stakeholders can include operational staff, managers, trade unions, shareholders, suppliers, customers, clients, sponsors, funding organisations, partner organisations, local government departments, and local or national media. There can also be sector-specific stakeholders, such as relatives of patients, in the hospital sector, local residents affected by major construction projects, or parents of schoolchildren.

Evaluate The Internal Condition Of The Organisation, by:

Analysing the organisation’s current internal condition; carrying out a review of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The aim is to build a detailed picture of the current condition of the organisation, in terms of its internal health. This should be comprehensive, looking at all internal aspects of the organisation, including for example, the physical location(s) in which it operates, condition of buildings, equipment, vehicles, plant, funding, operational performance, recruitment, retention, training and development, policies, procedures, products, services and so on.

Adjusting Current Strategies, by:

Considering the findings of the analysis activities, and then evaluating current strategies and direction against these; consulting with specialists and key stakeholders about the proposed changes; adjusting current strategies and strategic objectives or replacing them with new ones; implementing a management system that will monitor, control, and adjust where necessary, the new strategies. The objective here is clear. To survive, the organisation must have in place appropriate strategies. Unless strategic direction, specific strategies, and their related objectives, are regularly evaluated, maintained and adjusted, the ability to compete will deteriorate and eventually the organisation will fail.

Adjusting Systems and Structures, by:

Evaluating the appropriateness of the current systems and structures in meeting the demands of the new strategies; consulting with all affected stakeholders on proposed changes; planning and implementing changes to operational, quality, and cultural systems, policies, procedures, and structures; implementing procedures to monitor, control, and adjust these as necessary. The purpose of this is to put in place an appropriate infrastructure that will support the new strategic and operational objectives. Unless this infrastructure is compatible with, and supports the achievement of, these objectives, the strategies will run into difficulties and almost certainly fail.

Adjusting Current Operational Objectives, by:

Adjusting operational objectives and activity in response to the changes in strategic direction; implementing an appropriate quality assurance management system to maintain operational quality standards; implementing procedures to monitor, control, and adjust operational activity and objectives as necessary. Operational activity must support and help achieve the strategic objectives. It is extremely damaging, if not fatal, to allow operational activity to continue unchanged, when the strategic direction and objectives of the organisation have changed.

Adjusting Personnel Capabilities, by:

Comparing the current and potential performance capability of key individuals and teams against the forecast performance requirements; improving personnel capability by re-training and development where appropriate; replacing individuals and teams where necessary; implementing an individual and team appraisal and development system.The aim of this activity is to ensure that, at all levels, the best possible individuals and teams are in place to support and help achieve the organisation’s goals. Without the right people the strategies will fail.

In Summary: analysing the environment in which the organisation operates is the most critically important activity that the organisation’s leaders undertake. It represents the sole purpose of the leaders, that is to ensure that the organisation is taking the most appropriate strategic direction and is equipped with the optimum resources needed to be successful in achieving its objectives. High quality information is critical to the success of the organisation, and information about the changes and challenges facing the organisation in the future is the most valuable of all.

Tim Hoiseth

Tim has background as is business psychologist and work sociologist with expertise in building organisations and teams to solve problems for the future. Tim has expertise in technology and the symbiosis between human interaction and technology in operational processes.

You’ve always known that you are a team player, and you’ve probably always known that you are ready to take on the task of team leadership. However, what you might not know is that no matter how good you are at team leadership, and no matter what kind of a team player you are, personal development is a way to make you stronger, more successful, and better and what you do, overall. 

Personal development means that you are focusing on the skills that you have in order to improve them, and also that you are learning new skills that can benefit you life in general, and of course, benefit the team. When you are working on your personal development, it means that you are never finished learning. You are a strong, successful person and you are focusing on ways that you can make yourself even more so. Working on personal development allows you to become even more concrete in the areas that you know you excel, and begin to develop brand new skills that are going to be beneficial to everyone. 

A team leader is someone who is good at personal development. This is because as you go through life, and as you lead your team, things do not stay the same. Part of personal development is focusing on changing for the better, and helping yourself to learn the skills that are necessary for you to change. When you become the leader of a team, no matter what that team is dealing with and no matter what level of expertise that team is at, you are going to be working with the same people over time. You are also going to be doing the same things, no matter what business you are working in, and no matter what number of things you have to do as a team leader. However, as time goes on, you know that you are going to have to change the way you do things. New technologies come to the forefront, and there is always something different that you can do to make your team run smoother and to help your business excel. Therefore, you are going to have to always be open to change, and ever ready to adapt to the times. 

Personal development is like going to school – you are going to keep your mind open to new possibilities and you are going to be able to change and grow with the world around you.  No matter what kind of team leader you are to begin with, by working on your personal development, you’ll be able to get much stronger and much clearer in your leadership style. This is the best way that you can excel at team leadership.

Tim Hoiseth

Tim has background as is business psychologist and work sociologist with expertise in building organisations and teams to solve problems for the future. Tim has expertise in technology and the symbiosis between human interaction and technology in operational processes.

Where ever you turn these days you hear people talk about training, education, increasing competence. Often to increase possibilities and better ones position in the work market. Often the need for training is clearly agreed upon, but what and how to teach staff the things they need to know to perform better is hard for most to define. Simply resulting in no training at all, or the cheapest alternative, we have proof up the chain that we tried at least right? But why train? Whats the importance and fuzz about it?

Simple really: training improves skills, techniques, knowledge and attitude whatever an individual’s role within an organisation. Ongoing staff training and development is crucial if you want to improve business performance and meet your targets.

Without a well-trained, skilled team your business won’t grow and prosper. But there are a number of initiatives to ensure your staff have the right knowledge and experience required.

When a company develops a learning culture, staff feel motivated to participate in it, resulting in an improvement in individual and collective performance. Morale will be raised, problems solved, efficiency improved and goals attained all because of the practical ability, confidence and motivation that effective training builds.

There is, however, a bewildering array of training events and self-taught training materials. Some of these events and materials may be inappropriate as they do not fulfil the skill and information needs of your staff. Some courses may be legally inaccurate, as they do not contain up-to date information on important relevant educational legislation of which staff need to be aware.

Ensuring that staff develop as educators, team members and individuals increases their sense of worth within your organisation, reducing staff turnover rates. Providing appropriate and ongoing training assists in maintaining the high quality of their work and output.

Psychological Training

Have you ever wondered what makes top performers excel time after time? The answer is they are not only highly competent; they are also psychologically fit.

These people have learnt to become – and stay – focused, resilient, confident and committed. This means they have that extra drive to perform in today’s highly demanding world of work. Psychological fitness, like physical fitness, can be learnt. It sits at the heart of a suite of programmes, each of which provides practical and sustainable tools to develop and enhance psychological fitness.

Together with complementary skills and knowledge, they provide the drivers for action in a wide range of contexts. In association with the Human Dimension, Phoenix are able to provide all your staff with the practical tools to perform at a higher level by enhancing their psychological fitness. Its application is extremely varied but recent workshops have been centred around Leadership, Change Management, Team Development, Tackling Absenteeism and Stress.

Tim Hoiseth

Tim has background as is business psychologist and work sociologist with expertise in building organisations and teams to solve problems for the future. Tim has expertise in technology and the symbiosis between human interaction and technology in operational processes.

If you happen to be a home business owner who employs even a few people, then you are definitely the leader of the pack! You, too, are part of the variety on a team. How well you work together with your employees will tell how successful you are. Are you a leader who teams with success?

True teamwork not only takes time, but it takes the willingness to contribute to the team’s greater good and simply not look out for number one. It has to begin with a sincere desire to work on the group’s behalf. Be sure to examine your motives. When you have a successful team, you will find that all of the teammates reap the rewards. Ineffective teams are often composed of some selfish team members who only watch out for their own personal goals and not the goals of the team as a whole.

As the leader of the team, you should strive to instill the following qualities into your members so that your team will be effective:

1. To have a shared vision of the team’s mission and its goals,

2. There should be a willingness to incorporate one’s individual talents for the  team’s betterment.

3. There should be open communication lines between you as the team leader and members  of the team and among the team members themselves.

4. There should be an appreciation of individual differences within the team.

5. Team members should be recognized and rewarded for their efforts.

Lines of authority alone are not a guarantee of loyalty, dedication and the shared sense of team play. Also, it is a fact that talent does not always guarantee success. Successful teams come about because there is a blending of talent, the melding of minds and mindsets, and there is also the ability to be able to focus on the bigger picture. Members of the team need to feel the following:

1. To be heard

2. To feel that they are important

3. To be appreciated, valued and recognized

4. To have the opportunity to express their own individuality

These attributes can all occur on teams that are well led without having to sacrifice team spirit. It is wrong to think that even the best team leaders strive to treat everyone the same way. Since all of the members of a team are individuals, not everyone needs or wants to be treated just like everyone else. Some team members are self-motivated while other need support and reassurance.

When you have developed personally as a team leader, then you can take steps to pass on personal development to your team members. Remember that teamwork develops over time. Your team can strengthen itself daily through experience and relationships that develop with other team members over time. When you, as a team leader, give time and attention to these tips, you will find that your group will soon be teaming with success.

Tim Hoiseth

Tim has background as is business psychologist and work sociologist with expertise in building organisations and teams to solve problems for the future. Tim has expertise in technology and the symbiosis between human interaction and technology in operational processes.