Being an Effective Manager in a Dynamic Working Environment KIM

1
Being an Effective Manager in a Dynamic Working
EnvironmentKIM

• Paul Kasimu Group HR Director, Kenya Airways
• 31 July 2008

2
Discussion Areas

• Business environment
• Organisation issues
• People challenges
• Achieving effectiveness
• An effective manager?
• Behaviours
• War for talent
• So?

3
But first, some SELF APPRAISAL

• A little boy went into a drug store, reached for
  a soda carton and pulled it over to the
  telephone.
• He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach
  the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch
  in seven digits.
• The store-owner observed  and listened to the
  conversation

4

• The boy asked, "Lady, Can you give me the job of
  cutting your lawn?
• The woman replied, "I already have someone to cut
  my lawn.
• "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of
  the person who cuts your lawn now." replied boy.

5

• The woman responded that she was very satisfied
  with the person who was presently cutting her
  lawn.
• The little boy found more perseverance and
  offered,
• "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your
  sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the
  prettiest lawn in all of Africa south of the
  Sahara!
• Again the woman answered in the negative.
• With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced
  the receiver.

6

• The store-owner, who was listening to all, this,
  walked over to the boy and said,
• "Son... I like your attitude I like that
  positive spirit and would like to offer you a
  job.
• "The little boy replied, "No thanks, I was just
  checking my performance with the job I already
  have.

7

• I am the one who is working for that lady I was
  talking to!"

8
Business Environment
9
Organisational Issues for Managers

• Competitor challenges
• Managing people
• Delivering on customer promise
• Keeping up with technology
• Managing growth
• Compliance
• Shareholder return
• Government legislation
• Legislation

10
People Challenges

• External influences
• High levels of unemployment
• Extended families requiring a lot of support
• Brain drain with increasing number of nationals
  working in the diaspora
• New players in the market with a resultant higher
  attrition rate for key people
• Increasing inflation levels
• General declining standards of living
• High level of fraud
• New labour laws
• Unions
• Direct and indirect impact of HIV/ AIDS

11
People Challenges

• Internal influences
• Limited promotion prospects and abundance of
  young ambitious graduates
• Pressure to invest in post graduate
  qualifications for staff
• Limited internal pipeline for senior roles
• Full acceptance of principles and practice of
  Performance Management
• Inconsistent service culture
• Managing work pressure
• Staff indebtedness, general financial
  over-commitment?
• Staff integrity

12
The New Psychological Contract

• OLD CONTRACT
• Stability
• Predictability
• Permanence
• Standard work patterns
• Valuing loyalty
• Paternalism
• Job security
• Linear career growth
• One time learning
• Security for Loyalty

• NEW CONTRACT
• Change
• Uncertainty
• Temporariness
• Flexible work
• Valuing performance and skills
• Self reliance
• Employment security
• Multiple careers
• Lifelong learning
• Commitment for Development Employability

13
Line Management Challenge
14
Achieving Effectiveness
15

• "The day soldiers stop bringing you their
  problems is the
• day you have stopped leading them. They have
  either lost confidence that you can help them or
  concluded that you do not care. Either case is a
  failure of leadership.
• General Colin Powell Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs
  of Staff

16
Management Behavioursa dichotomy

• Transactional Manager
• Provides clarity on short term objectives
• Perpetuates historic control structures
• Solves immediate problems personally
• Maintains or improves the status quo
• Plans, organises and controls
• Guards and defends culture
• Power comes from the leader position
• Authority comes from the organisations

• Transformational Leader
• Establishes the long term vision
• Creates a climate of trust
• Helps the team to solve problems
• Challenges and changes the status quo
• Coaches and develops people
• Challenges and changes the culture
• Power comes from influencing the team
• Authority comes from trust and respect

17
An effective manager?

• Inspires a shared vision
• Good communicator
• Integrity
• Enthusiasm
• Empathy
• Competence
• Ability to delegate tasks
• Emotional stability not a victim
• Creativity
• Discipline/focus

18

• "Organization doesn't really accomplish anything.
  Plans
• don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of
  management
• don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail
  because of
• the people involved. Only by attracting the best
  people will
• you accomplish great deeds."
• General Colin Powell
• Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff

19
War for talent? Two-pronged approach 3 key
focus areas
Acquire
Grow
Source
Manage
Develop
Group interventions New Experiences i.e. cross
border placements / role shadow /mentoring/
attachments etc.
Top Grading Market Mapping Graduate Recruitment
Leadership Reviews Risk Management Succession
Planning Retention Recognition Reward
20
Talent ability, proven track record , potential
and ambition to play a senior leadership role
within a given timeframe and context.

• Capability
• A players in their current role or could be rated
  as promising B player.
• Proven track record
• Potential
• Combination of competencies and the organisation
  values.
• Ambition
• Personal drive and appetite to succeed at middle
  management, senior and/or executive levels of the
  organisation

21
70
70 percent of peoplequit their bosses,not their
jobs.Others quit and keep coming to workWhy?
30
Quit Job
Quit Boss
Sources include Gallup Organizations Global
Studies of over 400,000 people over 40
years Cascade effect (/-)
22
The number one practical competency for leaders
is empathy. - Peter Drucker
23
Across industries,one significant
factordistinguished the upper quartileof the
most successful managersfrom the lower quartile
ofunsuccessful managers Caring.
- Center for Creative Leadership, Colorado
Springs, Jodi Taylor, VP, a battery of
measurements, 1995-2004
24
People Must Be Seen Feel Valued by Those
Important to Their Future
Processes
Technology
People
E-Mail, Voicemail
Modern Trends Invisibility No Voice
Timeless Needs Visibility Voice
25
Individual-Organizational ValuesCommitment to
Exceptional Work
6.26
Scale 1 to 7
6.12
Commitment Level
4.90
4.87
Knows company values, not individual values
Knows individual values, not cos values
Knows both individual values and cos values
Knows neither individual nor company values
Source J. Business Ethics, 12(2)(1992).
26
40 to 50 percent of an organizations profit
margin fluctuations are predictable based on
employee feelings and opinions.
- Surcon International, Chicago-based research
firm, international research across industries,
Reports in 2000 and 2004.
27
The Latest EI Research Shows
A leaders primary task is to drive emotional
energy in the right direction Inner strength is
emotionally centered A leaders positive-energy
under pressure inspires others to do their best
work, even when the future is uncertain
Sources include Goleman, et al, Primal
Leadership and Cooper, R.K. Get Out of Your Own
Way (2006)
28
90 of all leadership failures are failures of
communication.
- W. Edwards Deming
29
The Dangers of Vagueness or Under-Focus
When faced with vagueness, the human brain is
wired to always assume the worst
30
Highest-Performing Leaders Use Weekly Progress
Dashboards
31
The First Two Things to Measure

• Productivity
• Growth

You with Your Line Boss With Your Direct Reports
32
BiWeeklyOne-to-One Results-Driven Coaching
With Your Boss Scheduling and Follow-Through is
Your Responsibility
33
What made you successful in the past, wont
today and wont in the future. Innovate and
grow, or vanish.
- Fred Smith, Founder and CEO
34
So, what next?
35
Faces of effective leadership

• Charisma
• Individual consideration
• Intellectual stimulation
• Courage
• Dependability
• Flexibility
• Integrity
• Judgement
• Respect for others
• ( Fedex)

• Drive
• Influence
• Judgment
• Accountability
• Aggressiveness
• Adaptable
• Forward Thinking
• Motivating
• Collaborative
• Living core values

36
14 Key Success Factors

• Standards well defined and controlled.
• Good strong and frequent communications
  personalised, seek listen and action feedback
• Fair but firm
• Bias for action
• Acceptance to make mistakes and learn from them
• Minimalist organization which cuts out what is
  not important
• Tight focus on core activity
• Active new business thrust
• Team working, but minimum of formal meetings and
  committees
• Responsible decision making by the individual,
  not by consensus
• Single status organization
• Ethically honest
• Leaders not followers
• Committed to success
• KQ

37
Getting the Best of your Team

• Employee engagement
• Situational leadership
• BECKS
• Talent spotting
• Coaching and feedback
• Mentoring
• Developmental opportunities.

38
Developmental Jobs Listed alphabetically

• Cross moves e.g changing divisions or functions,
  field/HQ shifts
• Fix-its/Turnarounds e.g. Failed business/unit
  Restructuring,
• Heavy strategic demands new or significant
  strategic direction.
• International assignment new business ,
  language rules etc
• Line to staff switch e.g. assistant to exec. HR
  role planning role
• Projects/task forces one time short-term events
• Scale jump in the size of the job, budget,
  people layers of org.
• Scope complexity /change Managing more breadth
  e.g.moving to new org/function product.
• Significant people demands - increase in either
  number of people managed or complexity of people
  challenges faced
• Start-Ups starting something new for the
  org.e.g. Building a team/system , moving a
  successful programme from one unit to another.
  Heading something new.

39
Some quick wins

• Get a demanding boss!
• Surround yourself with high quality employees
  attitude 1st, then aptitude
• Grow and/or replace unproductive employees
• Remember BECKS
• Apply situational leadership
• Praise in public, ridicule in private
• Assess performance not performer
• Listen and hunt for feedback
• Deliver on current role
• Drop toxic people

40
Conquer yourself

• Personal Level
• Self awareness
• Self management
• Personal development plan
• Benchmark
• Learn and unlearn

• Social Level
• Social awareness
• Managing others manager, peers, team, customers
• Networking mentors, buddies
• Family

41
Personal Challenge

• When did you last dream about your career?
• Do you have a clear plan for 2 years and 5 years?
  A career flight path?
• Have you benchmarked yourself lately? i.e.
  against colleagues, the competition etc.
• Do you know what YOUR brand represents?
• When was the last time you were outside of your
  comfort zone?
• Are you enjoying your work and if not?
• Have you looked in the mirror lately?

42

• Blame or finger pointing and lack of
  responsibility, keep the gloomy game going. They
  keep stealing your hidden genious and potential
  wealth - giving them dimwit, on the sidelines
  with no leadership, heart or financial skills.
  Dear one, wise up.
• 14th century poet

43
There is no passion to be found playing small in
settling for a life that is less than the one you
are capable of living.
- Nelson Mandela
44
TAO TE CHING
Knowing Others Is Intelligence Knowing yourself
is True Wisdom Mastering others is
Strength Mastering yourself is True Power
45
The time is now. The leader is you.