9th of "12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading"

9th of "12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading"


9. Creativity
support, promote,
recognize/reward, encourage,
apply & develop creative thinking
throughout our entire organization
continuously expanding &
  enriching it.

Teaching Time Management to your Staff and Team

Teaching Time Management to your Staff and Team


This is a response to someone asking me for EXERCISES to use in a TIME MANAGEMENT class.

First what are the key points you are trying to share.

Use activities that reinforce your key points or are sample simulations.

I did Time Management workshops ranging from 1/2 to full day in the past.

Are your goals to

a. generate laughter, lighten the mood to increase their attention
b. demonstrate time management techniques or methods
c. break-the-ice, get the participants to feel more comfortable in the session
d. develop some team-man-ship or team skills

Over the past 36 years I have developed my general approach of

Tell - Show - Involve - Reach

based upon a quote often given credit to Confucius

"Tell Me and I will forget"
"Show Me and I may begin to learn"
"Involve Me and I may learn"

I have added...

"Reach Me - let me get to know you (and some of the others in the group) while you (and some of the others in the group) get to know me and we will BOTH BEGIN TO LEARN TOGETHER."

Over the years I sporadically taught Time Management sessions and studied books about Time Management I discovered that

1. there are some simple lessons to learn that apply to most to all people
2. that thinking style and personality impacts whether or not someone truly learns to improve time management
3. that learning how to work more effectively with others thru learning how to understand styles of thinking and learning will improve our success with time management.

also you may do a GOOGLE of YAHOO search for

teaching exercises for time management

I just did and received nearly 7,000,000 hits.

Take a look at the first 5 to 10 hits they may provide you some great exercises to use.

Alan

Is Creative Thinking Important in Your Workplace?

Developing the Creative Thinking in ALL Your Employees More Important NOW

I have been committed to helping leaders and managers to accept that their greatest resource is the uptapped, under-utilized or mis-supported creative thinking capacities and potential ideas that will lead to solutions of ALL OF THEIR EMPLOYEES.

Today during these very challenge economic and social times this is more true than it has since the Great Depression of the 20th Century.

How are you helping your people to be creative today?

How are your people trying to be creative?

For 14 Years I used this Learning Pyramid

For 14 Years I used this Learning Pyramid

Useful Model

Yes I have also used that in my university or executive development courses that last 40 hours in one week often.  Initially when I got to the point in the course/week when I introduced other roles of leaders (supervisor to CEO).  Over the past 5 to 10 years I began introducing it during the second day after all the participants knew each others names and had worked with each other in pairs, teams (4 or 5) or the total group.

My basic structure for the course consisted of covering a series of topics that interrelated to leading highly diverse workforces:

Coordinating - Leading
Communicating
Conflicting (mis-communication or not communicating)
Connecting (getting to know your workforce and team well)
Collaborating - teaming
Cre8ng - creative thinking and creative solution generation

for 15 years while I taught it 5 times a year at Columbus State University for Public Safety officers from police, fire, emt, dea, fbi or state bureau of investigation, mostly Georgia, or state troopers.

They were either working on completing a bachelors degree or a masters degree.

The students (usually 30 to 50+ with 5 to 30+ years of on the job experience) ranged from those who hadn't been in college in several years or were returning only after a short break due to their jobs.

Over the years I learned to focus also on helping them discover how they apparently learn and how the various employees learn differently often from them.

Even with all the years of research behind the LEARNING PYRAMID, most teachers/trainers/leaders/bosses TELL, the bottom of the pyramid, they have seldom had experience with most other methods.

So my approach evolved over the years of

1. welcome them
2. give a brief schematic overivew
3. have them begin to get to know each other (on going process throughout the course)
4. let them gradually get to know me
5. have them learn from doing using the content
6. then periodically have them review what we did
7. then share my approach and design to help them spark ways that they might use their own version of what they are experiencing.

Also over the years I introduce Benjamin Bloom's Hierarchcy of Learning, initial and more recent revisions of it plus my own revisions of it.

Also I learned that

attention + intention produces higher retention.

the teacher/trainer/leader needs to get, develop and maintain the attention of the students/trainees while learning what their individual intentions for the course are and integrate them with my intentiions in order to increase their retention.

You are talking about training

I am talking about educating.

You are focused on finite pieces of knowledge or skills

I am focused on developing understanding to help them to BEGIN TO LEARN and CONTINUE TO LEARN by their own choice and initiative after my course or their degree program is finished.


making people leave or throwing them out...Eugen


Eugen

"In a situation of misbehaviour always exist a posibility to apply "i will invite you to leave the room" or "i will write to your boss to inform about your attitude" methods."

Some of my colleagues who are trainers of trainers or have done much of their training or even complete doctorates in TRAINING TRAINERS how to TRAIN include a short exercise after

1. welcome
2. overview of course
3. let's set up the rules, requirements and expectations of the trainer and the participants.

The trainer facilitates the group in generating a list of

a. rules
b. requirements
c. expectations

THEY generate and agree on them that they will follow and use during the program

Then the trainer facilitates the group in generating a list of

a. rules
b. requirements
c. expectations

THEY want the trainer to work by.

This approach seems to work with some groups and trainers.

I find it too Behavioristic.

Over the years I have learned to EARN RESPECT by GIVING RESPECT.

When problems arrive we/I deal with them as a total group or one on one.

Years ago, 1985 I used the THREAT APPROACH and did invite, actually threw out a participant or two from one or two lengthy programs.

(joke) unfortunately one turned out to be the boss of the department....I hadn't developed the habits of getting to know the people ahead of time then.

About 3 years ago I was working with about 50 people, all CWA local union leaders in a two, 8 hour day program on Presentation Skills and Public Speaking.

I had been doing 2 different classes for the Annual CWA Leadership school for 16 or 17 years.

1) 2nd year students - basic course on the topic consisting of two, 1/2 day sessions back to back (4 hrs per day)

2) 3rd year students - more advanced class on the topic consisting of two, full day sessions back to bac (8 hrs per day).

Typically the only resistance I ever got in the 2nd year class (my first time with them) was some people and their FEAR of speaking on their feet.  Over the years I experimented with ways of getting them to get up on their feet at least at the table they were working at if not in front of the room.

Due to many factors in our economy and country the 3rd year class had not been held for a few years.

3 years ago the CWA did hold one.  It had 50 people in it instead of the usual 10 to 15.

10 to 15 as your probably know is a much better size for a truly effective training course, especially advanced.

Instead I had 50.  3 times too many.

I couldn't reschedule or change it or break it into two or three sub-groups for many reasons.

So I modified my course design and plunged ahead (my mistake).

One student resisted getting up and giving the then only 3 min required prepared speech.  I kidded her. I teased her. I joked with her.

Then I gave her the ultimatium of two choices

1. you give your speech as best you can now
2. you learn this course and deal with your superiors about what would happen because you did not complete this REQUIRED course.

I have not been asked back to teach the courses since.

One threat may work. It may not.

You do not earn respect uniformly if at all by using threat.

You develop more resistance.

S.P.R.E.A.D.ng Creative Thinking Throughout Your Team, Department, Entire Organization


Over the past 31 years I have interviewed many people working for highly creative and innovative companies and consultants who have worked with many of those same companies and others among the tope Fortune 500 and discovered that

SUPPORTing creative thinking is generally sporadic, hit-and-miss, inconsistent if done at all. In the design studios/labs/areas perhaps creative thinking is encouraged, but not in the secretarial pools, accounting departments, drafting rooms, showroom floors, warehouses, shipping departments.

People want to own their jobs
People want to create solutions for their job's problems
People take great pride in using their own creative thoughts to solve or eliminate problems.

So beginning today go SUPPORT the creative thinking of every employee you talk with.

Alan
alan@cre8ng.com
http://www.cre8ng.com

8th of "12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading"

8th of "12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading"


Compromise
strive to use all the tools
of Negotiation: Collapse/Avoid,
Challenge, Cooperate,
Compromise & Collaboration,
while continually striving for
Win/Win Outcomes aiming
towards the best for all.

First 7 of my "12 Cornerstones of Productive Thinking"

First 7 of the 12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading

Over the 30 years I taught workshops, training programs or university courses and facilitated Community Leadership Development Group Retreats for Chambers of Commerce around Georgia I collected the 12 through doing many different exercises about TRAITS or SKILLS of Productive Leaders (Efficient, Effective & Creative).

I have been sharing them one per day.

This morning I noticed on one of my Facebook professional pages that my sharing had been erratic so I am posting the first 7 to fill in any I may have not shared.

1.         Commitment

            to our purpose and goals

            and to win over the commitment

            of our people.

2,         Control

            need control of the resources and

            earn the trust and respect to

            control the actions of our people.

3.         Consistency

            be consistent in our

            actions, our messages, our

            beliefs, values and require

            consistency from our people.

4.         Challenge(s)

            need Challenges, goals,

            objectives, missions, purposes,

            plans we believe in that are

valuable & meaningful

            to our people.

5.         Competence

            surround ourselves with people

            with the competencies that are

            needed and expand our own.

6.         Centered (focused)

            be centered (focused)

            in our beliefs, values and actions

            toward the best we can

            accomplish and ask the same of

            our people.

7.         Confidence

            have Confidence in

            ourselves and our people.

7th Cornerstone of Productive Leading

7th Cornerstone of Productive Leading

Confidence

            have Confidence in

            ourselves and our people.

Discover your LEVEL of Confidence

work on it when it slips

Help to develop the CONFIDENCE levels of all your people.

Pay compliments more often than criticisms.

6th Cornerstone of Productive Leading

6th Cornerstone of Productive Leading

Centered (focused)

            be centered (focused)

            in our beliefs, values and actions

            toward the best we can

            accomplish and ask the same of

            our people.

5th Cornerstone for Productive Leadership

5th Cornerstone for Productive Leadership

.           Competence

            surround ourselves with people

            with the competencies that are

            needed and also expand our own.

This week make a list of the competencies of each of your people, team members.

Find, Discover, Develop a Purpose or Two in Your Lilfe

Find, Discover, Create your Passion, Purpose, Vision, Element, Bliss....the terms are plentiful for the save DRIVING FORCE in a life.

Daily, weekly, monthly take deliberate amounts of conscious time to think, read, study, write about your "DRIVING FORCE".

Then go to work on one to a few of your chosen GOALS, PLANS.

Be open to follow your GUT, your INTUITION, FEELINGS that occur.

You will find that many other things, opportunities, chances will appear that you would miss if you are too focused only on the WRITTEN DOWN plans, goals, objectives.

Strategic Planning can be accomplished in a minimum of 4 primary styles or ways.

Highly logical and highly focused
Highly systematically, step by step
Highly emotional thru friends
Highly exploratory

Using Strategic Planning, based upon my own life and study, approaches that are only one of these can led to dangerous DOMINO EFFECTS and emotional disaster.

THINGS HAPPEN that you can not plan for,

old comic routine of Bill Cosby helped me put this into perspective over 30 years ago,

He was weak as a teenager and was continuously bullied.
He father suggested Karate lessons,
He took them but it was a very slow process because of his initial lack of confidence and his weak scrawny body.
Eventually his sensei guided and pushed him long enough to learn some strong beginning skills.
The annual STUDENT SKILL SHOW was coming up.
So Bill practiced, practiced, planned, planned, focused, focused.
He toughened up his hand and refined his skill.
His sensei had also taught him mental preparation techniques too.
"I can break this brick with my hand" became his daily mantra.
The day of the show arrived.
It was his turn.
He psyched himself up, he was physically ready.
He raised his hand
He said his mantra
He drove his hand into the brick.

Broke nearly every bone in his hand

Why?

The BRICK was thinking 'NO YOU WON'T', 'NO YOU CAN'T BREAK ME'

Sometimes all the planning, studying, reading, work is not enough.

Focus on your reasons why you want to accomplish what you are after.

Remember that "there are 26 letters in the alphabet.  If Plan A doesn't work, know that there are at least 25 Plans you can create and try."

#3 Cornerstone of Productive Leaders

This one is one of the hardest for any leader from supervisor to team leader to dept head to CEO...


Consistency

be consistent in your actions,
your messages,
your beliefs,
values
and require consistency from your people.


This one is one of the hardest for any leader from supervisor to team leader to dept head to CEO...


Consistency

be consistent in your actions,
your messages,
your beliefs,
values
and require consistency from your people.

#4 Productive Leading Cornerstone

#4 Productive Leading Cornerstone


Challenge(s)

all leaders...

need Challenges, goals, objectives, missions, purposes,
plans we believe in that are valuable & meaningful to our people and our clients, customers, or patients.

They may be externally CAUSED or internally CHOSEN/CREATED.

#3 Cornerstone of Productive Leaders

#3 Cornerstone of Productive Leaders

This one is one of the hardest for any leader from supervisor to team leader to dept head to CEO...


Consistency

be consistent in your actions,
your messages,
your beliefs,
values
and require consistency from your people.

#2 Cornerstone of Productive Leading

#2 Cornerstone of Productive Leading

Control
need control of the resources and
earn the trust and respect to
control the actions of our people.

Productive Leaders share control and only take it back or exercise it when necessary.

12 Cornerstones of Productive Leaders - # 1

12 Cornerstones of Productive Leaders - # 1

During my years of studying and teaching courses about Leading in Today's Workplaces I discovered many lists of traits for leaders. As I studied list after list and collected input from hundreds of classes and groups I discovered 12 general traits that PRODUCTIVE LEADERS used. The more they excelled at them the more PRODUCTIVE and SUCCESSFUL they were.

for 12 days I am going to post one by one.

#1 Commitment

to their purpose and goals
and to win over the commitment
of their people.

How are you doing with your COMMITMENT to your team, department or organization/assn?

Take time to think about how you have done in 2012 and how you can improve your COMMITMENT in 2013.