Lifemeasure in moments

Life is not measure in minutes, but in moments, what I just did with this post is simply about capturing all the precious moments in my life.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



Lesson Learned from My First SAP Implementation Project
**julian.asia

After spending more than a year of my weekdays in Cilegon, Banten, finally I got my first SAP implementation project finished. Though it doesn’t mean that I can leave Cilegon soon, since I will have another project assignment there, I think it is good for me to stop for a while, to thank God for what went well and reflect on what needs to be improved in next project :)

Proyek ini merupakan proyek pertama saya sebagai konsultan SAP. Kata senior saya, ini merupakan proyek implementasi SAP terbesar dan paling rumit se-Indonesia tahun ini. Alhasil, saat ikut project briefing pertama kalinya, informasi ini menimbulkan efek ganda buat saya. Di satu sisi, ada rasa bangga dan semangat yang meluap-luap untuk belajar banyak hal dan membuat prestasi di proyek ini, tapi di sisi lain, ada juga rasa takut dan khawatir tidak bisa menyelesaikannya dengan baik.

Namun, ketika semuanya dijalani, ternyata saya bisa juga. Memang kita sebaiknya tidak perlu takut dalam menghadapi tantangan. Just perform, seperti kata Billy Boen dalam buku Young On Top.

Ingin rasanya menceritakan semua pengalaman saya di proyek ini. Sebab, setiap momen yang saya lalui begitu banyak memberikan pelajaran dan kenangan yang sayang sekali untuk dilupakan. Tapi untuk kali ini sebaiknya saya ambil beberapa saja yang menurut saya paling penting dan saya susun menjadi sebuah daftar lesson learned. Semoga bisa berguna juga buat siapapun, khususnya yang ingin jadi konsultan SAP :)

Lesson #1 – Have a Goal

“Control your own destiny or someone else will”, kata Sean Covey. Having a goal is truly a need, bahkan dalam lingkup yang kecil, seperti dalam sebuah proyek. Goal memberi kita arah dan kita benar-benar membutuhkannya.

Banyak uncertainty yang terjadi dalam proyek ini. Misalnya, tiba-tiba saja salah seorang konsultan senior pergi karena masa kontraknya sudah habis, atau team lead kita memutuskan untuk resign, atau tiba-tiba kita diminta masuk saat weekend, dan sebagainya. Sebagian besar keputusan-keputusan mendadak tersebut tidak kita harapkan. Reaksi yang umumnya muncul adalah kecewa, marah, atau ngedumel di belakang. Tapi itu tidak menyelesaikan masalah.

Karena itu, sejak awal saya sudah putuskan untuk punya goal. Goal saya adalah belajar sebanyak mungkin tentang modul PP/QM dan integrasinya dengan modul-modul lainnya :)

Project manager saya sering bilang kalau proyek ini adalah tempat belajar yang paling bagus. Sebab, modul-modul yang diimplementasikan di proyek ini cukup lengkap, bahkan di proyek ini kita mengimplementasikan variant configuration dan mengintegrasikannya dengan modul sales and distribution, production planning, quality management, dan interface–kombinasi yang mungkin hanya satu-satunya di Indonesia. Di sini juga banyak konsultan senior, baik dari IBM maupun dari consulting firm yang lain. Memang benar, ini tempat belajar yang bagus, asalkan kita mau memanfaatkannya ;)

Dengan goal itu di pikiran saya, saya jadi tidak mudah mengeluh pada keadaan yang berubah-ubah dengan cepat. Sebab, dalam kondisi apapun, saya masih tetap bisa melangkah ke depan untuk mencapai goal pribadi saya.

Lesson #2 – Manage the Scope

Sebuah proyek pasti punya batasan atau scope. Keberhasilan suatu proyek umumnya ditentukan oleh deliverables yang dihasilkan dalam batasan tersebut dengan penggunaan resource seoptimal mungkin. Masalah akan timbul saat batasan proyek tersebut kurang definitif, sehingga parameter keberhasilan proyek sulit diukur.

Problem seputar scope ini sempat saya alami di proyek, baik dalam skala makro maupun mikro. Ada sejumlah batasan yang masih blur saat saya pertama kali terlibat di proyek ini. Tak heran, hal ini sering menimbulkan dispute antara konsultan dengan business process owner (BPO) atau project team member dari pihak user. Akibat paling buruk dari project scoping yang kurang baik adalah terlalu banyaknya resource yang dihabiskan untuk menyelesaikan semua deliverables. Apalagi kalau sampai mengalami project bleeding. Untungnya, di proyek ini masalah tersebut masih manageable, sehingga bisa diatasi, meskipun kita para konsultan cukup kewalahan dibuatnya :D

Menurut saya, managing scope sama dengan managing expectation. Karena itu, aturan yang berlaku ialah seperti yang pernah dikatakan teman saya dari McKinsey & Company, “Promise less, deliver more“. Buat scope seminimal mungkin, sehingga kita masih punya ruang untuk improvement. Tentu saja semuanya harus definitif ;)

Lesson #3 – Make Proper Documentations

Saat kuliah, membuat dokumentasi adalah pekerjaan paling tidak populer sedunia. Dalam sebuah software engineering team, biasanya yang kelihatan paling keren adalah programmer atau developer. Dialah “the one who creates real thing”, kata Jason Fried di Getting Real.

Kenyataannya, di proyek SAP tidak selalu demikian. Proper documentation sama pentingnya dengan proper design, proper configuration, dan proper code :) Karena itulah, SAP menyediakan SAP Solution Manager. Semua tahapan aktivitas dalam proyek harus terdokumentasi dengan baik, sesuai dengan standar yang ditentukan oleh project manager.

Dalam sebuah proyek yang dinamikanya sangat tinggi, seperti di proyek ini, di mana perubahan requirement sangat sering terjadi dan hampir tidak terkontrol, maka dokumentasi yang baik memegang peranan sangat penting. Setiap hasil tes, meeting, diskusi, atau apapun yang di dalamnya ada pengambilan keputusan, sebaiknya selalu didokumentasikan dan setiap pihak yang terkait harus memberikan acknowledgement terhadap hasil yang telah dicapai tersebut. Hal ini penting sebagai bahan acuan apabila ada perubahan yang harus dilakukan terhadap program aplikasi atau sistem yang sedang dibangun.

Selain dokumentasi proyek, sebaiknya setiap konsultan juga punya dokumentasi pribadi tentang apa saja yang sudah dikerjakannya di proyek ini. Team lead saya adalah orang yang paling sering menyarankan ini. Menurutnya, setelah tiga atau empat tahun, kita akan benar-benar lupa dengan apa yang sekarang mati-matian kita kerjakan. “It’s a big loss“, katanya. Business process design, konfigurasi, dan screenshots, adalah beberapa hal yang harus didokumentasikan. Saya paling suka menyimpannya dalam slide presentasi, seperti yang team lead saya lakukan. Selain untuk pribadi, dokumentasi ini juga bisa berguna saat proses hand over, sehingga kita mudah mencari pengganti apabila kita harus meninggalkan proyek untuk urusan lain.
Me and My Team Lead

Me and My Team Lead

Lesson #4 – Soft-skills Matter

Kalau ditanya apa yang paling penting di dunia kerja, saya akan bilang, “Soft skills“. Bukan berarti kemampuan teknis atau pengetahuan fungsional bisnis tidak penting, tapi kalau kita punya soft skills yang baik, kedua hal itu bisa kita raih dengan cepat. Ini juga berlaku buat konsultan SAP, terutama functional consultant. Begitulah yang saya alami di proyek ini.

Karena saya juga functional consultant, jadi saya cukup tahu bagaimana soft skills itu menjadi begitu penting. Sebab, saya tidak melulu bekerja di depan laptop. Sesekali saya harus berdiskusi, bertanya banyak hal, mengadakan meeting dengan user atau team member lainnya, mengatur pembagian kerja, melakukan presentasi, membawakan training, dan menjawab berbagai pertanyaan dari user. Porsinya bisa sampai 30% dari waktu kerja saya. Semakin tinggi posisi kita di proyek, angka ini bisa lebih besar.

Kalau diurutkan, soft skills yang paling berguna selama saya menjalankan proyek tersebut antara lain: communication skill, interpersonal skill, analytical skill, dan teamwork skill. Detail tentang keempat soft skills tersebut akan saya bahas di tulisan lain, ya :)

Lesson #5 – Strive for Work-Life Balance

Ini yang paling sulit. Di proyek saya sekarang ini, hampir saja saya tidak punya apa yang di IBM sering disebut work-life balance. Mulai dari jam kerja yang tidak normal karena selalu pulang malam, instruksi untuk masuk saat weekend, troubleshooting menggunakan remote connection saat kita libur atau cuti, dan sebagainya. Saya sempat berpikir kalau hidup saya mungkin hanya untuk proyek ini. Tapi untungnya tidak :)

Karena menurut saya tidak ada gunanya memprotes atau mengharapkan project management mengubah kebijakannya, maka saya putuskan untuk membuat work-life balance versi saya sendiri. “Enjoy any of your free time, when you have it“, kata team lead saya. Maka kami pun melakukannya.
IBM Futsal Team in Cilegon

IBM Fustal Team in Cilegon

Teman saya yang hobi fitness, tetap melakukan rutinitasnya di sela-sela bekerja. Semua orang tahu jadwal fitness-nya, sehingga berusaha menyelesaikan semua pekerjaan yang berhubungan dengannya di luar jadwal fitness-nya itu. Teman saya yang hobi fotografi pergi ke Pantai Anyer untuk berburu sunset saat sedang tidak ada pekerjaan. Teman saya yang lain pergi hiking pada hari Jumat sebelum berangkat ke kantor, sementara yang lain berenang di kolam renang di belakang rumahnya. Setiap hari Rabu kami main futsal sama-sama. Sebagian kadang tidur siang saat waktu istirahat karena rumahnya dekat lokasi proyek. Kadang kami mengadakan barbeque party, karaoke, atau main Winning Eleven dan Countre-Strike sama-sama :)

Banyak hal yang bisa kita lakukan untuk membuat hidup kita jadi lebih seimbang. Memang tidak sampai pada tingkat ideal, tapi paling tidak hal itu cukup untuk melepas lelah, menjaga kebugaran, menghindari stress, dan sebagainya. Memang ini lebih mudah buat yang belum berkeluarga.

Buat saya, proyek ini cukup menyenangkan karena banyak teman-teman sebaya. Teman saya dari consulting firm yang lain pernah bilang kalau proyek seperti ini jarang. Katanya, dulu dia sering jadi yang paling muda di proyek karena rekan kerjanya umumnya berusia 30-40 tahun ;)

Well, that’s all. As my friend said, “Life is not measure in minutes, but in moments”, what I just did with this post is simply about capturing all the precious moments in my life. Finally, I would like to say that I like my job :)

Soft Skills for Consultant

Semuanya dikerjakan bersama-sama, tidak mungkin ada yang bisa bekerja sendiri. Consultant harus bisa bekerja sama dengan rekan satu timnya, tim dari modul lain, dengan programmer, dan tim base. Wujudkan sinergi. Memanfaatkan perbedaan, saling melengkapi, dan open mind adalah hal-hal yang penting dalam sinergi.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain




Soft Skills for SAP Consultant
**julian.asia

Melanjutkan tulisan saya tentang lesson learned dari proyek implementasi SAP pertama saya, saya akan bahas lebih detail tentang salah satu poin: soft skills.

Soft skills adalah istilah yang digunakan untuk menyebut satu set kemampuan seseorang yang umumnya berhubungan erat dengan emotional intelligence. Kemampuan ini sifatnya intangible dan biasanya hanya bisa dilihat saat seseorang berhubungan dengan orang lain atau saat ia melakukan tugas tertentu. Soft skill sangat berguna untuk pekerjaan-pekerjaan yang menuntut banyak interaksi dengan orang lain. Profesi konsultan termasuk dalam kategori ini. Di tulisan singkat ini saya akan menjelaskan apa saja soft skills yang diperlukan oleh seorang konsultan SAP berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi saya :)

Communication Skill

Komunikasi memang yang utama. Ini mencakup komunikasi lisan dan tulisan. Saat berbicara, menjawab pertanyaan, memberikan presentasi, atau menulis email, kita dituntut untuk bisa menyampaikan informasi dengan singkat, jelas, padat, dan tentu saja meyakinkan. Straigth to the point and convincing. Client memang umumnya lebih suka konsultan yang bisa berkomunikasi dengan baik dari pada yang tidak.

Komunikasi lisan bisa dibagi tiga, yaitu komunikasi personal, presentasi, dan group discussion. Ketiganya akan sangat banyak dialami oleh konsultan SAP. Di samping informasi yang kita sampaikan, yang perlu diperhatikan dalam komunikasi lisan adalah intonasi dan bahasa tubuh. Menurut teori interaksi, keduanya merupakan yang paling berpengaruh dalam komunikasi lisan, yaitu sebesar 93%. Kata-kata kita malah hanya punya pengaruh sebesar 7%. So, it is not just about words, but also expression.

Komunikasi tulisan yang paling sering dilakukan oleh konsultan SAP dalam suatu proyek adalah menulis email, membuat laporan, dan menyusun slide presentasi. Yang terpenting adalah bahwa setiap informasi yang kita sampaikan harus akurat, singkat, dan jelas. Salah satu tips yang bermanfaat dalam menulis adalah menjadi editor untuk tulisan sendiri. Sebelum menyerahkannya kepada orang lain, sebaiknya kita sediakan waktu untuk me-review tulisan kita sendiri untuk mencegah adanya inkonsistensi dalam tulisan, susunan kalimat yang rancu, atau salah ketik. Hindari menulis saat kita terpengaruh emosi.

Dalam bukunya yang fenomenal, Rework, Jason Fried malah bilang kalau perusahaan sebaiknya memilih the best writer jika ada beberapa kandidat untuk satu posisi. “Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking”, katanya.

Interpersonal Skill

Selanjutnya adalah tentang berhubungan dengan orang lain. Dalam sebuah proyek, kita berhubungan dengan banyak orang: other team member, team lead, manager, project admin, project management officer, key user, end user, administrator, sampai sopir dan pembantu rumah tangga :) Semuanya penting. Hubungan yang baik dengan semua orang di proyek akan memperlancar setiap aktivitas kita bersama mereka. Menurut Robert Bolton yang menulis buku People Skills, 80% orang yang gagal adalah mereka yang tidak dapat berhubungan baik dengan orang lain.

Saya suka mental model yang digunakan oleh Sean Covey untuk menggambarkan relasi dengan orang lain, yaitu sebagai bank account. Hubungan yang baik adalah seperti rekening yang saldonya berlimpah. Cara menambahnya ialah dengan menepati janji–termasuk selalu tepat waktu, berbuat baik yang kecil-kecil, humor yang baik, mendengarkan, dan sebagainya.

Analytical Skill

Yang ketiga adalah tentang berpikir analitis. Inilah yang menjadi kelebihan seorang konsultan, menurut saya. Kita memang dituntut untuk bisa berpikir analitis dan memecahkan masalah. Ini sangat berguna terutama saat sistem yang kami bangun mulai digunakan untuk kegiatan operasional sehari-hari. Jika terjadi problem, kita harus bisa segera menyelesaikannya agar tidak menghambat bisnis client kita.

Untuk melakukan analisis, tentu kita butuh tools. Biasanya yang paling sering digunakan adalah Microsoft Excel dan transaksi-transaksi SAP untuk membuat report. Kadang kita juga perlu framework untuk membantu kita berpikir. Tapi, seperti yang teman saya pernah bilang, “Tons of framework may exist, but nothing can replace good thinking“, maka yang paling penting adalah melatih kemampuan berpikir analitis kita.

Dalam proyek biasanya ada konsultan senior yang selalu jadi rujukan. Di proyek saya sekarang ini, jumlahnya ada banyak. Saya suka memperhatikan bagaimana mereka memecahkan masalah atau menjawab pertanyaan user. Dari situ saya benar-benar belajar banyak :)

Teamwork Skill

Terakhir adalah tentang teamwork. Berbeda dengan interpersonal skill, teamwork lebih dari sekedar membangun relasi. Dalam teamwork ada pemimpin, shared goal, komitmen bersama, pembagian kerja yang jelas, dan saling pengertian. Di proyek saya sebelumnya, tim dengan performance terbaik adalah tim yang punya itu semua.

Di dunia SAP, rasanya tidak mungkin ada yang bisa bekerja sendiri. Semuanya dikerjakan bersama-sama. Seorang functional consultant harus bisa bekerja sama dengan rekan satu timnya, tim dari modul lain, dengan ABAP programmer, dan tim BASIS. Yang terpenting adalah mewujudkan sinergi. Proyek SAP biasanya melibatkan orang-orang dengan latar belakang kemampuan teknis dan fungsional yang berbeda-beda. Ini sangat bagus untuk belajar bersinergi. Memanfaatkan perbedaan, saling melengkapi, dan open mind adalah hal-hal yang penting dalam sinergi.

Keempat kemampuan di atas merupakan soft skills yang menurut saya sangat besar artinya bagi seorang konsultan SAP. Ternyata, ini juga sesuai dengan hasil survey dari NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) di Amerika Serikat ;)

Soft skill

Soft skill adalah kemampuan individu yang bersifat invisible dan tidak segera. Hard skill adalah istilah yang digunakan untuk menjelaskan kompetensi-kompetensi yang terkait langsung dengan pekerjaan kita.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



SOFT SKILLS
**gasa-storyofmylife.blogspot.com

Soft skill adalah kemampuan individu yang bersifat invisible dan tidak segera. Contohnya antara lain: kemampuan interpersonal, kekuatan bekerja sama dalam team, social grace, etika bisnis, kemampuan negosiasi dan karakter perilaku seperti attitude, motivasi dan time management. Dalam bahasa sehari-hari dikenal istilah hard skill dan soft skill. Hard skill adalah istilah yang digunakan untuk menjelaskan kompetensi-kompetensi yang terkait langsung dengan pekerjaan kita. Misalnya keahlian membuat rancang bangun bagi seorang Insinyur. Sedangkan soft skill adalah keahlian yang menunjang hard skill tersebut. Soft skill ibaratnya adalah kompetensi yang membungkus kompetensi inti yang dimiliki, misalnya interpersonal skill, communication skill, presentation skill, negotiation skill dan lain-lain.
Konon masalah terbesar di Indonesia ada di manusianya. Hampir sebagian besar manajemen perusahaan di Indonesia sering mengeluhkan sikap dan perilaku karyawannya. Beragam keluhan dari kurangnya motivasi, lemahnya time management, kurangnya kemampuan coaching dari pimpinan hingga kurangnya kerja sama tim. Hal ini membuat soft skills training sangat berkembang pesat di Indonesia.

Banyak lembaga training di Indonesia menawarkan training yang menitikberatkan pada pengembangan dan perubahan sikap dan attitude peserta. Materi yang ditawarkan pun beragam seperti: Leadership, Komunikasi, Time Management, Tehnik Presentasi, Motivasi, Team Building, Coaching, ESQ, Basic Mentality, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Building Trust dan masih banyak lagi. Metode pembelajarannya pun beraneka ragam seperti workshop, seminar, training, coaching, experiential learning dan lain-lain.
Soft skill training menjadi penting bagi perusahaan karena kita tidak mendapatkannya dalam kurikulum akademik. Oleh karena itu perusahaan harus memberikan training ini pada karyawannya, terutama karyawan yang banyak berhubungan dengan dunia luar sehingga mereka bisa membawa diri mereka dalam mewakili perusahaan dengan jauh lebih baik.

Ketika perusahaan harus berinvestasi dalam memperdalam kemampuan karyawannya, ada beberapa masukan bagi yang memiliki inisiatif untuk mengembangkan hal tersebut sendiri:

1. Jadilah bagian dari aktivitas kelompok
2. Ajaklah keluarga dekat atau teman dekat untuk menuliskan hal-hal terbaik dan terburuk dari sifat Anda
3. Seberapa baik Anda mengatur waktu
4. Instrospeksi pada bagaimana Anda bereaksi dalam menerima feed back
5. Bagaimanakah Anda memberikan kritik pada orang lain
6. Hiduplah dengan penuh kesadaran

Teamwork

Teamwork merupakan Managerial Skills: kemampuan dalam membuat rencana kerja, menentukan tujuan, memantau kinerja, memonitor perkembangan dan memastikan pekerjaan telah dilakukan secara benar, dan Interpersonal Skills: kemampuan berkomunikasi, saling menghargai pendapat orang lain dan kemampuan menjalin hubungan interpersonal dengan orang lain.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain




Teamwork !!!
oleh SUPRIYADI

Dalam dunia usaha, penggunaan teamwork seringkali merupakan solusi terbaik untuk mencapai suatu kesuksesan. Teamwork yang solid akan memudahkan manajemen dalam mendelegasikan tugas-tugas organisasi. Namun demikian untuk membentuk sebuah team yang solid dibutuhkan komitment tinggi dari manajemen. Hal terpenting adalah bahwa teamwork harus dilihat sebagai suatu sumber daya yang harus dikembangkan dan dibina sama seperti sumber daya lain yang ada dalam perusahaan. Proses pembentukan, pemeliharaan dan pembinaan teamwork harus dilakukan atas dasar kesadaran penuh dari team tersebut sehingga segala sesuatu berjalan secara normal sebagai suatu aktivitas sebuah teamwork, meskipun pada kondisi tertentu manajemen dapat melakukan intervensi.

Definisi Teamwork?

Secara umum teamwork dapat didefinisikan sebagai kumpulan individu yang bekerjasama untuk mencapai suatu tujuan. Kumpulan individu-individu tersebut memiliki aturan dan mekanisme kerja yang jelas serta saling tergantung antara satu dengan yang lain. Oleh karena itu sekumpulan orang yang bekerja dalam satu ruangan, bahkan didalam satu proyek, belum tentu merupakan sebuah teamwork. Terlebih lagi jika kelompok tersebut dikelola secara otoriter, timbul faksi-faksi di dalamnya, dan minimnya interaksi antar anggota kelompok.

Ketika seseorang bekerja didalam kelompok (team), akan ada dua isu yang muncul. Pertama adalah adanya tugas-tugas (task) dan masalah-masalah yang berhubungan dengan pelaksanaan pekerjaan. Hal ini seringkali merupakan topik utama yang menjadi perhatian team. Kedua adalah proses yang terjadi di dalam teamwork itu sendiri, misalnya bagaimana mekanisme kerja atau aturan main sebuah team sebagai suatu unit kerja dari perusahaan, proses interaksi di dalam team, dan lain-lain. Dengan kata lain proses menunjuk pada semangat kerjasama, koordinasi, prosedur yang harus dilakukan dan disepakati seluruh anggota, dan hal-hal lain yang berguna untuk menjaga keharmonisan hubungan antar individu dalam kelompok itu. Tanpa memperhatikan proses maka sebuah teamwork tidak akan memiliki nilai apa-apa bagi perusahaan dan hanya akan menjadi sumber masalah bagi perusahaan dalam pembentukan sebuah teamwork. Sebaliknya jika proses tersebut ada dalam sekumpulan orang yang bekerjasama, maka performance mereka akan meningkat karena akan mendapat dukungan secara teknis maupun moral.

Mengapa Teamwork Diperlukan?

Teamwork merupakan sarana yang sangat baik dalam menggabungkan berbagai talenta dan dapat memberikan solusi inovatif suatu pendekatan yang mapan. selain itu ketrampilan dan pengetahuan yang beranekaragam yang dimiliki oleh anggota kelompok juga merupakan nilai tambah yang membuat teamwork lebih menguntungkan jika dibandingkan seorang individu yang brilian sekalipun.

Sebuah team dapat dilihat sebagai suatu unit yang mengatur dirinya sendiri. Rentangan ketrampilan dan pengetahuan yang dimiliki anggota dan self monitoring" yang ditunjukkan oleh masing-masing team memungkinkannya untuk diberikan suatu tugas dan tanggungjawab. Bahkan ketika suatu masalah tersebut dapat diputuskan oleh satu orang saja, melibatkan teamwork akan memberikan beberapa keuntungan. Keuntungan tersebut adalah: pertama keputusan yang dibuat secara bersama-sama akan meningkatkan motivasi team dalam pelaksanaanya. Kedua, keputusan bersama akan lebih mudah dipahami oleh team dibandingkan jika hanya mengandalkan keputusan dari satu orang saja.

Bila dilihat dari perspektif individu, dengan masuknya ia kedalam suatu kelompok (team) maka hal tersebut akan menambah semangat juang/motivasi untuk mencapai suatu prestasi yang mungkin tidak akan pernah dapat dicapai seorang diri oleh individu tersebut. Hal ini dapat terjadi karena team mendorong setiap anggotanya untuk memiliki wewenang dan tanggungjawab sehingga meningkatkan harga diri setiap orang.

Siklus Hidup Sebuah Teamwork

Secara umum perkembangan suatu team dapat dibagi dalam 4 tahap:
Forming, adalah tahapan dimana para anggota setuju untuk bergabung dalam suatu team. Karena kelompok baru dibentuk maka setiap orang membawa nilai-nilai, pendapat dan cara kerja sendiri-sendiri. Konflik sangat jarang terjadi, setiap orang masih sungkan, malu-malu, bahkan seringkali ada anggota yang merasa gugup. Kelompok cenderung belum dapat memilih pemimpin (kecuali team yang sudah dipilih ketua kelompoknya terlebih dahulu).
Storming, adalah tahapan dimana kekacauan mulai timbul di dalam team. Pemimpin yang telah dipilih seringkali dipertanyakan kemampuannya dan anggota kelompok tidak ragu-ragu untuk mengganti pemimpin yang dinilai tidak mampu. Faksi-faksi mulai terbentuk, terjadi pertentangan karena masalah-masalah pribadi, semua ngotot dengan pendapat masing-masing. Komunikasi yang terjadi sangat sedikit karena masing-masing orang tidak mau lagi menjadi pendengar dan sebagian lagi tidak mau berbicara secara terbuka.
Norming, adalah tahapan dimana individu-individu dan sub-group yang ada dalam team mulai merasakan keuntungan bekerja bersama dan berjuang untuk menghindari team tersebut dari kehancuran (bubar). Karena semangat kerjasama sudah mulai timbul, setiap anggota mulai merasa bebas untuk mengungkapkan perasaan dan pendapatnya kepada seluruh anggota team. Selain itu semua orang mulai mau menjadi pendengar yang baik. Mekanisme kerja dan aturan-aturan main ditetapkan dan ditaati seluruh anggota.
Performing. Tahapan ini merupakan titik kulminasi dimana team sudah berhasil membangun system yang memungkinkannya untuk dapat bekerja secara produktif dan efisien. Pada tahap ini keberhasilan team akan terlihat dari prestasi yang ditunjukkan.

Ketrampilan yang Diperlukan

Ada dua ketrampilan utama yang seharusnya dimiliki oleh anggota sebuah teamwork, yaitu:

* Ketrampilan managerial (Managerial Skills), termasuk kemampuan dalam membuat rencana kerja, menentukan tujuan, memantau kinerja, memonitor perkembangan dan memastikan pekerjaan telah dilakukan secara benar, dan lain-lain.
* Ketrampilan interpersonal (Interpersonal Skills), termasuk kemampuan berkomunikasi, saling menghargai pendapat orang lain dan kemampuan menjalin hubungan interpersonal dengan orang lain.

Dengan menjadi anggota suatu organisasi atau perusahaan maka secara tidak langsung Anda sudah menempatkan diri menjadi anggota sebuah teamwork. Nah, sudahkah Anda mempersiapkan diri dengan memiliki ketrampilan-ketrampilan seperti yang disebutkan diatas?
Diposkan oleh SUPRIYADI di 17.42

Deal with Conflict

Proceed in a goal-oriented manner. Deal with conflict. These skills can be developed by attending a leadership training course.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain





Tips For Managing Conflict
Author : Richard Stone

It is distasteful to have conflict within your sales team, but it is also unavoidable. Managing conflict within a sales team is a valuable quality of a sales manager and is a subject covered on many leadership-training courses.

It is impossible to prevent friction, but it is possible to control it by trying to create a pleasant working environment, in which salespeople are better equipped to perform and succeed.

Discover who cannot get on with whom The following questions can assist you in determining this:

"What are you angry about?" - question about the subject matter.

"What brought this about?" - question about the origins.

"What do you suggest we do?" - question about where to go from here.

A common goal is an obligation. By committing your salespeople to a common, constructive goal, you are giving a positive turn to the discussion. Put an end to the "negative part".

Common goals include fairness, partnership, avoiding superfluous anger and smooth co-operation.

Take time to deal with conflict It looks bad if a salesperson is under pressure when negotiating as the client will sense that they are rushed and jumpy. Only proceed with negotiations if your salespeople have enough time. Conflicts can only be dealt with satisfactorily in a relaxed atmosphere.

Never take sides Salespeople who complain to you about one of their colleagues expect you to agree with them. However, you should remain neutral even if you feel that the person being criticised is, indeed, in the wrong. For you, as a sales manager, this means: listening, verifying, observing, acting. Good communications skills in these situations are required as taught on leadership training courses.

Every conflict, whether it takes place in public or not, has consequences.

If both parties to the conflict overcome the problem in such a way that both benefit from the solution, it will strengthen their relationship and make them more willing to seek a (joint) solution the next time a conflict situation arises. If the conflict ends in the defeat of one of the salespeople, it is easy to imagine that the person who has not come out on top this time will wait for an opportunity to "get his own back".

How do you deal with complaints? Listen Let the person making the complaint "get everything off their chest."

Do not make any rash comments.

Consider your own competence, but do not shirk responsibility.

Sympathetic listening has defused many a complaint.

Verify Clarify the facts as they stand.

Listen to the view of others involved.

Endeavour to establish the actual origin of the grievance.

Verifying the facts of the case often leads to a resolution of the conflict.

Observe Establish the effect the action has had.

Check that the cause of the complaint has been cleared up.

Check that the complainant is satisfied.

Think about how it would be possible to evade comparable occurrences in the future.

Carefully pursuing the matter is the best prevention of further complaints.

Act If a solution is possible:

Take the necessary measures.

Notify the complainant of the measures you have taken.

If a solution is not possible at the time: Describe the motivation for this and try to alleviate the situation.

If the complaint proves to be unjustified: Try and make the complainant see sense by explaining this.

Well-considered measures are the best way of removing the causes and origins of complaints. The harmony of a sales team rests the ability of the management to deal with conflict. These skills can be developed by attending a leadership training course. Proceed in a goal-oriented manner

The life you you want

Take the next two days, the next 48 hours, to make a plan. Decide where you are and where you want to be. Write down your goals and share them with others. When you do, you are on your way to living the life you know you want.
be weel,
Dwika-ExecuTrain





First Step in Becoming an Investor - Know Thyself
by Robert Shemin.

Shakespeare says, “Know thyself.” These words speak true for real estate investors, too. Early in my business, I learned quickly what I am not good at…accounting. I stashed receipts in shoeboxes for the first nine months of the year. The other three months, I tried to figure out what I did the first nine months. That is no way to run a business! Now I hire a service that takes care of these bookkeeping and accounting activities that still stress me out.

To “know thyself,” write down the real estate activities you like. If you love to talk to people and sell, you’ll be good at recruiting tenants, putting deals together, and selling them. Maybe you love detail and finance. You could happily pull together mortgages and financing deals. If you easily get irritated at people, you probably do not want to manage property, and so on.

Determine your answers to these questions, then build your team:

* What do you like to do? And not like to do?
* What kind of people do you like to be around?
* What kind of deals would fit your personality?
* What aspects of real estate investing best fit you?

Your Business Plan

Most real estate investors have absolutely no plan. They set out to find that property, they buy it, then figure out what to do by accident. When tenants do not pay rent, for example, they quickly evict them without researching options. Let me save you a lot of headache by insisting you write a plan.

In the next 48 hours, sit down with your loved ones and write out your goals. Decide what you want to have for your 30-day plan, followed by your 60- and 90-day plan, your six-month and one-year plan, your five-year, ten-year, and 20-year plan. Schedule time to record these goals and structure your plan. Remember, it doesn’t have to be long…between two and six pages…and it should include:

* How much property you want to have (during each time frame)
* What type of activities you want to do
* How much money you want to make (in each time frame)
* How much net worth you want

Next, write down how you will reach your goals. How many phone calls will you make? How many properties will you look at? Realize that stating goals means nothing if I don’t determine how you’ll meet them. If you do not have the energy to write down your goals, I can assure you, you won’t have the energy to make your real estate deals happen.

Your Perfect Day

Tie your goals into creating a “perfect day.” Decide how it would look. Would you have a big office, a little office? Would you work out of your home? Where would it be located? What is the nature of your business? What kind of deals are you making? What does your portfolio look like? How much money can you make? What will you do to bring in money? Whom do you work with?

I planned my perfect day at work a few years ago in Nashville, Tennessee. I saw myself by the beach. I would wake up and exercise, ride my bicycle, take some phone calls, do some deals, have lunch, rest or swim in the afternoon, check messages, put some deals together, and spend time with family and friends. And I would also travel a lot. Today, I live in a beautiful condominium apartment overlooking downtown Miami and the beach. I wake up early and work out on the beach, come home, check messages, make calls, listen to a few tenant requests on voicemail, go to lunch, work in the afternoon, and travel a lot…just as I pictured.

Your Finances

Also, take a financial snapshot of where you are today. How much cash do you have? How much credit? What is your credit score? Requesting a copy of your credit report and getting a financial statement from a bank or mortgage company will help you determine what you want to do with your real estate investing. Six months or a year from now, you can compare your snapshot then to now.

Decide how much can you borrow (if you have to) to make real estate investments. How much access to cash do you have? What are your assets? What do you own? Houses, cars, investments. What are your liabilities? What are your debts? Mortgages, credit cards. How much is your life insurance? Your retirement account?

Your Action Plan

So take the next two days, the next 48 hours, to make a plan. Decide where you are and where you want to be. Write down your goals and share them with others. When you do, you are on your way to living the life you know you want.

Melalui masa sulit

Improving Employee Initiatif to Achieve High Value Organization Product and Innovation
**rolles.blog.binusian.org

Meningkatkan inisiatif pekerja dalam lingkungan perusahaan bukan hal yang mudah, apalagi target yang ingin dicapai adalah untuk menciptakan high value organizational product and innovation. Tentu akan menjadi semakin tidak tercapai apabila pekerja sendiri dianggap sebagai bagian luar, bukan bagian yang ikut merasakan kesuksesan tersebut nantinya. Kadang kala kesalahan perusahaan/organisasi hanya mementingkan profit saja tanpa memikirkan bahwa pekerja adalah aset yang harus dijaga dan diperhatikan.

Dalam mencapai tujuan tersebut, perusahaan juga harus melakukan inovasi untuk meng-improve initiatif employee tersebut, menyelaraskan lingkungan kerja sehingga akan membuat pekerja merasa nyaman dan bisa produktif setiap saat.

Dalam melakukan improving, tentu tidak semulus membalikkan telapak tangan, akan banyak rintangan dan hambatan yang ditemui, apakah itu dari perusahaan/organisasi yang terkait, pihak-pihak eksternal bahkan dari dalam diri pekerja itu sendiri yang tidak memungkinkan untuk di improve.


Kata Kunci : initiatif, innovation, improvement, organization




Improving Initiatif strategic untuk mencapai target dalam menghasilkan high value organizaional product and innovation

Berikut ini adalah inisiatif strategik yang bisa diterapkan oleh organisasi/perusahaan untuk mencapai target perusahaan untuk melakukan improving dalam rangka menghasilkan high value organizational product and innovation

•Interesting Work
Sederhananya, tidak ada satu orang pun yang ingin bekerja dengan begitu membosankan. Hal ini perlu dipahami secara mendalam, bahwa untuk membuat pekerja merasa tertarik dengan job nya adalah dengan merekrut orang yang tepat dan memiliki kemampuan yang tepat.

•Ketersediaan Informasi
Hal ini menjadi penting, mulai dari hal-hal kecil didalam organisasi yang harus diketahui oleh setiap pekerja. Misalnya spesifikasi lingkungan kerjanya, area kerjanya dan apa yang harus dilakukan untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaannya tersebut. Itu harus dijelaskan dan tersedia dalam bentuk informasi yang memadai dan bahkan bagaimana karyawan/pekerja bisa menyelesaikan pekerjaanya dengan lebih efisien dan efektif juga harus di tampilkan.

•Independence
Kebebasan atau tidak diawasi secara terus menerus. Karena beberapa pekerja tidak bisa memaksimalkan potensinya apabila diawasi, sama halnya ketika kita mengetik didepan komputer kita, sementara disamping ada yang mengawasi, adapun ide-ide yang akan dikeluarkan menjadi sedikit terganggu ”delay”, karena ada perasaan takut salah begitu dilihat oleh orang disekitar kita. Kebiasaan beberapa leader untuk mengawasi bawahannya secara berlebihan juga harus dipertimbangkan, karena akan berdampak pada performa dan rasa nyaman pekerja yang bersangkutan.

•Increased visibility
Bahwa harus ada pengakuan terhadap pekerja, dimana ketika mereka gagal dalam mencapai target, maka akan dikenakan punishment, demikian halnya ketika mereka sukses mencapai target dan memenuhi performance indicator, seharusnya pekerja juga mendapatkan hak untuk belajar terus menerus dan bisa berkembang/tumbuh dalam karirnya sebagai bentuk pengakuan organisasi/perusahaan atas pencapaian yang sudah dilakukan.

Strategi lain yang penting untuk meningkatkan loyalitas adalah untuk menerapkan proses yang sistematis penilaian kinerja, karena review yang efektif secara bersamaan dapat meningkatkan semangat kerja dan produktivitas. Untuk mencapai tujuan utama mereka, seperti meningkatkan hubungan kerja antara karyawan dan supervisor, review kinerja harus terstruktur sehingga:

o Akurat mendefinisikan deskripsi pekerjaan karyawan, termasuk fokus pada keterampilan yang paling penting untuk pekerjaan karyawan

o Diskusikan keterampilan kerja karyawan berkinerja baik pada dan mengidentifikasi daerah-daerah yang memerlukan perbaikan sehingga cukup meringkas kinerja mereka yang paling baru

o Tetapkan tujuan bersama dan berharga, yang merupakan jantung dari sebuah rencana pertumbuhan profesional

o Memberikan pembinaan berguna untuk meningkatkan kinerja karyawan

•Membangun team yang lebih efisien
Inisiatif ini dimaksudkan untuk membangun tim dengan menggunakan tenaga kerja lokal yang berada di daerah setempat. Inisiatif yang dapat dilakukan adalah dengan mengurangi jumlah orang yang diperlukan dalam satu tim, misal pengerjaan untuk pemasangan perangkat 3G, semula menggunakan 7 orang yang dikirim dari kantor pusat di Jakarta menjadi 2 orang. Tambahan 5 orang lagi dapat menggunakan tenaga kerja lokal dari daerah setempat.

•Pengingkatan kualitas sumber daya
Inisiatif ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kualitas sumber daya untuk dapat melakukan pekerjaan sesuai yang diharapkan dan memenuhi standar kualitas. Meningkatkan kualitas sumder daya bisa dengan memberikan pelatihan-pelatihan dalam bentuk training secara berkala pada setiap pekerja dengan memperhatikan faktor kebutuhan dan job desk mereka. Artinya training yang diberikan tepat sasaran dan juga harus tepat waktu. Jangan sampai ada karyawan yang sudah dalam masa pengajuan resign, masih dimasukkan dalam daftar training hanya karena untuk memenuhi quota training agar terlihat bagus dalam memberikan report pada jajaran manajemen.

•Peningkatan Kemampuan dan Pengetahuan
Inisiatif ini bertujuan untuk meningkatan kemampuan dan pengetahuan tim dalam memenuhi standar kualitas yang diharapkan pelanggan. Dengan menyekolahkan kembali pekerja atau memberikan edukasi khusus mengenai knowledge product, service, customer dan sebagainya.

Cara-cara diatas adalah pendekatan umum yang bisa dilakukan oleh organisasi/perusahaan untuk mendorong inisiatif karyawan dalam mencapai target yang diberikan. Akan tetapi bila hal tersebut dirasa kurang, bisa juga dengan :

a) Mengubah job desk ke dalam target yang ingin dicapai

Ketika sebuah organisasi menempatkan target tanpa melihat obyek pelaksananya, maka hal itu akan menjadi kendala dikemudian hari. Antara eksekutor target dan pembuat target harusnya berjalan secara bersama-sama dan yang lebih penting adalah menekankan peranan eksekutor atas target tersebut.

Ketika karyawan dari sebuah perusahaan diberikan target, tetapi setelah target tercapai tidak ada umpan balik yang didapatkan karyawan tersebut, entah itu reward, pujian atau masukan kecil lainnya dari perusahaan, hal ini akan mengubah pola pikir karyawan, bahwa target tercapai atau tidak, bagi dia tidak ada kontribusinya, jadi mengapa harus diburu-buru?

Dengan memindahkan target kedalam job deks, mau tidak mau seorang karyawan akan menjalan kannya, karena itu adalah beban yang harus diselesaikan.

Didalam target tersebut ada : pekerjaan, bonus, proyeksi karir dan punishment bila gagal. Dengan cara demikian, maka karyawan akan terdorong dan termotivasi untuk mengejar target tersebut, walaupaun sebenarnya target itu adalah job deks nya, akan tetapi dibuat menjadi hal lain yang lebih menarik dan sekaligus sebagai ”paksaan” karena didalamnya juga ada punishment. Dengan demikian, karyawan akan berinisiatif mencari cara untuk mencapai target tersebut.

b) Reward dan Punishment yang jelas

Dengan memberikan reward atas pencapaian target dan memberikan punishment atas sebuah kegagalan akan membuka ide-ide kreatif dan inisiatif dari karyawan, karena bagaimanapun reward adalah hal yang menarik dan punishment adalah sebuah kecelakaan kerja.

c) Proyeksi karir

Selain memberikan reward dan mengubah posisi target, perlu juga diberikan gambaran karir bagi karyawan, dengan membuat timeline yang jelas. Misalnya saja bila seorang karyawan bisa menyelesaikan targetnya dalam 2 tahun maka posisinya akan naik atau gajinya akan dinaikkan. Hal ini penting dilakukan, karena karyawan sendiri adalah aset bagi perusahaan.

d) Leader yang memberikan contoh

Leader / pemimpin tidak cukup hanya berteori didalam ruangan kerjanya, tidak cukup juga hanya menerima laporan dari bawahan tanpa tahu apa yang terjadi sebenarnya. Laporan yang diterima belum tentu cermin dari kondisi real yang ada. Misalnya saja yang dilakukan oleh Louis G sebagai CEO IBM, dia langsung terjun kelapangan dan memeriksa kondisi karyawan, berinteraksi dan dari hal tersebut, dia mendapatkan masukan yang luar biasa, ide-ide yang tidak pernah didengar karena terhalang batas antara karyawan dengan CEO (top management) yang sangat jauh rentangnya. Dengan cara seperti itu, bisa meng-improve karyawan dalam memberikan inisiatif kepada perusahaan pada job deks yang dikerjakan, sehingga ada pembelajaran terus menerus ke arah yang lebih baik.

Lesson Learn

Improving initiatif employee bukan sekedar melakukan improvement seperti yang biasa dilakukan organisasi/perusahaan pada proses bisnis, akan tetapi lebih daripada itu, mulai dari memperhatikan faktor-faktor penghalang yang akan dihadapi employee ketika mereka sudah mulai menyerukan inisiatif pada organisasi/perusahaan. Membekali pekerja dengan skill dan SDM yang memadai dalam usaha untuk mencapai target pekerjaanya juga menjadi salah satu faktor pemicu yang cukup penting dalam improving initiatif employee.

Akan tetapi, menempatkan target pada posisi job mereka dan memberikan reward adalah hal paling mudah dilakukan, karena secara tidak sadar karyawan akan menyelesaikan 2 hal sekaligus.

Kondisi menonoton tanpa adanya perubahan akan membawa perusahaan /organisasi pada level yang semakin menurun. tidak adanya inovasi yang selalu membawa pembaharuan bagi cara perusahaan dalam menciptakan keunggulan bersaing.

•Arahkan diri untuk berprofesi di industry yang memiliki prospect untuk pertumbuhan.
•Jangan pusingkan apakah orang lain ‘memperhatikan’, yang perlu dilakukan adalah Outperform. Dengan sendirinya orang lain akan ‘memperhatikan’
•Komunikasikan dengan jujur arahan dan kondisi perusahaan sesuai dengan porsinya, tanpa kejujuran sulit bagi karyawan untuk menjadi excited dengan apa yang mereka lakukan.
•Salah satu tugas yang penting dari seorang pemimpin dalam mengarahkan improving adalah untuk dapat membawa perusahaan melalui masa sulit, mengetahui strategy apa yang bisa digunakan dan menyadari bahwa seoarang pemimpin harus bergantung kepada orang lain untuk dapat menyelesaikan pekerjaanya.
•Seorang pemimpin menyadari bahwa satu – satunya cara baginya untuk sukses adalah dengan membuat orang lain menjadi sukses. Oleh karena itulah karyawan pun perlu melakukan improving initiatif agar menjadi karyawan yang memiliki kemampuan learn dan knowledge yang diupdate secara terus menerus.
•Budaya (company culture) adalah salah satu yang harus dimengerti dan di-manage, sama halnya / setara dengan kemampuannya mengerti and me-manager finance,, marketing, dan proses bisnis lainnya.
•“Culture is not one of the things you do, it is everything, everything resides in culture”
•“So if you think you are going to change a company’s strategy, you had better understand before you even try wheter the culture will support or fight that strategy”

Knowledge Management for Innovation

KM for consistency and innovation
ref : www.steptwo.com.au

Much is made of the role of knowledge management (KM) in supporting innovation within organisations. This is also closely tied in with enhancing the activities of ‘knowledge workers’ in dynamic organisations such as consulting firms.

While KM is undoubtedly important for innovation, this aspect has somewhat overtaken another focus of KM: ensuring consistency. In many organisations, it is consistency that must be the key driving factor, rather than innovation.

This briefing will explore and contrast these two facets of KM: innovation and consistency.

KM for innovation

It is widely recognised that the pace of the marketplace has increased considerably over the last decade. In this highly competitive environment, organisations must innovate their products, services and practices in order to survive and prosper.

Knowledge management can help to drive and support innovation within organisations, through a wide variety of approaches and techniques.

For example, ‘lateral thinking’ and ‘brainstorming’ techniques (and other similar approaches) can be used very effectively in group settings to improve decision making and enhance creativity.

Narrative techniques, complexity theory (and the like) can be used to gain a better understanding of how organisations actually operate in a changing business environment.

Finally, communities of practice, ‘personal KM’ tools and collaborative environments can help to support teams as they explore new ideas and approaches.

KM for consistency

In many ways, this is treated as the ‘poorer cousin’ of knowledge management, and yet it is every bit as important as the focus on innovation.

Knowledge management for consistency focuses on ensuring the repeatability of business activities, and the continuity of services in the face of a changing workforce and environment.

For example, customer service is an area that is greatly in need of KM for consistency. The same advice must be given by all staff, even between branches in different locations.

In this situation, a sensible approach is to focus on capturing the knowledge, and publishing it in a format that can easily (and quickly) be used by staff.

Organisations that have a mandated or legislated function (such as many government agencies) also need to ensure they can continue to provide this service, even when key staff retire.

This issue can be managed through mentoring or skills transfer activities. It may also be appropriate to conduct ‘exit interviews’ with key staff.

In both cases, the focus of KM activities is on ensuring continuity and consistency, rather than innovation and change.

Managing both

Interestingly, in many organisations there is a need to address both consistency and innovation, with each appropriate in specific areas of the business.

Recognising this can be critical, as the organisation otherwise risks applying a global approach to KM which may be in conflict with the needs of specific business units.

For example, within a large insurance firm, the development of new products may benefit from an emphasis on innovation, in order to compete more effectively with the many other market players.

Simultaneously, the provision of customer service requires a high degree of consistency and repeatability, in order to protect against legal risk and customer relations issues.

In practice, organisations must learn whether innovation or consistency is appropriate, and set the approach for each business unit accordingly. In this way, some areas of the business are given the freedom to ‘break the rules’, while others are tightly managed.

Menggunakan Kelebihan

Anda dapat mengetahui kecenderungan gaya kerja yang dominan melalui kuesioner sebagai alat ukur. Dengan mengetahui gaya kerja, Anda dapat menggunakan kelebihan dan memperbaiki kelemahan.
be well,
Dwika



Kenali Gaya Kerja Anda
Oleh: AnneAhira.com

Di tempat kerja, hubungan dengan lingkungan sedikit banyak berpengaruh terhadap prestasi kerja. Hubungan dengan lingkungan dipengaruhi dengan bagaimana bentuk interaksi ketika menyelesaikan pekerjaan, maupun hal yang terkait dengan persoalan di luar pekerja.

Bentuk interaksi ketika menyelesaikan pekerjaan dengan atasan, rekan kerja maupun bawahan dikenal dengan istilah gaya kerja.

Gaya kerja dibedakan menjadi 5 tipe yaitu commanding, marginal, indifferent, humanistic dan enlighting.

Seseorang dapat mengetahui kecenderungan gaya kerja yang dominan melalui kuesioner sebagai alat ukur. Dengan mengetahui gaya kerja, seseorang dapat menggunakan kelebihan dan memperbaiki kelemahan.

Commanding

Gaya kerja commanding atau dikenal juga dengan gaya kerja memerintah. Gaya kerja ini berorientasi pada kekuasaan. Hubungan kerja didasarkan pada pola atasan dan bawahan.

Orang dengan gaya kerja ini cenderung merasa benar sendiri. Gaya kerja ini biasanya diperlukan pada saat keadaan kritis yang memerlukan pengambilan keputusan secara cepat.

Marginal

Gaya kerja marginal berorientasi pada aturan yang harus dipatuhi dan perintah dari atasan. Orang dengan gaya kerja ini biasanya hanya mengikuti perintah dan tidak kreatif. Gaya kerja ini diperlukan pada tempat kerja yang memerlukan orang tipe hanya do-er atau pelaksana.

Indiffirent

Gaya kerja indifferent atau masa bodoh hanya berorientasi pada tugas sendiri. Seseorang dengan gaya kerja dominan indifferent hanya fokus untuk menyelesaikan kewajibannya tanpa peduli pada keadaan sistem secara keseluruhan.

Gaya kerja ini akan tepat diterapkan pada tempat kerja dengan tipikal pekerjaan tak saling bergantung satu dengan lainnya.

Humanistic

Gaya kerja humanistic adalah gaya kerja yang berorientasi pada perasaan. Seseorang dengan gaya kerja ini cenderung untuk menghindari keributan di tempat kerja akibat konflik. Berbeda pendapat adalah sesuatu yang sangat dihindarkan.

Kekurangan dari gaya kerja ini adalah tidak bisanya diambil keputusan secara tegas, apalagi bila waktunya mendesak. Sedangkan kelebihannya adalah membina hubungan yang baik dan kekompakan personil di tempat kerja.

Enlighting

Gaya kerja enlighting merupakan gaya kerja yang dipandang paling ideal untuk diterapkan secara umum. Gaya kerja ini berorientasi pada prestasi atau keberhasilan bersama.

Kelebihan gaya kerja ini pada diskusi, proses sharing ide, evaluasi bersama, dan teamwork yang kuat. Gaya kerja ini akan sesuai dengan tipikal pekerjaan yang melibatkan banyak personil dengan peranan sejajar.

Penerapan gaya kerja sangat ditentukan juga oleh tempat kerja dan tipikal pekerjaan. Tidak ada gaya kerja yang paling baik, tetapi hanya ada gaya kerja yang paling sesuai.

Who should stay

Companies deciding who should stay and who should go, there is the danger of accidentally removing the very thing that made the company's brand and product/service attractive to customers in the first place.
be well,
Dwika


The Importance of People At Work
**toddanthonydirect.typepad.com/the_conceptualist/

With companies deciding who should stay and who should go, there is the danger of accidentally removing the very thing that made the company's brand and product/service attractive to customers in the first place. Often times, a company is propelled forward by the force of people's personalities and the social bonds that are formed at work. It's a team of people with a common purpose instead of a collection of employees with set responsibilities. People organize around a goal in a way that employees do not.

Witness this bit at Valleywag about the firing of a key designer at Yahoo!'s Flikr

Remove a key player, and the social bonds that keep their friends on the job weaken. Before you know it, you've got a group of employees collecting paychecks, not a team working for a goal. Bugs go unfixed; servers crash; the design becomes ugly; and users flee. This could well happen to Flickr. Back up your photos now!

If that happens, what it tells us is that the culture of Flickr was always illusory — one built on personal ties rather than more lasting devotion to a cause. If so, the notion of exporting it to Yahoo was a delusion. That's the problem with turning a community into a commodity: Take away the people, and you have nothing left.

Indeed. Take away the people and all you have left are employees. You won't be able to find anything wrong with the employees. They will do their jobs just fine. And slowly things will just sort of...fall...apart.

Teaching moment

Young managers to build a team, and go there together. The contrast between their natural response was an important teaching moment.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain





"The more we change the more we stay the same."
by: Steven Cerri

Stuff just keeps repeating, and repeating, and repeating, and repeating, and......

Did you ever wonder why history keeps repeating itself?

Not just the history of our nation or the history of nations of the world... but did you ever notice how some aspects of your career keep repeating? How certain aspects of your professional life keep repeating?

Have you ever taken note of what aspects of your professional life keep repeating?

Is it the:
• maximum level at which your career can advance?
• type of boss you can work for or can't work for?
• type of colleague you can't abide or work best with?
• type of project you excel at or you crash on?

If there is repeatability in your career either positive or negative then this may be a sign that you aren't making these particular choices in your life, your apparent choices are really nothing more than personal programs that run themselves over and over and you're along for the ride.

But have heart... you're not alone. We all are driven, in part, by our "internal programming" and it often keeps real choice from showing up in our lives with both positive and negative results.

And what causes this repeating pattern you might ask?

Actually there are several causes.

The first cause is that the patterns we currently have, at some point in our lives really did work and maybe some of them still do. In the past, these patterns helped us to succeed and without anything to replace them we assume they will continue to help us succeed. And so we continue to use the same patterns.

The second cause is that all around us is a culture, a philosophy, an underlying "dialogue" that convinces us that we are to behave in a certain way. Whether it is to purchase a bigger house, or to trade in that old tube television set for a flat screen, or to buy music one song at a time over the Internet instead of buying 12 at once on a CD, or to eat fast food because we haven't time to cook and eat, the underlying dialogue is there.

Whatever the message it is a low-level noise that continues to move us toward a specific outcome.

And one of those low-level dialogues that consistently shows up in American business environments is what it means to be a leader, or manager, or what it means to be "in charge".

I never cease to be amazed at how powerful this underlying whisper is in our business environment and even in our schools. This week I conducted a class at the University of California at Santa Barbara, UCSB. I teach there regularly in their Technology Management Program (TMP). The TMP is part of the curriculum in the UCSB Engineering School. The title of my course is "So you want to be a technical manager?"

I usually give my students a case study to work on, as I again did in this class. The case study is a true situation that happened to me when I was director of engineering in a software company. In the case study, I had just been hired and I "inherited" four software programs, managed by four different program managers. Two programs were on schedule and in budget, one was months behind schedule and over budget, and one was behind schedule and out of money.

I gave my class the case study in which the program was behind schedule and out of money. The contract also had a subcontractor that was behind schedule and out of money?

Now my basic philosophy is that we should alter our management style depending upon the situation we are attempting to manage. One of the parameters I use to make this decision is the risk of the project and another is the expertise of the manager compared to the expertise of the team members. (There are six parameters that I use to determine the optimum management style. I call the process "Contextual Definition").

I laid out to the class the conditions of the situation as I found them when I joined the company.

In the the actual business situation the expertise did not rest with me, it rested with the team I inherited. Likewise, in this case study, the expertise did not rest with the students since they were assuming my role as director of engineering.

Because of the specifics of the situation a management style that was more participative seemed in order. How can a manager who doesn't understand the workings of the project nor the technology expect to step into the management role and "dictate" or "direct" what needs to be done.

I laid out the situation to the students and their task was to manage the program back to health.

Now a very interesting thing occurred. They opted to show they were in control instead of building a team that worked together. They resorted to the Donald Trump approach... "You fix this OR ELSE!"

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a fear-based management approach. In fact, they all indicated in one way or another that they were afraid they didn't know how to fix the situation and since the team didn't deliver up until taking over the program they're best approach was to brow-beat the workers into doing a better job.

The message here is that even business and engineering majors in their early 20s have already been conditioned to feel so insecure when leading that they have to take an authoritative position.

In my situation, when I took over the project, I used a more participative approach and got both my team and the subcontractor to contribute their own time to finish the project, something that, I'm sure, would not have happened if I had taken an authoritative approach.

In the face of uncertainty, the underlying management dialogue or noise is that leaders "get tough" and tell people what to do... or else.

Instead, in the face of uncertainty, I teach our young managers to build a team, and go there together. The contrast between their natural response and what I teach and what had worked for me was an important teaching moment.

The best at the time

Everyone is doing what they think is best at the time. Therefore, if someone is resisting, it's probably because they truly believe that they are doing what is best for them, for the company, and for the task.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



"Motivation By Reference."
by: Steven Cerri
(10 minute read)

Have you ever noticed how people make decisions? Most of us haven't analyzed this topic. But how we and others make decisions is directly tied to motivation. And the way we process data directly relates to how we make those decisions to be motivated to do something or not.

Let me give you an example. Many years ago I purchased my first single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to buy an SLR and as a college student it was a big investment. So I wanted to buy a camera that I knew would be what I wanted.

And that was the major question. "What do I want and why?" Perhaps because I was an engineer I decided to build a matrix. The matrix was on a large piece of paper (2' x 3') so I could view all the information at once. I took every conceivable parameter that I could evaluate and compared those parameters in twenty different SLR cameras.

Using the matrix and all the parameters in my matrix, I narrowed my search down to three cameras. Then I went to a camera store and asked to see and hold each of the three finalists. I held each camera as if I was using it to take pictures. I played with the controls. I took off each of the lenses. I asked the attendant questions. Finally, I selected the one that "felt" the best in my hands. I purchased that camera and I've loved it ever since.

That is how I made my decision to buy my camera. But was it a random process or was their some predictability to it? Do I do that every time I buy something? Have you noticed how you make decisions or is it something that you don't give any thought too?

I can tell you that the process is not random. It is predictable. In fact, if you watch closely you will notice that there are certain people who make decisions based on reviewing evidence, talking to people, and gathering information. They gather as much "external" data as possible before making a decision. If they want to buy a car, they read magazines, they go on-line to read reviews, they talk to people who own the cars they are considering. They believe the idea that word of mouth is the most important type of marketing and the most important source of accurate information. This is exactly what I did in the first part of my decision process by doing research and constructing a matrix.

You've probably noticed other people who seek information from no one, but instead make decisions based on a set of rules "inside their heads"? They want a personal experience or they go through a personal, internal process to make their decisions. If they are interested in buying a car they'll go for a test drive. They'll rent the car for a week and see how it feels, how it drives. They'll decide what car to buy based on their own experience of the car. This is what I did in the second portion of my camera buying decision by holding each of the cameras and running scenarios as if I was taking pictures with each.

Therefore, in the first portion of my decision-making process I sought out external information, while in the second portion I wanted to experience it for myself.

Now you might say, "Well that was about buying a camera and that was a long time ago. That probably doesn't have much to do with the present or with management in my technical organization." Well, let's see.

Lets fast-forward from my college days to just a couple of years ago and see if my purchasing strategies had changed over time.

Several years ago I wanted to buy a kayak. I decided to make my decision by learning all I could about kayaks. This seemed reasonable since there a many different types of kayaks and I wanted to understand what my choices were.

I searched the Internet, read magazines, and talked to dozens of people about the different types of kayaks. In the course of a couple of weeks, I had accumulated more than enough "research" information for my decision and although I didn't make a matrix of the data I had a "sense" of the groups I would choose from. But I didn't know how to choose the right kayak from the narrowed field I had developed. I felt overwhelmed by the different choices and I didn't have an innate sense of how to prioritize and filter the remaining choices.

My next step was to attempt to find some way to "personally" experience the various kayaks I had placed in the final group. That meant I had to do something that would give me the personal experience I needed to filter and prioritize and decide which kayak to buy. I needed to actually use each kayak that I thought would be a choice.

I sought out an opportunity to use several different kayaks. I found an outdoor store that was sponsoring a day on the water with kayaks. Potential customers could use as many kayaks as they wanted for the day to get a sense of what kayaking was all about. I now had my chance to actually use several different kayaks. So I jumped at the chance to spend a day on the bay.

It soon became clear to me which kayak I wanted to buy. Not because someone told me but because of my personal experience using it. I could now make my decision based on my own experience, my own "internal" experience.

If you look closely at my two buying strategies, for the camera and the kayak, you'll notice that they are the same. In both cases I did "external" research until I reduced the possible candidates down to something I could experience, and then I had an "internal" experience of each. From there it was easy to make my decision.

In the vocabulary of communication, management and linguistics, we say that when I was doing research I was being "externally referenced" and when I was gathering information from my own personal experience I was being "internally referenced".

Therefore, my buying strategy for purchasing both the camera and the kayak was to be "externally referenced" first, by seeking information from the outside world and to be "internally referenced" second, by gaining a personal experience. This allowed me to feel comfortable that I understand my choices and then to feel confident in my decision.


Why is this such a big deal?

The reason I'm spending time on these examples is that I want you to understand that decision-making strategies are not arbitrary, they are predictable. Human beings have "processes" that we use over and over again because, from our personal perspective, they work.

And I'm not making arbitrary distinctions. Just as a computer has software applications that we run to solve certain types of problems, each of us has a set of internal mental programs I call Personal Behavioral Sub-Routines (PBSR) that we "run" when we want to solve problems or make decisions. Some people use certain PBSRs that allow them to make their decisions using "external references". That is, they seek information from the outside world. They want to know what others think, what others have experienced. Other people use PBSRs that rely instead on their own "internal experience" to decide. They rely on an "internally referenced" program to make a decision. And some people use a combination of both and in different order.


Does this has to do with management?

What does this have to do with technical management and with motivation? Actually, everything. Whether we are talking about your technical customer, your boss, your direct reports, or your colleagues, each person makes decisions using data from a specific set of sources and by a specific set of processes. People also use these processes (their PBSRs) to either be motivated to do something or to not do it. People either gather data from certain types of external sources or they use their own internal source and / or some combination of both, but the process is predictable.

And here is the significant point; if a person can't get the information the way they want it (i.e., either internally or externally referenced in the way they want it) then they won't make the decision or they won't be motivated. As in the examples of my camera and kayak purchases, if I had been unable to get the internally referenced information, I would not have made the decision. In your business world, if your boss, your colleagues, or your customer, can't get their information the way they want it, they won't make the decision they and you want them to make. This means that if you don't motivate someone according to their "motivation" Personal Behavioral Sub-Routine they won't get motivated. It's that simple and that subtle.

Therefore, what makes this so important for management is that if you attempt to convince a person by using a strategy that doesn't match theirs, one that doesn't match their PBSRs, you will frustrate them and they will resist your influence.

My basic premise in management is that everyone is doing what they think is best at the time. Therefore, if someone is resisting you it's not because they want to be difficult. It's probably because they truly believe that they are doing what is best for them, for the company, and for the task. If this assumption is true then it is your responsibility, the person who is trying to motivate them, to change your motivation strategy to fit what they need to see, hear, and know in order to be motivated. In reality, this is the way it works all the time, even if you don't know it on a conscious level. Everyone is motivated to do anything; have dinner with you; take your direction; vote for a presidential candidate; like a specific song; all because the communication and the data they receive resonates and matches the data they want in the way they want it.

Some Examples: Let's take several examples. Let's say you have a client to whom you are trying to sell your product. If your client is internally referenced they will want a personal experience of your product or service, or they'll want to understand the subject for themselves. If you keep offering them the names and phone numbers of your other satisfied customers for them to contact, you are giving them external references. That's not what they want and they will become frustrated. They want to experience and understand your product for themselves.

On the other hand, if your client is externally referenced, they will want to talk to others who have used your services or your product. If you attempt to give them a direct experience of your service or product, or if you keep explaining your product to them you will frustrate them as well. They are being externally referenced and you are feeding them internally referenced information.

This is also be important when motivating people. If you are managing an internally referenced employee, you will frustrate them by giving them too much direction. You'll be thinking that you are helping them and they'll be thinking, "Just let me start. I'll figure it out once I get into it."

However, an externally referenced employee will want to know everything you can tell them about the task before they start. They'll take the position, "There's no use reinventing the wheel. I might as well get as much information as possible before I start."

Without understanding these two differences, you may be communicating in ways that make your desired outcome harder to achieve. Imagine giving too much guidance to an internally referenced employee or giving too little to an externally referenced employee.

You'll also find that highly externally referenced people want to have meetings with all the potentially affected departments before making a major decision. Whereas highly internally referenced people make decisions on their own, and then wonder why other departments are so upset for not being included.

Imagine putting a highly externally referenced person on a team with a highly internally referenced person and making them relatively equal in power and authority. (This is exactly what happened in one major company I was working with.) The internally referenced person will want to move forward based on their internal understanding of what they believe is right. The externally referenced person will want to talk to all potentially affected people and departments and then make the decision. The internally referenced person will think that the externally referenced person is incapable of making a decision, and the externally referenced person will think the internally referenced person "shoots from the hip" and is not a team player.

The bottom line is that if you attempt to influence in a way that is not aligned with the way a person makes decisions, you will often frustrate them and therefore, fail to influence them. This may not be because your argument is weak, or because you haven't enough information. It may be because you've packaged your message in a way that is counter to the way the listener wants to receive it.

Those of you who are more externally referenced will want to read more about this topic.

Those of you who are more internally referenced are probably wondering what your own PBSRs and strategies are.

Which approach feels better to you?

Both Win

A manager wants "both sides to win". Management is about judgment and often right or wrong doesn't exist as a black or white condition.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



The Answer to Last Month's Case Study #2
**Steven Cerri
(10 minute read)

I was the general manager of a corporate division office. Our company developed large software systems. I had four program managers reporting to me, each with a program worth between $3 and $5 million. Bob was one of those program managers.

I arrived at work one Monday morning at 8:00am. By 8:01am every member of the finance department was lined up outside my office complaining that someone had stolen all their PC's right off their desks.

The first question I asked was, "Had we been robbed?" By 8:15am we knew the answer. No robbery had occurred. The PCs weren't taken from the building, they had just been moved. All the PCs from the finance department had been found on the desks of Bob's engineering team. Bob's team was made up of 15 system analysts and programmers working on a 2-year program worth about $3.5 million.

I instructed the financial staff to leave the computers on the engineer's desks for now, until we could figure out exactly what happened. The financial staff was understandably ready to tar and feather Bob, while my job was to keep everybody calm. Without any real information, my goal was to make sure everybody remained calm and didn't come to their own conclusions.

By 8:30am Bob had arrived at the office, but none of his team had yet arrived. When Bob arrived I asked to see him in my office, alone. "What the heck happened, Bob?" I didn't yell it out, I just said it with emphasis on the word "What".

Bob calmly explained that his team had committed to the customer that a specific deliverable would be in the customer's hands by Monday morning. The team decided the only way to get it done was to work through the weekend. By Saturday afternoon they realized they were not going to get it done unless they had more computing power. So they took the computers off the desks of the finance department. They worked through Sunday and late into Sunday night and got the product delivered to the customer on time, Monday morning. When they left Sunday evening they were just too tired to put the PCs back on the desks of the financial staff. So Monday morning when the financial staff arrived they found no messages, no thank-you notes, no explanations, and no computers.

Bob's team had worked hard, and had delivered the product to the customer on time. The financial staff was upset but the customer was happy.

There you have the case. What would you do? Would you chastise Bob for not anticipating the problem and tell him he should have foreseen the problem? Would you praise him for getting the product to the customer on time regardless of the consequences to the staff?

Would you tell the financial staff to "just forget about it", or "get over it"? Would you stay out of it and let Bob and his team and the financial department solve their own issue to get past this? Would you get in the middle of this situation or stay out? What would you have told Bob? What would you have told the financial team?

- - - - - -My Response- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I told Bob about the situation he had placed me in. I honestly told him that I was in a quandary; on the one hand, I liked the fact that he took initiative to satisfy the customers' needs and his teams' commitment to deliver the software on schedule. On the other hand, he couldn't just take actions without attempting to smooth out the implications of those actions.

I asked him what he could have done to make things smoother. He said he could have called me to tell me what he wanted to do. I said, "True, but suppose you couldn't reach me, then what would you do?" He then said that he could have called the manager of the finance department. I then said, "True, but suppose you couldn't reach anyone from the finance department, then what?" He didn't have an answer.

I then said, "Bob lets make this simple. If you can't return everyone's computer before you and your team leave the building, then you leave a note on each desk from which you've taken a computer and you come in first thing in the morning and meet the finance people as they arrive and you make it right. It's not a big deal to make this effort. He understood and agreed.

I then told him that I did expect him to meet individually with each person in the finance department and explain and apologize for not returning the computers promptly.

I then met with all the finance department and explained what I had told Bob. I told the finance department that in fact we should all be appreciative that Bob and his team took the initiative on behave of the company and the customer, but we should at least hold Bob's feet to the fire for not communicating it better. They understood that Bob did the right thing but he just should have taken one more step in the communication process.

Bob apologized to each finance member (remember not for taking the computers but for not communicating better), the finance people understood and accepted Bob's apology, and by the end of the day, it was all forgotten. Piece of cake!

Some managers would have taken a side. Bob was right or Bob was wrong. Management is about judgment and often right or wrong doesn't exist as a black or white condition. Sometimes a manager wants "both sides to win". This was one of those situations.

Most Meetings

A reasonable question is how does a leader deal with a something missing situation in a meeting. The answer is by not dealing with it at all, but rather setting a stage of thinking and a set of beliefs that make this bickering absolutely out of place.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



Something Is Missing From Most Meetings!
by: Steven Cerri
(10 minute read)

I want to talk to you about meetings.

People often complain about meetings. "Too many meetings." "Out meetings don't accomplish anything." "I don't understand why I have to attend these meetings?"

The interesting thing is that the people who often complain about meetings are the attendees. Seldom do we hear the people who convene the meetings being the people who complain about meetings.

So right here I want to talk to the people who convene meetings. This means everyone up and down the chain from the CEO to the floor supervisor. If you convene meetings ever, this is for you!

First, I'm not going to talk about how to make meetings efficient. While I have my own process which makes meetings efficient, there a plenty of models out there that you can learn that, IF YOU FOLLOW THEM, will make your meetings efficient and effective.

Here I want to talk to you about some that very few people use meetings for. It's the very seldom used key, not to effective meetings, but to effective management.

You see, meetings often have a management component to them. The person who is calling the meeting is often attempting to "manage something". But 99% of the time they miss an opportunity that would make management easier and more effective. And here it is.

Most managers do not use the meeting to reinforce the behaviors, the beliefs, the values, and the focus of attention they want people to display. Most meeting managers focus on the "problems" but they miss the opportunity to reinforce what they want.

For example. Say you are having a meeting and Susan has delivered a product to another department on time and on schedule. Most managers would probably praise Susan for delivering the product on time and on schedule, or they should. But suppose Susan delivered that product to a department that has a reputation for being difficult to deal with. Suppose Susan spent some time establishing a smooth relationship, perhaps the only smooth relationship in existence with that department, and no one really paid much attention to that fact, but the manager knows that is did occur. This is a perfect opportunity for the manager to say something like: "I want to point out something that might go unnoticed. Department X has a reputation for being difficult to work with. You all know that. However, Susan spent some time up front building a relationship with person Y in that department and when she delivered the product the acceptance process went very smoothly. In fact, got a phone call from that department's manager telling me how effective Susan was in the process. Now this is a behavior and a philosophy I want us to display. I think it is really important that we establish positive working relationships with other departments, even those that, at first glance, we wouldn't want to. Susan has set the kind of example that I want all of us to aspire to. To be able to build positive working bridges between ourselves and others in this company."

Notice, this message is telling the team not just how to behave but also how to view the world, how to think about the world. Many managers and meeting leaders focus on problem solving, and at most, focus on the behaviors they want by praising those behaviors they want more of. However, action is the result of thoughts, beliefs, and a focus of attention on specific aspects of the world. Therefore, an important component of meetings is often missed when the leader fails to talk about the beliefs, values, attitudes, relationships, and view of the world that he or she wants the meeting participants to display.

Here is an example. Many engineers fight for their ideas. They fight to be right. Therefore, it's not uncommon for a meeting filled with engineers and technologists to degenerate into nit-picking over technical issues. One person defending some arcane position while another discounts it and postulates his or her own. A reasonable question is how does a meeting leader deal with a situation like this.

The answer is by not dealing with it at all, but rather setting a stage of thinking and a set of beliefs that make this bickering absolutely out of place. The way I did it is that if I had an inkling that because I had a room filled with technical professionals and engineers I might have a nit-picking session I would start the meeting off with the following statement. "All right, as you can see we have a variety of technologies represented at this meeting and the goal today is to come up with some ideas and maybe the best idea as a solution to our current situation. My philosophy is that our goal is to put all the ideas on the table. You may have the idea and once it's one the table, it no longer your idea, the idea now belongs to the group. And as we work with each idea my position is that the best idea will actually become evident to all of us. Once the idea is on the table there is no need to defend it. It stands or falls on it's own merit and as we add to it and take away from it, by the end of the day, it should be evident to all of us that one idea stands out as the best, the most efficient, whatever the important parameters are, one or maybe two will be at the top of everybody's list. That is what I want us to accomplish today at this meeting."

With that introduction the stage is set for a good, honest, intense exchange, without personal ownership of any single idea taking over the meeting.

Be well,

Great working relationships

Managers who want to establish great working relationships with their direct reports. It can be done. It is easy if you know where and how to tap.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain




How Easy Is All This?
by : Steven Cerri
(10 minute read)

As you read my blogs and my Newsletters/E-zines, you might be thinking, "Oh sure. You say it as if it's so easy, but what I want to know Steven is, How easy is it to keep my manager from micromanaging me? How easy is it for me, a direct report, to control my managers' perception and behavior. It's got to be easier said than done."

Well, those are important questions and I'm sure many of you are wondering the same thing. Well, my answer is that it is very easy to manage your managers' behavior if you know what to do and how to do it.

It's very much like the story of the ship that had a problem with its steam engine. You may have heard this story before but it bears repeating in this instance.

There was a ship that was in the harbor and it was discovered that it's steam engine wasn't working. No one seemed to know what to do to get it to work. "Expert" after "Expert" was brought in and none of them knew what to do to fix it.

Finally, the owner of the ship hired an old man who specialized in steam engines. He looked over the steam engine, put his ear against the boiler here and there, then in one spot on the steam engine he used his hammer and gave it a "tap". The steam engine fired up and began to work perfectly.

The old man presented the owner with a bill for $10,000. The owner was flabbergasted. "How can you present me with a bill of $10,000. You just gave the steam engine a little tap with your hammer and you want $10,000 for that?"

The old man replied, "It's $500 for the tap and $9,500 for knowing where and how to tap."

The same applies to what I've been talking about with micromanagement and managing your manager. Let me give you an example.

Several months back, I was having dinner with a prospective client. In casual conversation she was bemoaning her manager's behavior. She indicated that he didn't give her independence. He wasn't really allowing her to contribute the way she could. He wasn't taking her advice in areas where she had significant experience compared to everyone else in the office. And with the economy beginning to affect her company's revenues, she feared the situation would only get more intense and more restrictive. She feared she would not get a good review which was coming up and things seemed gloomy as far as she was concerned.

So I gave her specific suggestions. I explained a new way for her to think about her manager. I explained a new way for her to think about his motives. Then I gave her specific behaviors to exhibit. I explained how to talk to her manager. What to say. Questions to ask. I gave her new ways to be in partnership with her manager; ways to behave that would allow him to recognize that she was indeed attempting to help the organization and him. And we continued to have an enjoyable dinner.

She apparently went back and implemented my suggestions. The results of which are as follows:

1. Her relationship with her manager has changed completely and changed for the better.
2. He did conduct her performance review, and he gave her the highest rating possible and the highest pay raise allowed.
3. He has given her much more autonomy resulting in her proposing a new program for the group.

The point of this case is that working effectively with your manager doesn't take a miracle. It's takes knowledge and a willingness to be flexible enough to implement that knowledge.

And, by the way, the same applies to managers who want to establish great working relationships with their direct reports. It can be done. It is easy... if you know where and how to tap.

Be well,

Steven

Supportive and concerned manager

One person's micromanagement is another person's supportive and concerned manager. One person's concerned and supportive manager is another person's over-bearing, overly-controlling manager.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain


"Micromanagement seems to be everywhere!"
by: Steven Cerri
(10 minute read)

Did you every purchase a new car and all of a sudden you see your make, model, and color car on the road everywhere. Now that you have one, it seems so does everyone else.

Well, the same phenomenon has occurred with me and the topic of "micromanagement". Now that I've completed my 3-CD set titled "Succeeding Without Micromanagement", it seems that everyone I talk to is complaining about being micromanaged or is concerned about being perceived as a micromanager.

So since it seems like such a common phenomenon, I'm going to devote this issue to micromanagement and I'm going to give you some concrete ways to avoid it.

Let's begin with a discussion of what micromanagement looks like, The primary questions are; "How do you know when you are micromanaged?" What's the evidence in your mind that you are being micromanaged?"

1. Is it because your manager calls you every day?
2. Is it because you manager calls you three times a day?
3. Is it that your manager wants to know at 8 in the morning what you intend to accomplish by the end of the day, and at the end of the day wants to know what you did accomplish?
4. Is it that your manager wants a weekly status report by close of business on Friday for the previous week?
5. Is it that your manager wants a plan, schedule, and budget before your begin your project.
6. Is it that your manager wants a monthly status meeting regarding your progress?

What is clear in my mind is that micromanagement is always very, very personal. What sets off your button regarding micromanagement may not set off mine, or may not set of the other people on your team.

Micromanagement is personal.
That's the first principle I want to convey. Micromanagement is very personal it is not the same for everyone.

In fact, I coach direct reports and managers who are upset that their managers don't manage them "close enough or often enough". They are actually complaining to me that they are not be managed ENOUGH!

So it's very important to get clear that....

One person's micromanagement is another person's supportive and concerned manager. One person's concerned and supportive manager is another person's over-bearing, overly-controlling manager.

Therefore, micromanagement doesn't have a "general" or "universal" definition. It doesn't have a baseline behavior that defines it. So if you are going to talk about it, be clear about exactly what you mean.

This leads us to the very critical point. This is the biggest fact about micromanagement... micromanagement is all about the structure of the relationship between the direct report and the manager. That is the key. Micromanagement is in the relationship.

If you are a manager and you want to avoid being a micromanager, then you must structure a manager-direct report relationship that is the right mix of management and freedom based on you, the manager, the direct report, and the situation.

And here is the "kicker".... very often when I'm coaching engineers and technical professionals who think they are being managed too closely, I will actually coach them to give the manager what the manager wants.

The first response from the engineer is that I must be crazy. "How can giving my manager what he or she wants, all this information and reporting, get me the autonomy and freedom I seek?" That's what they usually say.

My response to that question is always the same and here it is:

I believe people are always doing the best they can. They are always attempting to do what they think is the right behavior for the situation even if you don't think so. Therefore, my approach is to assume the manager has a good intention. I don't automatically assume that the manager is a vindictive, control freak.

In fact, if we can find that "good intention" that is motivating the manager, we might be able to find a way to provide the manager with what he or she wants AND provide the engineer/direct report with the freedom and independence that he or she wants. We just might be able to find a win-win scenario.

Case in point. I'm going to share with you a case of a direct report that I coached through a difficult situation. This direct report works for a small business and has been managed relatively closely by his manager for some time. He has felt micromanaged and he complained to me that he wanted to be managed less closely. He wanted more autonomy and freedom than his manager was willing to give him and the more he attempted to get autonomy the more his manager tightened her grip and made his reporting even more onerous.

My first coaching point with this direct report was that the manager was doing this for some reason, probably legitimate in the manager's mind. So that is where we started. The direct report's task was to give the manager what she was asking for without fighting over it.

At first the direct report didn't understand how this was going to get him the autonomy he wanted. But he agreed to follow my suggestions and instructions.

He began to provide reports on the status of his tasks as the manager requested. He even suggested ways to improve the status reports.

I suggested other forms he could use to transmit data regarding the status of his tasks and projects. The manager appreciated these efforts on the part of the direct report.

After several months of this support for the manager, which by the way, turned out not to be very difficult or imposing on the direct report, the manager began to give the direct report more autonomy.

The outcome is that now the direct report and the manager have become much more of a team. The direct report is still providing the manager with the project reports but the format is streamlined and easy and doesn't take much time at all. The manager is so comfortable with the relationship that she has actually begun to manage him less closely. She actually gave him the autonomy he was originally seeking.

The direct report recently asked me, "So what happened here? How did this actually occur?"

My response was, "By giving your manager what she asked for and seeming to give up your drive for autonomy, you actually allowed the manager to be so comfortable with the communication between the two of you that she was willing to give you the autonomy you originally asked for."

By enhancing the relationship, the direct report actually reduced the level of micromanagement the manager thought she needed to feel comfortable. By "giving up the drive for autonomy, and by enhancing the manager/direct-report relationship, the direct report actually got more autonomy."

So the bottom line is that, in my experience, micromanagement is not something anyone has to live with. Engineers, scientists, and direct reports don't have to tolerate micromanagement if they understand how to set up the relationship with their manger. And managers don't have to worry about being perceived as micromanagers if they understand how to set up the relationship with their direct reports.

In my experience, micromanagement it's just not a big deal. That's why you'll often hear me say, "micromanagement doesn't really exist".

Be well,

Steven