Archive: Oct 2017
How can you lead your team through effective delegation?
Posted: October 28, 2017 10:41 am
Regardless of your position in a company, if you are leading a team in any way, as a department leader or even CEO of a company, delegation is one of the most important tools you have. Delegation is a skill, and learning to use it effectively can make your team more productive, reduce stress for all employees, and free up your time to manage your team better. Here are some ways that you can master the art of delegation:
Trust your team’s skills
The biggest barrier to effective delegation is the struggle of letting go of work. Dedication and self-belief in your own ability to get the work done to the best possible standard can stand in the way of being able to delegate it to someone else. There will be times when it’s better to do something yourself, but there should be a balance between what is relevant and necessary within your role, and what needs to be shared amongst your team. In these cases it’s important that you trust your team to be able to carry out these tasks.Work to the strengths of your team members
Everyone in your team will have different areas of strengths and weaknesses, experience and skills, so part of delegating is identifying these for each person. You can then assign tasks according to these things, not simply delegating to the person who has the most time available, even if they are the least suited to getting it done.Prioritise carefully
As you begin to delegate, you should group tasks into different skills, and different priorities. You can then communicate to your team the deadlines of each assignment and which are the more urgent tasks that need to be completed first. This helps to prevent any issues or delays in the tasks getting completed, and builds a culture of teamwork.Give clear instructions
When delegating, don’t just give a task list. Instead, give clear instructions where appropriate, including milestones, deadlines, goals and anything else that is important to produce the best possible outcome. This gives your team a clear process to move forward and progress whilst giving you peace of mind that your team are suitably briefed.Pass on your knowledge
As part of delegating, you can also choose to pass on your own knowledge. There may be things that your team are unsure of and need to ask for your advice and expertise, so part of this process is answering their queries and continuing to let them handle it instead of taking over yourself. Find out more about effective delegating by attending our “The Art of Delegation” one day workshop, or by giving PTP a call today on 01509 889 632.What role does Emotional Intelligence play in the workplace?
Posted: October 24, 2017 2:58 pm
We’ve all heard of different areas of training, from managerial training to personal development training… but something that is less frequently discussed is the need for emotional intelligence training. Emotional intelligence involves monitoring personal emotions as well as the emotions of others, being able to differentiate between these different emotions, and utilising this information to guide thinking and behaviour. In the workplace, this can lead to many benefits:
Develops communication skills
Communication depends on a number of factors, including natural talent and experience and personality type. Emotional intelligence is however something that can be developed to improve your communication skills within the workplace, helping you to relate better to those around you and in your team, as well as improving customer relations.Makes collaboration easier
All of us will find that we have some people who we naturally work well with and others that we find more difficult. Undertaking emotional intelligence training can make it easier to collaborate professionally with others by presenting yourself in a friendly way that helps to build rapport. Emotional intelligence teaches us to tailor our approach to different personality types by being sensitive to their emotions and more. In this way, emotional intelligence promotes teamwork and increased productivity as working efficiency improves.Self-awareness encourages leadership
Emotional intelligence can also develop self-awareness that highlights strengths and weaknesses and how you can improve. This is something that allows each employee to develop personally within their role, but also is a characteristic of those who could be strong in more leadership positions within the company. Identifying these people can help to improve the overall balance within the team and help individuals to utilise their own skills.Understanding key motivators
Another thing that emotional intelligence can help with is understanding key motivators for your team. If you’re managing a team, undertaking emotional intelligence training could really help you to work out what motivates your different team members, and collectively as a team. Determining their needs, goals and providing them with what they need could boost morale as well as productivity. For more information about Emotional Intelligence training and how it could benefit yourself or your team, give PTP a call today on 01509 889 632.5 reasons that professional development training could benefit your whole team
Posted: October 14, 2017 2:56 pm
Professional development training applies to all departments of business, from the newest trainee to the directors and C-level management team. However it is often one of the things that is not prioritised due to budgets, or simply lack of time and resources. Training is at the heart of every business, and not just at one given time, but on an ongoing basis.
Professional development training for all
New staff will need training to get used to your processes internally, whilst longer-standing members of staff could also benefit from refresher training throughout their time working for your company. If it’s something you are looking to refresh or consider within your company, here are 5 reasons that professional development training could benefit your whole team:#1 Training increases up-to-date knowledge
Professional development training, whether this is generic to all departments or within specialist areas, benefits your overall team by boosting their knowledge of that subject area. At the same time, refresher training ensures that this knowledge is always up-to-date and doesn’t become outdated, whilst making sure that all employees have the same training for a consistent in-house feel.#2 Boosted job satisfaction encourages teamwork
Through professional development training for your staff, their productivity and personal ability should increase. This in turn leads to greater confidence and job satisfaction, as well as higher employee retention rates. All of these things contribute to better teamwork and forming a strong team that is able to communicate and work together effectively to provide the best services to your customers.#3 Training helps to accurately reflect your company
Another reason that professional development training could benefit your whole team is that through the training, skills are learned, but also things are learned that are part of your company ethos. This could be attitude, approach to issues, customer services, or even specific processes – and if all of your team can grasp these things, they will accurately reflect your company to your customers through the services that they provide.#4 It can attract strong candidates for the future
Offering professional development training as standard within your organisation is appealing to new recruits looking to fill the vacancies that you have both now an in the future. Training offers a clear way for employees to improve their own knowledge and skills, whilst bringing more to your company over time. This means that you are likely to attract strong candidates who are looking to progress, which benefits your team as a whole, if everyone is striving for the best.#5 Progression within promotions is easier
If you’re looking at specific employees as potential candidates for promotion or to move to other areas within the business which better fit their skills, professional development training can be a good step towards making internal changes. This is because employees will receive training that is relevant to them and that will make the transition to a new position or promotion much smoother. If you want to find out more about how you can offer your employees professional development training to benefit your whole team, get in touch with PTP today on 01509 889 632.How can sales training improve the performance of your business?
Posted: October 5, 2017 2:55 pm
Training is important within your business, but training your sales team can have a huge impact on the performance of your business in a range of different areas. Training your sales team can reap benefits within the sales team itself and to the wider connections of your company. Here are some ways that sales training can improve the performance of your business: