Learning Activity 1 - Theme 1 What is the manager’s perspective of leadership? H

Question

Learning Activity 1 - Theme 1

What is the manager’s perspective of leadership? How does it differ from the leader’s perspective? Managers focus on process, procedure, and implementation of the organization’s purpose. A manager's perspective is about getting the job done and keeping stability. The leader is about change and moving workers toward the organization's vision. For a manager, the area of overlap comes in terms of the need to use “soft or people skills” to get the work done. It can be said that the manager motivates while the leader empowers.

In the following five quotes each leader is commenting on the perspective of a manager in an organization as opposed to a leader. Using the readings for the week, how should a manager approach his or her job? What ideas should be their watch words? Think of things like setting goals, making decisions, motivating employees and allocating resources. What mindset should a good manager have to approach these tasks?

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

  Peter Drucker

“Leadership is working with goals and vision; management is working with objectives.”

Russell Honore

“When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact.”

  Warren Buffett

“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.”

Paul Hawken

“Management is nothing more than motivating other people.”

  Lee Iacocca

Learning Activity 2 - Theme 2

The manager must be able to solve problems, communicate, and lead teams toward the completion of a task.

Scenario:

You are the manager of the northern branch of the Laurel City bowling alleys. The owner, Jill Espy, has four other bowling alleys around town. The average employee assigned to the concession stand of all the Laurel City bowling alleys lasts three years. However, in your bowling alley, the average employee lasts only eight months. Jill is concerned about this huge discrepancy and wants to know your ideas about the difference and what you can do to correct the problem. Training new employees is costly to the company and this high turnover is costing her money that could be better spent elsewhere.

You have talked with your current concession staff and have learned that pay and scheduling may have some effect on the turnover rate. However, one worker indicated that many of the workers do not know how to handle difficult customers. It makes them not want to come to work.

Discuss how you would approach these two problems to come to a resolution. Consider motivation techniques, mentoring or other ideas from the readings to effectuate a positive change. Use the readings to support your reasoning.

Explanation / Answer

here we will aproach two probems

1. Effect of pay and scheduling on the employee turnover rate.

2. customer handling problems faced by the workers makes them not to come to work

As a manager we have to solve the above problems- communicate, and lead teams

Given how costly turnover can be, it’s important to look at some of the things that managers can do to help prevent employee departures. In the worst cases, serious issues concerning how the business is being run on a day-to-day basis can lead to a “snowball effect” that leaves managers facing a two-pronged, difficult situation – a mass exodus of employees and the major loss of revenue that comes from the decreased sales that can be associated with understaffing.

While these statistics and the issues behind them are important to understand, your primary focus as a manager needs to be implementing strategies that will help reduce turnover rates. Here are three easy ways to do this:

Build relationships with staff members

Business managers should be seen by the employees as human beings who care about the success and welfare of their employees. Granted, it’s a fine line to walk for the manager, but it’s worth it when you consider the employee retention benefits that come from building relationships with everyone on the team.

Managers who are “task masters” and who make employees feel like they’re slaves to the company damage the relationships needed to minimize employee turnover. But, at the same time, managers shouldn’t portray themselves as “everyone’s buddy” either, as some separation between employee and manager is necessary to ensure an orderly workplace.

Managers can, however, show interest in their employee’s well being by learning about their families, interests and whatever it is that excites them when they’re away from the job. When employees feel that their managers care about them, they’ll be more likely to return this good will and do a better job while they’re on the clock.

Reward employees with perks-

We already know that great employees can be hard to find – and sometimes even harder to keep. Whenever managers encounter employees that show they’re going above and beyond the minimum expectations of their job descriptions, it’s a good idea to give them plenty of praise – and to give that praise in front of other workers.

Other small gestures – such as awarding a gift card for reaching a specific sales goal or a number of days without an on-the-job accident – shows that the manager really does care about the well-being of his employees. Sometimes, something as simple as a “pat on the back” is exactly what an employee needs to enjoy his job more and remain with the company longer.

Offer pay raises as a reward for hard work and commitment

While last week’s article on, “What Employees Really Want from Their Managers” revealed that incentives don’t only need to come in the form of financial reward. But in some cases, raises and benefit increases may be the only way to keep your best team members.

Within every business, there are a number of people who work hard every day, show up on time for their shifts and expect to be well-compensated for their efforts. And while these employees may seem dedicated to your company, the reality is that they often have their ear to ground for jobs that pay more than their current wages.

This might not have anything to do with employer/employee relations. In fact, these employees may truly like the person or people they’re working for. But the current state of business economics dictates that most hourly jobs don’t pay a lot of money – especially when you consider taking money out of a person’s paycheck for taxes, unemployment insurance and any other necessary deductions. As a result, the need to secure a higher income can easily trump employer loyalty, leading to turnover.

Managers can keep these employees where they are by offering pay raise incentives and following through on these promises. More specifically, managers can set tangible goals or milestones that every employee in the business should be capable of attaining. Setting “pay raise goals” for employees that are just high enough out of reach to make staff members work hard – while, at the same time, making them reasonable enough for all workers to attain – can go a long way towards keeping good employees from leaving and minimizing overall turnover costs.

2nd probem can be strategised as follows-

First, it’s important to make sure that your customer service team has the right skills for your managing customers’ needs. No amount of CRM software can compensate for shortcomings in this area. But following skills required-

·         Empathy, patience and consistency. Some customers will be irate. Others will be full of questions. And others will just be chatty. You must know how to handle all of them and provide the same level of service every time.

·         Adaptability. Every customer is different, and some may even seem to change week-to-week. You should be able to handle surprises, sense the customer’s mood and adapt accordingly. This also includes a willingness to learn– providing good customer service is a continuous learning process.

·         Clear communication. Ensure you convey to customers exactly what you mean. You don’t want your customer to think he’s getting 50% off when he’s actually getting 50% more product. Use authentically positive language, stay cheerful no matter what and never end a conversation without confirming the customer is satisfied.

·         Work ethic. Customers appreciate a rep who will see their problem through to its resolution. At the same time, you must have good time management skills and not spend too much time handling one customer while others are waiting. Stay focused on your goals to achieve the right balance.

·         Knowledge. Ultimately your customers rely on you for their knowledge of your product. Stay informed enough to respond to most inquiries and know where to turn if the questions become too detailed or technical for you to answer. But don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” either. Customers will appreciate the honesty and your efforts to find the right answer.

·         Thick skin. The customer’s always right… right? The ability to swallow one’s pride and accept blame or negative feedback is crucial. Whether your team works directly with customers or looking for feedback on social media, they’ve got to keep the customer’s happiness in mind.

Not sure if your reps have the right customer service skills? Survey or interview your customers to understand whether your service team is showing each of these traits. Running a customer feedback survey through your CRM program, at the point of sale, or when you send customers an invoice is a great way to see where your team’s skills do and don’t measure up.

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