Monthly Archive for August, 2009

You might like to try your hand at the influencing styles questionnaire in Influencing styles questionnaire  based on one originally designed by Roger Harrison and subsequently used extensively at Ashridge Business School. Answer each question by thinking about how you generally seek to influence your colleagues. As with all questionnaires that are concerned with behaviour, [...]

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. — (Albert Schweitzer) It is self-evident that the ability to influence others is a fundamental leadership attribute. Apart from their own team members, leaders sometimes need to influence colleagues, senior and junior, in other parts of the firm. They may need [...]

Sometimes you will be told who the members of your project team are going to be. That is generally unfortunate. It is much better if you can get your project sponsor to agree to you identifying and then inviting people of your choice to serve. If you are held accountable for a successful project outcome [...]

You may find yourself managing a project and then discover, much to your surprise, that there is opposition to it in some parts of the firm. You are surprised because, after all, your sponsor is a senior figure, the project is clearly useful in your view and you have taken it for granted that everyone [...]

Apart from with the team members, the project leader needs to build and maintain good relationships with others who have an interest in the process and in the outcome. They are often described as stakeholders. The project sponsor (that is the person who, or body that, commissions the project) is clearly an important stakeholder. The [...]

Coordination and control in professional service firms are difficult. Your team members usually come from different departments and have their regular and pressing work commitments. The project is likely to involve a wide range of tasks undertaken by different people, sometimes in parallel and sometimes in sequence. There are a couple of useful tips to [...]

When your team has decided on a basic course of action the next stage is to agree priorities, sequence and timing of steps. A good way to do this is to use perspective. This concept was popularized by Eddie Obeng in his book All Change: The project leader’s secret handbook (1994). Get your team to [...]

Usually there are several possible ways of achieving project objectives. Before deciding on a basic course of action it is helpful for you and the project team to brainstorm options and then to assess the pros and cons of each. The techniques described in Getting The Best Out of People Working Together on teamwork may [...]

Generally speaking the sponsor (usually a senior member of the firm or maybe the partnership board as a whole) will indicate the broad scope of the project to be undertaken. A good way to get the project off to an enthusiastic start is for the project leader, with the team, to prepare a clear objective [...]

Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something. The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. — (Sir John Harvey-Jones) When firms want to innovate or make changes they often set up a [...]

If trainees are to stay well motivated and enthusiastic about working for your firm they need to develop their skills and knowledge quickly and effectively. There are two processes that are central to this need. The first is the way the people are assigned to their tasks and the second is the quality of supervision [...]

Here are a few tips for integrating new people: Make sure that new people receive the firm’s formal induction programme as soon as possible. If for any reason they have to wait for a while before the next one is available, take them through the main points yourself and ensure that they have all of [...]

It is our responsibilities, not ourselves, that we should take seriously. — (Peter Ustinov) Most firms these days have some sort of induction programme for their new people. Typically, newcomers are given information about the firm’s goals, policies, culture, markets, clients and reward systems. Invariably presentations are supported with written information and access to Web [...]

Human resource specialists who know their stuff attempt to validate selection methods against the performance of the people selected so that the process can be modified and improved as time goes on. Some firms keep records of who interviews applicants. When recruits subsequently do especially well or poorly in their jobs the human resource people [...]

It is helpful for you keep in mind that just as you wish to get the facts about the candidates they want to know the truth about your firm and the team in which they are going to work. If you misrepresent the nature of the work and its challenges, or the firm’s policies and [...]

Some firms use psychometric tests, including reasoning, intelligence and personality profiling, as part of their selection processes. Generally speaking these are handled by trained specialists in the human resource function or by external consultants. The results and their significance are made available to other selectors, including the team leaders, for consideration along with the rest [...]

When you have specified the qualities that you are looking for, you can decide which of them should be assessed through the interviewing process and which ones should be judged by other mechanisms such as tests. This is an important step in getting the best out of interviews. In addition success is more likely to [...]

Dr Meredith Belbin has shown (1981), through his research, that all members of business teams have a dual role. The first is the functional one, which in professional service firms involves the use of technical, client relations, sales, marketing, administrative, management and leadership skills. The second role is what Meredith Belbin calls the team role. [...]

The wrong people are sometimes hired because selectors fail to identify the few abilities and attitudes critical for success. When you have to fill a vacancy in your team, or if you are involved in selecting trainees, make sure that a specification of the attributes required is drawn up. Precision in defining qualities is important [...]

Professional service firms with a good record for taking on able people usually place a higher value on basic ability and attitude of mind than on specific technical skills. When people are selected for traineeships, most of the technical skills are provided subsequently through training, coaching and mentoring. When qualified and experienced professionals are hired [...]