Right and left-brain Management Styles

Have a look at this model of a company using left-brain management styles, called British Risk Aversion Plc, or BRA:

• New ideas are regularly dismissed

• The organization is not always concerned with external needs

• The emphasis within the organization is on problem solving

• Stability and experience are the most valued attributes within the company

• The good of the organization is put before the success of the individual

• Command and control are the dominant processes

• It is practically impossible to change the corporate mind-set

Now compare with this model of a right-brain company, ACE – Adventure Corporation of Europe:

• Creativity and new ideas are welcomed

• The company focuses mainly on the needs of the customer

• The emphasis is on taking advantage of new opportunities

• Motivation and innovation are among the most valued attributes

• The company’s aims and those of individuals are largely aligned

• All staff are granted autonomy and are able to show their initiative

• Minds and policies regularly change, according to circumstance

ACE is much more fun place to work than BRA and much more likely to embrace the new because the whole outfit is geared up to do just that.

However judging by a show of hands, members of an audience I addressed recently were more likely to work in a company resembling BRA rather than ACE.

The measured prudence of BRA has to be combined with the dynamic venturism of ACE for a knockout left-right combination of management styles.

Service Excellence: Right And Left-Brain Management Style

via Service Excellence: Right And Left-Brain Management Style.

Honesty is the best policy and you should always be thruthful, but there’s a difference between being truthful and being downright rude. A snarling attitude towards customers will not get you repeat customers. Good customer loyalty is the lifeblood of any business and comments like this only drive customers away.

We’ve all been on the recieving end of these sorts of remarks and customer service faux pas from businesses of all types and sizes, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. We all have bad days, but that shouldn’t become the customer’s bad day too. Poor customer service loses business – fast. Here, based on my own stumbles down the rocky road of verbal iscues, is a sample of things that a client or customer or guest should never, ever hear from you or your staff:

1. “Why are you doing that for him?” This is pretty much what the hardware manager’s flip remark meant. It may seem ludicrous to say it, but service for a customer – be it run of the mill or beyond the call of duty – should never be questioned in front of the person with the Visa card in hand. A business person that questions service like this will appear rude and entirely dismissive of customer service – a sure fire way to lose business.
2. “Are you sure you can afford this?” On a trip to a beautiful paradasiac destination, I wanted to surprise my wife by reserving the honeymoon suite at a luxury hotel, the Front Desk Manager, cajoled a member of his staff at the desk to “make sure he knows how expensive that suite is” before I even inquired about the detail of the price, which by the way I already knew. Of course- customers need to know the price of an item prior to purchase and that information is common courtesy, but beware of the connotations of suggesting an item is priced beyond a customer’s means. This can taken as a direct insult.
3. “What an idiot that last guy was!” This was muttered by one server to another in a restaurant, as I was ready to pay for our tab. Needless to say, not every cient or customer is cherubic, but commenting on them to another employee – or even worse, a customer – is grossly unprofessional. This is tantamount to “bitchiness”. People buy from people, and prefer to buy from people they like. Nobody likes to hear another customer sneered about. It makes customers feel uneasy, as they’ll think you might say that about them when they leave your business.
4. “We don’t have it.” however siccint, this is a repeat offender, said most recently when I asked a grocery assistant if they carried a particular brand of olive oil ( after her four-word reply, the grocery assistant stared past me glassy-eyed as though she were looking for ships on the horizon). of course, businesses run out of stock or may not offer certain services or item, but just hearing “no” or words to that efect is tantamount to adding “And stay out!” Don’t leave things hanging like that.
5. “What a _____name.” (Choose “different”, “funny”, “unusual”, “bizarre”", etc.) Don’t misunderstand me, I know I have a, shall we say, esoteric last name. But I don’t adore the attention I get when a niwit callously belittles my family moniker-belittling my very own identity. It would be far more diplomatic to ask how a person’s name is pronounced correctly.
6. “I haven’t a clue about what I’m talking about, but I’ll rumble on regardless.” this is the Brand X version of any number of ill-concieved remarks, ranging from the bank clerk who loudly gives a customer her mutual fund recommendations (“I hear you can make money in them!) to the doctor’s office receptionist who tells a patient that she may need a biopsy.
7. “I only work here.” This cliche’ -most recently uttered to me by a waiter after the wrong meal was delivered for the third time -should be forever buried. In four wretched words, an employees conveys a complete absence of enthusiasm or involment, let alone a willingness to address a problem. This does not bode well. All staff should ensure they know their own area and can politely pass a customer ‘s query on to the right person should it fall outside their area of expertise.

1) Pay attention in class.
Treat every day at work like a school day. Be sure you learn something and make yourself more productive by what you’ve learned. It doesn’t have to be skill-set related. It may be as simple as understanding how to work with specific peers (emotional intelligence). Whatever you do, take mental notes. Don’t go through the day like a sleepy zombie.

2) Look for the next rung.
You need to excel at your job. This is how you gain credibility. But the key to career happiness is to understand your next step. Career patching is critical if you’re to remain engaged on the job. Be sure to schedule discussions with your manager to get clarity on the next challenge. If it’s not going to happen for you on your specific team or in your company.

3) Understand company goals.
Make sure you understand how your job contributes to your company’s business objectives. Are you in a revenue-generating role? A brand awareness role? Is your mission to delight the customer? Clarity on how your job fits into the big picture will give you inspiration and a sense of accomplishment — and will make your “small successes” feel like you’re making much more of an impact.

4) Be ethical.
Bring integrity to your job. Whether you’re running the company or cleaning the bathrooms, be honest in all you do. Don’t call in sick just to get a day off. That’s stealing. Put in an honest day’s work. Be accountable. If you’re working remotely, be sure you’re working. Do what you say you’re going to do. Be on time. Honesty and reliability mean a lot to your team members.

5) Stay fit.
Try to break a sweat for 20 minutes, three days a week. Go for a walk at lunch. Join a gym. Lift weights. Go for a run. A healthy body makes a healthy mind. Exercising increases blood flow to the brain. It gives you ideas. You’ll be more productive at work. Best of all, you’ll feel great.

6) Stretch your role.
From time to time, think how you can go above and beyond. Are there projects outside of your defined role that you could help with? Be proactive and ask to join. Better yet, come up with your own ideas and work with your manager to implement them. If you’re a hamster, step off the wheel and poke your head out of the top of the cage. Stretch a little. This won’t go unnoticed.

7) Manage up.
Make sure you and your manager are in firm agreement on what you’re doing. Be proactive and get on his or her calendar to ensure you’re meeting or exceeding expectations. Don’t assume your manager is paying close attention. There are bad & good managers. If there’s a disconnect between what you’re doing and your manager’s expectations, you’re part of the blame. Don’t wait until review time. Why take this chance?

Manage Across.
Your colleagues are important. Even if you’re in a role where you work primarily alone, be sure to make time to understand your peer’s roles and how they go about their job. Show an interest. Don’t just choose a few friends and become part of a clique. High school is over. Be friendly and courteous to all workers in your organization. You never know when you may need them. Or be reporting to them.

9) Communicate.
Don’t leave people waiting for answers. If you’re in an e-mail environment, return e-mails promptly. Let people know what you’re doing. If you’re working on a project, always ask yourself who needs to know about this. Then tell them. Talk to people. Give people the heads up. And when someone helps you out, be sure to thank them. It’s amazing that this even needs to be on a list but bad communicators are everywhere. Don’t be one of them.

10) Make time for play.
Have fun. Work hard, but smile while you’re doing it. No one likes a Grinch (especially this time of year). This doesn’t mean disrupting the workplace by acting like an eighth-grader. Instead, approach each day with a positive spirit and stay loose. When you leave the office or workplace , have some fun. Enjoy you friends. Make time for them. Make time for you. It’s called work-life balance. All work and no play makes … well, you know.

What’s wrong with this picture, you ask? Let’s break it down:

Everything? Is the manager asking if I am satisfied with the political, economic, ecological and sociological status of humanity? Or maybe the manager thought that I was about to burst out crying and was attempting to offer help?

What about the word OK?

By definition OK means the minimum acceptable level. I doubt seriously if the mission of any company is to strive for the minimum level of customer service! So when the eager manager excitedly receives the expected “yes”, knee-jerk answer to the knee-jerk question, the manager goes away pleased. But should the manager be pleased?

I think not.

I don’t blame the manager. He or she was trained that way. Indeed, it was probably pounded into him or her to visit every table. 100% table visitation. Asking everyone in the restaurant if “Everything is OK” is like a prime directive in most restaurant chains.

What’s so wrong with wanting to get the opinions of all your customers?

First of all, when you ask ‘Is everything OK’, you’re not giving the customer an opening to respond. Instead, it becomes a formality, like the greeting of “How are you?” You don’t really expect an answer, except for the polite “Fine”.

Of course, visiting every table in most restaurants doesn’t give you any time to actually stop and listen to the customers! By running around and asking “Is Everything OK?” you can quantify the experience, and give yourself a false sense of accomplishment by making your 100% table visitations.

It is like the owner of a hotel demanding that the hotel manager keep the hotel full. All the hotel manager has to do is keep reducing the price of the room until the owner’s results are accomplished. Never mind that the hotel is losing money. It may be full now, but it sure won’t be around for long.

Don’t get me wrong; The concept of customer feedback is right, but the execution and results are dangerously wrong. By getting a stock response from a hastily asked question, you’ve learned nothing about the customer’s experience that night. And what if everything actually WAS just “OK”? In today’s market, will a so-so “OK” experience guarantee that the customer will come back? Of course not.

Here are four rules to follow when asking about your customer’s perceptions of your service:

1. Allow time to listen, don’t just go through the formality of asking.

2. Ask specific questions, not general, sweeping statements.

3. Use a superlative that you want to be identified with to the customer. Was your service excellent? Fantastic? Outrageous? Set your sights high not low. Never OK.

4. The quality of the effort is worth far more than the quantity of effort.

It’s time that the hallowed expression “Is everything OK?” was finally laid to rest.

Is this a normal year for you? Or is it different as it should be? Does it always take something outside of our control to put us back in control? The proven answer is yes. My question is why? Are all the changes within the market place trying to tell you something that you’ve forgotten? Are these uncertain times trying to remind you of the power that allows you to see the meaning of your life? Or are these just confusing times and somebody’s else problem. Do we just brush these times off as something that will not really change our lives? I believe that times like these come only once or twice in a lifetime at a level that forces you to pay attention. If you embrace the lessons learned during times like these and make your new choices a part of your daily habits, you could save all the things that matter in life before it’s too late. Now is the time to be good, not average. Good people always appreciate what they have before they lose it; average people can only appreciate what they have after they lose it.

 We all have a choice in the way we live our lives. But many times, you don’t discover whether your choices make a good life or an average one until the moment when a situation seems to find a voice and taps you in the shoulder. The problem isn’t that you couldn’t hear and see; it’s that you wouldn’t listen and understand. The real question is why is this happening now? Is it a wake up call that you have asked or hoped for because of the direction you’ve gone in your life? I believe it is! Be thankful that it has called on you, because if you are truly thankful during these uncertain times, you will be reminded of the meaning that you truly have in life.

Let’s be honest…..why has this finally happened? Is it because you have lost control or have doubts? No, it is because you realize you are not totally in control and you need help. At that moment, you realize that the things that don’t matter really don’t matter anymore. What matters most is doing the right thing. Nothing changes until you change, and once you change, your life become different for you and those depending on you. I clearly understand that what is going on in the economy today has affected us all. The key is not to be angry about things like a 401(k) (I call mine 101(k) today!).

 Security is important, but the Good Life is more important. I truly believe things happen for a reason, and my hope and prayer is that everyone find within their heart to find the purpose and meaning of their lives and move forward living the good live, Doing the Right Thing. I have learned through these times that life is too short not to be happy, and life is too long not to be successful.

 All managers play a role in an organization’s overall profitability. Some managers are responsible for generating revenues, others are responsible for making products or delivering services, and still others are responsible for helping the line functions do their jobs.

 To be a successful manager, you need to manage your financial responsibilities. This is much more complex than just increasing revenues and keeping cost low – it also means managing assets and liabilities.

 To manage profitability, you need to understand how the organization makes money and your department’s role in that process. You may need to set financial goals, work with sales and marketing to determine pricing and volume, determine whether and when to make capital expenditures, identify ways to reduce costs, justify investments, and so on.

 Here are some guidelines and suggestions for effectively managing profitability, including:

 Understanding Financial Management: Sometimes the biggest obstacle to effective financial management is simply a manager’s lack of understanding of financial terms and processes. Often just learning the basic financial principles allows managers to use financial processes and reports thus improve their work unit’s profitability.

 Setting Challenging Financial Goals: The first step in managing for profitability is establishing financial goals and a budget that is realistic, yet challenging, in its profits objectives. You may have the responsibility of actually setting goals, or you may input to others for goal setting and budgeting.

 Managing Against Your Financial Goals: Once you have establish your financial goals, your next responsibility is to manage effectively so that you stay on course and come as close as possible to achieving them, to help you do this, follow this process:

• Identify the three to five key cost and revenue areas that will make or break your financial goal. Get to know the operations of the areas that make up your costs and provide revenues. Talk with the people who know how these areas operate, the impacts they have, and the ways in which they are affected by other forces.
• Ask your manager, your employees and, if appropriate, your peers for their opinions on which of your budget items are the key ones.
• Determine how frequently you need to see reports comparing budget projections and actual.
• When you receive the reports, monitor them carefully to see how your budget is working.
• Plan in advance how you will handle significant changes in your budget projections.
• Conduct formal monthly reviews. Use the reviews totrack status and progress against goals, understand what is happening, and make changes in assumptions and forecasts if necessary.

Looking for Ways to Reduce Costs: Becoming cost-conscious and continually looking for ways to   to reduce costs is one way that you can manage for greater profitability. Although you are undoubtedly aware that long-term goals and strategies sometimes require expenditures that won’t contribute to short-term profits, for the most part it is helpful to look for ways to reduce costs wherever you can.

 Pursuing Ways to Increase Revenue: as you know, you can increase revenue by increasing sales or by increasing the price of your products or services. however, increasing sales without concern for profit margins or increasing prices without knowing the impact on sales is both shortsighted and naive.

The primary responsibility for sales and pricing belongs to the sales and marketing departments. It is important to understand this process and monitor what you are getting, especially if you have overall responsibility for the business unit.

In addition, managers these days also are concerned with internal suppliers and customers. many managers are internal suppliers and, in turn, are also customers. You sell to your internal customers and set prices. many of the same principles of selling and pricing are involved internally as well as externally.

 Analyzing and Justifying Capital Expenditures: managing profitability includes spending money wisely. When you or your employees have identified capital expenditures that are believed necessary, conduct a through analysis of actual total costs and expect benefits. Include the following in your analysis:

• Cost of identifying vendors and suppliers
• Actual capital cost itself
• cost of implementation or change, including training needed
• Intangible costs, including stress and inconvenience
• Expected benefits, both tangible and intangible
• Cost or impact of not making the expenditure

Ask your staff to make this kind of analysis for all capital expenditures, so you can make more informed decisions.

 Involving Employees in Financial Management: Your employees can be your best allies in increasing the profitability of your department or area for which you are financially responsible. Involving your staff members in every aspect of the budgeting process to which they can contribute can yield many ideas for improving profitability.

 Managing the Perception of Your Profitability Management: Some managers believe that they already are managing aggressive financial goals, but others may not share that perception. If this situation occurs, first collect additional information by answering these questions:

• How do your goals compare with others in the organization?
• How aware are others of your attention to the organization’s bottom line?
• What’s the perception of the opportunities available to you for contributing to profitability?
• How does what you do in your area compare to how other managers approach their financial responsibilities?

This analysis will identify the areas of discrepancy between you and others. Then you can determine a plan of action that may include:

• Stretching your group more
• Educating others
• Providing more financial information
• Becoming more comfortable holding people accountable for aggressive numbers.

• Recognizing Management’s Impact on Teamwork:  how successful an organization is at effectively utilizing teamwork largely depends on the attitudes, directives, and policies that come from the management team. Your actions and the policies you develop affect teamwork both within your work unit as well as throughout your organization.
• Building a Team Environment:Just as plants need a certain environment for maximum growth ( an appropriate amount of sun and water, proper pruning, enough soil), teams need certain “ingredients” in their environment to function in the best way possible. Building an environment conductive to maximum team functioning is not a one-time event; rather it involves an ongoing effort and process on your and your team’s part.

• Building a Team: it’s important that the employees in your unit, division, and functional area work together with team spirit to maximize the ultimate success of your team. Building a team attitude means managing your employees in a way that fosters teamwork instead of individual gain. Teamwork takes time to build and requires practice and effort on the part of both the manager and the employees. However, once you start the process, it gains momentum, like a ball rolling down the hill. For your team members to work well together, your team needs a clear idea of why it is a team and must agree about how to work together.
• Valuing the Contributions of All Team Members: All members of the team – those who have more complex and highly compensated jobs as well as those whose  responsibilities are more straightforward- are important to the success of the organization. For all members of the team to feel valued and worthwhile, there must be a pervasive attitude that everyone’s work is important.
• Encouraging Interaction among Group Members:Interactions in group meetings typically take one of three forms:
  • The group is largely silent, with the leader doing most of the talking.
  • Group members interact with the leader
  • Group members interact with one another.

The third form represents the most effective type of interaction. When group members interact, the resources of all members are used most fully, and problem solving is promoted.

• Increasing Interdependence Within Your Team: Interdependence involves the concept that you and your team can accomplish more by working together than you could by working individually (in other words, the concept of “one plus one equals three”)
• Discouraging “We versus They” Thinking: Promoting teamwork among groups across an organization is essential to create an environment where people pursue common goals.
• Involving Others in Shaping Plans and Decisions:People who assist in the planning and decision making are likely to be ore invested in the successful execution of those plans and decisions. Engage all your team members in the development of your team’s mission, strategy and goals. When working on projects involving other functions, involve representatives from all affected areas.
• Acknowledging and Celebrating Team Aaccomplishments: Acknowledging and celebrating team accomplishments is a powerful way to recognize your team efforts and to keep motivation and momentum going.
• Evaluating Your Effectiveness as a Team Member: Part of being an effective team leader involves being an effective team member. How effective are you in team situations? Do you contribute too much? Too little? Does  the impact you have on a team depend on the circumstances? In developing a plan for improving your team skills, sharpen your awareness of how you currently function as a team member.

• Deciding When to use a Team Approach: Team leaders need to decide when and what degree to use a team approach for decision making and problem solving. In general, the higher the level of commitment and buy-in your team members show, and the more creative, varied, and informative the input and opinions they offer, the more important a team approach for solving problems becomes. When  team members are involved the problem solving and decision making, they are more likely to accept the final decision and to feel ownership and shared responsibility for the success of the overall goal. Furthermore, the quality of decisions and problem solutions is greater because the group process generates a variety of perspectives and opinions that lead to more creative, effective results.
• Improving Your Team Decision-Making Process: When a group has problems making decisions, it is usually because its members are confused or in disagreement about one or more of the following:
  • What decision they are trying to make\
  • Who should be involved in making the decision
  • How individuals should be involved (as information sources or decision makers, for instance)
  • When the decision must be made.
• Seeking Appropriate Input before Making Decisions:Rarely can important decisions be made without input from others. Managers need to solicit input before making decisions for a variety of reasons: to obtain critical input, to build commitment in others, to develop others, to show respect for others’ opinions, and to foster open communication and problem sharing.
• Improving Your Group Facilitation Skills: To develop skills that will enable you to move more effectively facilitate group problem-solving sessions, follow these suggestions when you lead such sessions during the next few months. Watch the groups you lead for signs of increased participation and the generation of more and better solution alternatives.
  • As the group leader, facilitate, rather than direct, the group discussion.
  • Use active listening skills to draw out ideas and creativity of others
  • Protect minority opinion. The most obvious or popular suggestions are not always the best.
  • Encourage sessions that are problem-oriented rather than solution-oriented
  • Use brainstorming techniques to generate alternate solutions.
  • Look for a second solution after a first solution is arrived at to encourage additional creative approaches.

Looking into the rest of the decade, it appears that leaders in business and industry will continue to encounter situations that will demand increasingly sophisticated skills to get others to endorse their initiatives. Influencing skills, then, will continue to be critical management assets.

The following are suggestions for developing the following skill areas:

Increasing Your leadership Impact:
The ability to command the attention of others is necessary for effective leadership. If you suspect that your impact is low, there are several things you can do.

• when you meet with individuals and groups, stand up quickly and introduce yourself, if necessary.
• With employees, be firm and direct when stating expectations or confronting poor performance. Don’t dilute your comments with phrases such as “..don’t you think?”, “it seems to me…,” “maybe I’m wrong, but…,” you can be firm and direct without being abrasive or disrespectfull.
• If you are uncomfortable stating your point of view directly, consider enrolling in an assertiveness training course to build your skills and develop your confidence in presenting your opinions more forcefully.
• Pay attention to your vocal qualities when giving direction or feedback to others. If you tend to be soft-spoken, work on delivering your message in a more forceful and confident tone.

Improving leadership through Feedback:
Most managers do not have clear perceptions of their leadership style and their impact on others. Some feedback can be gained through observing others’ reactions and through the feedback others provide in formal and informal settings. In-depth feedback is often helpful, yet others may be hesitant to provide it unless you actively solicit it.

Becoming More Assertive:
people who lack assertiveness skills are often overlooked, and thus have trouble getting their ideas accepted. The ability to present your point of view without offending others, even if you believe that others will disagree, is critical if you want to have an impact on your staff and on the organization.

Giving Compelling Reasons for ideas:
People are persuaded by different things. some people are impressed by a strong, logical argument, while others are swayed by a forceful, impassioned by explanations. to be most compelling, adapt your persuasive style to suit your audience.

Winning Support from Others:
gaining support from others is a skill that takes time and practice to hone. Good ideas are often not enough to get others to accept your point of view.

Negotiating Persuasively:
Effective negotiation depends on a number of factors: preparation, knowledge of the other person’s position and needs, and creativity in coming up with alternative solutions, to name just a few. One key to becoming a persuasive negotiator is to clearly specify how your objectives will benefit the other party or parties involved.

Getting Others to Take Action:
There are many ways to compel others to take action, but the most effective strategies result in people willingly and eagerly acting on your initiatives. If you find that you consistently have a hard time getting others to get moving, consider the following:

• Show your enthusiasm.
• State positive expectations.
• Provide rewards.

Commanding Attention and Respect in Groups:
Group situations are an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate your leadership qualities and to have an impact on a large number of people.

Influencing the Decisions of Upper Management:
One of the most important areas in which to focus your influencing efforts is upper management. getting the attention of your manager and his or her peers and other higher-level managers is a critical skill.

Valuable tips:

• Identify your most deeply held convictions. Use those convictions to guide your leadership.
• Give people the feedback they need even when it may be difficult.
• Openly acknowledge that your stand may be unpolular, and then explain why it is important for others to consider your point of view.
• Stand behind your people and back their decisions.
• Say “no” clearly and explain why.
• Attack problems, no people
• Identify the people in your organization or your team whose courage you most admire. Talk with them and learn how they act on their convictions.
• Talk with decision makers about how they arrived at their decisions and how they dealt with people’s reactions. Incorporate some of their ideas and strategies.
• Use simple, clear language when communicating your position.
• When you see a need or problem that you wish someone would address, ask yourself if you could be doing something about it.
• In meetings, verbalize your concerns so they can be openly discussed.
• Determine if one of your veteran staff members has a chronic performance problem that no one has really addressed. Then deal with it.
• Identify the upper-level manager you find most intimidating or critical and make a conscious effort to be candid with this person during your next encounter.
• Honestly determine if you tend to avoid passing negative information upward.
• Report on both your successes and your failures with equal candor.
• Look at your staff and decide if you are spending more energy protecting them than holding them accountable.
• Step forward with a position of principle even when there is ambiguity regarding the facts.
• Take calculated risks. Ask yourself, “what is the worst thing that could happen?” and then decide if proceeding is worth the risk.
• After speaking up for what you believe is important, be gracious whether your ideas are accepted or rejected.
• Remember that being a manager is not a popularity contest. You may not always be liked, but you should be respected.
• Show the courage to let your people learn from their mistakes.
• Believe that you have the power to make a difference, and accept the responsibility of trying.
• Read books or watch movies that exemplify true courage in others. They can inspire you to strengthen your courage in dealing with work-related issues.