management and business coaching

As managers, we like to think we’re good at identifying areas for improvement in our staff. But who’s there to help you? For most companies, employee performance reviews, development plans and organisational targets can all be used to evaluate the need for training and management input. However, it’s not always easy to identify areas in which you yourself could improve, especially if you’re senior in your organisation. In this blog post, we look at ways of evaluating your own performance, and identifying if and how you can address any areas for improvement.

Evaluating your performance as a manager

A lot of people find themselves in management roles due to previous good performance and progression through junior levels and while this provides a wealth of practical experience of actually doing the role, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we know how to manage people. For some, this progression comes naturally but for others it can be a struggle, especially to begin with. Fortunately, at Brightstone we believe that anybody can be an effective manager and leader, they just need the right tools to do the job.

Identify common complaints and issues

Are members of your team repeatedly having the same or similar problems? Continued instances of the same problem, or multiple related issues arriving at the same time can be a reason to evaluate your own managerial processes and performance. Setbacks and hurdles are innate to any organisation and certainly not a cause for concern on their own, and in some cases these can be caused by operational inefficiencies, but if problems continue to arise it suggests the need for an intervention from you.

Solving the problem by putting new processes in place, or empowering your staff to rectify the issue themselves is an example of good management. If you recognise these issues but aren’t sure how to rectify them, then Brightstone can assist with a range of business coaching courses.

Set yourself measurable aims and objectives

Overall business performance targets are a simple way of evaluating your performance as a manager and shouldn’t be overlooked. However, setting yourself measurable and defined aims and objectives regarding your staff and their performance can also be an effective way of evaluating your own performance as a manager. These also often allow for a more nuanced and considered review compared to general business objectives.

Properly defined aims and objectives which are reviewed periodically allow you to track your progress as a manager, and if you find you are struggling to achieve your objectives then you may wish to start looking into management coaching.

It’s important also to remember the difference between Aims and Objectives. Aims are the overall ‘thing’ you’d like to achieve. Examples of aims when it comes to management could be:

  • A staff satisfaction level of 80%
  • 100% of staff achieving personal development goals
  • Improving efficiency of x/y/z
  • Improving inter-team collaboration

Objectives are the specific actions you need to complete in order to achieve your aims. Examples of these could be:

  • Implementing a staff feedback system
  • Ensuring complaints are handled within 72 hours
  • Implementing staff personal development plans
  • Creating processes or investing in tools/services to allow teams to work together better

Ask your staff

The best organisations are those that encourage and allow for honest and constructive feedback. Environments where people feel they can be honest, with no blame culture, and without fear of consequences are usually the ones that have better staff performance and satisfaction. The only way these cultures can be created is through senior leaders and middle management.

With this in mind, one of the best ways to find out how you are performing as a manager is to ask the people you’re managing. Team or individual meetings, emails, or staff surveys asking for constructive feedback allow you to find out first hand if there are any problems, how people rate your performance, and act accordingly.  You may find that staff don’t like to be too honest face to face, so anonymous surveys can be the best way for them to comfortably give feedback. Every 6-12 months is usually ideal for these to be carried out.  Alternatively, Richard at Brightstone has some really unique methods to gather this feedback if you’d rather make this process fun and a bit different for employees.

What to do if you feel you need management coaching

If you feel you need help to improve your performance as a manager, or learn new skills then Brightstone management coaching can help. We work with managers and directors from organisations of all sizes to empower them to do their jobs better and pass these improvements on to their staff. We work with you to identify your problems and then create tailored solutions that address your needs. Sometimes, the problems you think you have may be something else.

Maybe you need help developing your communication skills? Perhaps you’d like assistance with conflict resolution in the workplace? Or maybe you’d simply like to modify your management style? Contact us today to find out how our management coaching can help you.

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