Committed Communication: The Basic Tools to Succeed as a Manager A successful career for many professionals follows a definite, though sometimes twisting, upward path. But like first-time climbers of Everest, these advancing managers too often find that the skills they once relied on grow less and less adequate as they reach each higher elevation. Pre-held conceptions of what lies ahead turn out to be myths. A strong-held belief in their own competence and in the strengths that enabled them to begin the climb, masks the real reason for their inability to produce results through the people they manage. What middle and upper-level managers "don't know they don't know" can hurt them. Yet few courses combine recognition of this kind of management blindness with a clear roadmap for producing results and achieving goals through others. This program shows middle and upper-level managers what lies behind their day-to-day interactions and between the lines of their conversations. It details the specific foundation skills that all managers must master if they are to produce successfully through others. And it describes these skills as clear and definite steps, processes, and techniques that any dedicated manager can learn and use. Committed Communication is designed to significantly increase a manager's foundation competence to produce through the efforts of others. Our program focuses on the conversations that are the core of the human interaction process. These conversations are fundamental to managers' achieving maximum production through the efforts of others. The participants of our course and consulting have: Increased production through others with less effort and frustration Know how to get more collaborative, committed efforts from their people rather than having to continually drive direct reports to produce Become better listeners and see the value in being influenced by what others say and in letting them know that what they say counts Become able to assess the individuals or groups with whom they interact in order to more powerfully influence the work of others Become more competent in encouraging greater innovation while helping people attain higher levels of efficiency and quality Begun to learn in operational terms to become even more effective in the core competencies addressed in Effective Managing and Leading Effort is wasted when people work at cross-purposes or fail to deliver on commitments. Wasted effort slows production, undermines quality initiatives, and ultimately impacts group morale. Yet this form of waste is often invisible to middle and higher-level managers who cannot possibly be privy to the myriad daily interactions. We show managers how to reduce this wasted effort and increase production. Program Outline: The Management Game: What it takes to manage successfully The keys to management success; understanding the four major components of any corporation and how they interact to support or fail to support managers. Determining which of the three management paradigms you work in, strengths and weaknesses of each, how to move to the next level What sources management interactions, decisions and actions The power of preheld conceptions: recognizing that intentions, intelligence, and strong ambition are not enough The Highly Effective Manager Learning---the sustainable competitive advantage Management Blindness: How it stops productivity, innovation and learning The six blocks to learning Dealing with the deadly duo: arrogance and ignorance Hidden breakdowns that create wasted effort and slow progress Lessons from the best managers Action knowledge versus academic knowledge The Big Secret: Language Language: The single most important tool for management effectiveness and competitive advantage The vast variety, types and sources of conversations Practical application: mastering daily management conversations Conversations "designed" for results Building Collaborative Work Groups A first look at cooperation and collaboration; important distinctions The hidden side of communication Hidden assumptions that block collaborative efforts Identity: another invisible barrier Defender/Learner Model: ways to avoid pitfalls while building a collaborative work unit Counter-collaborative conversations (how to spot them and what to do Shared Efforts: Coordinating actions to get things done through others The difference between collaboration and cooperation The Committed Communication model: effectively driving projects and building accountability The importance of  making clear requests Monitoring/tracking progress to encourage subordinates and maintain productive energy Coaching Level 1: Using the Four Circle approach when your people need your support. Coaching Level 2: Situations where you need to confront or challenge your subordinates Inquiry, advocacy, argument (take your pick) Assessments, Facts and Factoids Distinguishing opinions from facts and facts from factoids---becoming more rigorous Assessments: The managers prime responsibility Gaining competence in making useful assessments of your own and subordinates' abilities and skills Separating assessments from feelings, emotions and moods Managing Moods and Emotions Distinguishing between moods and emotions and how they impact productivity and morale Assessing moods to enhance teamwork The anatomy of upsets: dealing with emotions, yours and others The importance of "gathering yourself" when distressed Setting the mood in leadership conversations Where is your unit today? The Collaboration Inventory Surveying your group or department What is needed to move to the next level of interaction A lesson from the Aikido master Building a Learning Community at Work How to develop a context of learning together What a network of discursive support is Why this network is so important to continued productivity and your career How to build the support network Summary, Assignments for Practice and Next Steps Return To Top
The Effective Leading and Managing sessions were customized (versus canned) so that we had some control of topics, when they would be delivered, and that they fit our need in a timely manner. The small group sessions with the managers in which we addressed a particular problem, were especially helpful. Several people mentioned the Moods and Emotions sessions and Performance Recognition as extremely helpful. "I've used concepts from these classes daily"
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