How you react in your work environment influences the culture and morale at work in more ways than you realise. Can you identify with the following Management styles and how they impact on culture and morale?

Passive

• Only addressing major problems
• Won't confront poor performers
• Won't deal with difficult issues
• Retreats when challenged
• Narrow job descriptions to maintain control
• Procrastinates
• Blames higher Managers for unpopular directives

Aggressive

• Gives negative feedback
• Complains and criticises on impulse
• Does not identify the problem
• Treats employees as worthless
• "I'll talk, you listen"
• No discussion or listening
• Gets frustrated and yells

Assertive

• Is approachable and listens
• Encourages feedback
• Has clear and firm expectations
• Employee development is crucial
• Communicates often and has regular reviews
• Treats employees as individuals
• Offers praise and rewards
• Work is enjoyable
• Is fair and impartial, is consistent and predictable
• Gives time for feedback and improvements

Which manager are you? There are further articles about each type of manager and how you can influence employees in a more positive way. Please give us your feedback on this article.

How effective are you as a leader?  This questionnaire will help to give you a rating on your leadership abilitites and how leadership development training can benefit you.  No-one is perfect and there are always ways that we can improve.  This questionnaire will help you to understand areas that you can improve in and you can find tools on this website to help you to become a more effective leader.  So give yourself an honest rating for each of these areas with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest (in the positive).  Grab a pen and paper and rate yourself out of 10 for each of these questions.

1. Are you working effectively in your role?
2. Do you understand the characteristics of being an effective leader?
3. How well do you manage your stress?
4. Do you communicate effectively?
5. Do you listen effectively and ask questions of employees?
6. How effective are your working relationships in your organisation?
7. Do you understand the element of effective working relationships?
8. Do you understand the personality traits of your employees?
9. Do you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your employees?
10. Rate the culture and morale of your organisation.

Add up all your scores.  How well did you do?

Everyone would like more time to complete everything that they need to do in a day.  This article will help you to identify where your time is being wasted and how to improve efficiency and complete tasks more quickly through developing your own time management system with time management techniques.  We will provide our top 10 ways to effectively manage your time.

1. Plan your day - Quickly go through what has to be done and write a list of activities that need to be completed urgently.  Estimate how long it will take to complete each activity and indicate whether you can delegate any tasks to someone else.  Leave the non-urgent tasks to be reviewed after you have completed the urgent tasks.  The Task Manager tool is available by subscription from this website which will help you to develop your own time management system.
2. Check your Calendar - To develop your time management system, fill in all your meetings for the week and slot in tasks that need to be completed before the meeting.  Slot in your tasks in the time you have left.  Include all activities in the calendar, such as picking up the kids from school or having a lunch break.
3. Have a lunch break, believe it or not, this is a great time management technique.  You will be more productive if you have a break from work, at least 30 minutes will give you an opportunity to have lunch, read a magazine or catch up wit the day time soapies.  If you are able to, get out of the office and get some fresh air or meet a friend for lunch.  A mid-day break will leave you feeling refreshed when you get back to the office. If you are planning on going out for lunch, put your break in the Calendar and commit to a time that you will be back in the office so that your lunch does not run over time.
4. Paper shuffling - When you are picking up papers on your desk only handle the paper once.  If it needs to be filed, put it in a filing folder.  If it needs to be entered into the computer, put it in the data entry folder.  Put any rubbish in the shredder or bin straight away.  If your paper shredder is not located in your office, put it in a folder labelled to be shredded.  Sort all papers as you touch them to reduce your paper shuffling time.  Add this technique to your time management system.
5. Don't answer all your emails immediately - if you are completing a task, glance at the email to see if it is urgent and then go back to your work.  Once you have completed the task you are on, then check your emails.  If you find it hard to do this, then turn off the email notify function so you will not know when emails come in, then check your emails periodically (after you have finished a task).  Be sure to inform your Manager that you have turned off your email notifer to become more productive and that if the matter is urgent, can he/she call you?  Develop this time management tool as a part of your time management system.
6. If you are working on a challenging task and you are stuck, have a break.  If your back is getting stiff, nature calls or you need a drink, chat to other staff wandering the corridoors, visit your boss if you need a chat and then get back to work.  Your mind will be refreshed and the task you are working on will not be as challenging.  This is a great time management technique to improve your productivity.
7. Come to work early and leave late - It is amazine how many Managers winge about their staff running late and leaving early.  If you come in 10 minutes early and leave 10 minutes late, you will be amazed at how more efficient you will become and you will feel less rushed.  The coffee machine will be free and you will be settled by the time you are due to start work.  You will have a better mind set as you won't feel so rushed.  Build this tool into your time management system.
8. Negotiate your own timetable - If your Manager allows, arrange to come in half an hour later to drop the kids of to school and miss the rush hour traffic.  Leave half an hour later to miss that rush hour traffic again.  You will arrive at your destination more relaxed.  Also, there will be less staff in the office after 5 pm and you will be able to complete more tasks.  If this suits you, build it into your time management system.
9. Negotiate to work from home - After you have proven yourself in the office, you may be able to negotiate working from home.  But beware, you will have to be very organised and work the hours you have negotiated.  Fill in your Schedule weekly with time set aside to work from home.  If your family and friends know that you are working from home, let them know about your schedule so that they may contact you at appropriate times.  This is a great time management system.
10. Review your systems and processes into a time management system - Can tasks be completed in a more efficient way or can they be delegated to others?  Set aside time for certain activities like leaving one day a week to do book-keeping.  Keep all the expenses in a folder and once per week, enter them into the system.

If you utilise just 2 or 3 of these ideas, you will be amazed about how more efficient you will become.  You will also feel less stressed as you will be able to work out when you will be completing certain tasks.  If you feel overstretched and unable to complete a project, you will have supporting documentation to ask your Manager for an extension, or delegate the task/project to others.

There are more tools on this website to assist you with your time management strategies.  Please let us know through this forum how you are going with those tools.