Up your management skills

Innovating for productivity is one of the key activities for business growth. However too many companies either fail to grasp its importance or they fail trying to do it. Why? Because businesses innovate in haphazard ways, very few follow a disciplined method of innovation. The holy grail of innovation is not about using famous methods and systems - it is about discipline and hard work. It is about using one, simple process of innovation, like the 4-D processes and keeping your eye on the ball, your ears to the ground and your nose to the grindstone.

• The three key determinants of productivity
• What is true innovation at work?
• How you can redesign process to enhance workflow
• Why innovation is based on planning, not pure creativity
• How to implement the 4-D guide to productivity ‘Detect-Design-Demonstrate-Deploy’

Productivity has been defined as "a measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc. in converting inputs into useful outputs." In work and life, there is little or no conversion of inputs into useful outputs. Productivity requires a change of inputs – useful inputs. One way to increase productivity is to change the system. We should break away from the insanity of expecting results and yet we keep doing the same things over and over again.

• Skills integral for personal effectiveness
• Applying critical and creative tools
• Taking productivity offline – Why you should put pen to paper in an online world
• How to select the right software and apps to aid in thinking

Leading a team to productivity using a navigation system is unlike using the modern-day GPS. The navigating compass helps you get started on your productivity journey. And it requires you to keep your eyes on the compass, amidst changes and ambiguities. Decisions on policies, products, developments and recruitments are navigational points that might influence the course of the organisation’s productivity direction and vision.

• The Productivity Role Model
• How to sustain a ‘Built to last’ company that thrives
• How to have a mindset of a learner and coach
• What makes an Excellent Navigation System in Your Organisation?
• The News™ Compass – The GPS to organisational productivity

Every organisation is driven by a network of teams. They can exist in many forms such as departments, project teams, functional teams. What makes up a great team? Is it a team that meets and exceeds its expectations? Even if the team is already meeting its goals, there should still be room for improvement. By becoming a good coach you can bring not only the individual but also the team to the next level of performance and thereby enhance productivity.

• Is your team in a ‘stuck’ situation?
• Why coaching results in a higher business level performance
• Symptoms of an unhealthy team – what contributes to low performance and productivity?
• How to promote an environment of trust
• How to incubate an environment of ideas
• Integrating team and individual productivity at work

While every measure should be taken to prevent service breakdowns, when they do happen, enlightened organisations will go beyond ‘plugging the damage’ and transforming a potential disaster to one that courts customers as advocates. These organisations view service breakdowns as opportunities to understand customers’ needs and expectations better and implement key steps to build a strong brand name through an effective Service Recovery delivery.

• Understanding Service Breakdown situations – what it means to the customer and organisation
• Empowering the team for an effective situation management
• Managing customers’ expectations
• CARE Model (Concern, Answers, Relay, Enhance)
• Developing a ‘Second-nature’ Response

Time and Stress Management

Traditional negotiation looks at how to get the best deal for yourself…and hope the other party is happy with as little as possible. Creative negotiation looks at building value - ‘creating a bigger pie’ – so that both sides come away with the best deal possible. 

What you will learn:

• Skills to negotiate successfully
• Negotiation tactics and counter-tactics
• The most common mistakes made by negotiators (and how to avoid them)
• How to negotiate hard – and still maintain the relationship

Time and Stress Management

Some argue that human resources professionals are late-adopters when it comes to anything technology related, including social media. But the popularity and possibilities that social recruiting has brought to the profession are causing HR pros to take notice.

While part of HR’s role is to mitigate legal risks, another very large component is to help support and cultivate the corporate culture. As social media becomes more defined in the business world, human resources professionals will have a significant opportunity to leverage this powerful medium in many aspects of the business.

What you will learn:

• Identifying HR objectives of leveraging on social media
• Selecting the right social media platform
• Engaging social media for Recruitment (Twitter, Slideshare, Quora, Linkedin etc.)
• Develop the right job description of a social media specialist
• Develop usage policy

Time and Stress Management

In this workshop, participants will learn the knowledge and skill set that managers and supervisors need to overcome the major challenges in supervisory management and to balance the needs of both staff and management. It also covers aspects of leadership, motivation, team building, performance appraisal, and coaching of Gen X and Y staff.

Workshop delivery is highly interactive, fun and practical. It comprises short lectures, case study analysis, group discussions, presentations, storytelling sessions, games, role plays and video clip analysis.

What you will learn:

• Key issues & challenges faced by the modern supervisor
• The “Sandwiched” Supervisor – balancing with employees & management
• Leading, managing and motivating Gen Y staff
• Building a collaborative team with all generations – Baby boomers, Gen X & Y
• Maximising team performance through performance appraisal & coaching