After the first day of the lesson that conducted by our trainer Mdm Sofi, I realized it is important for us to be a good role model. As a leader, we should encourage or inspire our team members so as to make them feel more supportive and motivate to upgrade themselves in skills development.
Based on my experience in the current workplace from a private company, there are less than 10 and most of them are 'elder' staff compare to the few 'new' generation. When I started my job for the first year, I manage to identify there are gaps and differences when it comes to handling the task among the team members. From my observation, they are few points that should be highlighted to enhance the improvement of development skills in our company.
- IT literacy
- Communication
- Customer Service skill
When it comes to apply their task using our software system, most of the staff seems to be very hard to familiarize the function of the system. They usually will try to do it manually way instead of learning the new system. Some of them will approached me for assistance when they facing any problems. Since I am one of the junior or new staff there, they seems to be more comfortable to approach me than the manager. Somehow, it makes me think why are they not really comfortable in communicating with him or maybe they just want to learn it through a 'short-cut' way.
As part of the team members, I think the management should identify current and future skill requirements in the company. This is an important solution so as to meet the achievement towards the company's goals such as vision and business plan. In order to observe any of performances gap in the the organisation, there are some methods that can undertake to obtain the data for identification of business needs. The management should consider to apply the methods by discussing skill requirement with the team or reviewing the past performance of team.
By discussing and review the current team performance, the management can identify the problems that the team members are facing especially the 'elder' generation. They should encourage them to learn the new skills by giving them suggestions such as attending courses and also to give them a point of view of what are the benefits that they will gain for their development and also for the prospect of the company.
It is recommended also to communicate with team members the skill requirements by discussing with them face to face to identify their current gaps for skills improvement. In order to deliver the information, some communication techniques should be practice during the discussion.
- Using positive words to encourage team members; if they are in senior age, the words that we communicate with them can be a great impact to reflect understanding and respect.
- To express support and motivation to the team members.
- Giving relevant and constructive feedback in offering suggestion for improvement.
Apart of being a leader, we want our staff or team members to be at their best level. The leaders should support the team members in developing their learning and developing plans by indicating the learning strategies,career goals and resources requirement. Other than that, a leader also should be aware of the legal and ethical consideration such as equal opportunity to learning and development or confidentiality of information shared. With this consideration, the team member can feel more self-secure to participate the training needs.
One of the important stages to analyze the collection data of team members are; Performance needs, Learning needs and Learner needs. From this analysis, we can identify two main points, KSA (Triangle of Success) and KVA (Learning Style):
Benefit Of Being IT Savvy:
The secret to getting your foot in the
door, is to simply fill the gap. Employers want to save themselves both time
and money, and will do that by short listing the most highly-skilled applicants
with specific attributes that will benefit their company. Put yourself in their
shoes and consider how you can save them the trouble.
All influential companies
have a thriving online presence and will be engaging with different forms of
multimedia. The industry is booming and is one of the most dynamic sectors of
employment to enter into, but with that comes high expectations and those who
can offer more, get further and much faster.
Digital pervades a
huge range of business practices, so a fundamental understanding of how these
applications work will stand you in very good stead for a wide array of
positions. Employers increasingly expect their staff, particularly their
younger staff, to know their stuff, so taking responsibility for your digital
skill-set could be a huge boost to your future career.
The video above have given us some the knowledge benefit of technology. It had become the main sources for several companies to enhance their business needs. Basically, the way they promote their products and response all important enquiries from customers or clients. As what i can reflect to our company current condition is, the status of our organization IT literacy is not that really in depth among team members. They seems to be taking for granted of using the classic style or even they knew least of the basic knowledge, they did not want to improvise their IT skill into the next level. The best way is to make them participate an IT literacy courses and provide either coaching and mentoring to support team members in applying their learning.
Their common reasons in resisting not to upgrade themselves are being anxious of facing more responsibilities ahead, lack of confidence and not ready for changes.
To overcome this
issues among the staff is by taking few strategies to negotiate and
motivate them in learning such as giving rewards or recognition or even a clear
communication.
Leadership Responsibilities
In helping our team members to achieve their goals, we need to help, support, and motivate them.
- Helping them identify and achieve their goals.
- Clearing away obstacles, thereby improving performance.
- Offering appropriate rewards along the way.
There are four useful different types of leadership:-
Supportive
leadership – Here, leaders focus on
relationships. To show sensitivity to
individual team members' needs, and considering team members' best interests.
This leadership style is best when
tasks are repetitive or stressful.
Directive
leadership – Communicate goals and expectations, and assign clear tasks.
This style
works best when tasks or projects are unstructured, or when tasks are
complex
and team members are inexperienced.
Participative
leadership – With participative
leadership, you focus on mutual
participation. Consultation with the group, and considering their ideas and expertise
before making a decision. This approach
works best when your team members are
experienced, when the task is complex and
challenging, and when the team members
want to give their input.
Achievement-oriented
leadership – Set challenging goals for team. Having confidence
of team's abilities, and expect the team to perform well, and maintain high standards
for
everyone. This style works best when team members are unmotivated or
unchallenged in their work.
Why are Communication Skills Important?
Poor communication in the workplace can lead to poor relations between employees and an unfriendly work atmosphere in general that renders workers inefficient and ineffective. This leads workers to reciprocate their feelings to the customers. Rather than dealing with the effects of poor communication at a small business, it is better to know the causes and deal with those instead.
Communication is part of important skills in a workplace. For being an effective leader, communication is a major role for them to understand and connect with team members so as to make them feels sense of concern and acknowledgement by their leaders when facing any challenges in the team.
With a good communication between a leader and team members or even among the team, it creates a great impact to boost productivity in the organization. Within the communication itself,the negotiation techniques also can be a better step to encouraging the team members to develop themselves and the stability of the company.
Below one of the video's from Sherry Campbell Group, she had clarify some steps in improving communication in the workplace. A leader should be proactive handling the negative vibes and conflict that maybe will cause an effect to business. The best statement in this video is; "Good communication is beneficial to the entire workplace. Creates a healthy working environment." With a positive environment to work together as a team, it can lead to less-stress and increase more productivity and improve team relationship.
Become an active listener can make the communication more in dept among leaders and the team. This is to make a leader to see their team members perspective and improving to work as a team.
How Do I Motivate Employees to Have Good Customer Service Skills?
To become a successful company, they required to attribute their business plan strategies in providing a good customer service. Every part of team members in the organization should practice themselves to maintain a positive mind-set when handling with customers or clients. This is a away where we make the customers feel appreciated and respected by an organization and become repeat customers.
There are few steps to be listed in motivating our team members or staff to provide good skills in serving the customers:-
1. Setting a service goal in the company - this is service target where every of the team members should aim on. It can be started as a new small step example by saying greetings to welcome customers.
2. Decide a measure of positive customer experience - by achieving a measurement of time limit to respond to customer enquiries or consultation. This can be measured also by doing surveys or feedbacks.
3. Discuss with the staff and describe expectation on how we want members to treat their customers. We should provide them training or courses or it can be also a ongoing one-on-one coaching.
4. Compensation. The staff have to maintain their individual performance management goals to delivery of acceptable customer service. This is by providing quality customer service.
Very often people need just a little encouragement to believe in themselves and to realize that they have a greater potential within. Always show the confidence in the unique abilities and potential of our team members.
Leaders Keys of Motivation
As a leader is not about authority, it is how we inspire people to make them more valuable and extraordinary. Every people have their own gifted creativity inside them that required to be revealed in their life.
Even the smallest achievements are worth being celebrated. The road to success consists of thousand small steps. Glorify each and every goal achieved. Show to your team that all of you made one more important step forward.
Summary Reflection:
By the end of this module, I had learned that being a leader, it is not by leading a group of people but also to be a person who can inspire people to support and encourage them to be more open minded in developing themselves to be more better and successful. For me, we must have a positive mindset in helping our team members to address their learning needs. It is best to show them that we are ready to give them support by communicate or negotiate with them so as to boost their self-esteem to adapt new development.
As what i realized currently in our company, that our management should be interact more with the team members or create a sense of bonding between them. A leader should focus on their people needs rather being an self-egoistic. When we already know our team members strengths and weaknesses, we manage to look their ability as part of the contribution to the company where else for their weakness we can make a step or a room of improvement to balance-out their ability.
In identify skills development, a leader also can be role model to their team members, by making them realized that we as a leader should have self awareness of developing our performance needs. When both leaders and team members are able to make same connection, they could respond and contribute their business needs more efficient such as customer service and reputation of the company.
Signing Off;
Summary Reflection:
By the end of this module, I had learned that being a leader, it is not by leading a group of people but also to be a person who can inspire people to support and encourage them to be more open minded in developing themselves to be more better and successful. For me, we must have a positive mindset in helping our team members to address their learning needs. It is best to show them that we are ready to give them support by communicate or negotiate with them so as to boost their self-esteem to adapt new development.
As what i realized currently in our company, that our management should be interact more with the team members or create a sense of bonding between them. A leader should focus on their people needs rather being an self-egoistic. When we already know our team members strengths and weaknesses, we manage to look their ability as part of the contribution to the company where else for their weakness we can make a step or a room of improvement to balance-out their ability.
In identify skills development, a leader also can be role model to their team members, by making them realized that we as a leader should have self awareness of developing our performance needs. When both leaders and team members are able to make same connection, they could respond and contribute their business needs more efficient such as customer service and reputation of the company.
Signing Off;
24 March 2014
Well done, Deeja. I look forward to more posts :D
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