Toojays Blog

Well it's here...Happy New Year!  

Best wishes from all of us at Toojays for a great 2012.

But what will 'great' mean for you? Whether its winning the Olympics? or losing the spare type.. are you planning a change? Are you making any resolutions?

Recent surveys show that those who make resolutions are more likely to be successful in what they do. 

But is that really such a surprise? Surely it's just about proper planning and olympian resolve isn't it?

Well, you'd think...but at the slightesy hurdle (sorry enough now with the Olympics) so many resolutions fall by the wayside.

This often happens because people don't give enough thought to the 'what if' hurdles. They don't plan to deal with the barriers. They don't have a contingency...a Plan B.

Whether it's keeping on track with your promises to yourself or dealing with business change, Project and Change Management disciplines work.

Once you have a plan..road test it. Think of as many 'what if's' as you can - and come up with a plan to deal with them!

A good technique, from our Change Management Course, is the ARTPM strategy. Which strategy would work best for dealing with the issue or 'what if'?

A void  it...

R educe it..

T ransfer it...

P rotect (against) it

M itigate (after it's happened) what can you do?

If you really want to make those resolutions stick...give yourself a fighting chance by having a contingency strategy!

Good luck!

The seemingly never-ending recession and subsequent fear and job insecurity that it brings places immense pressure on managers to maintain focus and motivation, especially when the company is undergoing restructuring or savings drive.

So how do they rebuild confidence and trust within their teams?

It has to be about being transparent and keeping people informed. There's nothing worse than gossip and the internal grapevine for distorting the facts and de-motiving the workforce. 

Managers shouldn't fear telling people how bad it is.

In difficult times its essential to retain your talent, and keep high levels of faith, trust and confidence in order to deliver BAU targets and performance.

Being aware of the emotions that people go through, including the managers themselves is critical to help people move through any transition. The Change Curve model from Kubler Ross can help with this. http://www.toojays.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_default.tpl&product_id=158&category_id=18&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=62

But there are Three simple steps to help maintain morale during and after any restructuring:

1. Be Transparent

Give staff the truth about the company's current position and future plans - they will respect you for this honesty and it will prevent any unfounded fear and concern among employees.

2. Offer Support and Encouragement

For all staff who have survived a redundancy process ongoing support and encouragement can remove any feelings and emotions of guilt and paranoia.

3. Support staff who are being made redundant

By offerring outplacement services this will prove you are a responsible employer. The remaining staff will appreciate your efforts and even the departing staff will talk about you more favourably ensuring your Brand is not tarnished.

 By following these three steps you are on the way to creating the right atmosphere and culture for continued performance under difficult times.

Last week saw the first of three two-day workshops for managers of BNP Paribas, Peterborough as part of a Change Management Programme. BNP Paribas came to Toojays, seeking to develop their managers' competencies in understanding and addressing motivation and business change. 

Day one of the two-day event focused on understanding the Emotions of Change and establishing desired outcomes. Delegates developed their emotional awareness through the study of valuable learning tools such as the SDI theory and model. 

The second day was spent applying knowledge through the use of case studies and practical exercises, combined with facilitated discussions. The session concluded with a review and forward action planning that identified specific actions to be implemented in order to continue to develop.

The next two workshops will take place later in the month, until all 45 managers have undergone the Change Management programme.