Managing to THRIVE^TM (One and two day versions available)

"Managing to Thrive!"

An Outline For Two, Two and one-half day Management Workshops

As companies downsize, flatten, empower and move closer to the customer, the dynamics of the workplace are changing. New skills are needed on the part of the front-line service provider, and over the past several years dozens of sources have emerged (books, conferences, videos, training courses) to get the front line up to speed. But training the front line in how to answer the phone, handle problems and be courteous is not enough to sustain and maintain a culture that is focused, centered on the changing needs of the customer and the workforce.

Those in upper and middle management positions need to re-think and in fact re-engineer their management styles if they want their companies to Thrive. Most of today’s managers were trained (if they were trained at all) in a style of management that emphasized individual accomplishment, decisive action, command and control behaviors (originally taught in a military model.)

While most companies today desire an "empowered", responsive-to-the-customer workforce, few realize that an empowered workforce is impossible without a brand new management style. In this session we will explore what is needed to shift from the management style still evident in many companies today, "command and control" to a more enlightened, flexible, open style of 21st Century Management that will help companies Thrive (not just survive).

The realities of the new marketplace demand new styles of leadership and responsiveness. In this two - three day work session we will explore:

The New Workplace - What will the business environment look like in the 21^st Century? How will we cope with the pace and inevitability of change? Do we really want to "survive" or is what we want to "Thrive!" Managers will need more leadership skills than classic managerial skills - what will they need to change to accomplish this? This section includes a self-assessment tool.

Connecting to the Customer - Where is the link with the customer? It can occur in sales, in customer service or accounting. It all depends on the customer's need. What responsibility does the manager have in connecting each and every person to the customer? Explore the "Value Chain" of service out to the customer and learn about the Working Relationship Tripod^sm to see which relationships drive the dynamic.

Motivating Others - How do we get the best from our people and create an environment where people will want to provide the peak performance the customer has come to expect? Learn how customer-centered companies create an environment where risk-taking, and learning can occur. (The secret is Trust) Learn how to liberate the brilliance already in your organization or department. Learn the power of vision and clarity.

Building a Team - It's not enough to pass along your vision of how things might look in the future. Tomorrow manager will have the skills to co-create a vision of the future and engage and involve everyone in making it happen. What's the difference between a group and a team? How do we build trust? Learn how the power of values can help drive a high performance team, and view conflict from an entirely new perspective. In our 2- 1/2 to 3 day workshop we will be using the classic Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (personality Types) to understand how to interact better with your team -mates.