May 3, 2024
Amanda Coulson, CEO and founder of SVC Solutions, offers advice on where to be on the Buddy to Boss scale for effective people management, something that is covered in the SVC’s Management in a Box training
Each time a new cohort starts on our Management in a Box programme, it’s always lovely to see the enthusiasm amongst our new learners ready to add new knowledge to their mine of information.
Recently, there was one morning in particular that got me thinking about how important it is to be open to new learning and ready to take on the next challenge.
I regularly listen to podcasts and look at various apps, and on the morning in question I remember coming across an inspirational message about KFC and Colonel Sanders. It was a timely reminder of how it is never too late to succeed and you are never to old, which when you get to my stage of life is always great news.
It was a perfectly-timed nudge that we when we are presenting and sharing our Management in a Box programme, it’s always an opportunity for us to learn from the cohorts we are working with as well as sharing our own expertise.
Our Management in a Box programme opens up with a module entitled Buddy to Boss, which in a simple but very powerful way takes new and inexperienced managers through the aspects of how to get to know the people they are managing and learn how to build an effective and productive team.
Here are some of my top tips from the Buddy to Boss module.
Step 1
It’s important to take time to settle into the role. There should always be a time to learn about your people, learn about their values and get to know them. This is an important time to build a level of trust that will be vital as you work together as a team.
Step 2
In any type of relationship, good communication is at the heart of good outcomes. Effective communication should never be underestimated in the workplace and one of the most crucial elements of the communication between a manager and members of their team is a productive, purposeful and transparent one-to-one. Even if that is not easily achieved within your management structure, it is worth the extra effort involved however big your team might be. If you want to see your team working effectively, take the time to really absorb that team dynamic.
Step 3
While we often have a ‘work self’ and a ‘home self’ when you are in the workplace setting you should always be your authentic self. Don’t try to be someone you are not. If you are in the situation where you have had a promotion and are now managing a team that you were previously a part of as a colleague, you will need to accept changes in those relationships because your role has changed. You can no longer always be the ‘buddy’ to your colleague in the same way as you were before. Sometimes you will need to be the ‘boss’ to get the best from your team.
If you’d like to speak to Amanda about Buddy to Boss or any other modules within SVC’s Management in a Box programme, call the SVC team on 01206 262117.
