83 Successful Supervisor to Manager Terms For Productivity

Exercise: Which of these is a Skill, Attribute or Intelligence? Put a letter S or A or I for your guess in the ___ after the number. At the end of all of them see if there is a common theme to all these. Then let me know what you decided.

1. __ Accountable - be accountable for all your decisions and actions: Take a ‘The Buck Stops Here’ approach. Don’t blame others, just correct the mistakes ASAP, learn from them and share. For real success, try Accountability Agreements. (An article and sample are available upon request.)
2. __ Adaptability – can change tasks as needed, flexible to new situations, change ready
3. __ Appearance – look professional at all times – weight, grooming, clothes, body odor, jewelry, shoes are shined, breath is fresh, brief case looks new, Even your car is clean if you are visiting prospects and clients. Your desk is organized if prospects and clients come to your office.
4. __ Assertive – being able to express yourself confidently – feelings, beliefs, though
5. __ Attitude – maintain a positive one at all times. A smile is a great addition. Have a mirror handy to see if you are smiling. Check out this smile on this singer – nice to be around: http://youtu.be/1G0sOA6hTg0
6. __ Authenticity – can admit mistakes, be real and natural to people
7. __ Available – make time to meet your people to help suggest solutions to their problems. Act as a coach or mentor to them.
8. __ Bureaucracy – eliminate as much as possible so your staff are as close to the decision making process as possible and protected from unnecessary rules or regulations
9. __ Busy Work – ensure tasks that are assigned actually create something of meaning, reduce paperwork wherever you can, i.e.: move weekly reports to monthly = eliminate where possible. Ask for relevance on them – what would happen if we changed the system?
10. __ Care – “You Must Care” – Read the General Zias story on how he supported his troops from day one of Training Camp. (copy available)
11. __ Coach – get one and you accelerate your career. Be one and you help others get ahead faster. Coaches identify with you how to get projects done quicker with fewer errors. See the mention to my coach Berni in the SAM section.
12. __ Coaching – be one to your staff. Be there to encourage, support and champion.
13. __ Confidences: if an employee shares something with you in confidence, keep it.
14. __ Confidence - speak with authority and enthusiasm all the time, show faith in yourself, your experience and your skills.
15. __ Connect With Your Boss – meet regularly to review weekly priorities and suggest changes well in advance so there is no time conflict.
16. __ Conflict – zero. Reduce grievances as early as you can so there are no difficult people or situations that cause them. See article on Conflict Resolution. Take D.I.S.C. Personality Profile, or start with P.IA.V. A good course will provide insights to fact finding and improved communication skills.
17. __ Control – stay in control. Take control. Take charge: see the Reverse Stress Test
18. __ Consistent – in how you treat people and say about them in front or behind them. People need to know expectations of them and what happens from a discipline point of view when they don’t meet them – no favorites.
19. __ Communicate Uphill – keep your direct boss informed early of challenges you or your employees have so no surprises. Check with your boss how often they want to connect with you – and keep to it.
20. __ Communication - Communicate well, as it’s the only thing we have in common with anyone. Good communication – good results. Poor communication creates mistakes, mistrust and low morale. This includes how you communicate with your customers. Ensure there is a system in place to regularly communicate, be it a newsletter, an actual letter, or a call.
21. __ Common Sense – does the action you are taking make sense? Ask: “What would _________ do in this case?”
22. __ Creativity – encourage it from your people at all levels. From new products or current product line extensions, to better services or bundles, maybe less customer support, better systems. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou
23. __ Credit – give credit where credit is due, praise their initiative and contribution to the bottom line if successful.
24. __ Cross Training - make sure someone knows how to do the job of the employee who calls in sick, takes vacation time or has a sudden emergency and will be away for a short while. This ensures work gets done on time and no backlog to catch up when the person away returns.
25. __ Culture – defined as “How employees do their job when the boss is not around.” Watch what happens when you are not around – maintain “fairness”.
26. __ Decisions – you are paid to make them. Do them on time with fact based information. Put them in writing to everyone who needs to see them.
27. __ Discipline – discipline people in private, don’t embarrass them in front of their peers. Be fair, firm and focused, one issue at a time if more than one.
28. . __ Documentation – write it down, especially in dealing with conflict, to ensure accuracy. Good for annual reviews too.
29. __ Education – continuing education via conferences, on-site training and webinars to advance the skill levels of your people – but they all must be reported on after returning as to what was learned and what can be implemented.
30. __ Empowerment: the definition is: “Seeing the best in others, helping them see it in themselves and holding them accountable.” This means really getting to know your people.
31. __ Empathy – understands and appreciates what is going on for others, not judging.
32. __ Expectations – set high work standards. Quality, timeliness, reports, communication, expenditures to budget.
33. __ Example – set the standard of the work you want done by actually knowing how to do it yourself. And be able to do it well. “You cannot become what you need to be, by remaining what you are.” Max Dupree
34. __ Exceed the Position Expectations. Be your best at everything you do. Set high goals and expectations. This year my theme is to create a series of “Personal Bests”.
35. __ Flexible – can accept things will change and act on them appropriately.
36. __ Goals – set, measure, review, change, increase, must be the S.M.A.R.T. Goal standard: S – Specific - Means a number attached to it: “By Jan. 30th. 2015 I want $100,000.00 in my investment account”. M – Measurable – you can see the number. At $50,000 you know you are half way to that success. A – Achievable – realistic based on what to do and will do – action. R – Realistic / Relevant – believable, better than your previous best T – Time Related – there is a deadline attached to it. Also identify the daily key numbers that you need to hit to create a great day! "I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change." Jim Rohn
37. __ Gratitude – show this for what your people do, an “attitude of gratitude’ goes a long way to developing people. Take care of your people and they will take care of your customers. As a speaker said, “to put customers first, put employees first”.
38. __ Growth – grow your people by constantly challenging them to aim higher, take on bigger projects, do cross training. Send for training as often as possible.
39. __ Hire Smarter - A company founder I know says he: “Always hires people smarter than he is to run my business” A great idea! This means looking for the right qualities and specific experience – which may be attitude.
40. __ Honest – of what you say and how you deal with people. It creates your character and your lasting reputation. As Albert Einstein said: “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters, cannot be trusted with important matters.”
41. __ Ideas – encourage new ideas from people all the time, not just at weekly/monthly meetings or annual reviews: adopt the Jack Welch standard of seeking out new ideas from anywhere you hear of them and bring them back to your organization.
42. __ Impartial / Fair – be seen as fair in everything you decide and how you deal with people, that it does not change from day to day, starts with getting all the facts. “Look at what you want to be, not what you are going to do.”
43. Impulse Control – resists acting on impulse, stops temptations from driving actions.
44. __ Independence – self-reliant and self directed in thinking and actions to be taken.
45. __ Integrity – leads to character and reputation. Stand for what is the right thing to do.
46. __ Know Your People – have each person fill out a “My List” form. (copy available) Be sure to MBWA (Manage by Wandering Around) some time every day. Talk to your people, support them.
47. __ Language – no bad jokes, sexist comments, swearing, sarcasm, gossip, rumors.
48. __ Leadership – the ability to take charge and get things happening, looking for new opportunities all the time to help others grow. “Leaders are persuasive when they can show the relationship between the employee’s expectations & the ultimate reward if the order is carried out properly.” Lester Bittel
49. __ Listening – understand your employee problems early by talking and listening regularly. This also falls under M.B.W.A. (below) and coaching. The more you listen, the more you see.
50. __ Loyalty – show it by what you say about the company and its people – and your people will be loyal to you and may even follow you up the ladder as you are promoted.
51. __ MBWA – Managing By Wandering Around – get out of your office and be seen with your people and talk with them, to them, about them. It should be at least 15% of your time during the day – then there are no surprises. * A recent report by Leadership IQ states: “Employees who spend about 6 hours a week with their boss are: 29% more inspired, 30% more engaged, 16% more innovative and 15% more intrinsically motivated than employees who spend only 1 hour a week.”
52. __ Mentor – Get one to fast track your career development. Be one to your people. At the very least, consider it company based coaching.
53. __ Moral – work to constantly improve it. People who feel good about themselves produce good results.
54. __ Network – who do you need to meet within the company (lead hands, benefit claims, shop stewards, payroll supervisors) or similar organizations? Attend appropriate conferences, trade shows, meetings and Christmas / special event parties to see and be seen. Invest in great looking business cards that actually mean business.
55. __ Orientation / On-Boarding – does your department have an effective orientation and on-boarding / Passport program for new hires or new transfers that will increase time to productivity?
56. __ Organized - get organized early and stay organized and on top of everything. Ahead of time is even better. Really plan your schedule. See the Time Management suggestions in Addendums 3 and 6 that follow this.
57. __ Optimistic – sees the good side of events and people, has positive/realistic attitude.
58. __ Outcomes – everything is about results, measure it that way. What outcome do you want to achieve in any task / project you set up or are a part of? Know what you are good at and keep raising the bar. Get employees involved in setting it and see how quickly it becomes the way of life.
59. __ Performance - recognize and acknowledge exceptional performance in others, set high expectations of what the activity form them needs to be & how it will be measured. The ‘Self Tests’ that follow are an example. “Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.” Benjamin Spock
60. __ Personal calls – don’t do them on work time, keep to your breaks. Don’t abuse the privilege your company gives you.
61. __ Praise – be real in your comments to your people. They have built in ‘skunk detectors’. If what you are saying is not based on fact and really sincere, you lose credibility.
62. __ Pride – take pride in your work and that done by your team – let them know it.
63. __ Problem Solving – do not engage in solving employee problems for them. Walk them through it, coach them. See: “Care and Feeding of Monkeys” by Bill Onkin for an effective insight to this. Help them generate ideas and solutions to problems to implement.
64. __ Productivity: Soft Skill – have everyone attend a “Time Management” course so that they can keep on top of the real work priorities (copy available)
65. __ Productivity: Technical / Key Numbers: encourage software and equipment / technology upgrades to make the work faster/efficient “Good enough, never is.” Debbie Fields
66. __ Promises - keep your word, do what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it. This helps create your reputation.
67. __ Quality – people pay for it and then expect it. Ensure no defects, understand the cost benefit of making things error free. Demand quality from your suppliers and vendors. Success is always in the details.
68. __ Record Keeping – what daily record systems need to be kept to ensure details, people engagement, purchases, equipment status? A good idea is to have a space to write down at the end of the day the people you are grateful for – the ones who helped you accomplish your goals.
69. __ Resource idea: It has been said: ‘Your people are your greatest asset.’ They are, especially as they grow and mature in the job and get experience to be more productive. Treat them as your greatest resource.
70. __ Respect – of the person, the skills and enthusiasm they bring to the position, regardless of age, sex, color, ethnicity, or religious belief.
71. __ Reverse Stress Test – a banking term that requires them to identify potentially catastrophic events that ‘could’ happen (worst case) and develop plans to handle it. Be aware of what the company has planned and see if it goes far enough. See where you fit in and what extra precautions you can suggest to ensure no major time delay when one occurs.
72. __ Safety – ensure workplace safety / standards, ie: appropriate safety clothing is worn, no ice on sidewalks, no loose shelves. Be proactive, do a facility audit and know the emergency procedures and where equipment is stored and if current or needs to be re-charged, restocked or replaced.
73. __ Self-Regard – understand own self , is accepting of limits and potential
74. __ Self-tests – consistently measure how your people see you (strengths and weaknesses) and then strive to improve in the deficient areas. I have three you can download for free and are included in this book to view.
75. __ Sense of Humor – be sure to have one and share it form time to time.
76. __ Stress – only two things cause stress, so ensure these situations don’t come up:
    1. Unmet expectations of work being done by someone
    2. Personalities – how someone behaves is not acceptable to you. A good conflict resolution course will show you all the skills necessary to handle any situation.
77. __ Stress Tolerance – can handle stress - see above note.
78. __ Success – “Success is never final”. This means that it is ongoing. Once you get to it, you need to rest for a bit, create new plans and goals and then push to the next level. Create a “what’s next?” attitude with new goals, new vision, and a new future.
79. __ Timeliness - be on time, at work, at meetings, at events – consistently punctual.
80. __ Timeliness of Decisions – you are paid to make them, make them on time!
81. __ ‘To-Do’ Lists - time planners, daily organizer. Keep one (paper based or digital) so you can track your accomplishments for your annual review.
82. __ Training – constantly upgrade the skills of your people with the technical courses they need and the soft skills such as: Time Management, Generations, and Trust. Training improves productivity at so many levels. There is an ROI to it when done properly.
83. __ Trust – be trustworthy. When an employee trusts you, engagement, creativity, moral, productivity go up. Learn what creates and destroys trust other than this list. See my book on this topic.

And finally: Traits of a GREAT LEADER - They:

1. Pursue their roles with passion
2. Consistently demonstrate solid values
3. Lead with their hearts
4. Connect with people / Communicates well
5. Demonstrates self-discipline
6. Share the vision

Conclusions to this exercise:

1. Attitude is the critical ingredient of heroic leadership and personal success.
2. We already possess all these qualities of greatness with us. We just need to work on some more than others. If they are important, we can and will.
3. To improve any attribute, we must exercise the power of choice!

In other words, as has been said many times before:
“It is your attitude, not your aptitude that determines your altitude.”

NOTE: This article was originally created for my book: “Trust Me – You Won’t Be Sorry – How Trust Is Your Competitive Advantage in the World Today” The book can be obtained from my web site Book Store: www.BruceLeeSpeaker.com If you have any suggestions for this article, please let me know