5 Questions Great Managers Ask (and they arent hard!)

However hard we try, we seem to make life more difficult for ourselves; more challenging; more complex. Yet it needn't be so. try out these five questions with a regularity; a discipline and you will reap rewards. You will certainly reap rewards.

  • What do my customers want?
    Getting inside the head of your customers is a recipe for success. Taking the role on of one of your customers or clients and seeing from their perspective helps structure a sound and growing business. Better still, ask them what they want, need, what irritates them and thank them for their insights. Take complaints as a real positive - for knowing what went wrong, gives you information you can correct and grow stronger on.

  • How do I get the best from my people?
    Enjoying the benefits of truly 'turned on' people in your business, makes a huge difference. Finding out what they need to be successful for you can be more challenging. But wait! Have you asked them what they need to do their best for you? Be sensitive and responsive to their needs. This simple step will provide you with all the people strategies that work. Many solutions will be very easy to do and can build belief and trust in you as a manager. The bigger challenges can be solved by using your people to have a positive and constructive input. It will be worthwhile - for everyone.

  • How can we make best use of our resources?
    What resources? People, goodwill, reputation, location. USP, and more... Well, make sure first of all that you understand what they are. Ask your customers and people what you represent to them - and then do more, much more of it. Then review those things that you can do less of, save resource costs on. Focusing on what you are best at and dropping things that don't create value for you can be very value-creating.

  • What wastes our time?
    It's a simple question, but with an easy answer. What value is created when I spend time on this activity? If your challenge is to make £100 an hour profit for your organisation, is what you are spending your time on doing just that? What things do you and your people do, which does not? Try stopping doing things, some of which you may have done for months and years, when little or no value is created and switch to more things that do. Stop some things and start others - simple as that.

  • What do we need to change?
    Constantly reviewing where you are in your business and making small course a djustments, like the autopilot of a jumbo jet, will maximise your performance. But whilst leading the cultural shift can develop autopilot-mode, the first steps are for managers to spot-check all they do manually. Doing this will encourage your people to start to do it themselves. Remember, the best time to review, review, review, is when you are successful. And then be very challenging and honest about yourselves. Build it in, make small but significant changes regularly, once you have evidence of drifting off course. That makes for a consistently healthy & growing organisation and reduces the need for cataclysmic change.

    Are you up for this refreshing challenge? What better way to start your new focus on your business, organisation or team?

    Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.

    ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

    In The News:

    • pen paper and inkwell


    cat break through


    Resolving Needs - What Your Employees Wish For!

    For your people, they want to do a great job... Read More

    Use QA As Your First Step To Outsourcing

    Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in... Read More

    Organizing The Information

    Putting a piece of paper in a file folder is... Read More

    Prepare A Winning CV

    There is every chance that elements of this article may... Read More

    What is Knowledge Management Anyway?

    When you think of all the things companies have, you... Read More

    Time for Change - Clearing the First Hurdle

    "Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump... Read More

    Retaining An Expert -- What Every Business Owner Needs To Know

    As an entrepreneur, hiring an expert can be one of... Read More

    Three Ways to Transmit Loud and Clear

    The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but... Read More

    Project Managment: Land the Plane Stop Doing and Start Succeeding

    We all spend time on planning vacations. If it's not... Read More

    Customer Focus - Just 5 SimpleThings You Need to Think About

    You can boil down the difference between successful businesses and... Read More

    Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have SMART Goals

    The first step in planning an agenda is to identify... Read More

    What Consultants Want You to Know (But You Never Ask)

    I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've... Read More

    Feedback - Make it Descriptive

    Have you ever heard yourself say to a team member... Read More

    Four Corners of a Triangle: Why Organizations Succeed or Fail

    When we want to hire people for a corporation or... Read More

    A Renewed View of the Modern Business Culture

    Life can sometimes be unexciting if not refreshed by the... Read More

    Hire People For What They Do Best

    I recently flew from Seattle to Atlanta, I realized, just... Read More

    ISO 9001 2000, Getting Started on The Route To Registration

    ISO 9001 2000, Getting startedBefore starting the ISO 9001 2000... Read More

    The 20/60/20 Rule Of Leadership. Dont Go Solving The Wrong Problems

    Several decades ago, a passenger jet approached a Florida airport... Read More

    The Paradox of Job Enrichment

    Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company.... Read More

    Time Management - How to Have Productive Meetings

    One of the greatest time wasters of all are unnecessary... Read More

    CEO: The Key To Fix ingThe Marketing/Sales Collaboration Problem

    We all know that achieving better alignment, synergy and cooperation... Read More

    Business Opportunity - Leverage Your Employees!

    As a business asset, they don't sit well on the... Read More

    Innovation Management ? Flexibility

    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

    Data Delivers Credibility

    Over the past couple of days I've been setting up... Read More

    Why Your Company Needs An E-Mail Policy

    Everyone at the office thought that using the company e-mail... Read More

    Top 7 Methods to Empower Employees

    How many times have you asked someone to do something... Read More

    Are Your Meetings Smart?

    Soon after I finished a brief seminar on how to... Read More

    Mantra for Managers

    What do organizations look for in a prospective employee with... Read More

    What Every HR Manager Should Know About Hiring Productive Employees

    The characteristics of job applicants have a strong influence on... Read More

    Ten Steps to Take the Work out of Work ? Replicate Yourself!

    They say that management can be a lonely place. A... Read More

    Manufacturing Capacity as a Commodity

    Excess capacity in an automobile plant at Ford, Chrysler, Toyota,... Read More

    Delegation - The Basic Steps To Reducing Your Workload And Creating A Successful Team

    If you have a task greater than you can handle... Read More

    The Importance of Business Goals

    For you to get where you want to go, there... Read More