Manager’s meeting notes, April 2012

We discussed next steps regarding the recent Manager Training workshops, and proposed some topics to suggest to Sheila Andrus for quarterly or other refresher workshops, including:

  • prioritization: using the urgent/important Covey grid to learn how to map out priorities and manage workload
  • how to develop and assess SMART goals
  • giving feedback
    • manager to staff
    • staff to manager
    • peer to peer
    • third party
  • effective meetings

We talked about implementing the DiSC evaluation given at the management training for all LIS staff.

  • Dan Frostman (leader), Joe Durante, Joe Antonioli, Sheila Andrus, and Joseph Watson will develop a proposal
  • We need a charge
  • We need a timeline

We also suggested that information from the training be disseminated to staff, and that  managers should take an hour with their work groups to review the topics covered. If they so choose, they can use Dan’s presentation, and then discuss how that went at the next managers meeting (slides at http://prezi.com/adylam68cjey/dans-take-on-management-training/).

Key concepts from management training:

  • ladder of inference
  • circle of concern and circle of influence
  • Covey prioritization grid (important/urgent, etc.)
  • aligned organization
  • DiSC profiles
  • 4 key activities of a manager: communicate, provide feedback, coach, delegate
  • performance management cycle
  • feedback
  • delegation
  • situational leadership
  • SMART Goals
  • “waterfall” communications
  • running effective Meetings
  • teams

Thanks for reading

Terry & Doreen

3 thoughts on “Manager’s meeting notes, April 2012

  1. Barbara Merz

    Re: DiSC evaluation. These evaluations have been done before – DiSC in 1998 and a similar “team management wheel” measured by the “team management index” more recently. I do not believe that the results were ever used for anything. So is it really worth the cost to do this again? How will the info be used, in practice?. I suggest taking a close look at the usefulness of the ones already done in the management training – interesting to the person evaluated perhaps, but to anyone else?

    1. Brenda

      I’ve taken several of these, including DiSC and I found them useful not only for understanding myself and my style, preferences, strengths, etc. but also for understanding others. I think you are right to question how we’d use the results – if they are just shelved, it will mainly just be useful to the person evaluated. But if teams and workgroups share their individual results in a fun non-judgmental environment, I think it could help us understand each other better and thus work together better.

  2. Arabella Holzapfel

    Glad to see that ‘ladder of inference’ got some air-time in the management training. I first learned about it in 2004 and I use it all the time when I reflect about my attitudes and assumptions. It is one of the few things I’ve learned anywhere about anything that I can honestly say I use every day. A pretty good description in 3 minutes is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9nFhs5W8o8

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