Getting to Know
You
Hello!
My name is David Nettles, and I have worked as an adult educator since 1984. Over the years the topic of communication has become a passion of mine that I hope to share with you. This blog is intended to promote the development of communication skills through the sharing of ideas and proactive discussion.
Throughout the blog are examples of various professional forms of communication such as description sheets, reports, and categorization practices in an effort to give teams of all kinds, sizes, and experience levels the opportunity to perform better, develop faster, and sustain the highest levels of engagement. Your thoughts and ideas concerning the improvement of communicative skills are welcome.
This is not intended to be a whining wall, but a proactive page to brainstorm, coach, and mentor others focused on enhancing communication, driving performance, lowering operational costs, improving morale, and inspiring key talent. Achieving this kind of success requires the efforts of more than a single individual.
I look forward to our collaboration.
David E. Nettles
Mr. Nettles,
ReplyDeleteAs a new manager, I was researching resources available on the internet related to effective communication and leadership and came across your blog. The key concept that interested me most was that as an effective leader versus manager, one must keep the “big picture” in mind rather than getting bogged down on the details. Specifically, how I will apply the insight from your blog is to have an open forum/line of communication with my staff to gain their input and process improvement ideas related to various tasks/functions of our department. The front line staff are those that know the processes best and would be instrumental in assisting to improve the services we provide to our customers. This approach will also be instrumental in gaining their “buy in” to changes. The transition from staff to lead to manager to leader is one that I am excited to embark upon. I look forward to sharing ideas and feedback with you.
Antoinette Barnes
Hello Antoinette,
DeleteThank you for your response to my blog. The transition you describe is one with which I am very familiar. As a leadership instructor and performance specialist I work with leaders every day, many who (like you) are new to their role, and others who have decades of experience. The best part about leadership is the countless opportunities to learn and improve skill sets. One should never stop learning and working to enhance individual expertise. I hope to learn something new every day and hope to help others on their journey.
One recommendation I would make for those taking on the management of any team, is to establish the communication culture from which you wish to operate. For example, what is your expectation for email or voicemail response time? How do you expect team members to communicate with each other? What are their communication preferences and how can those strengths be leveraged?
I know this may sound like a lot, but workshops such as Discovering Individual Styles of Communication (DiSC), James H. Brewer’s BEST, and Myers Briggs all have excellent resources that address these questions as your team members learn about themselves and each other. These workshops typically take about four hours, are fun, and enhance both communication effectiveness and team acumen.
If you have any questions about these sources, please contact me via this blog and I will do what I can to address any questions or concerns you have. Thank you again for your response.
Sincerely,
David
As a manager/leader for the past 20 years I am curious to see how many understand the substantial difference between a "manager" and "leader". Currently there are several seminars (in person and internet) offered trying to explain the difference, however none put quiet so eloquently. Have you researched an internet training outlet called Grace Hill. They offer some insight into this topic. Personally have found that if the team (not staff) is not involved in the common "goal" not only has one failed as a leader, but also as a manager.
ReplyDeleteHello llinville,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. My Dad used to say, “A leader without followers is just out for a walk”. His remark is simplistic, but correct nonetheless. Mangers direct while leaders influence. According to John C. Maxwell, the behavior that defines an effective leader is in his or her ability to influence others. As I posted previously in this blog, manager is a title while leader is a mindset.
I will look into the internet-training outlet you mentioned. I am always looking for new resources, so thank you for sharing. As a seasoned manager/leader yourself, I hope you are finding ways to mentor your team. Sadly, the U.S. has many coaches but few mentors. Perhaps it is because too few realize the difference an effective leader can make for an individual, team or organization.
If I can be of any service, please let me know.
Sincerely,
David