By Jon-Michail
How well does your manager support and encourage you to be the best you can? Have you been encouraged to reach goals that may have first seemed impossible? In today’s technology-driven business world, that’s exactly what your manager should be doing, that’s an initial sign of real leadership and abundant thinking. Remember, you are a valuable resource within your organisation, and your manager should be making decisions that will help to advance your personal brand.
When you were appointed to your first junior position, your ‘can-do’ attitude and your solid grasp of computer skills would have been considered a real bonus. Your willingness to take direction and to learn new processes and skills would also have been a major factor in your appointment. No doubt you were, and continued to be, offered in-house training and coaching in the various aspects that your role demanded.
As an important team member, if you are encouraged by your manager to grow personally and professionally, your increased job satisfaction will be reflected in your personal productivity. You will develop a greater respect for your role, and if the same is happening with other support staff, the flow-on effect for the organisation can be impressive. Supporting team members keep the company’s wheels turning.
“Flexibility is the key to organising on-going study.”
More demanding roles will incur more coaching, often externally along with others of a similar level from other organisations. Your manager should be making such opportunities an essential part of your role; if he doesn’t then it’s up to you to bring them to his attention; not only will you increase your skills and experience but you will add high level personal branding to the company brand. When a manager shares responsibilities with you, encourages your growth of skills, and regards you as a partner, your personal power and influence become an asset to the organisation.
If a high-level working relationship is developed between all the team and management, the success of the organisation is much more likely. All the team must be made aware that much is personally achievable, often contrary to their own beliefs and expectations. A good manager will ensure that successful mentoring is always available. However, it is also essential the team members endeavour to manage their own careers and opportunities and thus engender a greater sense of self-worth. You must show initiative first by coaching yourself; otherwise people may not volunteer to back you.
Sometime the excuse is lack of time. Management does not always regard investment in professional coaching as valuable to the organisation. Also, a large workload can swap the enthusiasm of any worker, no matter what their level on the staff ladder. Flexibility is the key to organising on-going study. External qualifications are important and becoming more so: however even a degree or more may no longer be enough to satisfy today’s requirements and it is essential that team members be given the time and opportunity to up skill and that includes life skills.
Managers must support and work together with their team to increase productivity, expand opportunities and increase the general well-being of everyone on the payroll. Remember, team member success breeds business success, ever more so in a competitive economic environment.
Jon Michail is Group CEO of Image Group International, an award winning author and recognised as Australasia’s No 1 image coach. Image Group International supports executives, entrepreneurs and their organisations to become iconic and monetised leadership brands.
He is a regular commentator in international media organsations ABC, CNN, NBC, Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Success, The Financial Review and Vogue.
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