Many organizations are struggling with the transition into a global economy, forcing them to flatten their management

hierarchy. As a result, today's managers are faced with increased responsibilities as they take on the traditional competencies utilized by a manager, while also learning and applying new leadership skills. This new business environment has produced more virtual and diverse teams. Overseeing a culturally and geographically diverse team requires today's managers to be extremely flexible, often requiring them to adapt to the changing management landscape quickly. Decision-making, being assertive with ideas, communicating more clearly, and clarifying goals and objectives while inspiring creative commitment are all competencies that have increased in today's management role.

The Challenge Facing Todays Managers

Other influences they must deal with now are seen with the continuing shift to services in the US economy and an aging workforce that has become another reality that executives must now address. The growth of a knowledge-based workforce has led to a greater focus on people performance rather than asset performance and has changed how they will be managing the workplace. The rise of shareholder value as a primary measure of company performance and the growing influence of the corporate governance movement have also had a dramatic impact on the way executives think and act.

Preparing Them to Meet These Challenges

The next ten years promise further transformation and with that change will come a new agenda for executive education and development. As a result, they will need more sophisticated strategies to engage in the global market. They will travel frequently and spend a greater part of their business careers outside the United States. To help prepare them for this expanded role they will need to be proficient in:

Recruiting, hiring, and developing talent around the world Acquisition and diversification strategies encompassing a global outlook Business and market expansion opportunities worldwide Understanding international politics Managing global supply chains Environmental challenges that will vary greatly by country Communication across the organization in several different languages Organizational change challenges in different cultures International Law and exchange rates Risk management priorities in different parts of the world

A sound understanding of these and other considerations that will surely come forth will be essential should these managers want to get any sleep at night. This knowledge will be the result of extensive preparation and will come from:

Challenging job assignments around the world A sound educational base that is developed by continuous learning Mentoring relationships Organizational wide development resources similar to General Electric's John F. Welch Leadership Center at Crotonville A formal and comprehensive talent management and individual development process

Coaching Skills are an essential part of Good Leadership Skills. At Coach 4 Growth, we strive to provide the essential tools for managers to use in Team Coaching. In a global economy, a company's people can be their greatest asset and taking the time to focus on employee mentoring and employee development will reap great benefits. Throughout Coach4Growth.com you will find helpful resources targeted to team coaching for people managers, leaders, sales managers and coaches. This content is not targeted to a specific industry but focuses on building good leadership skills and strong coaching skills that are transferable into any environment or organization. The fact that you are here, looking to expand your coaching skills and improve your team through performance coaching, employee mentoring, and employee development, is the first step to achieving a beneficial work environment that sees constant performance improvement and healthy employee morale. Vist some of our recent articles and keep checking back as we share new tools often.

Coaching Skills
Coaching to Quality Quality coaching discussions can be some of the most difficult to have. Let's explore how to approach these performance coaching sessions to acheive the behavior change you need. Motivational Chain of Events When your teams and employees are asked to deliver, they do not always have the motivation to accomplish the goal. Team coaching is simplified when the chain of events that they go through is understood and used to motivate them to perform.

Team Coaching
Investing Wisely in Coaching

Managing your coaching time and applying your coaching skills like you would your investments provides a more strategic approach to acheive a measured return on your investment.

Performance Coaching
Quality Performance Opportunity Coaching Strategy

Performance coaching is essential and having a strategy to approach team development is key. Using QPO, you can focus on coaching the right employees to acheive the greatest team performance improvement.
Coaching One on One

People need individual coaching. Do your employees get regular and consistent time with you, focused on their development? Let's look at how to leverage one on one performance coaching for individual gains.

Good Leadership Skills

Characteristics of a Leader We all know what a leader looks like as we've seen it in other people, but do we all know why they're such great leaders? They all share certain characteristics that determine good leadership skills. Emotional Intelligence Do you know what your EQ is? Emotional Intelligence is a factor that sets good leaders apart from great leaders. Let's explore what this concept means and how to apply it with the people and teams you manage.

Quality Performance Opportunity Coaching Strategy Achieves Performance Improvement

There are a number of ways to apply a coaching strategy to coaching your team. Some managers choose to focus on their top performers, some choose their bottom, others are more strategic in how they plan their coaching strategy. The coaching strategy we will explore today is known as Quality Performance Opportunity coaching strategy. Read more...

Team Building: Characteristics of a Good Team

Team building, team coaching, teamwork, no matter what you call it, you need to know that there are four characteristics of a good team. First, know that we use the term team loosely. You often hear a leader call the folks in their organization their team. As we discuss the characteristics of a good team, you will find that this is a misnomer. The characteristics of a good team are a commitment to a common purpose, performance goals, complementary skills, and an approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

PROJECT MANAGER SKILLS:-

Yes, if you are a project manager you really need leadership skills! Today's project managers must have leadership skills in order to effectively perform their roles in the organisation and stand out from the crowd. Something must make you distinct from the others, especially if you are currently job searching or worried about your job security given the current economy. While this has certainly always been the case; it is even more important today in an economy where project managers (PMs) are being asked to do more with less, educed budgets for their projects, fewer resources available to work on the projects, and reduced timelines to get the products/services to market, in order to ensure their organisations remain competitive in a global economy. Many project managers have strong technical skills, but are sometimes lacking in the critical soft skills necessary to be truly effective. Without a doubt, PMs who are not well-versed in technical skills (such as earned value management, quantitative risk analysis or estimating activities) cannot perform their role effectively. And certainly, without a working knowledge of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), PMs will be unable to acquire their Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Additionally, in a world where there are many people running around with the "project manager" title, a PMP certification is one way to stand out from the crowd. However, that alone may not be enough. Strong project management technical skills and PMP certification is not sufficient for those project managers aspiring to take on more responsibilities. Project managers cannot effectively compete with so many other certified PMs unless they have more than technical skills in their toolboxes. Project managers' long-term success and potential for growth are limited if they do not possess the necessary critical skills. For example, how effective can PMs be in their roles if they do not possess teaming skills, are not effective at influencing others, cannot communicate or present effectively, or are unable to see the "big picture?" Realistically, they can't be very effective. Therefore, leadership skills are, without a doubt, a requirement for PMs. For example, it is difficult to lead global teams comprised of individuals with different personal goals/objectives and varied cultural backgrounds if you do not have essential leadership skills. Again, I can't emphasise enough that technical skills is not sufficient, it is just not possible for project managers to get the job done solely with strong technical skills. To progress in the organisation, you need to show strong leadership skills also. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 4th Edition (2008, Project Management Institute), in Appendix G, notes particular interpersonal skills that PMs must have in order to be effective in their role that are:

Leadership. Team building. Motivation. Communication. Influencing.

Decision making. Political and cultural awareness. Negotiation.

And, other skills that are important for individuals leading project teams include:

Coaching. Conflict management. Developing/motivating/inspiring others. Time management/priority setting. Problem solving. Presentation skills. Establishing goals/delegating.

All of these interpersonal and leadership skills are needed so that project managers can effectively manage any size project they are leading. Project managers who can demonstrate competence in these skills increase the success of the projects they lead and demonstrate their value to the organisation, above and beyond their ability to create a Work Breakdown Structure or a Risk Management Plan. One PM I have spoken with commented that his strength in understanding the big picture behind a project and conveying that vision to his project team and others in the organisation led to him being involved in the decision-making process around which projects would be completed in a given year. Here is someone who obviously stood out to the executives as bringing value to an important strategic planning process. Another PM said her ability to problem solve effectively by really understanding the issues made her a valuable resource within the organisation, not just on project teams. She was often called upon to address complex problems within the organisation. These skills noted above in addition to strategic leadership skills, such as strategic planning and change management, help project managers be viewed as key individuals within the organisation, someone with the potential to move up through the ranks and take on a senior leadership role. And let's not forget some other important skills to have, including:

Ability to work with others. Ability to think ahead, foresee potential issues, risks, etc. A sense of humour (often needed when times get tense and the workload seems impossible!) Ability to manage logistics. Strong organisational skills.

A project manager with a combination of strong project management technical skills and relevant leadership and other important skills will find him/herself in a position of strength within their organisation and a valuable resource overall. These are the project managers you want to work with on projects and the individuals that the executive team looks to as high potentials within the organisation. Technology oriented careers have been making a comeback. Accordingly, talented technology managers are necessary in every area of the field - from Web design and development, to database-driven e-commerce, to software engineering, to technical service and support. Technology positions, from programmer to CIO, are also critically important in organizations from all industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, government and service firms. Technology professionals often seek career advancement but need the leadership skills necessary to advance their careers. In response to these industry demands, adult-learning and distance learning schools now offer technology degrees at the bachelor's and master's degree levels, often in accelerated formats. These help to increase the leadership skills in global economy