I completed my NVQ work towards the end of last year (I'm still waiting for the certificate to arrive - hopefully next week), Madgex have organised for a group of 4 of us to work towards the ILM Level 5 Award in Management.  This is less evidence based instead being based around workshops, tutorials and work based assessments.  The 3 units we're going to cover are:

• M4.01 Understanding the management role
• M5.13 Managing for energy and effectiveness
• M5.28 Leading teams

I found writing about my progress here helpful last time, helping to keep me motivated, so I plan to do the same again this time.  So far we've had our induction, and been handed our handbook - which I've spent the afternoon reading through.  The first of the workshops is at the end of the month

As part of my work for unit A2 I recently completed the Honey and Mumford's Learning Styles Questionnaire to determine what my learning style is.

The style that came out the strongest for me was Pragmatist, described on the questionnaire I completed as

A preference here indicates an orientation towards relevance between subject matter and one's own position. "If it works, it's good" is the motto, and they look for the earliest opportunity to implement what has been offered. They are practical, down-to-earth individuals who enjoy problem solving and making practical decisions. The focus is very strongly on implementation and output.

The sentence "They are practical, down-to-earth individuals who enjoy problem solving and making practical decisions" seems to describe me pretty well, so I guess it is in the right area. Now I just need to work out how to apply this.

A year ago I bought and completed the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test.

It told me that my Top 5 themes were:

• Responsibility
• Input
• Learner
• Harmony
• Adaptability

Responsibility

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

Chances are good that you sometimes work hard to do things properly and ethically. Maybe you blame yourself when you fall short of your high standards. Perhaps being a solo performer frees you to work at a task until you decide it perfectly meets the specifications or aligns with your moral principles. By nature, you may wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the job
or in your personal life. Because of your strengths, you sometimes volunteer to do things rather than wait to be asked to assume more duties. Driven by your talents, you may strive to be a dependable person. Maybe you please people by being reliable. You might enjoy assuming accountability for certain tasks, projects, assignments, or commitments. Perhaps you accept these additional duties without making a fuss. Instinctively, you are held in high regard because of your dependability and
consistent values. You are someone upon whom others often rely. Why? You do exactly what you said you would do.

Input

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

Chances are good that you give yourself credit for reducing elaborate procedures, ideas, regulations, or systems to their fundamental parts. This explains why people ask you to tell them how things function and why other things malfunction. It’s very likely that you revel in the sensation of having
done something at a high level of excellence, such as public speaking, writing, designing, sailing, gardening, investing, selling, hunting, or yoga. Your hunger for more knowledge about a skill or a subject is customarily satisfied through reading. Undoubtedly, you integrate what you already understand with the fresh insights you glean from books, journals, correspondence, or the Internet. Instinctively, you usually give good advice. Often people's questions dictate your choice of reading
materials. Whether you are studying something for the first time or revisiting a topic to refresh your memory, you enjoy reading. Making discoveries that can help others brings you much joy. By nature, you yearn to dedicate sufficient time and energy to all the important parts of your life, such as
personal growth, professional responsibilities, family obligations, friends, health, and mental stimulation. Reading about topics that interest you or fiction that spellbinds -- that is, fascinates -- you is apt to be a factor in your quality-of-life equation. Driven by your talents, you are willing to spend some time sharing your ideas with certain individuals, especially those you perceive as especially
intelligent. Maybe you want them to tell you their latest thinking. To some extent, conversations that involve questions and answers stimulate your mind. Perhaps you decide your time was wisely spent when you have a few new ideas, theories, or concepts to somehow file away or remember for future use.

Learner

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

Chances are good that you may ignore distractions to concentrate on your assignments. Sometimes you keep reading, researching, experimenting, or writing until you know all you need to know about a particular subject. You might not rest until you have mastered certain concepts, committed important information to memory, or completed specific course requirements. Because of your strengths, you may prefer to be an individual performer, especially when you can direct your mental or physical
energies to tasks that intrigue you. Driven by your talents, you may be an individual performer who signs up for tough classes. Perhaps your desire to excel is amplified when the only path to a good grade is a steep one. By nature, you sometimes engage in academic pursuits for extended periods of time. You may be less inclined than some people to join a study group to absorb new information or
reinforce what you already know. Instinctively, you might offer assistance to people when the predicament in which they find themselves fascinates you. Maybe you come to the aid of others when they ask you to study an intriguing problem, unanswered question, or unfamiliar subject. Occasionally you are delighted to report back to them your discoveries and conclusions.

Harmony

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

It’s very likely that you turn to specialists when you are searching for the best ideas. You are comfortable admitting they understand more than you do about special topics. You refuse to pretend you know everything in every situation. You avoid describing yourself as humble. You prefer to be regarded as realistic and practical. By nature, you now and then create an environment where people
can speak and be heard without interruption. Your ability to help certain individuals feel valued and respected may explain why some of them describe you as congenial, helpful, friendly, or nice. Because of your strengths, you sometimes welcome opportunities to acquire additional knowledge or new skills. From a practical perspective, ongoing education might allow you to take advantage of
experiences or engage in activities for the first time. You may want others to be informed about these training sessions. Perhaps it strikes you as unjust or elitist -- that is, snobbish -- not to make this news available to everyone. Instinctively, you may get people to like you by finding something everyone can agree on. Perhaps this is one way you reduce conflict between yourself and others. Driven by your
talents, you enjoy helping certain individuals discover what they may have in common. When people realize they are more alike than different, they may start collaborating on projects, solving problems, or sharing resources. From time to time, you are the one who makes several people aware of the way things really are. Straightforward and objective, perhaps you lay out some facts so those involved
might agree to move forward together in one direction.

Adaptability

The standard theme description for this is:

People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

and my personalized strengths insights is:

By nature, you picture yourself handling situations and issues that could arise in the coming months, years, or decades. You mentally rehearse what you plan to do in various worst-case and best-case scenarios. Your forethought prepares you to deal with whatever happens. You are a flexible person. You are not easily flustered by unexpected events, problems, or opportunities. Chances are good that
you are impelled to coordinate the many details of your life. You consciously avoid chaotic situations. Often you mentally rehearse how you will maneuver around expected and unexpected situations. First, you outline steps for reaching goals. Second, you make whatever adjustments are needed as conditions change. You rarely lose sight of what you want to accomplish in the coming months, years, or decades. Because of your strengths, you surround yourself with lovely things. These have the
power to soothe, calm, energize, and inspire you. The arts or nature itself enhances your sense of well-being. You probably pay attention to your environment because you choose to live each moment to its fullest. It’s very likely that you realize that each day offers its own surprises. You trust you can handle whatever occurs. Even when you do not know exactly what to do, you probably know someone who does. You have an uncanny ability to easily and cooperatively proceed in the direction in which other people and processes are moving. Driven by your talents, you live in a state of hope-filled expectancy. You eagerly await what will come next. You probably feel your life is a lot more interesting when you are not forced to follow set routines, rigid rules, and/or predictable plans.

As part of my NVQ work I've been asked to find this, and any other similar tests I've done to work towards module A2 - Manage your own resources and professional development. The outcomes for my StrengthFinder came with some Ideas for Action, which I must confess, I haven't even looked at between then and now and I certainly didn't produce a "Strengths-Based Action Plan". Something else for the "to do in 2010" list I suspect!

The 1001 Rewards and Recognition Fieldbook says

There are, however, certain basic truths in management that you can always rely on. One is "You get what you reward" - sometime referred to as the Greatest Management Principle in the World. We know from extensive research that human behaviour is shaped by its consequences, and that one of the most powerful ways to enhance employee performance is by providing positive consequences for that performance. It you notice, recognize, and reward a specific behaviour - for instance, excellent customer service - that behaviour will tend to be repeated.

The other book, which just happens to be it's me or the dog says

Reward good behaviour. Good things happen when your dog does well! Ignore or correct behaviour you don't want to encourage. Sounds simple. but many people do exactly the opposite without meaning to. Never, ever use harsh punishment.

So, there you are, getting good behaviours in employees or dogs is the same - presumably the reward differs. Maybe I'll try offering my team a gravy bone and see if I get the behaviour I want...

The key takeaway is that you must be in charge of the boundaries that your team operates within, or you quickly lose control of what is really going on, and find yourself mostly running around trying to see what people are actually doing instead of making sure that the right things get done.

I actually think the first step is to work with the people around you to define what the role you're taking on is. For instance, what does a team leader do? My current role is "Development Team Leader" and I have line management responsibilities for 8 people, most of whom are working on different projects, I help to allocate them to projects, as well as maintaining a technical overview over some of our more active and/or complex projects. Previous roles have been "Project Lead" or "Lead developer" which have had project responsibilities - i.e. day to day work allocation, active development responsibilities etc. These are 2 very different roles, with very different responsibilities, and "owning the team" means very different things.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less I like the idea of owning a team. The definition of ownership in Wikipedia is

the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property

Anyway, back to what I'd do next. As a Project Lead I'd want to sit down with the Project Manager and/or project sponsor and understand what challenges they face at the moment with regards to the team (I bet they say communication). I'd try and agree a set of responsibilities with them so that I knew what I was being measured against, what my role was, what they expect of me, what I expect of them and what areas we're going to need to work together on. Without this clarification there will be areas that aren't covered at all, and areas that we step on each other's toes about. Then we need to communicate the boundaries between myself and the PM/Sponsor to the team as a whole, so they know who to turn to with certain items - who do they tell about external issues (i.e. waiting for something from client?), who do they notify of delays, who do they see to get holiday signed off?, who do they tell about sickness or other absences? Additionally, if I planned to act as a gatekeeper so that everything comes through me, I'd inform everyone of this, both within and outside of the team. I'd make sure I also had someone to delegate this gatekeeper role to in my absence (does the PM/sponsor take this role on, or another member of the team? If another member of the team, then who?).

As a Line Manager, I'd want to sit down with the previous line manager for the team and get their feedback on the individuals, I'd want to get hold of their appraisal comments, CV and other material that helps me get a background. In fact, this is what I did 18 months ago when I took on my current role. I asked a lot of questions both of the previous line manager, but also of the team member, all to try and get an idea of who they are and what they currently do, have done in the past, and want to do in the future.

In both cases, I would also start by getting to know the team. So, I'd have a 1 to 1 chat with each of them over a coffee or beer, whichever suits the culture better. Find out what drives them, what they're interested in, what they think has been going well and not so well recently. Even if I was currently a developer on the project and was being promoted internally, I think these are all worthwhile. It's all about starting the conversation, being open to ideas, being ready to listen and act on what you're told. Just because you've got this new role, it doesn't mean that suddenly, overnight, you've gained the answer to every question - in fact you've probably gained a whole new lot of questions to work out - it just means that you've got some new responsibilities and somebody thinks you're capable of working with others to deliver on them.

We had a team away day yesterday, and in preparation I completed a Belbin self-perception inventory. We got the results yesterday and here's what my preferred roles are:

• Implementer - Implementers are aware of external obligations and are disciplined, conscientious and have a good self-image. They tend to be tough-minded and practical, trusting and tolerant, respecting established traditions. They are characterised by low anxiety and tend to work for the team in a practical, realistic way. Implementers figure prominently in positions of responsibility in larger organisations. They tend to do the jobs that others do not want to do and do them well: for example, disciplining employees.
• Specialist - The specialist provides knowledge and technical skills which are in rare supply within the team. They are often highly introverted and anxious and tend to be self-starting, dedicated and committed.
• Completer-Finisher - The completer finisher dots the i’s and crosses the t’s. He or she gives attention to detail, aims to complete and to do so thoroughly. They make steady effort and are consistent in their work. They are not so interested in the glamour of spectacular success.

My least preferred roles are:

• Plant - The plant is a specialist idea maker characterised by high IQ and introversion while also being dominant and original. The plant tends to take radical approaches to team functioning and problems. Plants are more concerned with major issues than with details.
• Resource Investigator - The resource investigator is the executive who is never in his room, and if he is, he is on the telephone. The resource investigator is someone who explores opportunities and develops contacts. Resource investigators are good negotiators who probe others for information and support and pick up other’s ideas and develop them. They are characterised by sociability and enthusiasm and are good at liaison work and exploring resources outside the group.
• Co-ordinator - The co-ordinator is a person-oriented leader. This person is trusting, accepting, dominant and is committed to team goals and objectives. The co-ordinator is a positive thinker who approves of goal attainment, struggle and effort in others. The co-ordinator is someone tolerant enough always to listen to others, but strong enough to reject their advice.

The main surprise is Co-ordinator being in the least preferred roles as it is a role that I tend to do quite often - even yesterday in our break out sessions, I was the one "chairing", ensuring everyone got a chance to make their point, kept things focusses etc. Maybe the key here is preferred - I do this role when no-one else does, and I like to think I do it reasonably well. Having read the completer-finisher characteristics I would say that over the years I have definitely become one of these, I am pedantic and picky and like to ensure everything is done to a high quality. My anxiety must be in a constant state of flux as the Specialist is an anxious role whilst the Implementer is a low anxiety role.

The last time I filled in one of these was about 10 years ago, during a course, and it would be really interesting to see how things have changed. I'll have to dig around at home and see if I can find it.