Most NFP organisations realise just how important having great managers is to the success of their organisation – and they should also have a pretty good idea of what makes a great manager.
So the goal is clear. But as a senior leader or HR manager, how do you get your organisation and its managers to that point?
Research shows that managers matter. Employee engagement is linked to productivity, quality (fewer errors), lower turnover, less absenteeism and theft, and fewer safety incidents; and guess what: 70% of employee engagement is accounted for by team managers.
In 2008, Google set out to understand why managers are so important, and what makes a good manager.
As a manager, you play a critical role in creating a mentally healthy workplace. This is through the people you directly supervise, and as a leader influencing others within your business. Your staff, in particular, will look to you for leadership, guidance and support. Whether or not your workplace currently sees mental health as a priority, there are many things you can do as a manager to contribute.
Many Australians are starting to head back to their workplaces as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
Here are four strategies you can use to help your staff transition back to the workplace.
Her coolness under pressure, self-discipline and the decisiveness of her government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led some to call Ardern the most effective national leader in the world.
But the key ingredient to her popularity and effectiveness is her authenticity.
Far from being a soft, touchy-feely skill, neuroscience has shown that storytelling is a one of the most powerful tools a leader has. A great storyteller can weave a story that allows her to enter the minds of colleagues and change what they feel, to change what they think, to influence how they act.
Which is why the +Acumen platform is offering NFP leaders the chance to learn storytelling for free!
The Not-For-Profit People Conference is done for another year. And what a couple of days it was! The atmosphere was electric; the speakers inspiring; and the delegates’ enthusiasm was contagious.
It’s difficult to hand-pick the key takeaways from the conference – there were so many with 36 speakers and 23 sessions – so here are our top five based on the top issues facing people managers in NFPs today.
When Trent Innes took the helm as managing director of accounting software company Xero Australia four years ago, their team numbered just 40. Now the company has grown to 400 employees and shows no sign of slowing down. For Innes, hiring for the right attitude is critical to the success of the organisation. So, how does he do it?
The growing popularity of “design thinking” shows just how much leaders at all levels can learn from designers.
A “design mindset” can give a leader a clear thinking or problem-solving process that works well with everyone from family members to a community, or whole organisation.
Leaders with a design mindset “paint” the way forward with colourful, wide brushes to ensure a diverse range of perspectives.
The trick is knowing which aspect of our thinking processes to listen to at which time. Is it time to converge on an idea or action? Or is it time to diverge to create more options?
Inequality, injustice, environmental destruction . . . things need to change in the world – that much is clear to anyone working in the NFP sector.
And to create the future we want – and need – it’s going to take leaders who can step up and “shape the future we want.”