The world is constantly changing, and so are the demands of modern management. Continuous development is, therefore, essential if you, as a manager, and your employees and your business, are going to stay relevant and respond to the never-ending changes in a globalised and digitalised world.
With 14 years of experience in management development – as a manager and teacher – my toolbox is firmly founded in practice as well as theory. But I don’t rely on my experience. Management is an on-going discipline, and the age we live in also makes great demands on me as a consultant in business management, which is why I pride myself in keeping up-to-date with the newest trends, while building upon methods that are already acknowledged, well-known and tried-and-tested.
In this manner, I can ensure that your business gets exactly the inputs, counselling and instruction that fit the current needs – whether you are building on an already strong foundation or want to throw everything up in the air once more.
The experienced manager
Years of experience in a management position can be a useful foundation when things become challenging and difficult decisions have to be made. However, routine can also present challenges when the organisation moves in new directions or is invaded by young employees from generation Y – and soon Z. As an experienced manager, it is important to shelve the conventional thinking and the idea of “we-are-doing-alright.” With your identity as a manager as our reference point, we discover how you can develop your competencies and, not least, how you go beyond your usual ways of doing things; we equip you to use innovative management and creative thinking as a management tool.
The inexperienced manager
A step up the ladder might come with many dilemmas and challenges. Now you’re not only responsible for your own job, but you must also be prepared to take responsibility for the work your employees do. If you have been a co-worker of the people you are now managing, or if you are beginning as a manager in a new company, the employees’ acceptance of your authority and your decisions is necessary. And if you came from a role as a specialist, you need to get used to not being involved in day-to-day operations, but instead focus on managing and motivating others.
I have previously made the transition from employee to manager, and I have experienced these challenges. Today I help equip new managers with the basic qualities it takes to manage: I provide each one with a sense of the type of manager he is, and I equip him with the compass that enables him to navigate new, unknown terrain. As a manager.
Distance management
One department in Jutland, two employees in Lithuania and the head office in Copenhagen! A lot of managers today are situated far away from their employees, and often this presents managerial challenges. It can be difficult to hold onto relations, set goals and communicate effectively with employees when time zones and virtual meeting rooms set limits for close personal relations and daily contact.
However, the physical distance doesn’t need to be a negative. With the right means and tools, you can eliminate the feeling of “them and us” which distance can create. Instead, you can create the necessary trust and mutual understanding that form the basis for a healthy business, even across bridges and national borders.
Change management
Change is good. Yes, but not necessarily. As a manager, it takes a lot of thought and deliberate action before changes start affecting the business.
Lay-offs, relocation and re-structuring… new technology, expansion or other ways of working… Change is a broad term, but no matter what the given changes consist of, they can have a lot of consequences for employees and be the source of unease, resistance and conflict. Hence, it is essential to implement the right strategy and get the right employees on the bridge when the ship changes course.
You get the tools to manage the changes in practice and, not least, communicate them in a constructive fashion, so that employees are involved, motivated and feel that the changes are a source of development, not insecurity.
Coaching as a management tool
– Take responsibility!
A lot of managers are bound to think this when an employee, for the fourth time on the same day, asks if he should push the green or red button.
My experience tells me that this challenge is common in many businesses. With the right coaching tools, you can motivate your employees to take responsibility and at the same time increase job satisfaction for each person.
I’m going to teach you to listen, and I’ll equip you to ask the questions that make your employees reflect and consider their personal and professional development. Successful coaching of employees creates more efficiency, and so gives you more time to manage your business.
The employee development conversation
Appraisal meeting. Personal development meeting. There are many different terms for a discipline which is not much liked. These semi-annual or annual conversations are often perceived by managers, as well as employees, as chit-chat arising from a standardised chart that must be completed quickly so you can return to work.
Whether you are faced with this formalised, difficult conversation, or you are thrown into a more impulsive discussion focusing on soft values, the conversation can be an important investment in the employee as well as the business.
I will give you the tools you need to handle the many different types of conversations, so you can get into the thick of it when needed; listen when listening is required; and ask the right questions that motivate the employee and create value for the business.
Sales management
A good sales person is often the product of great sales management. And great sales management is only possible if you can manage yourself as well as others.
As a sales manager, you have to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and be able to communicate, delegate and coach according to the needs of the individual employee, as well as the team as a whole.
With individual, targeted courses that always centre on you and the current situation of your business, I equip you with the tools that optimise your competencies as a sales manager and create value for the business.
Together, we add an extra layer to your management qualities, so you can motivate and inspire the individual sales person who might – for one reason or other – be at a standstill. I’ll enable you to optimise the synergy in your sales team, so you create efficiency, job satisfaction and increased profits.