A Job Done Well - For Managers Caught in the Middle – Details, episodes & analysis

Do you resent those who can 'manage upwards’, or do you simply envy them or feel uncomfortable doing it yourself?
 
 In this episode, we discuss the power and value of sensibly managing senior members of your organisation. This skill can aid in career management, ensure tasks are completed well, and allow you to sleep peacefully at night without feeling like a sell-out or sycophant.
 
We offer perspectives on its benefits and share various thoughts and methods for achieving the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.
 
We also discuss the merits of O Beach in Ibiza, the NHS and the risks when forwarding emails...
 
If you or your team want to enhance your or your team's ability to network effectively and manage upwards, please contact James or Jimmy. 

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Episode 4

Following the episode on mood (season 2, episode 2), Rachael Edmondson-Clarke returns to delve into the interconnected topic of emotion. While mood is an internal state, emotions are our responses to external stimuli. They can surprise us and disrupt both performance and relationships.

Rachael helps us understand why emotions affect us and how we can manage, select, and alter our natural reactions. We contribute with perspectives on DIY, football, golf, and road rage, but fortunately, Rachael offers more intriguing insights that will help you enhance your performance and enjoyment at work.

To find out more, contact Rachael, Jimmy or James

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

Episode 30 - This week, we continue to explore the UK Customer Experience. The country's service economy employs 80% of the workforce, so understanding and enhancing customer experience is crucial.
 
 We conduct a 'shallow dive' (or maybe a snorkel) into Virgin Media, examining its history and origins, as well as customer feedback on their experiences. What lessons can we draw from such a giant corporation?
 
 Expect the usual mix of anecdotes, statistics, and insights to provide some food for thought and ideas to ensure you're delivering the best customer service!
 
 Learn the importance of thinking about design from a customer's perspective (obvious but rarely done well) and how policies are not the same as performance when looking after vulnerable customers. We also discuss how much your reputation is worth.
 
 Also, Jimmy is relaxing a bit now. Nottingham Forest has another season in the Premier League, and James is celebrating finishing his audiobook. It's well worth a listen, or so he tells us.

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

Episode 29: Insights from Hugh Alley

If you have worked in a large organisation, you will have seen continuous improvement initiatives come and go with alarming regularity. Everybody knows continuous improvement is a good idea, yet few organizations can pull it off.

This week, we talked with Hugh Alley about why these initiatives fail and what organisations need to do differently to see them succeed. James tells his worst joke (to date), and we discover why most managers cause continuous improvement initiatives to fail.

To find out more:

 Web Sites:

 Mike Rother’s Kata Website - Free resources and background to help you get started.

Kata School UK – LinkedIn – Gemma Jones and Ann Hill. Interesting research and excellent practice in the UK and worldwide. 

 Kata School Cascadia - The most active kata school in the world right now, based in the Pacific Northwest of North America.

 Books:

 Bringing Scientific Thinking to Life – Sylvain Landry – an excellent introduction to the thinking process of Toyota Kata and why it is useful - Start here.

The Toyota Kata Practice Guide – Mike Rother – the definitive “how to” guide is the essential reference on the process of doing Toyota Kata

Giving Wings to Her Team – Tilo Schwarz and Jeff Liker – a novel describing how one young manager learns to do Toyota Kata and saves her plant from being closed. It’s a long book but an engaging read, so worth it.

Toyota Kata Memory Jogger – Jean-Marc Legentil, Marc-Olivier Legentil, Tilo Schwarz – this practical pocket guide breaks down all the steps in great detail. 

Toyota Kata Culture – Mike Rother, Gerd Aulinger – a great guide to how the Toyota Kata can be used up and down an organization, showing how corporate strategy can be driven down to the production floor while still leaving lots of room for creative problem-solving and difficult challenges

And, of course, you can always contact us at jimmy@ajobdonewell.com and james@ajobdonewell.com 

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

Episode 28 - Being made redundant is a possibility that we all may face. It's one of the most challenging experiences in our working lives. In our discussions, we share insights and personal experiences about the highs and lows encountered, how we've coped, and strategies that have enabled us to survive and prosper after redundancy.

The taboos linked with redundancy and the feelings this generates are still not discussed openly enough. By examining this, we hope some of our experiences will either resonate with you or help you prepare for when the experience happens to you.

Useful resources include

Acas—Acas gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules, and best practices. It also offers training and helps to resolve disputes.

Mind— Free mental health support for adults in England and the Channel Islands.

Mental health - NHS—Information and support for your mental health.

Samaritans—Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

Are you grappling with one of the most formidable leadership challenges? At some point in our careers, we must navigate the complexities of guiding a team through redundancy. There are numerous scenarios and types of programmes, from wholesale organizational failures to individual exits, and each has its nuances. However, a constant throughout is the critical role of leading people and teams effectively during this time. It can profoundly affect individuals' lives and their perception of you as a leader.
 
 Today, our favourite leadership expert, Amanda Gilbert, is here as we discuss our experiences and offer our top insights and strategies for addressing this challenge to ensure the best possible outcomes for you, your organization, and, most importantly, your team.
 
 If you need any help with leading teams through redundancy, please get in touch at Jimmy@ajobdonewell.com or James@ajobdonewell.com

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

Were you taught how to manage the work? 
 
 We are all trained on the technical aspects of a job and the leadership of a team, but we are rarely taught how to manage the actual work. Managing work is vital whether you're a first-line manager or running the country! To provide valuable insights on the best way to manage and improve your teams and their work, we are lucky to have Hugh Alley, a successful author who has trained over 1,000 supervisors in his time, as this week's guest.
 
 Hugh shares the background and structure of 'Training Within Industry', which has the potential to dramatically improve team performance.
 
 Enjoy this conversation with Hugh, and you will join us in wondering why nobody taught us this before.

Find out more from Hugh's books, Becoming the Supervisor or The TWI Memory Jogger, or drop us a note at jimmy@ajobdonewell.com or james@ajobdonewell.com

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

Episode 25: Today, we start a series of episodes focused on answering the critical question –What Is the State of Customer Experience Today? 

As 81% of the UK's economic output comes from the service industry, understanding how to improve customer experience has never been more important.  Every few weeks, we will be asking guests for their perspectives on the following questions:
 
 What's the state of customer experience?
 Why do you think that?
 Who provides a good customer experience?
 How would you improve the customers' experience?

To kick things off, we will give our perspectives on these questions. Unsurprisingly, we don't always agree.

This series will provide engaging, entertaining discussions and helpful insights that you can use to improve your performance and enjoyment of work.

Please let us know what you think by contacting jimmy@ajobdonewell.com or james@ajobdonewell.com

Useful links

UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) ⋆ Institute of Customer Service

What do customers want from contact centers | McKinsey

Poor customer service costs UK firms billions – so why can’t they get it right? | Consumer affairs | The Guardian

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Episode 24 – Every organisation relies on others to be successful, so this week, we discussed: 

• The importance of suppliers in delivering on your purpose, strategy and performance. 
• Why most organisations create relationships with their suppliers that don't work for either party.
• Our seven golden rules for turning 'suppliers' into 'partners'.

Follow these' rules' to unlock value, performance, and innovation and create a better working environment. You will always be hamstrung trying to deliver to your customers without them, so create mutually satisfying relationships.

Do you still need help? Get in touch at www.ajobdonewell.com

Got a question - get in touch. Click here.

This week, we talk with our resident Learning and Development Guru, Amanda Gilbert, about Emotional Intelligence (EQ). What is it? Why should you use it? What are the risks associated with using it?  and importantly, how can you develop it?
 
 Jimmy was put out by Rishi Sunak's lack of EQ when he trashed the credibility of his favourite trainers. James struggled to see the problem (he still can't spell empathy). Amanda just rolled her eyes and continued to share her wisdom on the subject
 
 If you've ever wondered about what EQ is and want to learn how to understand and  develop yours - so you can improve your relationships and your leadership capability... listen on.
 
 Sources and extra material are available at our website www.ajobdonewell.com

If you've got any questions, comments or need help developing your or your team's EQ then get in touch!

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