Shona Garner

9 Reasons Most Staff Engagement Surveys Don’t Work – And Some Tips To Get Them Right!

Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner Have you ever used a staff survey to gauge what your people feel about where they work? Do you have low morale, or people issues which you suspect are holding back performance and ultimately, your results? Those of... Read >

Becoming A Confident Manager: 5 Tips To Help You Become More Confident In Any Situation

Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner How confident are you as a manager? What situations make you feel a little unsure, uncomfortable or less confident about how to handle? For the new manager, being thrust into suddenly having responsibility for achi... Read >

How Do I Give Constructive Feedback Without De-Motivating Someone?

Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner I get a number of common questions asked of me as I work with managers in all sorts of businesses, and one of the most frequent questions I get asked is: ?How do I criticise someone?s performance without de-motivating th... Read >

Five Common Mistakes Managers Can Make Which Kill Morale, Motivation And Engagement

Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner What is morale like in your organisation? What is morale like in your team? And if an organisation is facing a lot of tough challenges, restructuring, or jobs are under pressure, is it possible to maintain strong m... Read >

Talent Management - What Every Manager Needs To Know About Talent Before They Manage It!

Copyright (c) 2010 Shona Garner There's much talk of talent management in organisations these days, and HR and L & D departments wrestle with the most effective way of developing a talent management programme which truly delivers the required outcomes.... Read >

Creating Positive Corporate Culture Change – Why The Manager’s Role Is So Critical

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner What does the word 'culture' mean to you? If someone asked you to describe the culture of your team or organization, how would you answer them? Not sure how you'd answer? Maybe you've never really thought about it ... Read >

Emotional Intelligence And Leadership – Part Two

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner Emotional Intelligence skill number 2: Self control. There is a well-known proverb: act in haste, repent at leisure. We all do it sometimes: when we are under pressure we can often feel frustrated, upset, annoyed o... Read >

People skills training for managers - can you afford not to?

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner OK, so I have a vested interest. Yes, I am a trainer and coach - and yes, I increasingly find myself helping managers hone their people skills. But when I started out in coaching and training I hadn't particularly decide... Read >

Why increasing your emotional intelligence will increase your success as a manager

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner When you become a manager, is it your IQ, your technical skills and your knowledge of the industry you're in which is paramount ' or your ability to influence, inspire and engage others? Or do they both matter equally? ... Read >

How to manage change effectively

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner Part 1 - The human face of change What changes are you going through in your organisation at the moment? Re-structuring? Shedding staff? Asking staff to work reduced hours? Changing processes? Changing environments an... Read >

How managers can reduce gossip, politics, blame and moaning in their team

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner How managers can reduce gossip, politics, blame and moaning in their team. Do you ever think if your staff put even half the same energy into more productive and focused discussion and behaviour you'd be getting a dar... Read >

How To Select The Right Person For The Role 5 Top Tips For New Managers

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner You've heard the expression, "square peg, round hole". We have all, I'm sure experienced a situation where someone in a team simply does not seem to "fit in". From your perspective as a manager, at best, this can cau... Read >

Can a Manager Create a Motivated, Conflict-free Team?

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner Two of the most common challenges a manager has are: 1. How do I motivate my staff to want to do more? 2. How do I prevent in-fighting and tension, so I've got more time to focus on getting the job done? I find m... Read >

How Honing Four Critical Skills Can Make You A "Great" Manager"

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner So, you made it to the exalted rank of manager? Congratulations! Your skills, knowledge, experience and talent have likely played a large part in helping you carve out your path up the promotion ladder, and you may... Read >

How to Maintain Motivation through Unsettling Change

Copyright (c) 2009 Shona Garner As a manager you need to get good at motivating others - but never more so than when your staff might be worrying about their jobs, about restructuring or other major changes to their work. The present business climat... Read >