part0010

D o you know people who want to talk even if they are not supposed to? Do you ever think of giving them your piece of mind? Do you get irritated when they need not talk so that a meeting can end? Do you think that they degrade you by explaining to you the nitty-gritty details, which are usually a repetition? Do you think you could be that kind of person yet you do not know?

We at most times are taken into that kind of thinking about others and forgetting it could be us. It is common with those in leadership who think that they are supposed to talk and talk and talk. Oh no! Your audience is so bored with you over talking though they might not tell it to your face.

I was once that kind of person who loved to share each and everything in my mind about a subject being discussed. I knew many people would get pissed off and others liked the freshness of ideas that would flow from me. If you are a victim, you need to sit back, reflect and analyse needs to change or not. The time I started controlling my "sweet tooth" that is when I realised that some people were talking for lack of a better word "nonsense" while others had very good insights. I loved that and kept asking myself whether I was a nonsense as well, in my too much talking.

Sometime back in 2007, during one of the retreats I was attending, after I had done a presentation. The facilitator told me "Patrick I know you want to respond to these comments, but just shut up and listen to their feedback”. That is when I started the journey of being conscious about my talking though it did not just happen overnight. It has been on and off and at times, I cannot get it off.

Do you have someone that can give you a reality check you would heed to and start the journey of change in your life? Do not be defensive when given such feedback. Take it in good faith and you will be taken seriously.

Make sure that you write down what you want to communicate or say in a meeting you have to make a presentation. I have found it interesting to write a speech that I or any other person can read and everyone understands without further explanations. This means you need to know the interest of your audience. The write up will help you skip what you think might not be of value for you to emphasize at that time and the participants can refer to it in their free time.

In addition, you might be in a meeting and after speaking, you are asked questions that need to be responded to. I have found that it is better that you outline your response in a notebook, which you will follow. Make sure that you stick to the points outlined other than just speaking freely off head as you process the responses.

Before you start to make a presentation, if time is not allocated for you, ask? This makes you know that you have to condense whatever you want to share within that timeline. Be disciplined enough to adhere to the time given to you.

In our Ugandan setting, we think that it is rude for people to walk away. You tell them you would use only five minutes to talk but you end up exceeding to thirty minutes. We usually find it disrespectful. I would rather tell the people to walk away if my time is up than be ashamed by their actions thereafter. It is of value to finish within the set time. I have heard that the founder of Facebook holds his staff meeting in a cold room so that a ten (10) minutes meeting should be so. I do not know how true that is but it reflects the value of time keeping as it reveals the extremes people go to keep time.

Have a timer of your own. It is unfortunate that we have relegated phones to be our wristwatches and we have become even worse at time keeping with this. If you are to sample ten people, you might find about two with a wristwatch. How effective will you keep time? Sometimes you will, though most times you will not.

Another technique I have used is that I share my presentations in advance to a meeting especially if they are routine meetings. I only concentrate on issues that are emerging than going through the whole presentation.

All in all, whenever you speak, be clear, straight to the point, give the necessary details and clarify where need be. It will help to create a positive image as they will look at you as one who is not talkative but quiet and sensible.

Scovia: My brother Obita , thanks a million. The area you handled may be rare but [it is] critical. I don't want to lose this piece. Where should I keep it? Apoyo [Acholi dialect meaning “Thank you”]‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

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Patrick Obita: @Scovia and Lillian , thank you. Watch the space, as I will compile that and other articles in two years' time in what will be titled "The Conversations of The Managers". It will be in the first series, as others will follow that.

Joseph: Very important piece Mr . Ayiga . This relates very well with the important notes we share here on the Forum and other WhatsApp groups. Do you people realise one needs a note book for some of the knowledge passed on here? I realised I was missing good information from this and other forums because my head was not good enough to keep memory of it all. I would read and realise the information is vital and scroll it up. Off it would go. Thank God I take some notes now.

Patrick Obita: True Joseph that is the way to go. One other way I do for the important notes I need like on WhatsApp, I copy them and email it to my inbox. With this, I also don't miss out on what I will refer to later.

Patrick Obita: Learning never stops.

Scovia‬: Thanks, good people. Am learning serious information management.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Lillian: Thanks Patrick , but [for] me, I can't give 100% attention if [I] am doing [the] listening and writing. When [it] comes to writing minutes of [a] meeting or an educative event, I do record then I replay [it] in my free time. Yes, copying isn't good because we might not need the same exact words noted by a friend‬‬.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Enos : Patrick . [This is a] Well narrated and researched piece. Thanks.

Eunice : Thanks Patrick for the sobering piece. I am going to practice.

Joel : Thanks Patrick . The essence is spot on.

Dorcus : Thanks Patrick . I have been blessed.

M ost of us in our early years or already on our journeys of employment have had nasty experiences in settling into the job routine. We have heard statements like "We also learnt the hard way and so you will learn", "Don't worry, that is how it is done here", "Just do what you think is right", etc.

That is so discouraging for someone new to a position, which has its own expectations and ways of doing business. The person taking over might not be well versed with the entire work processes and operations in the beginning. This notwithstanding, they acquired the job and you believe in their capabilities and potential.

Do we even realize the disadvantages we bring into the organization or company and within the staff? These are in the form of discouragement, frustration, stress, poor performance, messing up with critical issues, inaction, long time to settle in, etc. Why don't we look at the advantages of doing this right?

Some of the reasons or excuses we usually give include; a busy schedule, a lot of work, we have not planned for it, the job is technical yet am a Manager and not part of the technical team, the Human Resource department should have done so, it’s not a managerial position, it’s a waste of time, what do I have to orient them on, etc. It does not matter the reasons or excuses you might have, the bottom line is a new staff needs to be thoroughly oriented on what the new job has in stock for them.

Orientation does not exclude certain job categories however simple they seem to look. What is simple for you might not be the same to the other person. Orient everyone posted to your duty station right from the cleaner to the topmost.

Unfortunately, most organisations concentrate on orienting the top layers of the organisational leadership and leaving the lower ones to sort themselves. Do they think that the top positions are the only critical ones within the organisation? I do not think so. What does it profit an organisation that the top leadership are well oriented and yet the ones that soil their hands with the dirt to achieve the results are not?

The role of a Manager or Leader is to ensure that there is a schedule for orientation both on the technical and operational aspects of the job. On the technical bit, I am referring to the project one has to undertake and on the operational context, organizational processes and systems, introduction to the team amongst others.

Have a write-up of what you want the new staff to know. The write-up goes into details of what you think are vital for them to have and know in order to adapt to the job routine. These form good reading and analysis of what the organisation does.

In addition, make sure you avail to the staff the critical documents they need to know and understand. You can give them the soft or hard copies depending on your situation and resources. These act as their references. These documents may include project documents like the design, work plan, budgets, strategic plans, policies and guidelines, etc.

Schedule about two weeks or more where you will have to continuously discuss with the staff the documents you give to them. Let them share what they need to know that was not well understood. Together with the staff come up with a schedule to discuss each document and they should have read them before the discussions take place.

Make sure that on arrival to the work place, the first thing to do with the staff is to sit them down and chat with them in order to understand each other well. Ask questions to know their expectations, fears, career projection, and any innovative ideas they might be having. Tell them how you work, the culture, organisational expectations, the dos and don’ts amongst others. It helps when you understand how best you can support them in their roles and responsibilities for the desired success needed.

In addition, develop the questions before hand and modify them to suit the person you are having with the conversations. This helps you not to forget what you want to know from the staff. As you do this, provide them with the environment to ask all the questions. It shows the new staff that you are organised and systematic in what you do. No one wants a disorganized Leader or Manager.

Introduce them to every staff member and their roles. As you do this, inform the head of each department to orient the new staff about their systems and processes because they are the ones he or she will mostly work with directly. Make sure that they have these orientations, as they will even know more about the mandates of the different departments or units. Follow up the heads of the departments and the new staff to find out whether they completed the orientation.

In addition, the different staff should be tasked to introduce the new members to the different partners or stakeholders they work with. They ought to take them to the field where the actual work is done in order to meet the beneficiaries or customers.

Ensure that they have access to you whenever they need support about anything concerning their work. Thus, have an open-door policy to foster this and not only during the orientation but throughout their work time.

They need to do a lot of reading in the first two weeks and therefore ensure that they are not engaged a lot in the operations. Taking time to understand the foundational information is vital for efficiency and effectiveness of the new addition to the team.

For over twelve years, I was managed and managed others; I have seen what it means for a new staff to start well. Even though the staff member has been within the organisation and once transferred to your work place, they also need orientation.

Phoebe : Thank you Patrick for the Orientation piece. [This is] very insightful.

Patrick Obita: You are welcome Phoebe .

Fred : Thanks Patrick . [This is a] Powerful and experience informed write up. [A] Must adopt for all people Resource Managers...

Patrick Obita: It is a pleasure Fred .

Sarah : Thanks Patrick for sharing, the article is very insightful. What comes to mind is that orientation is very critical and should be inbuilt in our schedule more especially if it is not provided for your organisation. I find that it enhances the person's productivity and getting on board faster rather than leaving things to chance. [While] Looking back on one particular work place I see that part of my frustration in a place I once worked at was I was left to figure out things for myself (which is not bad in itself) and nothing seemed to be straightforward. I see that orientation would have made a difference. Upfront you're doing your best to do excel yet privately you're struggling and it's not always that your colleagues will be that forthcoming. As Managers, we have to make conscious effort and be intentional.

Patrick Obita: You are welcome Sarah .

Even in organisations with inbuilt orientation system, it is not done immediately and when it is done, the staff member sees it as a waste of time because they now know most of the things.

Emmanuel : [This is] Well-articulated and on point especially for my position at the new work place.

Patrick Obita: I wish you all the best in applying some of the [best] practices, Emmanuel .

Jesse : Patrick long live. Thanks Patrick .‬ ‬

Patrick Obita: Thanks Jesse .

Pauson : "There is no better way to welcome a new staff than through having a thorough and organised orientation for them." Ayiga Patrick Obita ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Patrick Obita: [That is] Great Pauson .

Jesse : Thanks, Pauson . You guys are so great at sharing knowledge.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Blessings...‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Dorcus : A lot of learning. Thanks.

Michael : @Patrick , on your topic, I have made it a point to debrief all new members joining the team. This I have noted to have positive impact on the performance of the different individual. The talk focuses on both performance expectation, but mostly I tend to put emphasis on the personal growth, the long-term implications of different day-to-day issues.

Patrick Obita: Managers, one of the things I have realised that we need is to renew our minds and knowledge constantly. Yet you find that we do not do so. The most important method you can use is to read, read and read and read more. The question is why some of us do not do so. I am feeling compelled to share with you some of the practices we can use to improve this. As a result, allow me to put it as one of the topics that we shall discuss.

Patrick Obita: Good morning Managers. Just extending my love by saying hi and hope it takes you through the day knowing that I appreciate your determination to be a Leader and Manager with distinction at your place of work and dwelling.

I n 2008, I was attending a National AIDS workshop where Fountain Publishers were among the exhibitors during that event. As I moved around the exhibition place to the Fountain Publisher's stall, I bought four books. The staff of Fountain Publishers were surprised to know that I read books and to buy all four at a go. I was rewarded with a discount of 20% off any book they publish in case I wanted to buy. I actually used this offer for a while much as I have now taken long without going back. I do not know whether my offer still stands or not.

However, reading from one of the books I bought once helped me to get a group in a community gathering in Aboke Sub County, Oyam District in Northern Uganda to calm down and listen to what we had come to do. The people were agitated because there was no lunch and yet the program had to continue. A hungry person is an angry one. So, you need a lot to convince them to listen to you and your team in such a situation. At the end of the activity, the others I came with remarked, "You are a politician". However, I was just informed. That is all. It was because of my reading habits!

So why do we hear "knowledge is power" and yet most accurate and factual knowledge is usually written down? It makes me even feel sadder when respectful persons say that "if you want to hide something from an African, put it in writing". Moreover, we happily go on with such a mind-set instead of counteracting it with the improvement of our reading. You might find that the person saying so does not even read. So sad indeed!

Therefore, when I say reading, do not confuse it with reading for your examinations or a deadline you need to meet. However, the involuntary habit of reading on your own without any strings attached. I know that beginning something is usually not easy, the reading habit inclusive.

Just read, read, read and read more what is in front of you. It could be reports, magazines, books, newspapers, etc. and this does not mean you should skim over them. Forcing yourself to read will keep you going on in your reading path.

Start by reading small volume books and when you complete them, you will be motivated to read others. It will then lead to bigger and bigger volumes. This will help you not lose interest that comes from failure to read until the last book page.

Use anything to mark off where you have stopped reading so that when you return, you start from where you stopped. This can be a pen mark, thread, folding the page, use of grass, etc.

Very important is to have someone who can follow you up in the form of an accountability partner. You know most times if we are forced to do something in order to avoid explaining why we did not do so and so, we actually do it. This will set you on that reading path.

I usually travel in public and private means and in most cases, I hardly see anyone with a book. To avoid wasting time, most especially long journeys, move around with a book so that any spare time you have, you flip open the pages and off you go reading.

Finally, and in addition to the above, share with others, the knowledge you have acquired through reading. You will feel motivated that you know something the others do not know and hence the impetus to read more and be ahead of them.

In conclusion, the more you read, the faster you get at reading. You will find yourself finishing books faster than you thought you could not and hence acquire more and more knowledge that when you put it into practice then it will be powerful.

Innocent : Obex [Obita ], this is nice! Personally, I set a target last month (July) to read two chapters a day. One in the Bible and another in my gift book "The success Principles" . [I] Am very sure I read 25 chapters in the Bible and 25 in the other book. What I realised is some chapters were longer/shorter than others in the two books. This month [I] am shifting the target to 45 minutes for any book and 20 minutes for the Bible. This includes 5-10 minutes of reflection on what is read.

Patrick Obita: The higher you go as a Leader the more you need to read. There is no way out and hence the earlier you practice and perfect your reading habits the better your leadership with distinction.

Enos : Good targets to copy. Thanks for the inspiration.

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Rosette : Innocent , those are good goals you have set for yourself.

Peluth : Thanks Patrick for awakenings us. We need to develop our reading culture. I remember our school days saying, "Learning to read or reading to learn". As a Manager, you can choose where to beginning depending on where you are now.

Patrick Obita: [That is] Great Peluth and the best time is NOW for all of us. Innocent thanks for the share on what you are doing.

I n life discouragement comes from people closest to you, those far away, friends, relatives, and peers, those in the background, haters or events amongst others in short from all corners. You cannot do away with it because it is part of life.

Stay clear of discouragers if you want to succeed in whatever you do. Know that you cannot do anything about them. Identify your strong points and run as fast as you can.

Josephine : Thank you for sharing.

Herbert : Thank you Patrick .

Patrick Obita: Welcome @Josephine and Herbert .

W e have heard a lot of sayings like "I trust him or her", "He or she can't let me down", "He or she will get through for me", etc. What all these statements say is that there is trust. However, in this age and era, we are having a lesser and lesser number of people who are trustworthy and even live it and most especially at the workplace or businesses amongst others.

The most common and profound question being asked nowadays is, "what can we do to get trustworthy people?” This is a challenge for you and me. It requires us to look deep inside ourselves and intentionally decide to nurture trust in our lives and those around us.

Being left in the dark about what is going in the organisation or your workplace is one of the breakers of trust. It includes not being involved or provided with information of the happenings. This is even worse when it gets to those in the lower ranks. Why? [This is] because, those higher, share the information among themselves. Therefore, it is better you share as much information as you can with those under you. In so doing, you will be taken to be someone they can share with and call upon when they need support hence, having their trust.

I have been, and observed at workplaces in which the Leader or Manager never interacts with their juniors because they believe that they will be compromised. How then will you build rapport, which is a major factor to have trust? People want to know that you are human just like them; you can also make mistakes and when you do, you can be remorseful. This human face in your actions will create trust with your team members.

Another aspect is to be involved in the on-going of the lives of your workmates. These include birthdays, weddings, death of loved ones, etc. Get to know them a little better than you do as well as them getting to know you also. Just being there genuinely has many ripple effects in them trusting you. Showing empathy and care is what they really need especially in knowing you were there for them when they needed your support most. With this knowledge, you are better placed in making decisions, which can take the needs of the staff as priority.

As a Leader and Manager, one of your primary roles is to be the father or mother head of your team. This means that you are there to protect them from external forces and build their self-worth. When they know that you defend them instead of letting them be devoured by the external forces, you will be trusted as a good Leader. Your pay back will be their loyalty and high work performance. Which Leader would not like that? I do not know if any exist.

Another approach is practising effective delegation. Give powers and authority to your juniors as a way of empowering them grow in their careers. Use hands off but eyes and ears on. Allow them make mistakes, as it is a learning platform. This leads most times to innovativeness and creativity that you never even thought possible. Not everyone likes being given responsibility but then they cannot make their own decisions. Believe that they will pull it off and they will know you believe in their abilities.

Everyone and most importantly Leaders of today need trust. However, it will not be delivered to you on a silver platter. You need to intentionally WORK at gaining and maintaining it. Your legacy will outlive your stay in that workplace. Do you want to leave a positive or negative legacy? The ball is in your coat, play it rightly.

Jane : Thanks Patrick . Good piece on building trust.

Patrick Obita: You are welcome Jane .

Eunice : Thanks Patrick , very useful insights.

Patrick Obita: @Eunice , [you are] welcome.

Peluth : Thanks Patrick . Some new insights I have learnt and will put in practice.

Patrick Obita: You are welcome Peluth for the learning and the will to put it in practice.

I was once training Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and none was taking notes with the note books and pens they were given. I asked why they were not taking notes and I they told that everything I said was being stored in their heads. Whether that was true or not, your guess is as good as mine is. There was nothing I could do as most of them did not go to school and so didn't know how to write. While others were very slow at writing. Thus, I believe, they had to train their brains to take in as much as they can memorise.

A second scenario was when I was in the District Education Officer's (DEO) office in one of the districts I worked in. A person working with some NGO came in and started telling the DEO about the plans that their organization was going to implement. Therefore, as this person kept talking, the DEO was intently listening and internalising whatever he was being told.

However, he felt uncomfortable that the DEO was not taking any notes yet what he was saying was important. He then told the DEO, "You are not writing and you might forget what I am telling you". The DEO told the man "Isn't this and this that you have been telling me. Young man, just go on and tell me what has brought you, I do not need to write them because I have memorised them". Woo how good a memory he had!

Nonetheless, not all of us are good at memorising like some of those people I have ever interacted with above. It is an art that you have to develop yet not many of us can fully develop it that efficiently and effectively to help us do our work well. I have been in places or meetings and I often observe people comfortably listening without taking any note for reference. You may even have the Manager taking notes while the subordinates just sit and look on. To me, that is being very unserious.

So why don’t we like taking notes? Do we even know how much information we are losing? Do we know how ineffective we are in making informed decisions? Don't we know that we end up writing poor quality reports that dent our reputation and image? At the end of the day you are seen to be very unserious.

Some of the reasons or excuses for not taking notes include; I have no pen or note book, I dislike writing, I don't need to write a report, the meeting / workshop / event is not serious or important, this is not in line with my work, it is personal, no one believes in me and so I don't care, my note book is finished, I forgot to carry my note book, the report will be sent, there is a minute taker or rapporteur, etc. Please don't get bogged by these excuses take action to revert the bad habit you have of not taking notes. The notes you take are not for others but for your own good.

I ensure that notebooks are procured and kept in the store. Then everyone (all staff even the driver) requests from the store. In this situation, there is no excuse that there are no notebooks and so I cannot take notes.

I make sure every staff gets a notebook. In case of new staff members, the first thing they get is a notebook and pen to take down what we are discussing during orientation. I tell them the importance of taking notes and what I expect from them whenever they are involved in any activity.

In addition, you are supposed to produce a report after each activity. However, you cannot write a good report when you have not taken notes and so you are compelled to do so.

As a leader, I act as a role model by making sure [that] I take my own notes even if I have [or had] the authority to get a written report from an assigned note taker [or staff]. This I have seen to infuse into the team members to take notes and take it seriously.

Carry a notebook and a pen wherever you go, as you never know when it will come in handy. This also helps you put down some of your important thoughts as you think about them. Do not leave your notebook and pen behind even if you are sure you will have writing material provided. Being prepared for any eventuality is better off than not.

In case a staff member does not have a note book while you are in a meeting, request them to get their notebook first before you proceed. In this way, you send a signal to the others that you value note taking and they will take it seriously.

Ensure that you use one notebook for all your meetings. This is vital for you to keep your records. It motivates you to easily refer to past notes than when you start looking for the notebook where you took the notes among the many you use. So even when notebooks are provided in a meeting or workshop, use your own notebook and keep that given to you for another time.

An experience that you will go through because of the notes taking habit you had will lead others to take it seriously. We once had an audit and because of the notes I had taken, I reproduced it as evidence and everyone was happy and they started doing it as well. This shows that experience is the best teacher because it was shared.

Take that note whether it is not of significance now or not. Regardless of that fact, it will be in the future. Do not regret when you could have done it from the beginning. This is what will put you at another level. This can affect the CV you write because you do not remember everything you did that need to be included. This is to show that taking notes is necessary and not when you feel like.

Angella : I am always in just looking through the posts but [I] have really learnt a lot. Thank you so much guys.

Patrick Obita: You are welcome Angella .

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