part0013

“The Manager” is a place for providing information or advice to the situations that are being faced by the Managers at their workplaces. It helps them to go around the issue in the best possible way. Therefore, this section is for those scenarios that were shared by the Managers seeking for solutions about how to go around them.

The situation you are in might not be worse than what others are going through. You might think that your situation is the worst, yet someone is saying that they wish they were in your position. Read this below for that encouragement.

Patrick Obita: I have remembered a story that I read from a book I am currently reading. A man worked for one year, giving it his all so that he could be promoted to a certain position. He then received a phone call that he would not be considered. He felt downcast thinking of the little money he was going to be having as it was to continue for another year. As he told his wife as they walked down the street, he stopped and shouted, “Why me?” The small house, old clothes and no money. As he was saying this, a homeless man as he passed him said, "I wished I had that man's problems". At this, he realised that he needed to appreciate what he had like a house to go back to, a loving wife, a job that paid his bills, etc. So even us, let us be content with what we have than what others have.

Robert : Good day Managers, but I have a question, my staff are distant. They all stay in different borders of East Africa and I only meet them all together once in six months. What can I do to have a best team? Note: I only speak to them through email and on phone‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Kevin ‬: Very nice one Robert !‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Eunice : Good Morning Managers. Robert, I appreciate your challenge but maybe add Skype where you get to see each other.

Gilbert: Robert , for sure, Skype is better, when we have to share experience at once on Skype meetings not these things of asking one person at a time.

Helen: Thank you Eunice ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Then you have to invest in systems to track outputs within realistic deadlines. A performance management system is inevitable and like Eunice has suggested a weekly designated Skype conference and a WhatsApp group can all bring you close.

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Asaph : Well, in addition to Skype and the weekly call you may need to put in place a dashboard‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬. Let the dashboard capture their day-to-day performance and updates‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬. Interact with individuals but also interactive with their performance daily... [I am] just thinking‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Joy : How about having a schedule bi - annual staff retreat. 5-7 days to plan and also take stock of the team’s progress. This should be punctuated with various co-curricular activities, dinners, games etc.

Patrick Obita: Robert to add my voice, when you meet physically you could do a sacred friend game for team building. If you do not know the methodology, I can run you through.

Robert: Thank you sir. Please could you elaborate about the sacred friend methodology?

Patrick Obita: Robert , the sacred friend methodology involves writing the names of all your team and you inclusive on small pieces of paper. Each name is rolled up into a ball so that you cannot see the name written in it. These are then put together and each one picks a paper representing a person. In case a person picks his or her name, they return it and they pick another one. Make sure that no one shares the name to anyone of whom they have picked.

After that, they look out for a present / gift to give to that person. You may then come together to exchange the gifts. You could sing or put on music while one-person volunteers to start taking his gift to his sacred friend. It should be done in a fun way. You could actually fake someone that it is his or her gift and when they think, it is theirs you take it away and you continue with others until you give it to the right person.

After everyone has received his or her gift, you can open it together. Note: everyone needs to be present when you are going to do it. The gift buying makes one think about what the other person wants or likes which means you need to take time to study your sacred friend. But all in all, remember a gift is a gift.

Luba ‬: [I] Am updating my list of sacred friends. Thanks, Obita for sharing that methodology‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Daphne : Dan , I hear sacred friends. Ha-ha.

Daphne : Ha-ha. Dan . [You are] As stubborn as always.

Bruce : Greetings team. May be a twist in managing downwards I needed some key points to consider in managing upwards that is as Managers sometimes we ought to effectively manage our supervisors as well. Thank you.‬

Patrick Obita: Eh Bruce , you make me remember a community man who said we need not only [give] feedback but also [get] feed forward. [That is a] Good question.

Bruce : Patrick that was interesting.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Patrick Obita: Bruce , [I] just wanted more clarity. In what aspect do you want to manage your supervisor? Too much requests that are needed immediately; too much delegation; too much phone calls; giving you assignments after working hours and weekends; etc. I think we need to be specific in an area than being general. What is your take?

Bruce ‬: Ok. For now, I am considering too much requests needed immediately and at times when a role held is in a matrix of lead and technical supervisors.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Patrick Obita: Firstly, if your supervisor keeps asking regular work information, ensure you have an M&E system that tracks the information that you can easily retract and send.

Share with your supervisor your to do list at the beginning of the week so that they know what you have to do during that period of time. You may also tell the supervisor to send in what they would like you to do for them during the week. It can help him or her to be systematic when dealing with you.

Call him or her, whenever a request is sent needing something very urgent and tell him or her, your stand and when you can give it to him/her. You might find whatever they need is not urgent yet your work is being grossly affected.

Enos : But one thing I know is we do not have difficult Managers, rather Managers with difficulties. That is the aspect that we deal with. And dealing with say too much assignment from him/her. I find regular updates of the assigned work progress are vital. Make a weekly work plan that you can share with your supervisor. Prioritize it with him or her. And put emphasis on time lines. Be able to delegate some work to your juniors. Have meetings and agree on the way forward. It strengthens relationships. Have a clean table culture......

Bruce ‬: [These are] Great learning picked so far.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Thank you Patrick . Thank you Enos ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬. And I think your personality also matter, the way you as an employee does things forces your Manager to be difficult or simple. Take an example when you delegate responsibilities to your staff, in that case, you must follow up with a phone call and some others you will not need to call them because you know they can do it better.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Michael : I think Bruce has a genuine concern here. As a good line Manager, many a times you are faced with two ended responsibilities. In addition, as one may critic your management style as lacking in an area or so, you may as well be that person another line Manager may have to deal with. Then as a group, trying to learn from one another on management challenges this may well be a good area of interest.

Daphne : Thank so much Patrick and Enos , [I have] been enlightened.

Michael : You may also need to develop skills to positively influence the top

While a business plan is a management tool that serves the purpose of helping an organisation, do a better job because a plan focuses on their energy, resources, time, outcomes, profits etc.

Innocent : I totally agree with you Eunice .

Eunice : In order to make the most of [the] strategic planning, your business, company or even you need to give careful thought to the strategic objectives it outlines, and then backup these goals with realistic, thoroughly researched, quantifiable benchmarks for evaluating results.

Luba ‬: True that, but you can have some qualitative benchmarks as well‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Patrick Obita: [I have] Just been having a wonderful training by Joan Mugenzi and Agatha Kisakye . One of the things I have learnt is we labour so much to come up with work plans and strategic plans for our organisations but as an individual we do not have our own personal strategic map. So, let us learn to implement the things we do in our Organisations in our personal lives. Just a question, how many of you have a written and detailed personal strategic map or plan? We would like to learn from you.

Enos : Patrick, I am a culprit here.

Patrick Obita: Imagine a very good accountant whose personal finances are horrible. Yet they do enforce very strict measures and expect spending based on the budget but they lack a personal budget. It is just an example. The accountants in the group do not eat me up.

Enos : I do strategic planning for this country's transport sector but never for my own. But if we investigate more, why don't we have this culture. There could more to find out why and with this, we could learn from our mistakes.

Patrick Obita: In my view Enos , we separate work from our lives yet these should be in tandem that we use them to improve our lives as we improve the lives of other people in the places we work.

Enos : Patrick , the parameters and measures to achieve plans by the two categories play a big role. Scarcity of resources would limit the options. The achievable goals may not be defined for families, so there nothing we are striving to achieve. Even the culture is poor.

Patrick Obita: So, why do we have that mentality to define the goals?

Denis : [For] Personal or organisational performance.

Enos : We live for today, and randomly; survival for the fittest.

Patrick Obita: Enos , I have been doing some write ups of my plans but I am going to develop a much more detailed one. Things like source of funding, accountable person and sources of funding for my own strategic plans and are able to monitor it just like monitoring the project deliverables.

Enos : You now have realised your mistakes and found the beauty of planning. Most of Africa’s lower units and companies do not celebrate their 3-10 birthdays due to living for survival, not goal oriented.

Patrick Obita: Enos . That is tight.

Enos : Till you see your door closed. Then you never learn. Sometimes we lack training on making choices. And start afresh.... ha-ha.

Luba ‬: Patrick , for me I have my strategic plan in my head; it is only that it is not on paper. You know dot com!‬

Rosette : Thanks Dennis . I agree we need to have what I call personal mission statements. This acts as a roadmap for your life. It shows you who you are, what you want to become and achieve in life.

Denis : I agree no more Rosette .

Rosette : Daniel, for it to be an effective strategic plan it must be in writing. NOT in your head.

Denis : [That is very] True. When documented it can easily be implemented by you, your children or wife in case you are not there to see your dreams or are engrossed in other ventures.

Innocent : Luba, fears that they could steal his plan.

Michael : My concern stretches a little beyond African companies not surviving beyond their first few birthdays, but the fact that there is no culture to pass on family craft; each one of us striving to start our own gig far from the previous generation, hence a luck of continuity and subsequent expertise to take our business units to competitive levels such as is in economies/civilizations to note.

Bake : Oh, another thing that bothers me is a contract for employees. I find it hard to include all the necessary clauses lest it becomes a book. I have engaged lawyers to do contracts for me but still I find them lacking some things. How do the rest of you do it to ensure both the employee and the employer is protected?

Eng. Geoffrey : @Bake , the best you can do is formulating a generic contract and leaving it open for additional responsibilities as required. Clauses can better be stipulated in employee manual.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Bake : That is what we have been doing. But situations keep arising where we find there is nothing in the contract to determine action. One time, I was taken to the labour court for unlawful termination. That is why, now I want to cover myself [Organisation] as much as I can.

Peluth : @Bake , have an employee manual with all clauses included and then ensure every new employee reads and signs to had read and understood. That is evidence. Then clearly indicate in the contract that other terms apply as included in the manual. This will cover you.

Daphne : I agree with Engineer Geoffrey. Otherwise, you will end up having a booklet. In the contract, you can add a phrase, which clearly refers to the employee manual and company code of conduct. That is why we need staff orientation immediately after appointment for a position. I too am learning.

Patrick Obita: @Emily , why not add some advice as well for Bake on his issue for contracts. You are our Specialist in the human resource sector.

Emily : Thanks Patrick . Bake , all you need is to have your employee manual aligned to the labour laws. And ensure that the staff members have access to it and sign having read the policies. Even for the contracts, all inclusion should be aligned to the employment act. For the start, if it is ok with you, I could look through your current contract and advice...free of charge.

Patrick Obita: Bake , catch up with Emily like yesterday.

Patrick Obita: Good morning Eunice . I am just thinking aloud. Why not take us through "How to Navigate and Manage Office Politics" today if you have time. I call upon others like Helen , Denis and Agnes to chip in as well.

Phoebe : That's a great topic about office politics. As an international student here, I keep changing jobs per semester. My recent summer job is very political and racial. I thought about quitting more than once, I am the only person with my skin colour and two people out of 6 simply cannot stand this skin colour. Anyway, I prayed asking God to change the situation in my favour:

God changed my attitude towards the situation. I started being more kind to the two ladies and did not mind about the cold shoulder I got several times, with consistency, they now changed their attitude, I know it is God at work.

I learnt to focus on the big picture and only what's important and relevant to my being here and at that work place. I chose to look at the positives around me, the four people who did not see a difference in humanity and the opportunity of employment.

Patrick Obita: Thanks Phoebe for those great insights. I like the way you handled the situation.

Innocent : There are two types of people.... The anchors; those that keep you stationed or pull you down. The motors; those that are in motion. Those that want to take you along or inspire you to move with them. So what type are you? What type do you associate with most?

Patrick Obita: Which of the two are good at office politics? The anchors or the motors? Why the answer?

Anthony : The motors, because they mentor, coach and wish others well. Martin Lwanga , Author of Organization politics and how to manage it, derived 21 principles. Managers you can have an overview, they are so interesting and inspiring.

Patrick Obita: Just give us some tips of the principles as we look out for the book in the bookstores.

Anthony : Rule 1: Master the politics of life that old elephant in the room, look at the good and ugly side of it, because it will determine your success or failure.

Charity : Old elephant???? Means…

Anthony : The determinant of promotions and sucking.

Charity : Oh, yes. Seen that kind that suck a staff just like that.

Anthony : You are spot on, learnt a lot from this book in 2010. So, Charity , do not be like the elephant.

Rule 3: Never upset the faith of the people you work with. Know Rules of Work place, rules of Rising in an organization, rules of managing bosses, rules of managing subordinates, rules of existing organizations. This is a summation Managers.

Patrick Obita: Woo Anthony, that was insightful and the book recommendation. I will surely look for it.

Helen : @Patrick, I was away in Lira with poor connection so I could not contribute to discussions yesterday. I have read the principles shared by Anthony . @Anthony thank you

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬Susan : Managers, how do you deal with a staff member in a key position say Finance department. Who always keeps his phone off and does not pick up his calls even when his phone is available. He comes to work late. I have talked to him but no improvement. Thank you.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Patrick Obita: Good morning Managers. This week is really business unusual with Susan kicking it off with a scenario. Thanks Susan and I know the team will give you valuable feedback.

Susan : I am sorry Patrick ; I got caught up with so many things. Sorry for being quiet for a while Managers.

Charity : The question could be what kind of talk did you have......?

Patrick Obita: @Susan , what matters is you follow up on the discussions. That is the greatest joy I get and it is a bonus when you contribute.

Dan : Two, these have been happening for long, that is, the employee's behaviour and the talking?

Susan : About the discussion,

Patrick Obita: Susan , your issue is in line with the topic we suggested, "Handling Difficult Employees".

Anthony : Susan , you and the staff are among difficult people.

Patrick Obita: Anthony , no negative vibe on this platform. Remember the rule of the fingers. One-finger points at the other with three pointing back to you and the thumb accusing God.

Anthony : All human beings are difficult. Do the following.

Eunice : Susan , one strategy is to document the incidents, what we lawyers call building a case.

Susan : Great, however, the way forward has been discussed with the person two times now. [However, there is] No change.

Anthony : 3. explain the JD again to the Accountant, and have some documentation for follow up and review of KPIs.

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Eng. Geoffrey : @Susan there is never a difficult employee. It is always the approach that matters. It is always important to have an objective and focused discussion.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Anthony : Remember some people take long to understand, others are quick to learn @Susan .

Susan : Right, personality matters any way.

Innocent : @Judith , tell them how exactly I handled you.

Judith ‬: @Innocent , we want what works across not for just some characters like mine, my personality can easily be guessed by mere looking at me‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Charity : 1. Have objective discussion.

Innocent : And I am asking myself how long each of you has served in the organization, and how long in your roles. It could be a scenario of a "historical" vs. "cadet".

Susan : Myself two years, for the person one year.

Patrick Obita: Great ideas flowing through. Let me also add some as well. These are situations we all face at least when working or even in our daily lives.

Susan : You are right Patrick , there are situations you can manage, but when it becomes a habit, it then becomes tricky for one.

Charity : What kind of Manager are you?

Susan : Great, I have had one on one with the staff member three times, warned him verbally two times, on e-mail twice. My next plan is to have him face a disciplinary that will form the basis of a warning letter. If he will not comply, then, it will be brought to the attention of the Board or dismiss him following the guideline in the policy.

Patrick Obita: Susan , get the organisational policy or guideline on handling staff discipline and read it thoroughly. You do not need to end up doing things the wrong way lest you are told you have personal issues with the staff.

I see where you are coming from as I was there when I started managing people. I thought talking will help and because we are adults, but nothing. Engage the gears and even those discussions need to be documented as Eunice said and filed.

Michael : I have been faced with a staff member who avoids calls. My observation is that at times we need to understand underlying causes. One of which I noted to be a competence gap.

Therefore, as a supervisor in such a case, find how to inspire confidence, reassurance, and empower. This way you try to excite the individual about the tasks at hand. Remember one posting on this platform about not achieving much under criticism and positive effects of honest feedback.

Susan : I appreciate all the suggestions made. I agree with all. But honestly, a thing to do with monthly reporting that one has been doing for all these periods. I have managed a number of staff. This seems to be difficult amidst support and friendly environment offered to him.

Michael : One of my favourite leadership quotes, ''A Leader does not have to teach people how to build a ship, but show them the endless beauty of the sea''

Has this always been that individual’s performance pattern, or it just dropped. If the first, then it is an issue of misplacement. If it is a drop, look for influencing factors e.g. family, health and peers.

Rosette : Susan , from both a legal and human resource perspective this is what I recommend.

Experience is that usually when you involve HR people take the issue seriously but also, he may have problems with managing his time or his personal life and HR can offer some coaching which will help him and all parties concerned.

Susan : Thank you very much Rosette . I will do this. You are very right; he seems to be having challenges managing his time. [This is] Great.

Agnes : But, besides, management is also about taking responsibility and not always striving to be "right". Patrick , being a Manager does not suggest supremacy.

Jane : My experience is simple, engage them always, assign them roles in programs not only finance and surely, they will catch up.

Anthony : Patrick thanks at not pointing fingers.

Phoebe : I believe in someone taking responsibility for his or her actions. As a Leader, one needs to be firm in the decisions she/he makes with complicated staff. The company's professional code of conduct needs to be used to avoid the blame games. Documentation of any communication is crucial.

Luba ‬: Thanks all for the discussion above. Let me add my voice to the submissions. We need to agree that we do not have difficult people but situations. If you start out on a wrong premise, you will end up with a wrong conclusion. As Managers and Leaders, we need to understand their personality and temperaments. No one is indeed difficult but how we perceive them.‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

From “The Manager” Facebook page, as Managers you are set to achieve some goals for the organization. In order to achieve these goals, there are roles and responsibilities of every staff and Managers. They can be 2, 3, 4...... of them. These roles and responsibilities are designed bearing in mind that the staff will perform them given the conditions they exist.

In most cases, exceptional conditions are understandable for the staff not to perform his or her roles and responsibilities. Therefore, the roles and responsibilities are the yardstick for which a staff will be termed difficult.

Danny ‬: You will at some point in your career find yourself reporting to a boss hell-bent on bullying you and making your work life miserable. How does one survive under such circumstances?

Peluth : @Danny , I have been in such a situation but you can actually make the boss to change. You need to clearly understand your key deliverables and ensure you achieve them within the time lines and expected quality. Understand the boss’s mood swings and approach him or her when in a good mood. Consult them because that is when they feel great. Inform them of your decisions and step. With time, the boss finds no fault to bring you down.

Samuel : Work yourself to the top and fire them!

Peluth : But also, as a person remain positive about your work and be optimistic.

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Peluth : True @Samuel .

Danny ‬: Some people can make life of others difficult‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Samuel : Value yourself and refuse to be manipulated, exploited and be taken for granted. When you know your worth, you will not be bulldozed around... and when you are secure in yourself as a Manager, you will not specialize in assault (hitting people in the head) while calling it leadership!

Susan : Hey, take the criticism positively and work towards achieving assigned responsibility with better results.

Helen : Sometimes the bad attitude is to get you out. It would be better to set your own goals and leave when you are ready.

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Danny ‬: It appears like every work place has such characters‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬. The best would be to work oneself to the top and improve the work environment for others.... but, how does one again work himself to the top with such an obstacle....‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Helen : Build your self-confidence and do not allow anyone to make you feel less. Know your worth and hold your head up.

Samuel : No one can step on your back unless YOU bend it!

Samuel : If he can't be friends with the people he leads, to me, he should resign today. Leadership is about people, about relationships. Management can handle administrative operations in line with systems, institutions and equipment. However, leadership at the core handles people through favourable relationships. Be friends with the people you lead or pave way for those who can.

Joel : Michael, I have nothing useful to add after this! Yes, if you cannot, pave way for those who can!

Michael : I once was at a seminar, where a case was being made for leaders being compromised by the level of friendship they share with those they lead.

Joel : Michael, the level and quality of friendship is what matters most... But genuine work-related friendships are very healthy and motivate teams to work harder and achieve organization goals!

Michael : Some submission included having meals separate. One of the rationales was that such Leaders find it hard shifting from ''carrot mode'' where a whip needs to be cracked.

Patrick Obita: Great discussions going on.

That for me was promoting Insecure Leadership. Take the story of Jesus and the Apostles and disciplines. He called them friends yet he was their master. They ate and drank from the same plate and cup respectively. So, was Jesus not a good leader? Didn't he rebuke Simon one time by telling him "you devil get behind me", Paul and Timothy, etc. in the Bible.

Therefore, being friends with your workmates is not a bad thing but it is a good thing for getting information and feedback. They only need to know that they have to produce what is accepted of them and not about friendship when there is an output to be realised.

Eunice : Well said Patrick .

Michael : Should I think I am the only one who has encountered such position? The reason I push this argument is for us as individuals who have delicately chosen to take on leadership as an art, to take on such issues that kill leadership as a vocation.

Eunice : Building genuine relationship with colleagues at work is a process and journey but yes, we should be conscious and intentional it will not just happen.

Patrick Obita: @Michael , we have all encountered such school of thought leadership or seen it happen. Someone who was your friend before moving into leadership now does not want to associate with you. However, we know that there is much more value to making friends with our workmates.

As this group of Leaders, we need to show those with such kind of thought that they are missing out a lot on genuine success through genuine relationships as stated by Eunice above.

Eunice : For me I joined a new place so I have to build relationships from scratch beginning with team building to break the ice.

Patrick Obita: Eunice , I love starting in a new place which means that you come with fresh ideas and can take the team the way you want it go. Do not forget to share how you are moulding your team using some of the things we are learning from here so that others can understand that what we are fronting is very possible.

Eunice : Yes, Patrick I have not only learnt so much from here but applied to the letter.

Patrick Obita: Clapping.

Eunice : The question is vague....

Charity : How do you deal with Insecure Managers or Bosses.... is that clear?

Denis : If roles are not the same then such a Manager should not be afraid to supervise such staff. Competencies are required for different tasks.

Patrick Obita: [I] Am thinking the question is how you work with an Insecure Manager who thinks you are better qualified than them in their position.

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Eunice : Well Managers can feel insecure if they have personal weaknesses.

Eunice : One way to deal with an insecure Manager is to continually show them that you respect him or her as the Manager.

Susan : You can manage the situation by,

Charity : But that is not a problem of the subordinate.... the Manager has to work at his or her esteem issues.... and growing his or her skills.... and appreciating that we join work places to complement each other. As a Manager, you cannot know it all.

Patrick Obita: This response is from the [The Manager] Facebook page.

I believe in first talking through with the Manager about your aspirations for him or her to see where your focus is. They might think you are after their position yet in the actual sense you are targeting different opportunities. Seek for their support towards achieving your goal.

Make sure that you consult him or her in vital aspects of your work. In so doing, their esteem will be elevated knowing that they might have been feared for nothing.

Do not outshine them to take the spotlight from them. Instead, let them take the spot light e.g. if you were supposed to make a presentation, you can instead let him do it. Acknowledge his or her support for the work you have produced in public.

Luba ‬: Thanks colleagues for sharing. We are in a multi skill competitive world. It is also very good to prove to your supervisor what you are good at. Being a Manager does not mean you know it all. Anyway, you can help such people to grow by working as a team‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Charity : [That is] Great Dan ... Lacking knowledge as a team Leader does not give you the right to cause abuse and tension among your teams that have great talent. Do not address individual weaknesses in a team in the open.... you should respect self and other people.

Patrick Obita: Make sure you do not gossip about the weaknesses of the Manager even if you think you might be better. What goes around comes around.

Charity : Avoid making groups at work places. These breed gossip tendencies. Patrick everyone has a weakness. That is why you cannot have it all..... Manager or not, respect is two ways....respect and you shall be respected. Respect is earned.

Patrick Obita: [That is very] True @Charity .

Patience : Hey guys, my new cashier was given a fake note of Uganda shillings 50,000 amidst a crowd of customers. If I deduct on her salary, she may pay herself back in double. If I do not, she may not be careful next time...How best can I handle this?

Innocent : Share the loss. 50/50. But, also consider the light detector to aid her in checking the notes.

Dan : If you do not have a detector do not deduct, but if you have, then deduct 100%.

Eng. Geoffrey : Well, it appears you did not equip your cashier well enough and therefore the blame lies on you. No need to deduct her salary but take it as a lesson to invest in a money detector.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Patience : I have a money detector, it was there but she did not bother using it. I think I should do 50/50.

Innocent : I suggest a 50/50 followed by a warning about the consequences in case next time it happens. Let her know she will bear 100% next time.

Nicodemus : Let her meet it if the money detector has been in place and you have ever shared notice on the use of it.

Angella : I think you should first explain to her that shortages made are met by the person who makes them and then deduct 100%. Then she will know each penny counts in any business so need to be careful.

And to avoid her paying herself make sure you reconcile your books on a daily basis with the stock so that you can show her you are serious with the business. She will not have that gap of paying herself.

Innocent : If you acknowledge that you could possibly be blinded like she was, give her a chance and she will not be surprised the next time it happens

Enos : At times, we need to respect policies of the organizations. The Bank has a defined policy on shortages. Just apply that and caution the officer. It is a good practice for them to read company documents and implement as they work.

Eng. Geoffrey : From this, it shows you have no internal policy on such an issue. If it was clear and the cashier was oriented prior to settling in, no issues will arise. If it is just arising out of the blue then you risk demotivating the staff.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Enos : Staff members need to undergo serious training, and mentoring before handling cash individually and this builds confidence.

Patrick Obita: Let me also add my voice. Patience, as a Manager and Leader, your thinking should be on the holistic aspect of your business. Ensure you have some key documents in place spelling out what the consequences are for any deviation from the norm. Put the conditions in the employment letters, staff behaviour and ethical code of conduct, your human resource policy or guideline, etc.

As Enos highlighted, ensure everyone reads, understands and signs before they commence work.

Enos : Staff members sign code of conduct documents, a must do in order for you to enter the marriage that you understand. That is the biggest problem with employees today. They only look at salary and start date after getting jobs. Please advise to read employment contract documents, loan agreements and others.

Innocent : Let us hurry slowly on this. I know of a chain of restaurants in Kampala where staff members have deductions and nearly go with no salary. But the same staff takes a minimum of Uganda shillings 30,000 per night and the restaurant books are always balanced. I am talking of deductions for losses and damages.

Phoebe : Hi Patience , I was a cashier with UMEME Ltd. I handled hundreds of people and millions of monies every day. We had money detectors of course but I made shortages and cried so many times because I had to pay money I did not even sniff over many times. It hurts so bad to pay shortage money. One of the reasons I had to pursue further graduate school.

2. Allow the cashier to have 15 minutes breaks every 2-3hours on days you have so many customers. Many times, I literally never had space to even take lunch because customers were through the door from 8-5. Protect your cashier.

Innocent : Phoebe , thank you.

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Chantal: But I think 50/50 can do because the employer had taken an initiative of putting in place the money detector. That is negligence on the side of the employee.

Dan : Phoebe , it seems you ran away from the job which was making you have shortages. How do bank tellers handle this kind of situation?

Phoebe : I wanted to save money for my masters’ degree studies but I was not making headway. I had to TRUST my God to make a way out of that situation.

Patrick Obita: Phoebe , those are lovely strategies.

Patience : Thanks Managers. I have got all the answers needed. The insight got is helpful!

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬How to Draft Development Plans in Line with Performance Reviews‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

Danny ‬: Request: Can the experienced Managers on this platform help to share with us what to consider while drafting one’s development plan in line with performance reviews. Why are Personal Development Plans necessary? Do Managers use them to make necessary decisions regarding their subordinates.......‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Patrick Obita: Hey Managers, Danny had an issue that needed our advice for him. Could we please help a fellow Manager do it right so as to be the Leader with a distinction?

Eunice : Personal Development Plans are a critical part of the performance appraisal especially for the next assessment. It usually emerges from the appraisal as areas for growth or improvement.

Patrick Obita: Thanks Eunice for responding to Danny 's question.

Personal development plans need to be aligned in meeting the objectives of the organisation. Therefore, the competencies that you can track and measure should be in alignment.

They are also used in appraisal of the staff at the end of the year. An indicator whether they achieved or not. You can rate them.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

They should follow the 70:20:10 development model in which the 70% is from on job, 20% from peers like mentoring, coaching and 10% from a formal training like workshop, university etc.

Eng. Geoffrey ‬: How do you manage a Manager who always issues verbal directives but forgets them in a short while and always detests written instructions? ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Innocent : Engineer, you can still document those instructions. You can write more of your execution plan but referring to the instructions, well bulleted.

Patrick Obita: [That is very] Interesting Engineer.

Rosette : In order to handle a Manager who issues verbal instructions you can immediately write them an email saying according to what you said I now understand that I have to.....

Danny ‬: Ha-ha Rosette that is the way to go.... I always consult widely from my verbal Managers so that in my emails I quote them and also copy them in....no running space from injury‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.