Hundred Tips for a Better Management (Aga Khan Foundation, 1993, 70 p.): Running effective meetings: 10. If you must have a meeting, plan how to get the most out of it11

Hundred Tips for a Better Management (Aga Khan Foundation, 1993, 70 p.)

(introduction...)

Editors

An overview of PHC MAP

Acknowledgements

Introduction

100 Tips : The rules of the management game

Managing your time

(introduction...)

1. Don't work harder, work smarter3

2. Spend less time on the phone and more time on your work4

3. Protect yourself from unnecessary interruptions5

4. Use more ways to control the telephone

5. If you ''don't have time'' to get everything done, try this : Set aside a ''magic hour'' each week6

6. Thinking and doing þ strike a balance7

7. Find out where your time goes; keep a log8

8. Avoid leading time wasters9

Running effective meetings

(introduction...)

9. Before you call a meeting, decide if you should have one at all10

10. If you must have a meeting, plan how to get the most out of it11

11. Guide your team in having more effective discussions12

12. Start on time; End on time13

13. How to chair a meeting14

14. Don't sit on the results of a good meeting; follow up with a plan of action15

15. Maximise what you can get out of a ''brainstorming'' session16

Planning

(introduction...)

16. Plan before you do17

17. Set OBJECTIVES that are S M A R T18

18. Co-ordinate work and people19

19. It is better to risk over-investment in productive planning than to rely on ad-hoc solutions to unpredictable problems20

20. Take the time to develop a thorough, documented and detailed plan. It will significantly reduce the risk of failure21

21. It is very easy to make on-the-spot decisions, if you have thought out and evaluated all feasible alternatives22

Leadership : Lead, follow, or get out of the way. (Henry Ford, US Industrialist)

22. There is no one best leadership style. You need to adapt your style to fit the needs of each person23

23. Share your vision24

24. Employees respond to the manager, not the organisation.25

25. Lead by example26

26. First be effective, then efficient27

27. Managers should work for their staff. If they win, you win

28. A bad attitude is infectious

29. Know where you're coming from28

30. To be a good leader, be professional

31. Be committed. Take an active role.

32. Leave 'em laughing29

Decision-making I

(introduction...)

33. Separate the managers from the leaders30

34. Back up your decision-making with planning31

35. Don't let decision-making bring you down32

36. Some suggestions on decision-making:

37. Be decisive! Take action. A decisive person will almost always prevail only because almost everyone else is indecisive33

38. Don't put too much reliance on data. If a quantitative analysis conflicts with common sense, abandon the data34

39. Consensus seeking is a time-wasting, levelling influence that impedes distinctive performance. Avoid it35

40. Don't analyse a problem to death. Avoid ''paralysis by analysis''36

Decision-making II

(introduction...)

41. Delegate what someone else can do better37

42. As a manager, the important thing is not what happens when you are there, but what happens when you are not there

43. Delegate for innovation

Teamwork

(introduction...)

44. Always do your job to make the next person's job easier38

45. Broaden your interests39

46. Two heads are better than one

47. Be an orphaned parent of success. Don't hog the credit40

48. Find a level of employee involvement that works best for your organisation

49. Work for success

50. Develop team protocol

Staffing

(introduction...)

51. Seek out those rare individuals who are truly committed and build around them41

52. Put the person you interview at ease42

53. Hire team players43

54. Make the most critical interview the job interview44

55. Don't delay tough personnel decisions45

Communicating with your staff

The most important words

56. To be successful, get out with the workers and pick up information46

57. Refuse not to be informed47

58. The right hand must know what the left is doing48

Listening

(introduction...)

59. Communicate effectively to increase efficiency49

60. If you don't give people information, they'll make up something to fill the void50

61. Be accessible. Eat lunch!

62. Inform - keep informed - use information

63. Listen to what is not being said52

64. Learn to pay attention53

65. Learn how to interpret body language54

Writing

66. Learn to write effectively55

67. Write clear instructions56

Motivating staff

68. To get the most from your staff, learn what motivates them ''People are the most important resources of an organisation.

69. How to motivate others þ no tricks involved58

70. People do better when they are given a chance to achieve

71. Use rewards, not threats59

72. Perseverance leads to success

73. Give praise where praise is due

Supervising

(introduction...)

74. Be flexible in the way you supervise individuals60

75. Please your clients61

76. Avoid unnecessary steps and actions62

Giving feedback

77. Try coaching63

78. Maintain control through management tools64

79. Provide feedback to staff65

80. Make feedback valuable66

81. Don't confuse feedback with evaluation67

82. How to ask for feedback68

Criticising performance

83. Don't be afraid to offend; just don't be offensive in your approach69

84. Take care of mistakes when they are small; do not allow them to grow, they will get more complicated

85. How to handle anger70

86. How to manage conflict71

Training I

(introduction...)

87. Training isn't always the answer72

88. Determine where you are going before training your people to get there73

89. Do your staff need training? To find out, ask74

90. Get the best training for your organisation75

91. Cultivate those who can teach you (Baltasar Gracian, Priest and writer 1601-1658)

92. Continue learning by teaching others

93. Help people work smarter. Schedule ''Knowledge Circles''76

Training II

(introduction...)

94. Prepare your staff for change77

95. Learn from the experiences of others78

96. Seek out new opportunities79

97. Getting a new idea adopted80

98. Practice managing change81

Last thoughts - Some laws of management to remember

99. Continue learning

100. Some laws of management to remember

References

Acronyms and abbreviations

PHC MAP MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

10. If you must have a meeting, plan how to get the most out of it11

Meetings are commonly held to introduce new ideas and activities, to review the progress of existing ones, to discuss alternatives for solving a problem, to make decisions, or to do any number of things. But, people the world over complain about meetings, judging them a waste of time and effort. If you know how to run a meeting effectively, that is, if you can conduct it in a way that makes efficient use of time and achieves the purpose for which it was planned, your meetings need never be a complete waste of time.

The following steps can help you to run a more effective meeting:

Define the purpose: Provide people with a clear understanding of what you want from the meeting and why you want this particular group of people involved.

Prepare an agenda: Prepare an agenda of the topics to be covered, the names of speakers, the amount of time to be spent on each topic, and any procedures, e.g., brainstorming, group exercises, that will be used.

Clarify roles: Clarifying roles of the participants can be useful if people are meeting together for the first time or if the group is large and needs to be structured. The team leader: usually but not always the supervisor, calls the meeting, sets the agenda, and initiates discussion. A facilitator keeps the meeting on track, moderates any conflicts, and monitors time. A recorder or scribe keeps a written record of what happened in the meeting. Additional roles such as advisors or observers could be assigned if necessary.

Set ground rules: Make explicit the rules on how the meeting will be conducted. Some examples include: to respect one another and not interrupt while someone is speaking, to make decision by consensus, etc.