In management training, there are theories for everything. Team building is no exception to this. In order to talk about anything, one has to break it down into its component parts. Often, acronyms, alliteration and rhymes are used to help make theories memorable. There is one theory that suggests the process of team building consists of four key stages.

The first stage is known as forming. This is the initial phase where individuals become acquainted with each other. This is where the manager needs to start teambuilding exercises with a view to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and clarifying the team’s goals.

The second stage is known as storming, which is concerned with people finding their place and role within the team. This is where people often form strong opinions about their colleagues.

The third stage is known as norming. This is where people settle into their roles and an understanding of the team dynamic. This is when standards of behaviours and achievement are set.

The fourth and final stage is performing. This is where the team begin to offer mutual support and share with each other skills and information. This enables the personal development of the team members.

It doesn’t matter how little management training someone has, there are some things which should be patently obvious. One of these is cash flow and getting paid on time. However, there are many fairly straightforward things which can be done which are often missed.

One example is using your power to get what you want or need. This only applies where you are in a position of strength. For example, if you provide a critical good or service to your client. It might be that they have outsourced their entire IT department to you. When their system has crashed might be an ideal time to persuade them it’s time to pay up. This could of course backfire when it is time for them to renew their contract.

If we continue with the above example, an alternative way to ensure prompt payment might be to renegotiate the whole package with the customer. Perhaps a ‘pay as you go’ contract where the client pays for their support as and when they need it rather than paying an annual charge. Alternatively, a monthly retainer would provide regularity to the payments.

One of the simplest ways to increase cash flow is to invoice more frequently.

Many people have the potential to be great leaders and one of the things which is key to their success is flexibility. Management training courses sometimes concentrate on specific methodologies. However, there is no one right way. There can be many equally successful approaches. What is vital to every manager is flexibility. They need to be able to use a variety of methods and, more importantly, adapt and maximise the various systems which are already being used.

Managers who believe there is only one way to do things cause unnecessary friction and find it difficult to maintain the respect and cooperation of their staff.

A good manager is able to motivate and inspire their staff. This means that they can persuade individuals to work with their preferred systems. However, they should not overlook the experience and specific skills of their colleagues. They should be incorporating these factors into their planning and team building.

In fact, the very best managers will ensure that their staff all understand the various options and have a say in how things are done. An ideal situation is that all staff are as well informed as their manager. This will ensure their support and make you look better to your superiors.

Management training courses include more and more subject areas. However, one thing which still seems to get left to the experts is anything to do with accountancy. This is partly because an incredible number of otherwise intelligent people seem to go into a blind panic when confronted by numbers.

In smaller businesses, it is not possible to separate everything out into departments. Even where there is a specific financial director and a department of numerical wizards, the fact is that all departments and particularly managers need to be aware of the financial implications of their actions. One of the clearest examples of this is cash flow.

Whenever the company’s buyers are negotiating purchases, they need to consider all the implications of the deals they do. For example, they may have been offered a heavily discounted price on the basis that they order six month’s worth of an item in one go. If the payment terms are the normal 30 days after delivery, this could cause real problems for cash flow. If the company is cash rich, this might be a good deal, but the majority of businesses these days operate on a rather tighter basis. Of course, the question of storage and related costs also has to be considered.

The modern middle manager is under pressure from all sides. This is hardly surprising given the current economic turmoil. However, when it comes to downsizing, it is often the middle managers who are first to go. This is often short sighted as these are the people who are responsible for actually managing the majority of the workforce and ensuring that customers are kept happy.

On the other hand, many middle managers have been promoted to their positions, not because they are recognised as professional managers but because they were good at the job they did before being promoted to manager.

This probably helps explain why middle managers are seeing the value of management training courses more than ever before. After all they cannot rely on gut instinct and working ever longer hours.

Middle managers need to be able to fight for their jobs. They need to demonstrate that they understand the latest in management theories. Even more importantly they should be able to show how to apply these theories.

The more involved in your personal development you become, the more you will be able to motivate those around you. Ensure that your communication skills, in particular, are at their best.

Management training courses vary considerably. Whilst the topics which need to be covered do not really change, the names for the methods and tools used in analysing situations do.

One of the tools you may come across is known as the PEST analysis. PEST is, of course, an acronym. PEST stands for political, economic, social and technological. It is used as a way of describing external challenges that an organisation may face. Specifically, it deals with macro-environmental factors. The analysis gives organisations a framework to understand these factors, particularly when undertaking market research or strategic analysis.

Political factors include tax policy, employment law, trade regulations, wage legislation and political stability.

Economic factors would include items such as inflation rates, economic growth, rates of exchange, the level of inflation and the general economic systems which operate in those locations where the organisation operates.

Social factors include changes and shifts in cultural values, any relevant changes in the level of population, development trends, demographics, leisure pursuits, education and health.

Technological factors include the impact of key technological advancements, and research and development issues, opportunities for automation and technological incentives.

Knowledge of these issues allows a company to decide whether government policy changes would be beneficial.

One of the basics which come up again and again on management training, whatever subject is being studied, is the need for analysis. In order to analyse situations effectively, management gurus come up with specialist language and frameworks.

One of the most common of these is known as SWOT Analysis. As with all management training, an acronym seems to be requisite and SWOT is one. It stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This analysis can be applied to a business as a whole or to specific projects.

Strengths are those features of the project or organisation which are beneficial and helpful in achieving the desired goals or objectives.

Weaknesses are the opposite side and refer to the shortcomings of an organisation or project which are going to make it difficult to achieve the goals or objectives.

Opportunities are those external issues or conditions which may be helpful towards the overall aims.

Finally, threats are the opposite of this and again refer to external relevant conditions which may impact negatively on the overall aims.

The whole point of SWOT analysis, in common with all other types of analysis is that it is not an end in itself. It merely provides a framework for discussion.

An actor will tell you that they have two instruments for their work; their body and their voice. Whilst this is over simplistic, it does mean that they take care of those instruments and a valuable lesson can be learned from their attitudes.

Management training often overlooks how important the work/life balance is and the importance of caring for yourself.

First of all your physical health is paramount. Don’t put off trips to the doctor because you are worried about being away from the office for a couple of hours. Whilst it is not necessary to spend hours each week at the gym it is important to eat and sleep properly so that the body’s immune system can do its job. Make sure you can switch off after a day at the office and relax effectively.

Equally important is your mental wellbeing. Stress causes physical as well as mental problems and there are all sorts of ways of addressing this. One of the best is having someone to talk to. This does not have to be a therapist. Often, just having a friend or partner is sufficient. This does mean that you should consider spending time on your social or family life in the evenings and at weekends.

More and more management training courses are addressing the subject of recruitment. It is being increasingly realised that selecting staff is not the province of HR. It needs to be driven, wherever possible, by the department where the staff will be working.

Inexperienced managers often have an over reliance on their instincts. Calling the first part of the recruitment process an informal interview is designed to make the applicant feel at ease. It is not an invitation to the person running the meeting to disregard professional standards.

Here are some of the areas which recruiters need to pay attention to.
If you are interviewing a number of people for the same post, it is only fair that you ask them all the same questions. This can be very simply ensured by listing the questions before you start. This also helps you avoid the embarrassing situation of running out of things to discuss. It does not limit you and you are still able to drill down into any points that specifically arise.

You need to avoid making judgements on personal criteria such as how much you like someone. You should also avoid making snap decisions about someone as it will influence your attitude to them for the rest of the meeting.

Management training should always include modules on negotiation and how to influence and persuade. Actually, the ideal situation is that anyone who has risen to the rank of manager will have these skills in abundance. Indeed, they may well have used them to get where they are. However, some graduates go straight from college to senior positions, responsible for many staff. These managers may not have charisma as a natural asset and will not have had the life experience to learn in the normal way.

There is no question that any manager needs good negotiation skills. Indeed, when you consider that time is literally money, it has never been more important to achieve agreement with colleagues and subordinates as promptly as possible.

One of the concepts regularly discussed in this context is that of influence. It covers a very wide range of subjects but boils down to the effect on each individual within a negotiation which the manager has. This will be affected by a manager’s history with that person and other things which may be going on. Clearly agendas, both hidden and visible, are paramount.

Persuasion is another concept which is useful as a way of dissecting a negotiation.