Clapham Coaching - Working with Authority

Sociology Professor Scott Schieman and PhD student Sarah Reid at Toronto State University have published findings which reveal  ‘ the damaging levels of work stress experienced by  people exercising power and authority at all levels in the modern workplace. ’

( see - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134720.htm )

Modern leadership roles call on individuals to deploy a wide range of  skills and personal qualities.  For example, project management  can provide many challenges - especially for the newly appointed project manager. But confident  supervision and management of people often requires a range of life skills which may have been insufficiently developed thus far in an organisational career.

In matrix settings  project management may also inflict contradictory demands. Effective management  in these contexts requires a particularly flexible approach to dealing with people  and interacting with senior authority figures -  properly balancing the  pressures and constraints of the work environment and individual styles and circumstances of  line staff.

The deployment of appropriate  people management  strategies  and effective leadership style  to improve  team performance  may make bring challenges that test both  self confidence  and one's capacity for  self management.

Many participants can have confused ideas about working as a team and what  is needed to an effective  team player. Team leadership therefore often calls both for skilful self management and  communication development - both with and between  line staff.  It also requires an ability to deal with anger and to handle stress and conflict - especially in pressurised environments with complex team dynamics or difficult people.

Thus team leading in all its forms demands flexibility in leadership style and  a blend of subtlety of touch with sometimes direct or even robust leadership.

To be successful in team work, beside having a general competence in directing problem solving activities,  the team leader also needs to initiate individual mentoring of team members as well as more structured team coaching and team development activities. Properly developed and combined, these and a wide range of other human relations skills pave the way to managing people with easy confidence.

Textbooks, magazine articles and self-help guides - though helpful - offer general pointers rather than individually tailored strategies for handling these complexities.  Often they do not address the particular pinch-points experienced in individual cases. To get to your own really workable solutions - you can use my systematic and imaginative professional help and experience  to construct  the specific personal resources that YOU need for handling difficult work demands.

   Work with authority your own way -  effectively - with confidence and ease.

    copyright Keith Bibby © December 2009                                         >> Return

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        Keith Bibby - Bsc(Hons) Dip EHP/NLP FCRAH  ECP

         Behavioural  Science Consultant -  Outcome  Oriented ( Ericksonian ) Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy - Individual Couple

        & Relationship Counselling    35 yrs Behavioural Science Experience - 49 Klea Avenue - Clapham Common  SW4 9HG

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