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Opportunities & Insights from Across Our Community
Hi everyone, here’s what we have for you this week:
What’s your superpower in the workplace? In this week’s episode of The Everyday Leader, we hear from Rose Mwende from Kipawa about how she leverages curiosity in her new Country Manager role. Listen here.
How are you as a manager approaching setting your Q2 OKRs? Make sure to involve your team, align across departments and build in opportunities to learn. Read more here.
As a talent leader, how do you support managers in addressing underperformers? Make sure managers are aware of the full toolkit of resources available to them. Read more here.
Read on for more details…
Rose Mwende: Country Manager, Kipawa
Rose Mwende is an experienced business developer, IT consultant, and talent advisor with over 14 years of combined experience in the technology and talent space. She is known for her innovative and effective strategies for growing businesses and developing teams. Currently, as the Country Manager at Kipawa, an executive search firm that focuses on hires in technology, startup, and social enterprise space, Rose has helped numerous organizations find the right talent to drive their growth. Rose's expertise in talent management and IT consulting has been honed through years of working with a diverse range of clients. Rose is a certified Life Coach and has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
Rose recently shared her leadership journey on The Everyday Leader podcast. Her early leadership experience began when she became the head of the business development department in a software company. She led a team of five, which increased to nine by the end of that year. This experience helped her realize that her leadership style is more consultative, and she focuses on understanding her team's personalities and goals. Her curiosity and passion for people development and technology make her a valuable addition to any team.
Mwende is currently the Country Manager at Kipawa, an executive search firm. She and her team aim to make the recruitment process easy and refined for both candidates and employers. Kipawa helps companies brand themselves as employers of choice and provides job seekers with information about companies beyond just job listings. They have grown into a leading executive search and recruitment company in Kenya and the broader African market and have helped numerous organizations find the right talent to drive their growth.
During the interview, Rose emphasized the importance of actively listening, creating spaces where people can share, and making connections with people. She also highlighted the need to ground oneself in the company's overall vision and mission to manage expectations effectively. Rose's superpower is curiosity, and she believes this is what has helped her navigate her career throughout the years.
Some of the take-aways from the conversation include the importance of building relationships and making connections with people, focusing on the company's overall vision and mission to manage expectations effectively, and actively listening to stakeholders' demands and expectations. Her consultative leadership style ensures that her team is motivated and working towards a common goal.
In conclusion, Rose's leadership journey and expertise in talent management and IT consulting serve as an inspiration to many. Her passion for people development and technology, combined with her consultative leadership approach and curiosity, make her a valuable addition to her team. Kipawa's focus on making the recruitment process easy and refined is having an impact in the talent space, and they continue to help organizations find the right talent to drive their growth. Overall, the interview was insightful and provided valuable takeaways for current and aspiring leaders.
The Essential Role of Managers in Developing Effective Team OKRs
Setting objectives and key results (OKRs) is a popular goal-setting framework that helps organizations and teams to align their efforts towards achieving specific goals. However, crafting effective OKRs requires more than just setting ambitious targets. Managers have a critical role to play in developing their team's OKRs. In this blog post, we'll explore the essential role of managers in developing effective OKRs for their team.
Involving the Team in the Process
One of the most critical aspects of developing effective team OKRs is involving the team in the process. Managers need to work collaboratively with their team members to develop OKRs that are meaningful, achievable, and aligned with the organization's overall strategy. By involving their team in the process, managers can ensure that everyone is on the same page and that everyone's input is taken into account.
Understanding the Organization's Goals
The first step in developing effective OKRs is for managers to understand the organization's overall goals. This understanding will enable managers to develop team OKRs that align with the larger objectives of the organization. For example, if the organization's goal is to increase revenue by 20%, the team OKRs should align with this goal.
Defining Team Objectives
Once the organization's goals are understood, managers should work with their team to define objectives that align with the larger goals. For instance, if the organization's goal is to increase revenue by 20%, the team objective could be to increase sales by 25%.
Setting Measurable Key Results
The next step in developing effective OKRs is for managers to set measurable key results that will help their team achieve their objectives. These key results should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For instance, if the team objective is to increase sales by 25%, the key results could be to increase the number of leads generated by 30% and to increase the conversion rate by 20%.
Prioritizing Objectives
Managers need to help their team prioritize their objectives and focus on the most important ones. For instance, if the team has five objectives, the manager should help them focus on the top three that will have the most impact on achieving the organization's larger goals.
Setting Realistic Goals
While it's essential to set ambitious targets, it's equally important to ensure that they are achievable. Managers need to take into account their team's capacity, resources, and other factors that may impact their ability to achieve their goals. For instance, if the team has limited resources, setting unrealistic goals can lead to frustration, demotivation, and ultimately, failure.
Monitoring Progress and Providing Feedback
Once the team's OKRs are set, managers need to monitor their progress and provide feedback regularly. They should track the team's progress towards achieving their goals and provide feedback on their performance. Managers need to identify any obstacles that may be hindering their team's progress and work with them to overcome them. By monitoring progress and providing feedback, managers can help their team to stay on track and make any necessary adjustments to their approach.
Celebrating Successes and Learning from Failures
Finally, managers need to celebrate their team's successes and learn from their failures. When the team achieves their goals, managers should recognize their hard work and acknowledge their achievements. Celebrating successes can help to boost morale and motivate the team to continue working towards their goals. On the other hand, when the team fails to achieve their goals, managers should use it as an opportunity to learn and improve. They should work with their team to identify what went wrong and how they can prevent it from happening again in the future.
In conclusion, developing effective team OKRs requires the essential role of managers. By involving their team in the process, understanding the organization's goals, defining team objectives, setting measurable key results, prioritizing objectives, setting realistic goals, monitoring progress, providing feedback, celebrating successes, and learning from failures, managers can help their team to achieve their goals and stay aligned with the organization's overall strategy.
How Talent Leaders Can Support Their Managers in Addressing Underperforming Staff of Their Teams
As a talent leader, it's your responsibility to ensure that your team is performing at its best. This includes addressing underperforming staff members. However, it can be challenging for managers to have these conversations with their team members, especially if they don't have the experience or tools to do so effectively. In this article, we'll explore some ways that talent leaders can support their managers in addressing underperforming staff members.
Provide Training and Development for Managers
One of the best ways to support managers in addressing underperforming staff members is by providing them with training and development opportunities. This can include coaching sessions, workshops, or even online courses. By investing in your managers' development, you're giving them the tools and resources they need to have difficult conversations with their team members. This, in turn, can lead to better performance and increased productivity.
Set Clear Expectations
Another way to support managers is by setting clear expectations for their team members. When everyone knows what is expected of them, it's easier to identify and address underperformance. Talent leaders should work with their managers to create clear performance metrics and goals for their team members. This can include both qualitative and quantitative goals, and should be regularly reviewed and updated.
Encourage Open Communication
Open communication is essential when it comes to addressing underperforming staff members. Talent leaders should encourage their managers to have open and honest conversations with their team members. This includes discussing performance issues as well as potential solutions. By creating a culture of open communication, managers can build trust with their team members, which can lead to better performance and increased job satisfaction.
Provide Support and Resources
Finally, talent leaders should provide support and resources to their managers. This can include access to HR resources, such as templates and guidelines for performance improvement plans. It can also include providing additional staff members to help with workload or coaching sessions to help managers improve their skills. By providing support and resources, talent leaders can help their managers feel more confident in addressing underperforming staff members.
In conclusion, addressing underperforming staff members is a critical part of any talent leader's job. By providing training and development for managers, setting clear expectations, encouraging open communication, and providing support and resources, talent leaders can support their managers in addressing underperforming staff members effectively. This, in turn, can lead to better performance, increased productivity, and a more engaged and satisfied workforce.