Does Reading Books about Self Development Help Managers

A manager is always looked upon by the team mates as he is the example every team member wants to imitate and is the one the leaders and management are depending upon to make things happen. Indeed an effective link between the two levels, i.e the level of execution and level of planning is the manager. And for being effective in what they do, managers need to be updated with the latest trends of management as well should have overhauled one's development in a complete way. Self development does not mean self improvement but includes holistic development.

As a manager or I should say as an individual I am very well aware of my strengths and talents as well as my weak points and area of opportunities. And I would be successful in my role be it as a human being or be it as a manager if and only if I work on my opportunities and weak areas and enhance all my strengths. Thus self development would help a manager to develop upon the problem areas as well as amplify the strengths. And what better way to do wonders, even while working, is to read books that aim to fulfill what you desire. I personally think that books can steer your thinking in the right way and even accentuate what you already own.
Developing one's problem areas is done by everyone but as an effective manager one needs to work to intensify ones positive traits too. Because these positive traits lie dormant as they are a routine and tend to be forgotten. So why to do such harm to one self. It is best to learn more about what you already know so that you become an expert in that.

To support all managers for self development I have complied a list of some books that would surely come handy. I find these books very useful for even daily routine too so I can say depend on these books just as one would depend on a bible.

1. The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma

2. The Saint, the Surfer and the CEO by Robin Sharma

3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

4. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

5. First Things First by Stephen Covey

Read on and I bet these books would prove useful in every possible ways. Don't read these casually. Read with all your heart and soul and don't forget to utilize the same because you need to apply the knowledge gained so as to check the effectiveness of these books. And I assure you that you will be a successful and most sought after manager in your organisation.

HOW TO CONDUCT A SUCCESSFUL MULTIFUNCTIONAL MEETING

For an effective meeting that involves multi functions and individuals, the leader or the facilitator of the meeting has to take some steps that would ensure a desired outcome. For this, it is important to know beforehand the interests of all participants as well as should maintain a consistent flow of events during the conduct of the meeting. I have put together some points that would be a great guideline for all meeting facilitator as well as meeting leaders.

These are

(a) Call: A telephonic call to all the attendees a day prior to the meeting would act as a reminder to the meeting and can be used as a platform to learn from the attendees what are their expectations from this meeting and what Key Result Areas of their function would be enhanced from this meeting. When these expectations are catered for during the meeting, then it is for sure that all attendees would work towards the success of the agenda of the meeting.

(b) Fix ground rules: As a meeting facilitator/leader, it is important to clearly define the ground rules of your meeting. Rules like respect other individuals point of view, lets listen to all speakers, No cross talk etc are important for all the attendees to know that the purpose of meeting is not wastage of time and effort but just value addition for all.

(c) Clearly define the end result: To help all the participants to be in sync with the meeting's objective, clearly define the ultimate result at the beginning of the meeting. During the welcome address to all the participants from various functions include a line that says, by the end of this meeting, our aim is to and specify the objectives clearly. This would ensure everyone to be on the same platform and they all are enthusiastic and eager to achieve your meeting's objective.

(d) Positive Body language and Enthusiasm: Start your meeting on a note like this is going to be a fantastic meeting. A positive body language of the facilitator sends a message to the environment that the meeting organized is for a purpose and you are professional in your approach. Your enthusiasm to make your meeting a success will help you keep a track on all round aspects like staying on the topic, asking others to contribute when only a few are dominating and digressing and making necessary adjustments like a break to freshen up the attendees.

Such simple steps with organized structure and correct order would serve as prerequisites for a productive meeting with maximum value addition for everyone. And once this is in the environment that you organize successful meetings, everyone would show the confidence in you and your efforts.