Management training

[pickles37]

Hello,

 

Do any of you lovely people know of any websites or training away from your LA around management, assertiveness and improving staff performance?

 

I am struggling with managing our team, we are a very busy setting and I am struggling to fulfil my role as key person and every thing else as well as managing a team.

 

A team of 8, a quarter of them are the 'old team' so hard to engage with. They are very reluctant to improve practice, often do things because I am in the room, not because of the children, will only do minimum requirements, certainly don't do anything extra such as setting up the room, filing art work to help other staff members, sharing information that may help, this part of the team are very negative and often rude, lots of gossiping, one 1/4 are moving over to that side as the others are strong willed and due to end of year paperwork load and finalising lots of leavers I haven't been 'in the room' enough. The rest of the team are also becoming firm friends and are meeting up away from the setting (which is lovely, but could make my job harder).

So really looking for some advice on what I can do or anywhere I can go either online or in person to improve my management practice as it is really beginning to affect my confidence

 

Thanks

Edited July 25, 2015 by pickles37

[LKeyteach]

Pickles do you know what? I am not sure it is training or books you need. You have identified the "development" issues. Now you need to work on strategies.

Is there anyway you could abandon your key person responsibilities for a short while and concentrate on rebuilding the team?

You really need to engage on the element being negative and you may not win them all over but you will get some.

Could you run a talk shop with you leading what you think an EY setting looks like. Labelling children's interests and whatever else you feel.

Let them shout that they disagree you follow through with research and leave at that.

Then during session you can observe staff and when you see something not happening the way you want gentle questions like " what do you think the child learnt" " how do you know child enjoyed activity?" "What could you do to make it more fun/meaningful."

It takes time to turn individuals into a team. But when they see and understand what you mean they will come round.

With setting up you make have to take a stronger role and write a list of things that need doing and as they arrive give them the next task on the list. Theyight then get the idea.

The few that are going out I would try to encourage a whole team nite out so divisions do not become entrenched.

Hope some of this helps.

I am sure that there will be lots of advice to follow and just to let you know I do understand. Being mgmnt is not easy but when it goes right it is such a fantastic feeling. You will get there!!

[sunnyday]

It takes time to turn individuals into a team. But when they see and understand what you mean they will come round.

 

 

Brilliant advice from LKeyteach - I particularly like that line - it's so very true.......

 

I'm sorry to read that you are having such a difficult time - it can be 'tough at the top'

 

I wondered why you particularly wanted training that is not delivered by your LA........I undertook a 5 day Management and leadership training with my LA and I found it really interesting and 'valuable' - one of the phrases that I particularly liked and remembered was

'I believe in my manager because she believes in herself'

[lashes2508]

Think all that is said already is true , I attended a leadership day last year and it was helpful often it is tackling the day to day issues , my team are very good but we still have days where I feel I'm constantly on them or some of them as things have got a bit slack. I used the idea someone put on here at the last staff meeting to get across my point of art trolley supplies not being done and handed then all a broken pencil ! There was a silence as it all dawned on them the point ( no pun intended) I was trying to make , it worked.

 

My deputy and I lead the staff meetings and it does help me more having the support to initiate changes , don't be afraid to say it how it is and remind them that the buck stops with you .

 

I agree staff outings together as a team are really beneficial .

[flowlow]

Pickles I completely empathise, I feel I could have written this and across the year have seen posts by others in similar positions. I think you have already got some really sound advice on here. The only other thing I may add was recently I looked in to mentoring and coaching models as part of my qualification. I found some really useful tools some education specific some not and that might be really helpful to. It may help you identify next steps as you already have a good handle on the problems. If you look on amazon there are books written by Tollhurst and Clutterbuck that look at individual coaching and TEAM coaching. There is also a book by Robbins that looks at mentoring/coaching practice in early years specifically.

 

hope that helps xx

[Guest]

Excellent reviews for London Coaching and Mentoring. I have attended one delivered by our LA and it was brilliant.

[pickles37]

Thank you for all of your help and advice, I enjoy reading advice and tips from here. I have been in post for 18 months and in that time, staff have left and changes have been made to training of staff, set up, planning and running of the setting, probably unrecognizable, I have been on training with the LA, but they don't dig deeper, they tell us what we should do, but don't explain or even know what to do if that has already been done or hasn't worked.

 

I get advised it must come through supervision and managing staff, but that is where the information and support stops.

 

I am at a cross road, lots has been changed and in my opinion and that of our advisor, we have turned it around from an inadequate to almost a good, but the deep down practice, knowledge and interest in the role from some staff seems more and more apparent and I would like to be a nice manager and want them to work well for the children and enjoy it, but in reality it isn't working and this isn't happening for some of them, I am scared of becoming tougher and the team not liking me.

 

I will look at these books and purchase too.

 

Many thanks

Edited July 26, 2015 by pickles37

[lashes2508]

Ah pickles I think it's finding a balance to being tough but also approachable and helping your staff understand the possibilities and why you want your practice to be good throughout and the reasons why.

 

When I took over as supervisor nearly 4 years ago , I came from being a practioner in a preschool to turning around a well established but also stale preschool , many of the staff left as they did not like the changes or want to work at their job and many were too busy slating off the committee and each other than love their job. It's been tough but now have a fab team , parents whose children attended previously and then recently have welcomed and commented on the changes , we finally got our good and are continually learning .

[lashes2508]

And if it's any consolation my staff commented publicly that they thought I was a top boss ! Lol just to add I do thank them at the end of each day .

[pickles37]

Wow lashes, your comments about staff could mirror mine, half my team I am pretty sure don't want to be doing what they are doing and are dead against the changes I suggest and committee which makes me the piggy in the middle too! so in comparison I am only half way through!!!

 

I feel better reading your comments. It is very tough but maybe I can keep pushing, I have almost lost my focus as I am getting caught up and bogged down with it all.

 

Thank you

[lashes2508]

Dear pickles keep pushing and your assign will be recognised and understood by others eventually , you are the one running the show , your committee should support you and realise that you are the one with the knowledge and drive. Xx