Managing particularly clever employees presents a unique set of challenges for a manager. While their creativity and skills can be of considerable benefit to an organisation, clever people react positively to a different style of management. This questionnaire will help a manager establish how effectively they deal with clever people and to identify areas for improvement.
Task
Look at the statements below and score your answer to each using the following scale:
not at all accurate
slightly accurate
accurate
very accurate
completely accurate
Please answer as honestly as possible.
Once you have finished the questionnaire, add up your score and check your results in the Interpretation section.
Applying the learning
Once you have finished the questionnaire, review your findings. A good way to do this is consider how you will approach each identified issue. For example;
Do you require constant feedback from your team? Is this beneficial to them? What can you do to change this positively?
Do you trust in their creativity? Could you allow them more time to develop ideas? How will you put this into practice?
There will be areas in which you can develop your skills, but it is also important to focus on the positives that come out of it. Try to apply the knowledge you have gained from this wherever you can.
Statement
1. I am aware who the clever, creative people in my team are.
2. I have a clear strategy for what I want the team to achieve.
3. My team is aware of our overall goals.
4. I manage team-members according to their differing skills.
5. I do not require constant feedback from my team.
6. I trust individuals to deliver on individual tasks.
7. I am aware of which stage our tasks are at any given stage.
8. I assign the difficult tasks to those most suited to deal with them.
9. I regularly review my team's workload to make sure the most talented members are challenged.
10. I am confident I am getting the most from the resources available to me.
11. I give praise freely when it is deserved.
12. I encourage creative thinking.
13. The team are aware of the skills I bring to the department.
14. I believe in investigating all possibilities to find a solution.
15. I have trust in my team's ability to deliver.
Total
Interpretation
50-75 You are aware of the challenges of managing clever employees and adapt to make sure they are as productive as possible. Continue to review how you are dealing with your creative employees by revisiting this questionnaire periodically.
30-49 You are aware of the strengths of your clever people but there are areas in which you can help create an environment more suited to their strengths. Use what you have learned here to look at any points for development, and focus on trying to improve these.
0-29 You find managing clever people challenging, as many managers do. Look at the questions where you scored poorly and use these to develop your skills. For example, can you review workloads more often? Do you allow your creative employees enough space to develop their ideas? Now you are aware of these areas, monitor your progress.
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