Introduction to Soft Management Skills Soft Skills Training for Women in Construction

Learning Objectives The High Heels Project What do we need to perform effectively? What are competences, knowledge and skills? What are soft skills? Soft Skills for management to be covered by the High Heels Project

High Heels Project Goals To fight discrimination and gender stereotyping in the workplace To address skills shortages in the construction sector To upskill women at both managerial and employee level and enable them to successfully remain and advance in the sector To equip women with the necessary soft skills to help them cope effectively with the demands of their work and their everyday communication with male colleagues To train women and to improve their self-confidence so that they manage better in their careers

High Heels Activities Transfer the award-winning Programme’ (2010) “Women and Work: Sector Pathways Initiative”, aimed to support and improve the communication, managerial and leadership skills of women working in the construction sector; Conduct primary and secondary research in BG, GR, CY and RO order to identify the soft skills training needs of women in construction Update, localise and translate the training programme to meet the needs of the target groups Develop a blended training methodology (i.e. face-to-face and online training tools) and produce two complete blended training programmes in soft skills, one for managers and one for employees; Implement pilot trainings in BG, GR and RO to evaluate the training programmes and modify it based on the trainees’ feedback.

TOPIC TARGET GROUP Managers Employees Introduction Introduction to working in construction xx Self management and Understanding Diversity (Self) Leadership/ (Self) Motivation xx Working with confidence xx Emotional awareness – adaptability xx Stress and well-being at work (WLB) x x Strengths spotting xx Managing and working with people from other cultures xx Communicating and working with others Communicating effectively xx Dealing with difficult people xx Conflict resolution xx Networking xx Negotiation xx Team working x x Learning and Growing Learning facilitation Development planning x x Mentoring-Coaching x Goal setting and action planning xx Time management xx High Heels Soft Skills Training

Competence, Knowledge & Skills Competence the ability to meet the demands of complex situations Knowledge the facts or ideas acquired by studying, investigation, observation, or experience and information that is understood Skills the ability to use knowledge in order to perform tasks

Your experience at work

Is it happening to me? Seeing narrowly Unaware of real requirements Not getting credit Not able to sell ideas Cross-cultural faux pas Career suffers after speaking out Not in key networks Sabotaged : “I Didn’t See It Coming”

Why is it a problem? Other people get the promotions and juicy job assignments You never find a way to crack through the glass ceiling You are delivering things the business doesn’t value Your ideas are stolen Other people get recognised for your hard work Your ideas aren’t heard You are labelled … Other people aren’t supporting you

Imagine… The world is made up of two types of people: 1. Political2. Non Political

These people... Non Political Believe in the power of good work Value feedback and learning Cherish integrity Have an open agenda Believe in most qualified for the job employees (their merit is what counts) Believe that results and ideas speak for themselves Political Believe position is power Image and perception is important Highlight their successes Have verbal discipline Private agendas Relationship based Good at self promotion

Balance of scale Do you need to be one or the other? Where are you on a scale of one to ten? (1 - non political, 10 - political) However, what can you do?

Manage your own image Gather data about your reputation: Ask Get someone to ask for you Reflect on the feedback (formal or informal) that you receive Identify perceptions and labels: What behaviours have gotten you to this point? Identify how do you want to be perceived by others: What behaviours do you need to introduce? Develop strategy to shape new perceptions

Become a master of selling  Consider the language you use: Does it promote you or undervalue you? How do you make others aware of what is good or bad? Keep a record of the comments you make to your boss in a week – what are you telling them?  Chose your words carefully – they have a power  Use powerful words to hook your stakeholders

Manage hidden agendas  EVERYONE has an agenda! It’s not always good or bad What's your agenda?  Try and find out your stakeholders’ agendas Now try and influence them by linking your ideas to their agendas Set targets to direct people’s performance towards them Beneficial to all, especially you

Soft Management (of you) and others!

Lead yourself and others for success Self-leadership Be responsible for your actions and their consequences Set goals and priorities to balance between professional and personal life Plan and manage time, money and other resources to achieve goals Assess, weigh and manage risk Be accountable for your actions and the actions of your team Leadership Myths and facts about leadership Management and leadership (are they different?) Leaders’ needs nowadays Leadership styles and what would work for us Developing your leadership skills for future success

Know where confidence comes from and where it lies Know what is good for you and do it Learn how you can keep confident, even when things get tough Realize how your confidence helps in any situation and when dealing with all types of people Be aware of your skills and ambitions Make a list of things you have achieved and things you want to accomplish Ensure the right people hear about your accomplishments Make sure that you inform people about your achievements Make a pact with trusted friend Be confident & promote yourself with courage

Communicate for impact What does really happen when we communicate? Explore the various communication styles and how we tend to communicate with others Review a range of tools and techniques that help promote confidence and effective communication Provide and receive feedback

Dealing with difficult people What type of people do you come across? Why people can seem difficult? How can you get on better with all types of people? How to stop disagreements from going “toxic”?

Build effective relationships Understand and work within the dynamics of a group Ensure that the team’s purpose and objectives are clear Be flexible: respect be open to and supportive of the thoughts, opinions/contributions of others Recognize and respect people’s diversity, individual differences and perspectives Accept and provide feedback in a constructive manner Contribute to the team by sharing information and expertise Lead or support when appropriate, motivate the group for higher performance Understand the role of conflicts in the group

Build powerful alliances Network map: associates / friends Identify power players Make yourself known to them Keep in regular contact Maintain good relationship Learn how to talk about your achievements and power

Network effectively  Rephrase networking Building mutual beneficial relationships  Make a network map  Identify gaps and goals Identify how to achieve them  Network authentically  Be interested, not interesting  Listen 80% talk 20%

Resolve conflicts Understand how your behaviour can influence the outcomes of “conflict” situations Understand what results do you want to achieve from a particular “conflict" situation Explore how to effectively use the power of communication to achieve positive outcomes

Influence & Negotiate Discuss the importance of influence and negotiation at work Review a range of strategies available to influence, negotiate, build and manage relationships Learn about the power of persuasion and the ability to convince

Manage your time Understand the concept of time and its common misconceptions Realise the relationship between you, your objectives and your time management Think of ways to effectively boost your overall time management, applications and strategies

Identify your strengths Learn what your strengths are Think of the various ways you can use them to achieve your goals Spot strengths in others

Set goals and plan your actions Clarify your corporate and personal values Discuss the significance of the goals and how they can attract attention and channel efforts Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic goals Set SMART goals Develop an action plan to achieve goals

Find a mentor or a coach Set boundaries Manage expectations Take advantage of what they are offering Mentor/coach someone yourself Find someone you can trust

HIGH HEELS PROJECT Leonardo da Vinci – Transfer of Innovation BG1-LEO C OPYRIGHT © Copyright 2013 High Heels Consortium Consisting of: BULGARIAN CONSTRUCTION CHAMBER (BG) CONSTRUCTION TRAINING CENTER (BG) AR CI PROFESSIONAL CENTRE Ltd (BG) MILITOS EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES &SERVICES (GR) KNOWL (GR) RNDO Ltd (CY) STEJAR CENTER OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT & EXCELLENCE (RO) This document may not be copied, reproduced, or modified in whole or in part for any purpose without written permission from the High Heels Consortium. In addition an acknowledgement of the authors of the document and all applicable portions of the copyright notice must be clearly referenced. All rights reserved. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Transferring the University of Salford’s award winning training programme: “‘Women and Work: Sector Pathways Initiative” (2010)