July 2016

11 Essential Traits of Great Managers


CARING
Managers who are caring take time to get to know the individuals in their team. They’re genuinely interested in people’s success and personal well-being and show this by regularly checking in with people on how they’re doing both at work and outside work.

COACHING
Managers who are good coaches focus on developing the people they work with as well as getting the job done. They ensure they have regular one-on-one meetings with team members and encourage them to present solutions to problems, rather than solving problems for them.

COMMUNICATING
Managers who are great communicators are good listeners. They allow time for others to speak. They have a clear understanding of the organization’s vision and share it with the people in their team in a way that motivates them. They keep their team up-to-date on what’s happening in the organization.

DEVELOPMENT
Managers who show a genuine interest in employees’ career development acknowledge improvement (not just deliverables). They take time to discuss people’s long-term career aspirations and help them understand potential career paths at and outside the organization.

EMOTIONALLY RESILIENT
How a manager behaves in challenging circumstances can have a significant impact on their team. Managers who are emotionally resilient are aware of how their mood affects others. They remain calm and productive under pressure and cope well with change.

FAIR TREATMENT
Managers who value fair treatment will allocate tasks and set schedules keeping in mind people’s capacity and development goals. They acknowledge good work. They build a diverse and inclusive team and encourage diversity of thought.

FOSTERING INNOVATION
Managers who foster innovation empower their teams to make decisions – and learn from failures and achievements. They don’t micromanage people. They encourage innovative ideas and approaches and help people to implement them.

OVERALL MANAGER EFFECTIVENESS
Managers who are effective help people stay motivated to do their best work. They make the people they manage feel valued and supported. They feel they’re successful when the employees they manage are successful. People willingly recommend them as a good manager.

RESULTS ORIENTED
Managers who are results oriented ensure that performance standards are maintained. They work with team members to help remove blockers impeding tasks being completed and help the team get workable outcomes from team meetings.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY
Managers with the required technical capability add value to their teams. They can roll up their sleeves and work alongside the team when necessary. They empathize with the challenges the team face and have the necessary skills to help devise solutions.

VISION AND GOAL SETTING
A manager ensures the vision and strategy of the organization is translated into an actionable vision and strategy for the team. They help people understand how their role contributes to the organization’s success.

From Culture Amp: “We [took] a look at how Google’s People Operations team defined what makes a great manager. Culture Amp has augmented this research with their own and current organizational psychology research to identify the 11 traits of great managers.”

Lesson Management With Smart Moves Swim

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

facebook-32px instagram-32px

 

Share Our Blog!

Train Your Staff With Smart Moves Swim

Here’s a short video showing you how easy it is training your staff with Smart Moves Swim! We provide you with step by step instructions written and in video on how to do the skills and we have our little super fish swimmers demonstrate the activity for you! Check out the link below!


Meeting All Learning Styles

Every child learns differently. Some kids learn by either one or a combination of the following: listening to explanations of a skill or drill (auditory), watching a demonstration of a skill or drill (visual), and physical manipulation from the instructor to perform the skill or drill (kinaesthetic). Train your staff to communicate with their students targeting all three of these learning modalities. These also should be applied in the parent participation classes when teaching parents how to teach their babies & toddlers how to swim.


MeetingAllLearningStyles-2

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

facebook-32px    instagram-32px

Share Our Blog!

Welcome to our Smart Moves Swim Blog!

1. Systemizing Your Swim School:

Successful swim schools have created different systems so their school runs smoothly. One system that can help your school run more efficiently is lesson planning and staff training! Smart Moves Swim is an all in one platform that provides you with a library of over 250 activities, skills, drills, songs and games for all ages and levels! The resources provided give you detail on how to perform the skills for the teachers you are training, as well as different ways of performing those skills. You have access to the library provided, as well as, the option of adding your own curriculum! One of the many benefits of this system is to ensure your teaching philosophies remain consistent across your staff members!


2. Daily & Weekly Lesson Themes:

Create daily or weekly themes depending on your lesson structure and curriculum progressions.

Here’s an example for a Preschool/School Age checklist:

1. Assessment – establish strengths and weaknesses of the student so that you are able to plan your lesson according to your student’s skills and abilities. Make sure to focus on each individual’s need.

2. Back to Basics – review breath control/proper breathing and body position/alignment.

3. Balance, Buoyancy and Breathing – can be incorporated in every lesson.

4. Games with aims – diving for rings is an example of practicing breath control and weight transfer in the water.

5. Propulsion – Kicks.

6. Propulsion – Arms – do progression drills specific to the level.

7. Coordination – putting it all together! Now that you practiced all the skills individually, the children should be able to put it all together!

8. Personal Safety and Survival Skills – general water safety (jumping in and turning around to the point of entry, rolling on back, etc.) is practiced in every lesson. During safety week children will get exposed to additional safety such as boating safety, rescues, pfd’s/lifejackets etc. The goal is to expose the kids to be prepared to cope with an unexpected situation while they are away from lessons.

football-sinklink1

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

facebook-32px    instagram-32px

Share Our Blog!