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Alan Fairweather, fondly called the Motivation Doctor, has for the past fourteen years been transforming 'adequate' managers and team leaders into consistent top performers. After a successful career as a manager he founded his business in 1993 and works with people and organisations consulting, speaking and running training programmes in the UK and Asia.
How to be a Motivational Manager
Alan Fairweather
Recent research has revealed a rise in absenteeism from work with staff taking an average of 7.2 sick days a year, up from 6.8 in 2005. Even more worrying is that at least 15% of all illnesses reported are made up, carefully thought out excuses plotted during work hours for a few extra days off. Now - if a teacher is to blame for a class of students failing their exams - surely it is our managers and supervisors who we should be addressing for the £11.75 billion a year it costs UK business for this widespread avoidance of work?
Alan Fairweather, aka The Motivation Doctor, believes it is and has written a new book, published by How To Books this month, that should be as commonplace as a computer on any manager's desk.
How to be a Motivational Manager is written from Fairweather's first-hand experience of being managed, as well as managing, and tries to tackle the worldwide problem that people who deserve promotion within a company are not necessarily suitable for a managerial position.
Fairweather goes on to explain, "I believe there are four reasons why there are so many poor and mediocre managers: because it's such a difficult job; nobody shows you what to do or gives you the right training; the media and our culture send the wrong message through people like Alan Sugar pointing a finger and bellowing "You're fired"; and because some people are just not cut out to be managers."
In the book, Fairweather looks in detail at all these four points and then goes on to explore - using case studies and responses from his work shops - what makes a good manager. He doesn't underestimate the challenges of the role of manager and looks in detail at the issues faced everyday. He sets out ways to gain confidence in one's ability and in one's voice of authority.
On the front cover the reader is promised access to the Three Secrets of Motivation and these are summed up neatly at the end of the book with Fairweather's pledge that they worked for him and they will work or you. This is coveted information if you consider that 70% of people leave their manager, not their job.
