Q10 This position will involve managing multiple people and multiple projects. Describe a situation at work where you demonstrated your ability to manage simultaneous work tasks that had multiple people relying on the outcomes. (Maximum 500 words.)
Please consider in your response:
o What techniques or tools did you use to manage the tasks?
o How did you manage expectations of the people relying on the outcomes?
o How well were the tasks completed? How do you know the quality of the outcomes?
o What would you do differently next time?
o What would you continue to do next time?
o Why did you choose this example?

Response:
It is lot easier to achieve technical competence than to manage a team. It requires people skills to manage a team and manage expectation. One of the people skills is to find out what management skill works for each individual. One individual needs encouragement, another individual may need more follow-ups during the progress. The current laboratory I am working in provides analysis service to internal clients. The turn-around-time was an issue recently. The Environmental Specialist did not get results on time to address environmental accidents ahead of time. The management got excited about it.
As a senior role in the laboratory, I took initiative to organize a weekly toolbox meeting within our group last year. The purpose of the meeting was to address backlogged analysis by refocusing on priorities, addressing any issues with collective efforts, and helping the team.
I also played a role to communicate between the team and the management/the Environmental Specialist. There was a weekly meeting with my manager last year. It did not take long time every time. We discussed weekly update and the insight of the laboratory operation. I provided a list of backlogged samples to the Environmental Specialist weekly.
With the training sessions on dealing with difficult personality and negaholics, and the manager’s mentorship, I took an inside-out approach to address issues with different lens. I did my best to motivate each individual by applying different approach. I did more recognition to a technologist who is constantly productive. I sent a recognition note to the manager for the performance appraisal. I brought attention of a technologist’s poor performance to the manager. We came up solutions to work out the situation.
The laboratory operation ended up with good performance last year with efforts from management and peers. Management is an art. I am on the journey. The difficulties in management motivated me to join Toastemasters.