Management: No Place For Sissies
I have a great respect for managers. To manage people requires the grace, muscle and
agility of a dancer. Frankly, I'm glad I'm one step removed; as a consultant, I get to give
advice without having to implement it. Over the years I've heard the heartaches and
triumphs of dozens of managers, from first-line supervisors to senior executives. From this
group of wise elders I've distilled a list of "best practices" that I offer today.
Don't hide behind technology
Save emails and memos for data and facts, not for anything emotionally charged. Writing
is too easy to misunderstand, and doesn't allow you to pause, check in, or read a facial
expression. In sensitive situations, I advise communicating the hard way: face-to-face. If
you can't communicate in person, second choice is a live phone conversation (voice is
more personal than writing). Third choice: voicemail. Last resort: email or memo.
One-on-one
Spend one-on-one time with each of your staffpeople every week, if possible, even if it's
only a couple of minutes' small talk Nothing motivates like positive personal attention. If
you have staff who work remotely, take extra steps to make sure they are not
inadvertently left out of the loop. (Feeling excluded--whether deserved or not--leads to
hurt feelings, which in turn reduce morale and productivity).
Err on the side of too much information
Especially during stress! In general, more information is better, especially in times of
change and anxiety. Gossip, rumors and fear thrive in a vacuum of information.
Imagine this: it's 1:00 a.m. on Saturday night. Your 16-year-old daughter was due home
at midnight. It's pouring rain, but you step outside the front door and scan the street
anxiously. Where is she? Is she OK? Suddenly the phone rings. It's her. They had a flat
tire. Oh, God. You breathe again.
It's the same at work: in the absence of information, people assume the worst. This is
why, if people are waiting for news, even if you have nothing to report, it's better to
repeat the same message than to remain silent.
Share information equally
Sharing information with some staff but not others can incur resentment and jealousy
among those who are left out, or the last to learn. Unless there's a good reason--such as
confidentiality--share information openly and equally with everyone.
Listen to what is said--and not said
Pay attention to what your staff tell you--and to what they don't. If all you hear is good
news, this is not good news! If they terminally nod and smile during meetings, you're not
hearing the full story.
Encourage self-reliance
Be careful not to unintentionally train your staff to be dependent on you by answering
their every question and providing ready solutions. Your goal is to be their ally, not their
rescue worker.
Require weekly written updates
To keep apprised of what your staff is doing without hovering and micro-managing, direct
your employees to provide you with a weekly written update, framed in terms of what
they accomplished. This mini-resume needs to include: --completed assignments (with the
estimated amount of time involved) --upcoming priorities --status of current projects
(again, with times) --any existing or anticipated problems--with proposed solutions --tasks
they intended to get to, but didn't, and why --support/resources they need in order to
move forward
This update is beneficial for both parties: it gives you a quick snapshot of what each
employee is doing, and it forces the employee to think like a manager and take
responsibility by doing a self-assessment of their current status and what they need.
Manage authority levels
In my role as a trainer and consultant, I frequently hear about the fallout that occurs
when employees bypass their manager and communicate issues to their manager's
manager. Occasionally, a manager's illness or vacation can be a legitimate reason to skip
authority levels. But most of the time it is inappropriate. If this happens to you, you need
to have two conversations: one with your employee, clarifying that in future you want
them to come to you and not to your boss; and secondly--and more importantly--to your
manager, who should have known better. Explain that by allowing the junior employee to
circumvent you, he or she is undermining your authority. Unless it's an emergency, your
manager needs to refrain from responding and redirect the employee back to you.
Encourage communication between your staff
As a manager, your job is to provide the environment that fosters cooperation between
co-workers. This entails creating opportunities for your staff to interact, discuss, update
each other, and have fun. Ongoing, regular structures such as meetings, in-services,
workshops, and team lunches encourage staff cooperation.
So is management easy? No way! And because it's such a demanding job, we all have
known managers who are plainly bad at managing. But many are unsung heroes who
deserve more credit than they get.