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If
you're in the early stages of your management
career, there are some basic ideas that we want to
pass on so perhaps you won't have to learn the hard
way how to provide leadership to the people who work
for you. As a manager, whether you know it or not,
you're under constant scrutiny. Subordinates watch
your every behavior and make decisions on
department, team, or company values based on that
behavior. Intense (but balanced) focus on the work
and goals, seizing opportunities to learn more, and
promoting subordinates' interaction with more senior
executives or other leaders all are considered good
by your subordinates. Not so good is sloppy behavior,
even off the job, shifting blame, or criticizing
others personally.
Subordinates also watch whom the manager hires, what
skills are in demand, and what personalities are
desired. They keep an eagle eye on how managers
handle performance issues. Coddling those who don't
measure up can destroy the morale of colleagues;
likewise, dismissing or demoting a committed
employee for reasons unrelated to performance can
wreck a high-performing team and damage, if not
destroy, the manager's credibility. Think about
typical "boss behavior" as depicted in the cartoon
strip Dilbert, which is certainly at odds with
genuine people skills. "Bad" behavior takes the form
of micromanaging, doing work that subordinates
should do, and generally demoralizing those who
should be learning by doing. Some managers bring in
consultants to do work that would be an opportunity
for employees to learn. Whether that's because the
employees are incapable of doing it, or the manager
lacks trust in their abilities, a problem exists.
"Good" behavior takes the form of providing a vision
for the completion of a project, clearly delineating
roles and responsibilities, and leading positive and
productive team sessions around milestones and
performance gaps.
The
Golden Rule can't be invoked too often in good
management. If you don't treat others as you would
like to be treated, you're likely to have some
problems in the workplace. You want people to listen
to you, but too often we forget that others want us
to listen to them, too. You want to be able to
approach people without fear of ridicule or
humiliation. Your employees want to be able to
approach you without fear, too. Sincerely respecting
the dignity of employees means sharing performance
concerns privately, showing them how to succeed, and
reinforcing good results with rewards. But you also
have to balance that with "tough love" when they
make mistakes, confronting poor performance squarely
and candidly, and making sure they aren't frustrated
by flawed processes or conflicting goals. Just as
you reward high performers, you must be willing to
engage in adult conversations with nonperformers.
Human nature often leads us to avoid conflict, but
doing so merely delays success for all involved.
Self-awareness is a critical skill for managing
people. How rooted in reality is your own impression
of your management abilities? Perhaps you see
yourself as a manager with a blend of people skills:
compassion, identification with subordinates'
professional (and personal) struggles and successes,
a sincere concern for their welfare, consistently
firm and decisive actions that do not coddle
underperformers, and certainly a better-than-average
understanding of the total business. All of us have
some of those qualities. The key is to emphasize the
right behaviors in the right situations. Those who
can range among management styles can adapt well to
the harsh and dynamic environment of business.
Getting the right results the wrong way is not a
recipe for longevity in your job. Screaming and
threatening behavior may buy you results in the
short term, but eventually, your employees will find
ways to overcome such bullying, undermining you, or
they will simply vote with their feet and head for
greener pastures. An ideal manager is consistent,
has a good command of functional skills (though
others may have better), and demonstrates sincere
interest in employees and their success. Just as
important, the ideal manager gets the right results
the right way -- meeting goals regularly and
innovating with positive change around process and
output. Managing to the measurements -- working to
make sure the metrics reflect what management wants
-- is to flirt with disaster. The metrics are there
to assess progress toward a given goal, and
influencing them artificially without corresponding
improvements to the underlying business takes away
an important tool.
If
we had to put our thoughts about managing people on
a laminated card, here's what it would say:
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Listen to your
employees.
-
Be approachable.
-
Show sincere interest
in your employees.
-
Give and take
feedback.
-
Surround yourself with
strong players.
Reprinted from Simple Solutions: Harness the Power
of Passion and Simplicity to Get Results by Tom
Schmitt and Arnold Perl. Copyright © 2007 by Thomas
Schmitt and Arnold Perl. Published by John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.; December 2006;$22.95US/$27.99CAN;
978-0-4700-4818-4.
Tom Schmitt
is President and CEO of FedEx Global Supply Chain
Services and Senior Vice President of FedEx
Solutions. Arnold Perl is a Partner at the national
labor and employment law firm of Ford & Harrison LLP.
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