Three Keys to Successful Management
The most important position in any company is the first-level manager. I say that because a very high percentage of employees in any organization report to the first-level manager. Add to that the fact that people join organizations but leave managers and you can see why good management is so important.
The Problem
This morning I was reviewing a corporate annual report and in the letter to the shareholders the CEO wrote, “(Company Name’s) greatest asset is our people.” He went on to share about how they are investing in their people. I hope they truly are.
Unfortunately, many organizations, especially small and midsize companies, don’t invest in their people.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Albert Einstein
Leaders routinely promote individual all stars with the belief that they can help others succeed in the same position that they succeeded in. It doesn’t matter what area of expertise, many business leaders just assume that if an individual is the top performer then they can make others better in that same role. This mistake is made repeatedly in business. It’s a fallacy. Sports superstars routinely fail as coaches, why would it be any different in business?
This approach is magnified by not sufficiently investing in developing managers and leaders to effectively do their jobs. What’s missing is an acknowledgment that the skill set needed to be a manager is different than the skill set needed to do the work.
What Successful Companies Do Instead
Many large companies understand the importance of developing their talent and put detailed plans and training in place to develop all levels in the organization, especially managers and leaders. There is both a short-term goal of developing the skills needed for success in their roles and a longer-term goal of creating a pipeline of people who can move up the corporate ladder of leadership. GE pioneered this approach when they created GE Management Development Institute - Crotonville. McDonnell Douglas followed their lead and built their Leadership Center, which became the Boeing Leadership Center (BLC) after Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas. I had the honor of training over 1800 first-level mangers at the BLC.
Large and successful companies understand the job of a manager.
What is the job of a manager? Too often I hear people say it’s to manage their employees. Hogwash. If you have children or are an aunt or uncle, you know you can’t manage people. Others say it's to motivate their employees. To motivate means to provide (someone) with a motive for doing something. Maybe, but I’m not so sure about this one. If I want to keep my job and the pay associated with it, isn’t delivering on what I’m hired and get paid to do sufficient motivation for me to do the job so I keep the job?
The manager/leader's job is simple to define and difficult to execute. Their job is to:
Manage the work to be done
Lead their people, and
Coach their people
Let’s take a closer look.
Key #1: Manage the Work to Be Done.
Too often managers focus on results, not the actions needed to produce the results. I spoke with a CEO yesterday who acknowledged this in his sales organization. This behavior can be devastating to a business if the sales cycle is 6, 12 or 18 months long. Results are trailing indicators. Managers need to define, track and focus on the necessary actions their employees need to take in their area of accountability which will unquestionably produce the desired results. We call these leading indicators and focusing on them tells the manager what, if any, correction is needed to ensure their team delivers on the desired results.
Key #2: Lead Their People
The second job of a manger/leader is to lead those who report to them. Leading is many things. It’s connecting employees to the Core Values, Vision, and Mission of the company so they understand what the company is committed to. It’s being able to enroll your people in the why for your Vision and Mission. It's also being able to enroll them in the why and the what they are accountable for in their departments and how it connects to the organizational Vision, Mission and goals. It’s providing the inspiration to encourage people to be and do their best in their jobs. Inspiration is to breath life into, this is distinctly different from motivation.
By example, when I was training at the BLC, one manager shared a story of how he trains new maintenance employees. He tells them that the company brings customers through the manufacturing facility and if the facility is clean and tidy it communicates they are on top of every little detail. Conversely, if the manufacturing facility is not clean and tidy it communicates that Boeing doesn't have a handle on the details, something no customers want to see.. In the end he says to them, you help us sell airplanes. That is leading.
Key #3: Coach Their People
Most people in business recognize that managers/leaders need to both manage the work and lead the people. That said, too often people collapse the two. We manage the work and lead people. The third and most often overlooked job of managers/leaders is Coaching.
Coaching employees to be and become the best versions of themselves is a critical job of a manger/leader. It's not enough to manage the work and lead people, we must be coaching those we lead.
Coaching is critical for every business for many reasons. It improves the quality of the work that gets done. Having highly skilled employees reduces the head count needed to get the work done. It is critical to the future success of the company as there will always be a war for highly skilled employees. It's the managers/leaders' responsibility to always be developing people who can be the future managers/leaders in the business. The company's future depends on it.
My son is fortunate to work in an organization that understands this and they encourage employees to seek out mentors throughout the organization, regardless of wether or not you report to the manager you are seeking guidance from. A mentor, like a coach, has another's best interests in mind and is committed to helping them grow and succeed.
As a manager you shouldn't just coach your own employees; you should be available to coach and mentor others, both inside and outside your organization. My wife is great at this, which has resulted in her identifying people who have become employees in her organization.
The insanity is that with all that’s at stake, some leaders think they don’t need to invest in training and development for their managers/leaders.
The goal should be to become the leader that your employees don’t want to leave while simultaneously delivering the results that are expected of you and your team.
Apparently, I was that type of leader. Years ago my manager brought me into his office and said, “Another one of your employees complained about you." He then said that I was too hard on them. He went on to share that he asked them who else they wanted to work for. Their answer? “No one.” Then he asked me, “How do you do that, pissoff your employees, yet they don’t want to work for anyone else?” Great question I responded, did you ask them that question? Yes, he said. They told me that they would learn more from Alan than they would from anyone else.
Was I tough? Maybe. I’d like to say I had high expectations for everyone, including myself; and I was open and direct about those expectations. I also treated everyone equally. Maybe that’s tough, but I don’t think so. I believe all top performers have high expectations both of themselves and those around them. The real key is that I was willing to mentor and train employees so effectively that they didn't want to leave even when I pushed them hard.
Master these three simple but difficult jobs of a manager/leader and you will become a highly effective and successful manager whose employees don’t want to leave you.