“Managers keep an eye on the bottom line; leaders have their eyes on the horizon.”

-Warren Bennis

We had a really engaging session last week with some business executives from Long Island where we brainstormed ideas about developing leaders and managers. There are a lot of interesting challenges we face in this area and it was nice to learn that no matter what industry we are in, we all have a lot in common and we are not alone.

We discussed how difficult it is to get managers to delegate tasks. It seems many managers are insecure and feel their job might be threatened if someone below them could do their job as good as or better than them. The challenge is to make them feel secure enough to develop their people. When managers keep everything so close to the vest, it leads to dysfunctional teams and lower productivity. So the question remained, “How do we make managers feel secure enough to let go and develop their people?’

We discussed rewarding managers who do that. Is employee development a cultural value and is that behavior modeled? It’s one thing to say we value employee development; it’s another to walk the walk and talk the talk. The group suggested making employee development a key competency in the manager’s evaluation process so they are truly not successful unless their people are successful. Great incentive for managers to, “Let it go….”

Another participant spoke about the challenges in getting people motivated to do more than they have become used to doing. Upon further discussion, we found out that this relatively new manager to the company had never actually done the jobs of the people who worked for him. One suggestion was to work with the employees, down in the trenches of their jobs to see what really goes on. Imagine the change that can be inspired when people feel the big boss really takes an interest in their job and really understands what they go through on a day to day basis. Not to mention the perks of the education you can get when you get your hands dirty.

Janine Friedman, reminded us that, “The word manage comes from the root “manus”, which means hand. So managers handle things: budgets, forecasting, day-to-day performance, scheduling, etc. The root of the word leader is to go, guide or travel. It means taking an employee, department or organization from where they are to where they need to be.”

If you were not able to attend the breakfast, we encourage you to check out the management and leadership programs on our website. The Manager’s Toolbox and /or The Leadership Challenge may be just what you need to get yourself or your team moving in the right direction. Start investing in yourself and the talent you already have working for you and make your organizational or departmental vision a reality with TEC.

It’s a real pain when you are late with an assignment because you are waiting for someone else to give you something you need to complete your project or task. You asked them for it, maybe several times, but still they aren’t complying. Are you supposed to throw them under the bus and tell your boss, “I would love to finish the project, but Joe from Accounting still hasn’t given me the spreadsheet I need? Should you send a sarcastic email to Joe, subject line, “6th Request”?

It’s hard to know what to do, but the most important thing to remember is that your first responsibility is to your boss and to get the job done. So if you are not getting the support you need, it’s up to you to raise your hand. Simply falling short of your deadline and/or blaming someone else will surely not win you any points, on any front.

When you are communicating with someone from whom you need something, the better your relationship with that person, the greater your chance you’ll get what you need. If you have a good relationship with someone, it can feel uncomfortable to press them when you need something and they are being unresponsive. And when you don’t like someone, we tend to expect the worst from them, and we are usually not disappointed.

No matter what the relationship with our colleague, in situations like this you need to remind them that you are all working for the same outcome, to better serve the customer or patient. Explain how what you need from them, fits into the big picture and that you are depending on them to complete your task. Be as clear as you can on what you expect from them and when you need it by. Ask how you can make it easier for them to help you, and be prepared to do that. Get verbal or written commitment from them. Saying or writing it tends to make people more committed.

Then you have to check in politely before the due date to see if they are still on target for meeting the deadline. This will minimize the risk of finding out about a problem that it’s too late to fix. If people ignore you by email, pick up the phone or go see them in person. Find out how things are going. And don’t start with what you need. Ask how their day is going or before you check in on what you need. If you are still ignored, then it is your responsibility to escalate before your project is late.

I always like to give the person the benefit of telling them what I am going to do before I do it so they have one last chance to help. This avoids that ‘throwing them under the bus” feeling. Here’s where you find out if they are just being unresponsive, or they really don’t have the time or ability to help you. Say something like, “You seem to be really busy. I still need to get my project completed on time, so if you don’t think you will be able to get your part to me by the end of the week, I’ll discuss it with my boss to see if we have an alternative resource.” If they are just being lazy, this just might give them the kick they need to get started. Remember, there really is a possibility that they are too busy to help you and hopefully this will open the door for them to communicate that as well.

But it’s still your responsibility to figure out how you are going to get your job done. If you can’t do that, then you have to escalate this to your boss so he can help you come up with another resource and possibly change the deadline. Believe me, your boss would rather be updated on your progress, than find out on the due date that he is not going to have what he needs.

Thoughts…….. Contact me at abbe@TECResourceCenter.com