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Five Things Strong Managers Know!

 

Managers are key contributors in an organization. They have many responsibilities, but here are 5 responsibilities that effective managers pay close attention to:

  1. Carry out assigned duties: Know and understand what is expected of you from your boss. That means asking questions, checking in, and making sure you are aligned with his/her priorities at all times.
  2. Keep your manager informed: There’s nothing worse than being blind sighted by someone who seems to know more about what is going on in your department than you do. Make sure you do not put your boss in that position. Let him/her know if something is going wrong and how you intend to handle it. If you’re not sure, ask to brainstorm together for possible solutions.
  3. Build employee morale: If your people are disgruntled, you need to address it immediately. One bad apple does spoil the whole bunch. It’s the manager’s responsibility to monitor what is going on in their department, including at the water cooler. If you hear something negative, don’t ignore it and hope it will blow over. Interject yourself. Get to the bottom of it and let the negative person know, that doesn’t fly with you. If they are uncomfortable or know they will be called out for negative behavior, it is less likely they will continue.
  4. Give clear instructions: Communication is a 2 way street. When you give a directive, you are responsible to make sure people really understand what you expect. Of course it’s clear to you; it’s in your brain. But everyone else doesn’t have the same brain. Instead of asking closed questions like, “You got it?” or “Any questions?” try open ended questions like, “So where do you think you’re going to start on this?” Or “What obstacles do you anticipate that might interfere with us completing this on time?” People tend to answer closed ended questions with the yes or no they think you are looking for. You really have no idea whether or not they understood and if you are going to get the results you want.
  5. Cooperate with other departments: Successful managers play nice in the sandbox, even if there’s a bratty kid in there. Focus on the issues and results you want, while keeping in mind that others have responsibilities and goals as well. Listen actively. Find the common ground. Work as a team.

Develop your Manager’s Toolbox by attending one of our public training classes!

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Isn’t a promise a promise?

clockI was at a meeting today and someone shared a story about an experience they had with a car dealer. He was looking for a car with a few specifics he really wanted to have so he went on the website and a little chat window popped up, asking if they could help. Since the gentleman knew the exact things he was looking for, he took the bait and said sure. He entered his criteria and the virtual helper said, “One moment please while I check our inventory.” Sure enough, a few minutes later, she came back and told him there were 2 cars that fit his criteria at a local dealership.

The guy knew the dealership so when the virtual helper asked if he wanted to make an appointment, he said sure, 10:00AM on Saturday. He eagerly went to the dealership that Saturday, and was surprised that they didn’t have the appointment scheduled. He explained that he made the appointment online, etc. They showed him into a Salesperson’s office who proceeded to ask him the same questions he had already answered online and then he said he would be right back.

When he returned, he said, “You’re never going to believe this, but we just sold those 2 cars.” We’re never going to believe it? Of course we believe it, because we have gotten so used to poor service and not getting what we expected.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Just tell me the truth. And if you don’t know, tell me that. It’s ok. I think as service professionals we need to do everything in our power to meet the expectations of the people who depend on us. That means don’t promise things you can’t deliver. It makes people mad, and it creates a reputation of being unreliable. People won’t trust you.

Now this salesperson may have thought he was doing the right thing by making up a story so the customer would not feel misled, but people aren’t stupid. After all, he wasn’t the one who started it. Assuming this was not a deliberate rouse to get the guy in to the dealership, but rather a marketing strategy gone wrong; this was a simple system failure. Why not just say that? This salesperson would have had a lot more credibility if he was honest. And he might have made the sale at a later date.

Same thing with service technicians; it’s also your job to see where the system failed and let your company or the boss know. It’s not good enough to say it’s not your fault. Find out where things went wrong and see if you can help, even if you were not the one to make the promise.

 

This blog was originally posted at: http://iamtechnation.com/abbe/isnt-a-promise-a-promise/

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Do You Run a Good Meeting?

running-a-good-meeting-500x333Let’s first talk about what commonly goes wrong in a meeting.  Think about ineffective meetings you have attended……What went wrong?

They take too long and don’t accomplish anything.  The facilitator is not prepared and wasted your time.  Participants that should not be there are there, or vice versa.  Here’s my biggest pet peeve, the facilitator allows someone to dominate, or the facilitator does not encourage participation from all members. 

How can you be sure you get the results you want from your meetings?  Well, start by focusing on 4 things – content, process, inviting the right people, and creating accountability.

So, content.  Make sure there is a purpose for the meeting.  People will be more focused and come ready to work if there is a real purpose.  And be prepared.  Write an agenda which is more than just headlines on a page.  It’s not a bullet that says discuss new work hours.  Add specifics:

Discuss new work hours

  • Week-end coverage
  • Flex-time
  • On-call process

That really gets people thinking about what you want to discuss.  And of course, know your material and present the content in an organized fashion.

Next is your Process.  Maintain good but not rigid control of the meeting, allocate a specific amount of time to each agenda item, and please redirect difficult people.  Don’t let them take over.   If there is someone who keeps interrupting with useless or arrogant remarks, take it to the group for processing.  Ask, “Does anyone else feel that way?”  Control the discussion only insofar as it does not become disrespectful or disruptive.  The group will naturally modify an answer.  If a problem is a real problem, it’s good that it came up and you should address it.  But if it doesn’t reflect the general opinion, the group will put pressure on the member who made the comment. And that’s ok.  It’s actually more effective coming from them

If it’s always the same person who de-rails you, consider speaking to them in advance – give them your expectations. “I’ve noticed at times you bring up things at a staff meeting that should really be discussed at our one to one meetings.  At today’s meeting, I really want you to try to think about if your contribution is necessary for the group, or if we should discuss it in private.”  Eventually, they will get the picture if you keep addressing it.  And don’t get dragged into an argument at a meeting.  Learn the phrase “We’re going to have to agree to disagree,” to move past those back and forth discussions that are no longer constructive.

Make sure you invite the right people – only invite those who have something to contribute.  Don’t waste people’s time if they really don’t need to be there.  Inviting people for training purposes is fine, but try to keep that to a minimum.

And last, but probably most important, create accountability.  When the group comes up with a solution or more information is needed, create an action item including the person responsible and a timeframe for completion or follow up.  And make sure that person is held accountable.  That’s your job as the manager and that’s where most managers go wrong.  You can have a great meeting, which had a great purpose and the process went well, and the right people were there, but if nobody follows up on what was accomplished, then all is lost.  Remember, your job is not done when the meeting is over.  It’s up to you to follow up on all action items and make people accountable and successful.

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Do you ever feel like you just can’t let it go?

One of the hardest things for many managers is delegating. Most managers who don’t delegate have 4 basic perspectives:

  • The Perfectionist – clearly no one is going to do it better than me.
  • The Skeptic – no one will take the time and care I will to get it right.
  • The Pacifist – I don’t want to just dump things on them; they are already overloaded.
  • The Scaredy Cat – If I give it to them, it won’t be long until I’m out of a job.

 

let it go, management delegatingMost of us fall into these perspective traps at least one time or another in our management life, and they can be the kiss of death or at the very least, a burden. Here are some things that can help us let go of certain tasks and move on to bigger and better things.

For the perfectionist and the skeptic, you have to realize that sometimes it does not have to be exactly your way for it to be okay. Focus on the objective and challenge your staff to come up with new ways to meet that objective. Work with them to help them learn how to produce the quality output you desire so that you can build trust in them. Unlock the potential in your staff or consider making changes where necessary if you have the wrong people in the wrong slots.

The Pacifist has to take charge and realize the benefit of delegation to the employee and themselves. Even the most mundane tasks should be viewed as a learning experience. Find the benefit to the employee and you will feel less like you are dumping. If you are getting bogged down in the minutia of day to day work, chances are you are missing out on real management opportunities. Rolling up your sleeves when you need to is great, but as a general rule, your staff should be the doers and you should be overseeing.

And for those who fear you could be replaced if someone else can do your job, first realize that everyone is replaceable, and then find other areas that bring higher value to you and let your staff develop as well.

Work to change the way you think of delegation. If you can begin to see delegation as a development too, instead of a threat or something that will be perceived as dumping, you will be able to delegate with confidence. Once you feel confident, make smart choices on what you delegate and to whom. When you are looking for what to “let go,” think of the following 4 types of tasks that are perfect for delegating:

  • Repetitive work
  • Clerical tasks
  • Information collection
  • Meeting representation

To decide who to delegate a task to, conduct a brief analysis of your staff. List their strengths and weaknesses and then delegate accordingly. When you note a weakness, set development plans so they can grow and you can delegate tasks to them in the future.

And remember, delegating a task doesn’t mean you are no longer responsible for it. As a manager, you must set your people up for success and check in to make sure they are getting the delegated task done. In the end, the buck stops with you.

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