It is not uncommon to hear the term “managing” and coaching” used interchangeably. Those who understand the difference (that will include you after you read this article) cringe a little inside when this occurs because it is likely they have worked for, or with, a manager who certainly was not a coach, and therefore ineffective. In a nutshell, coaching is a function of managing that every good leader of others must be able to do well.
The term “managing” refers to the job of overseeing the work of others. The responsibilities of a manager typical include, but are not limited to, the following:
On-boarding and orienting new employees
Conducting meetings
Delegating tasks and assignments
Giving feedback
Monitoring progress and performance
Making decisions
Dealing with conflicts
The term “coaching” refers to a two-way communication process between members of the organization (leaders to team members, peers to peers, team members to leaders) aimed at influencing and developing the employees’ skills, motivation, attitude, judgment, or ability to perform, and the willingness to contribute to an organization’s goals.
Unfortunately, too many managers fall short of success because they focus on the task and bottom line results, overlooking the fact that results are best achieved through developing and inspiring others to achieve those results. While achieving results through others is a challenging task, organizations cannot grow and compete if their managers don’t talk to people about their performance and contribution to the organization. With regular and skillful coaching, managers can fulfill their responsibility to deliver:
Enhanced performance and improved productivity.
A work environment where people are highly engaged.
A culture of trust within the organization.
Once a manager learns how to think, talk, and act like a coach, the “coaching process” not only becomes second nature to the coach but changes attitudes and behaviors of the his or her team members.
Previously, we briefly looked at several common theories on human motivation. This discussion will continue the discussion on motivation and focus primarily on a process that enables managers to not only understand motivation in the workplace, but also increase employee initiative, energy and excitement. From a simplified perspective, motivation can be viewed as a balance scale with motive on one side and action or behavior on the other. In order to move a two-pound behavior, a two-pound (or greater) motive is necessary. Behaviors, like motives, have different weights or difficulties; thus a light motive is unlikely to sufficiently move a heavy (difficult) behavior. And a heavy motivator can easily move a light (easy) behavior.
For example, the last time an employee was asked to clean and organize a dirty, dark and dingy storage area the employee’s reaction was, “Oh no, why me? Cleaning that storage room is the worst possible of all jobs I could get. Why don’t you pick on somebody else this time?”
Placing this situation on the balance scale, the employee’s perception of the behaviors required to clean the storage room weighed 10 pounds, and the motive and benefits supplied in the manager’s request weighed one pound. That’s why the employee’s reaction was, “Why me?”
Now, several months later, the same manager is about to ask the same employee to once again clean the messy storage room. There are four basic motives the manager could place on the motive side of the balance scale. They are: fear, incentive, guilt and self. Following are statements describing the first three motives.
Fear
“I’m sick and tired of your complaining. If you know what’s good for you, and you want to keep your job, then clean that room. And I don’t want to hear any more excuses. Just do it now!”
Incentive
“Hey, why don’t you clean the storage room this afternoon? If you’ll do it for me, I’ll bring you a Coke and a couple of donuts for your afternoon break. And don’t forget tomorrow is payday.”
Guilt
“I know you don’t like to clean the storage room, but it’s got to be done. And if you don’t clean it we won’t be able to sell anything that’s in there. Besides, my boss is really upset that it’s so messy and not organized. So if you don’t clean it today, I’ll be in big trouble tomorrow.”
These three motivators are typically imposed on someone, thus they are called extrinsic, meaning they originate from outside the person. The problem with extrinsic motivators is that their effect is short-lived. Any effect they might have works for only a few days, perhaps a week at most. Additionally, both fear and guilt are dirty motivators. After a dirty motivator has been used in an attempt to gain action, the relationship between the two parties can be damaged. Thus, even though a dirty motivator might seemingly accomplish its purpose in the short-term, in the long run the residual or collateral damage to the relationship may never be overcome,
If those disadvantages aren’t enough, there is another problem with extrinsic motivators. Whatever amount, quantity, or intensity of an extrinsic motivator is used to gain action today, that amount is likely not to be enough to repeat the same action tomorrow. In other words, if a manager bribes an employee with a cash incentive of X, it may take 2X to get a similar response in a successive attempt. In the case of the messy storeroom, if the manager had initially told the reluctant employee that there was a $25.00 cash bonus to clean the room, then on the second request it could take $50.00 to gain a similar amount of motivation. Likewise, if fear is used as the motivator today, then even more fear will be necessary tomorrow for a similar response. Continued use of extrinsic motivators requires an escalating proportion of motivation. This can obviously be incredibly damaging and/or expensive. (On a personal note, all child abuse has its origins in fear motivation. The process begins by using a little fear, moves on to substantial fear, and then when that finally doesn’t work, violence is the only way to gain action.)
Intrinsic
The fourth type of motivator that can be placed on the balance scale is intrinsic. It’s called intrinsic because the motivation is generated from within the person, rather than being imposed externally from outside. Unlike extrinsic motivators, intrinsic are long-term with the effects lasting weeks, months, years and in some cases even a lifetime. Additionally, intrinsic motivation is clean; there is no unwanted baggage as in extrinsic.
So what are these intrinsic motivators that have so much promise? Actually, almost anything that does not fit into the categories of fear, incentive or guilt is probably an intrinsic motivator. They are things like pride, respect, appreciation, challenge, making a difference in someone’s life, and achieving a goal. Although I’ve identified about eighty intrinsic motivators, there must be hundreds. Any positive influence that comes from within, lasts longer than a few weeks, and doesn’t leave emotional baggage is probably an intrinsic motivator.
Each person acquires through his or her experiences in life a set of intrinsic motivators unique to that person. The set of intrinsic motivators that energizes one person to action will not likely be exactly the same as those that motivate another person. Although I believe that there are some universal intrinsic motivators such as appreciation and respect, the thirty or forty specific items that motivate each person are different. It’s both nature and nurture that makes each person unique, even with respect to motivation.
Why I do what I do
People do not really understand themselves until they have compiled a specific written list of personal intrinsic motivators. This statement has caused more than one person in my workshops considerable consternation, but nonetheless it’s true. Then, after compiling the list, the items are then divided into three groups: heavy, medium and light motivators. By working through this process people are better able to come into contact with their authentic self. Far too many people live in either a fantasy or dream world that doesn’t bear a resemblance to reality. When a person is able to see what moves him or her to action, I believe that that person will then have a major understanding of whom he or she really is. Because then that person will grasp, “if I know what I know, why do I do what I do?
In the case of the messy storage room, the manager would be wise to apply one or two specific intrinsic motivators that are unique to the employee. It might be challenge, accomplishment, recognition, satisfaction, being in charge, or perhaps praise. By using these motivators the manager might find that the employee’s efforts to keep the room clean extend well beyond the immediate assignment.
The names in this article have been changed to protect the guilty; the innocent are on their own!
A number of years ago the CEO of a large company taught a few of his executives an important lesson about prioritizing responsibilities and behaviors. The moral and lesson of this story was ultimately taught throughout the entire company, as the legend of the experiences was re-told to literally tens of thousands of employees.
Although I was not personally a first-hand witness to the teaching experience, the CEO’s Administrative Assistant, whom I will call Gayle, was and related it to me. The CEO scheduled an important meeting in his office at 3:00 pm one day to discuss an impending decision that had to be made. Five senior executives, plus the CEO were in attendance.
About 5:00 pm Gayle knocked on the CEO’s door and entered. She said, “It’s after five and I’ll be leaving soon. If you need anything let me know.” The CEO glanced at his watch and said to the group of executives,” “Oh my goodness, look at what happened to the time. I didn’t realize it was so late. I don’t think we can reach a decision very soon. WE might be here a couple of more hours. If anyone needs to leave for any personal reason, please feel free to do so. The rest of us will stay until we find a workable solution.”
To the CEO’s request there were a couple of sidebar discussions until one of the five whom I will call Bryan to protect his identity said, “Well, I’m here for sure. I’m supposed to attend my daughter’s ballet recital tonight and if this meeting goes for a couple of more hours, I’ll have good excuse to miss it.”
A few of the executives chuckle at Bryan’s makeshift humor, until the CEO turned to Gayle, who was still standing just inside the office door. He said, “Gayle, there is something you could do for me. Down in the mail room there are large folded boxes that the clerks use for shipping. I think they are stacked against the back wall. Would you mind going down there before you leave and get me about six of those boxes? And, I also need one of those hand-held shipping tape dispensers. Do you know what I mean?”
Gayle nodded that she understood and left the room. While she was gone, the meeting continued for several minutes until Gayle returned pulling a four-wheel cart on which were six large flat boxes and a shipping tape dispenser. She knocked on the door, stuck her head in and asked, “Where do you want me to put the boxes?”
Without so much as a blink, the CEO said, “Thank you Gayle, Please put them in Bryan’s office for me, because he might need them tomorrow morning.” Then, once again without missing a beat, the CEO moved back to topic at hand and said, “So what’s the best course of action we ought to take?”
A little puzzled at the CEO’s request, Gayle began to close the door when she heard Bryan ask, “Excuse me, but why will I need the boxes tomorrow morning?”
And for a third time, without missing a beat the CEO said, “If you miss your daughter’s ballet recital tonight, you’ll need the boxes tomorrow morning to pack up your personal belongings, because you won’t be working for me anymore.”
With that statement, a shocked Bryan slowly gathered up his papers from the meeting and started to walk toward the door. As he was about to leave, the CEO said, “Let me make this absolutely clear. To be successful in your personal life or in your professional life it is necessary to make good decisions. Being able to prioritize what is important to you and others is critical to being effective as a leader. Our employees watch us carefully to see if we do what we say. And, they are keenly aware of how we prioritize our responsibilities. If we are not smart enough to realize that attending our daughter’s ballet recital is far more important than a business meeting. Then we are not smart enough to lead this company.”
After a stunned silence of several seconds, the CEO had one last comment before Bryan closed the door. He said, “Remember, work is for a while, but your family is forever. Make sure your actions reflect that fact.”
Over the next few years the CEO’s actions that night were told and retold throughout the large company to literally thousands of employees. It became an incentive for all to hear and a reminder that effective managers and leaders must have the ability to prioritize their responsibilities. The failure to prioritize responsibilities effectively, for both personal leadership and professional leadership, pave a pathway toward failure. Likewise, practicing personal prioritization enables managers and leaders to “walk their talk,” or demonstrate personal integrity. Employees can smell from a mile a leader who lacks integrity and whose actions are opposed to his or her stated values. Conversely, employees will follow, work hard, take initiative, and make good decisions for leaders who know their priorities and follow them with appropriate actions.
The wise CEO seized an opportunity to teach a valuable lesson to a few of his colleagues. But his lesson lives on as the true story continues to be retold. I think the CEO knew that the ability to prioritize is a critical requirement to being an effective manager or leader. If a person does not specifically know what is important to his or her success, it will be difficult for that person to make decisions with integrity. Successful leaders and managers have taken the time to list the five or ten most important things in their lives. Unsuccessful managers and leaders, by not prioritizing effectively, empower other people, even the competition, to prioritize their daily lives. This reactionary method to leadership is a major step toward ultimate failure, both personal and professional.
So what is important to you? What are your priorities? Have you made a list of the ten most important things in your life? If we analyzed your list, would it be a close reflection of you daily actions? What differences would there be? Do you practice the principle the CEO gave us as his parting shot at Bryan: “Work is for a while, and your family is forever.”
As a result of globalization, technology, work-life balance, and outsourcing, virtual teams are becoming more common. Leaders of virtual teams rarely have the chance to connect with their direct-reports face-to-face. Therefore, in addition to the typical challenges a leader faces when his/her team is all in one location, virtual leaders must communicate, build trust, and instill accountability via technological means. Click on image to expand.
Each of us has a bucket located in our heart and whenever we receive any type of feedback it goes in our bucket. I’ve taught the metaphor of the feedback bucket to thousands of people around the country. Perhaps because it’s so simple, or because of the catchy name, but for whatever reason, it helps people grasp the importance of the feedback with give and receive in our interactions with others. Picture your feedback bucket and imagine all types of feedback you receive each day going into your bucket. The problem is that we have holes in our buckets, which cause the feedback to leak out over time. If there are a lot of holes, or if some are large, the feedback leaks out quickly. If a person’s bucket doesn’t have many holes, or if they are just pinpricks, the feedback leaks out slowly. Remember, we all have a bucket and every bucket has some holes in it.
Who put the holes in your bucket? The answer is complex, but stated simply they came from both internal and external sources. You probably drilled a few yourself through careless actions and others came from parents, family, friends, associates, and your present and former bosses. Because our lives constantly change, the holes in our feedback buckets are in a state of flux. Holes come, and holes go, but some are always there.
How does an employee behave when his or her feedback bucket is empty? How would that same employee behave if his or her bucket had a few deposits of feedback? The response I get to these questions from retail managers is surprisingly consistent. And I’ll bet you probably know some of the answers. But before we get to that, first keep in mind that people suffer great pain when their bucket is empty. Feedback deprivation is one of the most psychologically painful experiences a person can have. In fact, mentally healthy people will go to extraordinary measures to ensure that their bucket doesn’t run dry.
Consider that people don’t consciously know when their bucket is empty. It’s something we can’t recognize because most of us don’t understand it. It is a feeling or an emotion; and being able to pinpoint emotions is difficult for most people.
Even if a person knew that his or her “bucket gauge” was on empty, it’s highly unlikely that the person would ask for feedback from others–especially men, because it would show weakness. If women are the better communicators, like some people say, and if they are more intuitive, again like some experts say, then maybe women would be better suited to know when their bucket was empty, and maybe they might be more able to ask for help.
So how can you know if one of your employee’s feedback bucket is running low? Typically, a problem with inadequate feedback will show up in one or more of six ways.
1.A person’s work performance (quantity and quality of work) is quite often directly related to the amount of feedback in his or her bucket. It doesn’t mean that a person will stop working when their bucket’s empty, but sustained performance over time requires at least some feedback in the bucket. So if you see an employee’s performance beginning to erode try stepping up your feedback to that person.
2.The ability to get along peaceably with co¬workers and even work effectively as a team is also directly related to how much feedback those people recently received. Workers are less likely to demonstrate patience, cooperation, understanding or tolerance when their feedback buckets are empty, or even near empty. So when you want a group of employees to become a team of employees, be sure that your feedback to them is frequent and positive.
3.Employees with empty buckets are prone to be followers, rather than take the initiative to be leaders. Followers wait for things to happen, while leaders take the initiative and make things happen. That’s because followers don’t feel as though it’s their job. Decision–making is an integral part of demonstrating initiative. Why make the effort to take a risk and make a decision if it’s not your job in the first place? So if you see employees lacking in initiative, step up your feedback.
4.People suffering from feedback deprivation commonly engage in destructive communication and people whose buckets are fairly full frequently engage in constructive communication. The simple cause of complaining, griping and back-biting, especially in the break room, may be nothing more than a number of employees who have been ignored too long and their buckets are running on empty. So when you become aware of destructive communication, step up your feedback.
5.Each day most of us make a decision to either get up and go to work, or roll over and go back to sleep. Part of that decision is centered on how much feedback we have received recently. A fair portion of time and attendance issues, such as being late or absent, could he prevented if managers invested more time in giving appropriate feedback to employees.
6.A few years ago a group of Outback restaurants implemented a program to reduce turnover among part¬-time employees. Each member of management was required to do three things each day to every part-time employee. They were to look the employee in the eye, use his or her first name, and ask a question about how their day was going. So to a part-time employee who was a student and worked the evening shift the comment might be, “Ann, how was your day at school?” Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But within six months Outback had slashed part-time employee turnover in those restaurants by a whopping 50 percent! How important is feedback? Ask those employees.
So what can you do as a manager to make deposits in employees’ buckets and to even plug up a few holes? There are four easy, but important strategies you might consider.
1.The quantity of feedback you give someone is important, but the quality is even more important. An idle comment may be welcome, but a question about how your midterm exam went yesterday could be a huge deposit. How much do you really know about your employees? Do you know how they spend their spare time? Do you know their hobbies? Are you concerned about them as an important part of your team? Take a few minutes and find out. And then fill a bucket!
2.Employees who receive appropriate and timely praise and recognition for their contributions to the company feel better about themselves. Feelings of being valuable and a contributor to the company can plug a few holes. Many books have been written about how to recognize employees, but the regrettable truth is that few managers consistently use the principle of praise and recognition appropriately. Look for both individual and group achievement and then make a fuss, and do it where a number of people can hear.
3.The third tactic to plug holes and make feedback deposits is to celebrate achievements. Too often managers believe that results are to be expected. It’s why we give you a paycheck, so we don’t need to celebrate individual successes. However, if you don’t pay attention to individual and group achievements, you’ll never know who crosses the finish line. Work at knowing who is achieving and then celebrate those achievements with your employees.
4.The extent to which any employee embraces changes to operating procedures or organizational structure is directly related to how much feedback that employee has been given regarding why the changes are necessary. Remember, feedback is a two way street. It doesn’t just flow from the manager to the employee. It needs to flow from the employee to the manager too. When employees are asked for their feedback regarding potential changes, they are much more likely to embrace the change after it is implemented. Ensure that feedback flows in both directions.
In this article we’ve looked at the feedback bucket. I like the metaphor because its uniqueness is so memorable to my students. Take a serious look at your employees this month and determine which buckets are running too low. Then, make some major deposits in those buckets. Use the techniques in this article. You’ll like the results. Look for a
Each of us has a bucket located in our heart and whenever we receive any type of feedback it goes in our bucket. I’ve taught the metaphor of the feedback bucket to thousands of people around the country. Perhaps because it’s so simple, or because of the catchy name, but for whatever reason, it helps people grasp the importance of the feedback with give and receive in our interactions with others. Picture your feedback bucket and imagine all types of feedback you receive each day going into your bucket. The problem is that we have holes in our buckets, which cause the feedback to leak out over time. If there are a lot of holes, or if some are large, the feedback leaks out quickly. If a person’s bucket doesn’t have many holes, or if they are just pinpricks, the feedback leaks out slowly. Remember, we all have a bucket and every bucket has some holes in it.
Who put the holes in your bucket? The answer is complex, but stated simply they came from both internal and external sources. You probably drilled a few yourself through careless actions and others came from parents, family, friends, associates, and your present and former bosses. Because our lives constantly change, the holes in our feedback buckets are in a state of flux. Holes come, and holes go, but some are always there.
How does an employee behave when his or her feedback bucket is empty? How would that same employee behave if his or her bucket had a few deposits of feedback? The response I get to these questions from retail managers is surprisingly consistent. And I’ll bet you probably know some of the answers. But before we get to that, first keep in mind that people suffer great pain when their bucket is empty. Feedback deprivation is one of the most psychologically painful experiences a person can have. In fact, mentally healthy people will go to extraordinary measures to ensure that their bucket doesn’t run dry.
Consider that people don’t consciously know when their bucket is empty. It’s something we can’t recognize because most of us don’t understand it. It is a feeling or an emotion; and being able to pinpoint emotions is difficult for most people.
Even if a person knew that his or her “bucket gauge” was on empty, it’s highly unlikely that the person would ask for feedback from others–especially men, because it would show weakness. If women are the better communicators, like some people say, and if they are more intuitive, again like some experts say, then maybe women would be better suited to know when their bucket was empty, and maybe they might be more able to ask for help.
So how can you know if one of your employee’s feedback bucket is running low? Typically, a problem with inadequate feedback will show up in one or more of six ways.
1.A person’s work performance (quantity and quality of work) is quite often directly related to the amount of feedback in his or her bucket. It doesn’t mean that a person will stop working when their bucket’s empty, but sustained performance over time requires at least some feedback in the bucket. So if you see an employee’s performance beginning to erode try stepping up your feedback to that person.
2.The ability to get along peaceably with co¬workers and even work effectively as a team is also directly related to how much feedback those people recently received. Workers are less likely to demonstrate patience, cooperation, understanding or tolerance when their feedback buckets are empty, or even near empty. So when you want a group of employees to become a team of employees, be sure that your feedback to them is frequent and positive.
3.Employees with empty buckets are prone to be followers, rather than take the initiative to be leaders. Followers wait for things to happen, while leaders take the initiative and make things happen. That’s because followers don’t feel as though it’s their job. Decision–making is an integral part of demonstrating initiative. Why make the effort to take a risk and make a decision if it’s not your job in the first place? So if you see employees lacking in initiative, step up your feedback.
4.People suffering from feedback deprivation commonly engage in destructive communication and people whose buckets are fairly full frequently engage in constructive communication. The simple cause of complaining, griping and back-biting, especially in the break room, may be nothing more than a number of employees who have been ignored too long and their buckets are running on empty. So when you become aware of destructive communication, step up your feedback.
5.Each day most of us make a decision to either get up and go to work, or roll over and go back to sleep. Part of that decision is centered on how much feedback we have received recently. A fair portion of time and attendance issues, such as being late or absent, could he prevented if managers invested more time in giving appropriate feedback to employees.
6.A few years ago a group of Outback restaurants implemented a program to reduce turnover among part¬-time employees. Each member of management was required to do three things each day to every part-time employee. They were to look the employee in the eye, use his or her first name, and ask a question about how their day was going. So to a part-time employee who was a student and worked the evening shift the comment might be, “Ann, how was your day at school?” Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But within six months Outback had slashed part-time employee turnover in those restaurants by a whopping 50 percent! How important is feedback? Ask those employees.
So what can you do as a manager to make deposits in employees’ buckets and to even plug up a few holes? There are four easy, but important strategies you might consider.
1.The quantity of feedback you give someone is important, but the quality is even more important. An idle comment may be welcome, but a question about how your midterm exam went yesterday could be a huge deposit. How much do you really know about your employees? Do you know how they spend their spare time? Do you know their hobbies? Are you concerned about them as an important part of your team? Take a few minutes and find out. And then fill a bucket!
2.Employees who receive appropriate and timely praise and recognition for their contributions to the company feel better about themselves. Feelings of being valuable and a contributor to the company can plug a few holes. Many books have been written about how to recognize employees, but the regrettable truth is that few managers consistently use the principle of praise and recognition appropriately. Look for both individual and group achievement and then make a fuss, and do it where a number of people can hear.
3.The third tactic to plug holes and make feedback deposits is to celebrate achievements. Too often managers believe that results are to be expected. It’s why we give you a paycheck, so we don’t need to celebrate individual successes. However, if you don’t pay attention to individual and group achievements, you’ll never know who crosses the finish line. Work at knowing who is achieving and then celebrate those achievements with your employees.
4.The extent to which any employee embraces changes to operating procedures or organizational structure is directly related to how much feedback that employee has been given regarding why the changes are necessary. Remember, feedback is a two way street. It doesn’t just flow from the manager to the employee. It needs to flow from the employee to the manager too. When employees are asked for their feedback regarding potential changes, they are much more likely to embrace the change after it is implemented. Ensure that feedback flows in both directions.
In this article we’ve looked at the feedback bucket. I like the metaphor because its uniqueness is so memorable to my students. Take a serious look at your employees this month and determine which buckets are running too low. Then, make some major deposits in those buckets. Use the techniques in this article. You’ll like the results.
Strategy is something that many people believe only the highest echelon of senior management should have the power to influence. It’s mysterious and abstract. Untouchable corporate types sit stiffly staring out the window of the ivory tower and nervously clenching their hands, and when asked what they’re doing, no other explanation but the words, “I’m formulating strategy” is required. Small wonder that the rest of us have no idea what they’re actually up to. It also doesn’t help that, immediately after the launch of this year’s big new strategic initiative, nothing appreciable seems to have changed. There is little to measure, if anything, and people are left to wonder whether the strategy is working.
In the short term, we can’t see it and we can’t measure it, so how do we know whether our corporations are on the right track? Like spiritual beliefs, top-tier corporate strategy often requires that we take a leap of faith. Lacking complete candor from our senior leaders, we must assume that they have done the necessary research and that they wouldn’t lead us astray. We can make the choice to trust them and simply follow their lead. But we can also take a more-active role in the creation of strategy ourselves, not at the very highest level, but at exactly the level where we currently make our mark on the business.
Leaving the creation of business strategy only to the top ranks of senior management is a common practice. It is also a mistake. Strategy needs to not only come from the top down, but from the bottom up. In recent years, some of the most innovative business ideas have come from employees working at the very lowest levels of the business, and those ideas are making their companies millions. The employees who are coming up with these groundbreaking notions do not report to the senior leadership team—they report to front-line supervisors and mid-level managers. What this means is that the levels of leadership who may ultimately be the most instrumental in pushing strategic change forward are managers in the middle—those who have the ears of both top management and employees on the front lines.
These managers are equally influential for and visible to both groups because having a foothold in both worlds allows them to understand the business in a different, and more complete, way. They are privy to more information than most concerning the direction of the business, and they have at least a moderate grasp on the company’s strategic vision and its plans for the future. But they can also see how the business is actually running; they can clearly hear the concerns of the employees because they work with them day in and day out; many of them have a better idea of the challenges that the business faces and the strengths that it has because they work alongside the people who actually make the business run. Having a firm understanding of both the business’ tactical realities and its strategic possibilities provides these leaders with a perspective that is nothing short of enviable, both for its breadth and, in the right hands, for its power. But in order to use this unique position to its fullest capacity, managers in the middle must make a minor, but crucial, shift in the way they have traditionally been asked to think.
The formulation of strategy from mid-level positions requires that managers think of the parts of the business that they run as smaller businesses within the larger organization. Mind you, this is not strategy gone rogue. These managers aren’t setting out on their own paths with no guidance from their betters. Instead, they are using their unique position—having equal footing in two corporate camps—to create individual strategy that is aligned with the strategic vision of the larger organization. These managers must cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, actively fanning the flames of ingenuity and creativity while remaining sensitive to concerns of cost, consumption of resources, the needs of their customers, and the tactics of the competition. They must figure out how to remain relevant in the future, and they must know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are moving their business functions forward in ways that are superior to their rivals.
You can be sure that the individuals doing the same jobs in competitor organizations have their fingers constantly on the pulse of the industry. Taking that pulse is less an act of curiosity and more one of compulsion. It is a symptom of a concern that we all share: self-preservation. We all want to matter. We all want to make a lasting impression. The greatest danger of obsolescence is that it comes so quietly, and by the time you see it leering at you, it’s already too late. Strategic thought is a tonic against being overcome by the next big thing, and managers in the middle may well hold the cup. Cheers!
Strategy is something that many people believe only the highest echelon of senior management should have the power to influence. It’s mysterious and abstract. Untouchable corporate types sit stiffly staring out the window of the ivory tower and nervously clenching their hands, and when asked what they’re doing, no other explanation but the words, “I’m formulating strategy” is required. Small wonder that the rest of us have no idea what they’re actually up to. It also doesn’t help that, immediately after the launch of this year’s big new strategic initiative, nothing appreciable seems to have changed. There is little to measure, if anything, and people are left to wonder whether the strategy is working.
In the short term, we can’t see it and we can’t measure it, so how do we know whether our corporations are on the right track? Like spiritual beliefs, top-tier corporate strategy often requires that we take a leap of faith. Lacking complete candor from our senior leaders, we must assume that they have done the necessary research and that they wouldn’t lead us astray. We can make the choice to trust them and simply follow their lead. But we can also take a more-active role in the creation of strategy ourselves, not at the very highest level, but at exactly the level where we currently make our mark on the business.
Leaving the creation of business strategy only to the top ranks of senior management is a common practice. It is also a mistake. Strategy needs to not only come from the top down, but from the bottom up. In recent years, some of the most innovative business ideas have come from employees working at the very lowest levels of the business, and those ideas are making their companies millions. The employees who are coming up with these groundbreaking notions do not report to the senior leadership team—they report to front-line supervisors and mid-level managers. What this means is that the levels of leadership who may ultimately be the most instrumental in pushing strategic change forward are managers in the middle—those who have the ears of both top management and employees on the front lines.
These managers are equally influential for and visible to both groups because having a foothold in both worlds allows them to understand the business in a different, and more complete, way. They are privy to more information than most concerning the direction of the business, and they have at least a moderate grasp on the company’s strategic vision and its plans for the future. But they can also see how the business is actually running; they can clearly hear the concerns of the employees because they work with them day in and day out; many of them have a better idea of the challenges that the business faces and the strengths that it has because they work alongside the people who actually make the business run. Having a firm understanding of both the business’ tactical realities and its strategic possibilities provides these leaders with a perspective that is nothing short of enviable, both for its breadth and, in the right hands, for its power. But in order to use this unique position to its fullest capacity, managers in the middle must make a minor, but crucial, shift in the way they have traditionally been asked to think.
The formulation of strategy from mid-level positions requires that managers think of the parts of the business that they run as smaller businesses within the larger organization. Mind you, this is not strategy gone rogue. These managers aren’t setting out on their own paths with no guidance from their betters. Instead, they are using their unique position—having equal footing in two corporate camps—to create individual strategy that is aligned with the strategic vision of the larger organization. These managers must cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, actively fanning the flames of ingenuity and creativity while remaining sensitive to concerns of cost, consumption of resources, the needs of their customers, and the tactics of the competition. They must figure out how to remain relevant in the future, and they must know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are moving their business functions forward in ways that are superior to their rivals.
You can be sure that the individuals doing the same jobs in competitor organizations have their fingers constantly on the pulse of the industry. Taking that pulse is less an act of curiosity and more one of compulsion. It is a symptom of a concern that we all share: self-preservation. We all want to matter. We all want to make a lasting impression. The greatest danger of obsolescence is that it comes so quietly, and by the time you see it leering at you, it’s already too late. Strategic thought is a tonic against being overcome by the next big thing, and managers in the middle may well hold the cup. Cheers!
A friend of mine is a decent person but a terrible manager. I know this because I have been both his friend and his employee in the fifteen years I have known him, and his influence was the primary reason I left a previous job after working for the organization for nearly twelve years. I am a very human example of an idea that nearly every leader has heard at one time or another: when employees leave companies, they don’t leave companies; they leave managers.
I like to think of myself as a “good” employee, as ambiguous a term as that may be. I am bright and dedicated. My work ethic is strong. I am honest and committed and willing to happily tow the company line. I haven’t called in sick to a job, any job, for over five years. I always meet my deadlines. I seek out new things to learn. I am loyal to a fault. I need very little in terms of supervision, because I believe that the work I produce is a direct reflection on my character, and I work very hard to make sure that reflection is an accurate one.
My demands are meager, and they are few. But what I do require, now and then, is a little pat on the head. An occasional “good job” or a “we’re glad you’re here” or a “you really went the extra mile on that one.” I’ll take feedback, good or bad, thin or robust, over a silent, perfunctory pay raise any day. Although at my previous employer, I couldn’t even rely on that. Of the twelve years I worked in my job, I received one major promotion and no increases in pay, as I happened to be unlucky enough to work for someone who believed neither in annual raises nor in merit-based ones. There was literally zero external incentive to do anything more than a passable job. And yet I kept showing up.
I worked for a business that had experienced unprecedented growth and jaw-dropping success almost since its inception. Because it was so successful early on, the management team became complacent, arrogant about the approach they felt was the right one to take in running the business. The industry environment began to change, slowly eroding the company’s share of the market year by year. It was almost imperceptible—a long, slow death. Because I had been with this company from the very beginning, watching this slow, internal rot was like watching a dear old friend die of bone cancer. And as the company’s illness spread, people who do poorly with power were given positions in which they held it, and the longstanding employees among us, those who felt the grief most strongly, bore the brunt of management’s fury.
The general manager, my friend, had inherited a sickly giant, which was not entirely his fault. But what was his fault was digging himself in; betting his life, his livelihood, and the safety and stability and overall wellbeing of his family on the success of this business. And when he began to realize that he had made a bad choice as a person, he lashed out as a manager. The atmosphere inside the building grew more and more oppressive as the months, and then years, passed. The staff rarely smiled. Every person in every division, except for the very new among us, began to tread lightly around management, knowing that the slightest misstep would result in, at best, public humiliation. The business held on, but barely, in the same way that a person who has fallen off a cliff grasps desperately at the face of the sheer rock wall.
I loved my job, and so I worked under these conditions for seven years. For the last two, just the thought of going to work made me feel kind of sick. But I was afraid to leave. I had given so much of myself to that company. I feared that the tempestuous job market wouldn’t sustain the change I wanted to make, and I was terrified that I might never find work that I truly loved ever again. Silly and pessimistic, I know, but the pull of an abusive relationship is equally as seductive as it is poisonous. I finally resigned myself to the facts of the situation: I loved my job, but I simply couldn’t continue to work under the conditions that my manager had created. I couldn’t suffer a culture that would allow these abuses to take place. I couldn’t bear the idea of sacrificing what remained of my respect for my friend in the interest of supporting his actions as a manager. So I left.
Before I went, I tried to muster up the courage to explain, in detail, why I had decided to leave. Instead of being honest about my feelings—my hurt, my disappointment, and my disgust—I made vague statements about how it was “just time to move on.” Maybe that makes me a coward. Maybe it makes me an enabler. But if my experience had taught me anything, it was that even the most benevolent of criticisms would be met with excuses, and defensiveness, and cruelty, and I decided that it just wasn’t worth my breath.
I said it was time to move on, and it was. But the push I needed was working for a really awful manager and finally getting fed up. I moved on, and none of the things I’d feared so tangibly came to pass. I suppose that this individual ultimately did me a favor, but these aren’t the stories that you want your employees—either current or former—to tell about you when you’re not around. Failing to provide others with appropriate, useful, and timely feedback is a leadership failure, but it is also a personal one. Knowing of the deficit and refusing to do anything about it is simply irresponsible. These failings can be overcome. These skills can be learned. Don’t underestimate the power that feedback, or lack thereof, has over your effectiveness as a leader, the morale of your employees, the culture of your business, and your organization’s ultimate success. If you see yourself in my words, let me give you some well-worn advice: take matters into your own capable hands and do something about it.
For those of you readers who frequently watch the NBC sitcom, The Office, you likely enjoyed the last few episodes of the Spring 2011 season as I did! For those of you who are less familiar with this television show, it is based on an office made up of a hodgepodge of dysfunctional employees. There is a US and British based version. Their fearless leader, played by Steve Corell, recently left the company, and upper management is in dire straits to find someone to fill the manager position. The season finale featured many well-known comedians playing the roles of candidates to the Regional Manager position. Each interview with these candidates was more absurd than the last and it seemed like it would be nearly impossible to find the right person to be Regional Manager. Meanwhile, many of the fans of the show still wonder why the most likely person to be promoted to the position, Jim Halpert, isn’t prepared or motivated to be the office manager.
Anyone who has the task of selecting and developing leaders from within the organization will agree with the idea that promoting from the inside to fill existing positions can at times be risky politically, but will often result in a better outcomes. However, it doesn’t just start when a leadership position becomes available. It is responsibility of leaders at every level to be preparing the next generation of leaders to come. The decisions and actions you make regarding talent identification and development will have a lasting impact on the business. In addition, your involvement in this critical task will help exceptional team members maximize their full potential and be fully engaged.
If you recognize that identifying and developing future talent within the organization is something you need to start doing, or simply do more of, here are a few questions to consider.
1. What are the leadership qualities, competencies, and characteristics required for success in a current or future position of leadership at your organization?
2. Who do you think has leadership potential that you would like to consider for development?
3. What specific technical, managerial, and leadership behaviors and indicators have you observed in this person that indicates leadership potential?
4. How does your management team and/or others involved feel about the leadership potential of this person? What strengths and weaknesses do they see in this person that you need to consider?
5. Do you know what this person’s career aspirations are? If so, what are they and will he/she be interested in development activities?
6. How committed will this be person to working on developmental assignments?
Using these questions as a guide, you will be more successful in identifying talent to drive the organization forward and prepared to being the development process.
Question #1: Is it possible for a manager to manage sales in a retail store?
Through out the retail industry, including manufacturers and distributors, the sales number is often the number one priority. Indeed, in many companies sales numbers are so far above any other measurement that managers live and breathe by whether sales are up, or down. If sales numbers are so important they must be manageable, right? Let’s find out.
A number of years ago two highly experienced retail store managers quit their jobs and promising careers and purchased two stores and began a career of teamwork as owner-partners, rather than employees of a large chain. For four years the partners did everything imaginable to build sales volume in both stores. During the first two years the partners frequently told friends and family, “Sales are up.” In fact, about 18 months into the venture one of the partners said, “Can you believe it, our sales are up 22 percent over last year!” Without doubt these two owner-partners had achieved the American dream. They owned their own business and were controlling their own destiny. Clearly, everyone who knew the owners was envious, wishing they had as much courage to do the same. After all, isn’t this how other successful retail business began?
The first indication of trouble was when the partners tried to sell one of their stores. When that didn’t happen, they abruptly closed it over a weekend. Their explanation was that the store had always had problems and by closing it they could focus their attention and capital resources on the one remaining store. With the problem store closed, friends and family once again heard reports of, “Sales are up.” But within a few months the second store was also closed and the owner-partners declared personal and business bankruptcy. Literally the partners lost almost everything they owned. They escaped the failed venture with one taking a job as a clerk for Home Depot, and the other selling used cars.
What happened? If sales were consistently up, how could the business not be profitable? The answer is that in retail there is no direct connection between sales and profit. Unless gross and expenses are fixed, sales and profit become independent variables. It is possible for sales to go up, for example, while profit goes down; and profit can go up, while sales go down. The reason is that there are no guarantees in retail. Other factors such as gross margin, labor, overhead, and expenses have greater impact on profit than sales alone. That’s what happened and crushed the American dream for two enterprising, former, store managers. Now do you know the answer to the question, “Can sales be managed?” Let’s use a bit of strategic thinking and drill a little deeper toward the answer.
Question #2: Is there anything a manager can do directly to sales that will make the number change? Is it only possible to impact sales by influencing other factors?
Actually, sales are a product of two factors. That means nothing can be done directly to sales to make it change. To change sales a manager must manage something else, not sales itself. Therefore, to focus primarily or excessively on an unmanageable number, at the expense of the things that can change it, could lead to failure. This explains the failure of the two storeowners.
Question #3: What are the only two factors that determine sales in a retail store? Can these two factors be managed?
It’s true that many things contribute to retail sales; things like, margin, signing, suggestive selling, pricing, displays, merchandising, stocking, store location, advertising, product availability, and many more. But all of these things can be rolled up into two factors. Do you know what they are? The accompanying illustration is the key. All of the things listed above, and many more contribute to two factors: (1) Number of Guests, and (2) Sale Per Guest. The number of guests and the amount of each transaction determines sales. Did you answer correctly?
Question #4: Can the two factors that contribute to sales, Number of Guests and Sale Per Guest, be managed?
As with the sales number, what can a manager do directly to Number of Guests or Sale Per Guest to make them change? The answer is, not much. Once again, it isn’t possible to manage these numbers either, because they are the products of other things. Although they are excellent measurements of the health of a retail store (or company), they are technically unmanageable. To focus primarily or extensively on them at the expense of the basic things that really drive sales could be a mistake.
Question #5: So what can a retail manager manage?
The answer to this question is everything that contributes, or rolls into, Number of Guests and Sale Per Guest. The basic elements are the things that can be managed, not the products of these elements. That means the most effective place to manage sales is not with sales itself, but rather in all of the fundamental elements that begin the process. These are the things that are manageable, not the product number such as sales. When a retail employee is told, “Your sales are down, you better get them up,” the employee can only make the change at the basic element level. And if the employee doesn’t have a good understanding of the process, it will be very difficult to make the change.
Many people associate conflict with negativity, but conflict doesn’t have to be unpleasant; it can even be enjoyable. Conflict when used in a constructive way, can bring forth great outcomes and ideas, often benefiting those who are involved by exposing them to alternative perspectives.
Yesterday, while watching the daily news, I saw a commercial that caught my attention. In order to win over new customers, this organization is using a strategy that I like very much. Their approach is creative, it’s innovative, and was sure their competitors would need to respond to this advertising campaign in some form or fashion to maintain market share.
However, after seeing this advertisement a second time, I came to the realization that this “new” approach is classic conflict avoidance. Take a look at this video clip. Can you see where I’m coming from?
Now, please correct me if I’m totally off base, (I’ll be confident and say I’m not), but don’t the fundamentals of business acumen tell us that competition is good? In a situation like this we should want to create a little constructive conflict, forcing these two companies to battle over our business. If we ask Allstate to “break up” with our existing insurance provider for us because we’re too uncomfortable to handle the situation ourselves, we’ll never know whether the current insurance provider would be able to match the offer, or offer a better deal, ultimately saving use the hassle of switching insurance providers. Come on people. Buck up! Step out of your comfort zone and grow a little! Given this type of situation, the customer has all the power. If you add a little conflict to the mix, these two companies will need to compete for your business, “sweetening the deal,” and offering you greater gains. One company claims that it can “save you serious cash,” but the other company wants to retain business and compete for your business. Keeping a customer is much easier than winning a new one. Two companies knowingly vying for our business puts us in a great position, but if your existing insurance company gets a call from Allstate, “saving you that uncomfortable break-up moment,” your opportunity for beneficial conflict has been lost, and so has your power as a consumer.
Confront conflict head on; avoidance never hurt anybody but you.
It is not uncommon to hear the term “managing” and coaching” used interchangeably. Those who understand the difference (that will include you after you read this article) cringe a little inside when this occurs because it is likely they have worked for, or with, a manager who certainly was not a coach, and therefore ineffective. In a nutshell, coaching is a function of managing that every good leader of others must be able to do well.
Previously, we briefly looked at several common theories on human motivation. This discussion will continue the discussion on motivation and focus primarily on a process that enables managers to not only understand motivation in the workplace, but also increase employee initiative, energy and excitement. From a simplified perspective, motivation can be viewed as a balance scale with motive on one side and action or behavior on the other. In order to move a two-pound behavior, a two-pound (or greater) motive is necessary. Behaviors, like motives, have different weights or difficulties; thus a light motive is unlikely to sufficiently move a heavy (difficult) behavior. And a heavy motivator can easily move a light (easy) behavior.
The names in this article have been changed to protect the guilty; the innocent are on their own!
Each of us has a bucket located in our heart and whenever we receive any type of feedback it goes in our bucket. I’ve taught the metaphor of the feedback bucket to thousands of people around the country. Perhaps because it’s so simple, or because of the catchy name, but for whatever reason, it helps people grasp the importance of the feedback with give and receive in our interactions with others. Picture your feedback bucket and imagine all types of feedback you receive each day going into your bucket. The problem is that we have holes in our buckets, which cause the feedback to leak out over time. If there are a lot of holes, or if some are large, the feedback leaks out quickly. If a person’s bucket doesn’t have many holes, or if they are just pinpricks, the feedback leaks out slowly. Remember, we all have a bucket and every bucket has some holes in it.
Strategy is something that many people believe only the highest echelon of senior management should have the power to influence. It’s mysterious and abstract. Untouchable corporate types sit stiffly staring out the window of the ivory tower and nervously clenching their hands, and when asked what they’re doing, no other explanation but the words, “I’m formulating strategy” is required. Small wonder that the rest of us have no idea what they’re actually up to. It also doesn’t help that, immediately after the launch of this year’s big new strategic initiative, nothing appreciable seems to have changed. There is little to measure, if anything, and people are left to wonder whether the strategy is working.
I like to think of myself as a “good” employee, as ambiguous a term as that may be. I am bright and dedicated. My work ethic is strong. I am honest and committed and willing to happily tow the company line. I haven’t called in sick to a job, any job, for over five years. I always meet my deadlines. I seek out new things to learn. I am loyal to a fault. I need very little in terms of supervision, because I believe that the work I produce is a direct reflection on my character, and I work very hard to make sure that reflection is an accurate one.
Anyone who has the task of selecting and developing leaders from within the organization will agree with the idea that promoting from the inside to fill existing positions can at times be risky politically, but will often result in a better outcomes. However, it doesn’t just start when a leadership position becomes available. It is responsibility of leaders at every level to be preparing the next generation of leaders to come. The decisions and actions you make regarding talent identification and development will have a lasting impact on the business. In addition, your involvement in this critical task will help exceptional team members maximize their full potential and be fully engaged.
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