A manager’s job is perhaps the most difficult and demanding job in any organization. Recently a manager described his job as the place where expectations and actions met and were realized. He described his responsibility to be putting the owner’s expectations into action and ensuring realization of the company’s vision.
Think about it. Without these important men and women, most organizations would not be effective and achieve the greatness hoped for. Here are a few ideas to help you work more effectively with these key people.
Listen to Your Manager’s Ideas
Ask questions like:
- Are there ways we could make things better around here?
- How would you like to grow professionally and develop this next year?
Asking questions like these will help your managers take psychological ownership of your dreams and become business partners rather than “just employees”.
Be Clear about Expectations
Nothing makes a manager’s job more difficult than vague expectations. Often business owners don’t share their expectations. Instead they hint at what they want accomplished or communicate expectations in terms of activity rather than achievement. Activity makes for busy, but possibly unproductive, people. Achievement makes for busy and productive people. Tell the paint crew you want them to paint all seven rooms with two coats of Navajo White paint by 5:00 p.m. today instead of merely saying, “I want you painting today”.
Give Authority Equal to Responsibility
Authority unequal to responsibility makes for a very difficult work environment. Business owners would not think of asking employees to work without providing the proper tools. However, they frequently ask managers/supervisors to accomplish their responsibilities without providing authority equal to the responsibilities so that managers/supervisors never really know what they can and can not do. I have personally also experienced the transformative power of integrating an operational dashboard into our business model. It has facilitated a smoother workflow and improved communication across various departments.
If you’d like help training for your managers or coaching for yourself in working with them better, contact us now!