Leadership

I posted on Facebook the other day the results of my annual performance review at work. I received a total rating of "Solid Performer", which is about as good as I can expect to get at my wage level. Let's face it, you're not going to qualify for the top wage increase after 13 years in a skill position. But, one category was listed as "Development Needed". Reason: "Daniel works too hard. Leaders lead, and workers work." OK, now I get the point that leaders should provide direction and so forth, but I've never heard of someone being marked down for working too hard. After basically 30 years of management, the vast majority of that as General Manager, and a significant chunk of THAT as GM of Manager Training Units, I have some opinions of what leadership and management should look like. (I know, you're surprised that I of all people would have an opinion...)

Most managers make things too hard on themselves. Managers have ONE job: to get their employees to perform at a certain level. All other jobs that managers think they have are based on this one. You can't manage the supply cost: it's a piece of paper. Managing the bottom line doesn't work either, it's theoretical. There are as many ways to get people to perform as there are people. But managers have to deal in generalities first, and there's only one way to get people to work the way you need: they have to want to. They have to have a desire deep down in their gut to do the job right. Without that, no amount of begging, pleading, threatening, bullying, or, to use the current phrase, holding them accountable will make a difference. If they don't want to do it and do it right, they won't. Period. End of story.

So how do you get someone to want to move 50 pound boxes from one pallet to another for 8 hours? How many people get up in the morning saying "Oh boy, I get to go bust my butt today!" There's only one way here too: they have to want to make their manager happy. This old "I'm not here to be liked" doesn't apply anymore. People want a leader, someone they can look up to, someone they can believe in and count on. And someone they can trust. They MUST trust that leader to the point that if he says "This job can be done in one hour", they know it can because he's done it and he knows what he's talking about. Therefore, they will do the best they can to do it in that hour, because (wait for it) they want their leader to be proud of them and happy with their work. If they've never seen that leader pick up that 50 pound box, then it becomes "Who does he think he's talking to? I do this every day." Leaders have to be out in front, leading the way, looking over their shoulder and telling their folks to catch up to them.

Leaders DO work. The difference is that they shouldn't be working that hard the whole day. One of my favorite expressions was "If I'm out of breath, you should be sweating." If a manager finds themselves doing their people's work all day, they need to look at why, but they need to keep doing it until they solve that question.

This is getting WAY too long, so I'll end here. Next time I'm in the mood, we'll have a class on motivating people, which is similar, but not exactly the same. One thing's for sure: I'm trying to make sure I never get marked off for working too hard again!