Today's Managers & Micromanagement

Today's managers must understand that they must constantly assess and improve their workplace processes and mechanisms. They need to understand that accountability is much more than putting in time and swiping the attendance card. They shoould not insist on telling their employees how to do something because often the employee knows more about what they are doing than the manager. Todays managers must realise that employees can not only solve workplace problems but also can create and innovate. Beacause the employees that create and innovate do not appreciate being treated like the assembly line workers of the past,they feel micromanagers do not appreciate their contributions.

Micromanaging was a process that worked reasonably well when the work was simple. The bottom line was there. With the increase in complexity of work, micromanaging has lost its effectiveness. In today's workplace, micromanaging affects adversely. Micromanagement has led to bad bottom lines, poor performances and bankruptcies.

In today's fast-paced, highly competitive business environment micromangers are faced with fewer options. And even though micromanagers work harder and harder the brutal marketplace will continue to erode their bottom lines.

So micro guys wake up!!

Photo courtesy cote

Micro management

Micromanaging is a hot buzzword. Almost everyone in the corporate cirlcle seems to be using it or should I say opposing it. But I feel its time to define and understand the concept in a more better way.

Micromanaging is usually synonymous with the 'old way of doing things'. 'Dinosaur' managers use the micromanagement approach. The term essentially means to supervise every small step in the workflow process -- hence 'micro.' This method worked fairly well in the 'old' production days when,
* Factory workers were uneducated and unskilled.
* Workers normally did one routine step and that was it.
* They made few or no decisions.
* They had a minimum production quota.
* Their breaks were monitored, their lunches were monitored and of course the time clock was the tracker.
* Time was viewed as what was 'bought' by the company.
*Close supervision or micromanaging ensured that production levels were met.

Management literally had to tell employees what to do and watch them to make sure they did it.

This system worked well when workflow was simple. As the business world became more complex, micromanaging became less effective. Time was not what the company bought and the worker sold. Productivity became the key. As processes became more complex, workers were required to gain greater skills. Skilled workers became more in demand and could go elsewhere if they were not treated properly. Skilled workers eventually found micromanagers offensive and crude.

In the '80's and 90's
The companies became more results oriented.
* Time became a very less of a factor in the results equation.
* Motivation and innovation began to be understood as real forces in production results.
* Workers became employees and then associates and today team members.
* Employees began to be viewed as assets and not just expenses.
* Employers began to understand that employees could provide the greatest competitive advantage as well as the number one management headache.

In short, employees could make or break the company.

Emergence of a new management Style:
Managers began to understand that good management meant maximizing employee productivity. And that this can no longer be accomplished by micromanaging. Managers began to understand that knowing their people and helping them do their best was the best way to reach superior production levels. Instead of being an obstacle, managers began to understand it was their job to remove obstacles. Time constraint was one of the last obstacles to fall.

Photo courtesy Paul Worthington

The "I" in the "Team"

Till yesterday, if you would have ever asked me, I would have emphasized the word “we” while discussing group or team performance. I used to so strongly say,"There is no 'I' in the word "Team”. I had a great contempt for the “I did this” and “I did that" statements and the ones who referred others as "my people".
Because such egotistical statements till now, always conflicted directly with my belief -- that it is the teamwork, that helps organizations realize their goals.

It’s true that the amount of useful change organizations can bring about depends upon the contributions of two or groups of hundreds and thousands. But a meaningful change can be accomplished only by individuals taking responsibility for their own competency and own character. That’s why it proves that I was wrong till date, and that there is an "I" in the word “Team".
In fact, the "I" in the team, the individual and the amount of responsibility he takes for personal & organizational progress is the single most important factor.

I strongly feel, that more important for a company, is to maximize its "I"s, establish a foundation on which the ”I"s can work together, promote synergy & built a practical & useful process for managing change.

Integrating the individuals’ needs with organizations needs is the key. It will encourage each of us to focus on ourselves objectively. When we trust & respect each other we promote empowerment & leadership that in turn helps us fulfill our individual vision, thus creating a successful future for the organization too.

Its the special breed of “I”s who never settle for anything less than the best will make the whole difference.

Photo courtesy zebrastripes

STOP setting Goals

Steven Covey's article in yesterdays paper woke me hard from my dream. I was happily basking in the warmth of the goals I had set for myself. I had suddenly started taking everything easy...rather lazily.

Covey says," Setting goals doesn't work. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them. And of course, nothing unexpected and weird gets in the way. Like a war or a tornado that levels your plant. Simply announcing or wishing sales to be higher doesn't make it so. Worse, it may have the reverse effect if the team thinks the goal is unrealistic."

And i realised how true it is.... without a disciplined road map, our goals are worthless. Just writing down goals doesn't mean a thing until we realise that the goal is only the destination. We do not pay much thought to the journey towards our goal.When I sat to plan the journey to my goal, i realised, its not going to be easy at all. And the distance i had to cover from where I am today to my goal though not very long, is full of potholes and obstacles.


Covey further in his article, gives few helpful tips to prepare the roadmap.
He says,
"How much thought have you given to the journey? Your answer should be 'lots'. You'll need to fill in a lot of holes between where you are now and where you want to go. A lot of work, huh? Well, each step has to be mapped out if you want to be able to check your position and stay on the right path. Mapping also shows you how far you are from your goal and what route to take next.

What goals have you written down? Where are they now? Can you be more specific about the steps in between now and your ultimate goal? If so, fill in the blanks and start checking off your list. Make a Plan B and C. You may never need them but it's nice to have them on hand in an emergency. Periodically check your list, see where you are, and try not to get distracted.
And if your plan doesn't work, it may be flawed. Switch gears, try something else. Finally, don't let fear keep you from charging ahead. Regret is far more traumatising than fear. "

Think Win-Win

A new day. But the incidents of the earlier day have left a mark on me. I am still not able to leave them behind. Yesterday one of my colleagues felt that I am trying to capture and rule his area of work.Now I am thinking how do I tell him that I believe so strongly in Covey's "Think Win-Win" funda.

Steven Covey in his book "7 habits of highly effective people" describes the fourth habit as "Think win win". According to him, Thinking Win-Win means believing that there is more than enough to go around for everybody and that the purpose of the game is to find ways that everybody involved gets as much as they can. It means actively looking for ways to genuinely help others succeed, ways which are fun, profitable and beneficial to all.

I strongly believe that, to genuinely feel good about other people attaining their dreams and having good things happen to them is a good habit to cultivate in the long run.

Since the time I trained myself in practicing the "Think Win/Win" habit ,I have been able to be a winner in most of my transactions. I intend to use this habit of mine to help others to succeed and make them feel better about themselves. Because at the same time it also makes me feel a lot good about myself.

And today I guess its time again, to make my colleague understand my funda of life. And that my intentions are not to make him lose, but to see to it that both of us win,infact all of us win.

The Real Challenge of HR !

From last few days my interaction with the HR dept. has increased. These interactions as always have left me a little nostalgic.

I was remembering the earlier days of my career----the time when I was first appointed as the Team leader. During those days, I always found myself being thrown into situations that were completely out of my expertise area. And then, each time I used to succeed, I developed an innate confidence. I learned and accquired the ability to figure out what the core mission is and work from there.

I feel that if you provide proper tools and technology to your subordinates or teams, they will approach their work with a new enthusiasm. Prior to this we need to understand and measure their frustration levels, which are creating a drag on the process/company.

From my experience, I know that at first there is always a lot of fear and mistrust when the level of their accountability is increased. But slowly when they themselves get this comparative data on their performance, the acceptance reaches new heights. Because they now have a tool to measure themselves. They can see themselves as compared to their peers. Those struggling start looking at successful peers for guidance.

The next step is to hone our ability to identify the ones with the most potential and get them onto an appropriate career path so they’ll be ready to take on the role as Team Leader or manager.

The human resource department I feel should always be about--- much more than just bringing in new employees, it should be a central player of the whole organization. It should be able to make all the employees love their work, and feel good about what they do.

According to me this is the real challenge of HR. But worth it, if one achieves it.!!

Never lose Grace under Stress

I was so stressed out today becoz of the things going around me. I was almost on the verge of blasting out on my colleagues atleast 2 or 3 times today.But something helped me keep my cool.I was constantly reminded of words once told to me by our CEO "Never Lose Grace under Stress". The words had made a big impact on me.And I am happy that they helped me today when I needed it.

This experience made quiet a few things clear to me.When we get angry, we don't just lose our temper we lose our point too. We must remember that we are actually trying to win an agreement and not an argument.

We should properly analyse the impact of our demands.Because at any given time, we need to remember that the ability to separate fact from opinion is the mark of a clear mind and it also refects ones intellectual integrity.

I know its not at all easy. But then if you want to standout, you gotcha make it possible.

So, from today I will acknowledge with grace and dignity the significance of others' comments or statements of fact.

Emotional factor in Leadership

Leadership qualities can very well be gauged by the emotional competence of the person. A leader's role is to get others to do their jobs effectively. Goleman very aptly puts, --- Interpersonal ineptitude in leaders lowers the performance of all in the team. It leads to wastage of time, creates acrimony, corrodes motivation and commitment, builds animosity and apathy.

A study of top executives who had failed to be good leaders, showed two common traits in each of them:
1. Rigidity: they were unable to adapt themselves to the organizational culture, to accept or respond to feedback about traits they needed to change or improve. They couldn’t learn or listen.
2. Poor Relationships: they were harshly critical, insensitive, demanding and indifferent to their colleagues.

In contrast to the above the successful leaders had agility, the ability to work with people from all levels in the organization in different styles.They showed empathy and self management skills.

Emotional Intelligence: A new name for women's Intuition

As long as the history goes,the talent/ability to sense what's really going on in a situation, to assess people's thoughts and feelings accurately, to express empathy, to respond appropriately - has been labeled as "women's intuition".
But now, thanks to psychologist and best-selling author Daniel Goleman (Working with Emotional Intelligence),this talent (never exclusively female) has a new name -- emotional intelligence - with a scientific explanation.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the silent partner of rational intelligence -- equal in importance, yet often overlooked and rarely schooled or tested.

In today's corporate world,downsizing or rightsizing - has put added pressure on front-line managers and supervisors.Productivity is still the name of the game. To add to it,Shareholders demand that companies be profitable in the short term but be ahead of the curve for the long term. In order to achieve this, the only way out for management is to get more out of less.

Today the majority of people entering the work force for the first time are determined to strike a balance between work and home life. Their dilema is-- "Career is important, but at what cost? Do we work to live, or live to work?".
Most workers today are choosing not to embrace the world of their parents but instead, hope to create a world of their own.
We as managers and supervisors need to understand this new focus in our drive for more productive employees.

And as managers, we will be successful in achieving our goals, only if we manage our people. As Goleman defines in his book,this people management skill is nothing but emotional Intelligence.
People Management = Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence: The Missing Priority

You don't compete with products alone anymore, but how you use your people.

EQ the new corporate mantra

It was a lovely relaxed morning.While sipping a cup of my favorite "caramel" complan, I picked up this book by Daniel Goleman, "Working with Emotional Intelligence" which was lying on the coffee table from last couple of days.

I wondered, reading the title "EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE" whatzzzz this now? But as i flipped through the pages , what came across was a fact, if we all in the corporate world want to be or remain successful,we need to understand EQ.Increase our EQ. Its EQ and not just IQ any more.Most Fortune 500 & 1000 companies have already realized that IQ gets a second position to Emotional Intelligenc(EQ is the quotient to measure Emotional Intelligence)in determining the outstanding performance.

EI is all about people and the relationships with them.Emotional Intelligence is not about merely "being nice",at strategic moments it may mean not "being nice". It means managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together smoothly toward their common goals.