The Art and Science of Managing

"Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven't"    - Peter Drucker

 

"He asks us where do we want to go and helps us get there.  He stands up for us.  He cheers us on.  He makes sure we get noticed by the higher ups for our good work and he never stop believing in us.  He deserves better than to be stuck here in Toronto, working for people like you."
- Anonymous assessment of a Manager by a subordinate during a reverse performance review.

 

"Officers - Making simple stuff hard since 1775" - Seen on a USMC t-shirt

My youngest child once asked what my job was.  Deciding to keep it simple, I told him that I was a manager.  His next 3 questions, fired off in that precocious way of children, were not as simple to answer: "What is a manager?", "What do managers do?",  "How do you manage?"

These are standard questions that most of us in the management profession have been (or should have been) asked more than once. And questions we should have asked once or twice of ourselves at some point in our careers too.

Here, then, is a basic look at management, a primer.
 
Make Them More Effective
Consider this: four workers can make 6 units in an eight-hour shift without a manager. If I hire you to manage them and they still make 6 units a day, what is the benefit to my business of having hired you? On the other hand, if they now make 8 units per day, you, the manager, have value.

The same analogy applies to service, or retail, or teaching, or any other kind of work. Can your group handle more customer calls with you than without? Sell higher value merchandise? Impart knowledge more effectively? etc. That is the value of management - making a group of individual more effective.

Artis et Scientiae
Management is both art and science. It is the art of making people more effective than they would have been without you. I have yet to find or even hear of any book that can teach this ability, for it is not an empirical formula that if but simply followed will obtain the desired results.  People are too dynamic, too diverse, and too individualistic for that.  The art will come from you putting your own personal stamp on how you make your people more effective - your personal style, if you will.

The science is in how you do that. There are, I have come to understand, four basic pillars, which I will repeat here.  These are all self evident and well known to any front line manager: plan, organize, direct, and monitor.
   
Management Skill #1: Plan

Management starts with planning. Good management starts with good planning. And proper prior planning prevents… well, you know the rest of that one.

Without a plan you will never succeed. If you happen to make it to the goal, it will have been by luck or chance and is not repeatable. You may make it as a flash-in-the-pan, an overnight sensation, but you will never have the track record of accomplishments of which success is made.
 
Figure out what your goal is (or listen when your boss tells you). Then figure out the best way to get there. What resources do you have? What can you get? Compare strengths and weaknesses of individuals and other resources. Will putting four workers on a task that takes 14 hours cost less than renting a machine that can do the same task with one worker in 6 hours? If you change the first shift from an 8 AM start to a 10 AM start, can they handle the early evening rush so you don't have to hire an extra person for the second shift?

This skill requires objective reasoning; not wishful thinking and certainly not assumption making.  Verify your conclusions using empirical evidence (if possible) that can be verified.
 
Look at all the probable scenarios. Plan for them. Figure out the worst possible scenario and plan for that too. Evaluate your different plans and develop what, in your best judgement, will work the best and what you will do if it doesn't.

One of the most often overlooked management planning tools is the most effective: Asking the people doing the work for their input.

Management Skill #2: Organize

Now that you have a plan, you have to make it happen. Is everything ready ahead of your group so the right stuff will get to your group at the right time? Is your group prepared to do its part of the plan? Is the downstream organization ready for what your group will deliver and when it will arrive?

Are the workers trained? Are they motivated? Do they have the equipment they need? Are there spare parts available for the equipment? Has purchasing ordered the material? Is it the right stuff? Will it get here on the appropriate schedule? 
 
Do the legwork to make sure everything needed to execute the plan is ready to go, or will be when it is needed. Check back to make sure that everyone understands their role and the importance of their role to the overall success.

Management Skill #3: Direct

Now flip the "ON" switch. Tell people what needs to be done - don't tell them how to do it (if you have to tell them how to do the task, you obviously didn't complete #1 and #2 listed above). I like to think of this part like conducting an orchestra. Everyone in the orchestra has the music sheets in front of them. They know which section is playing which piece and when. They know when to come in, what to play, how to play it and when to stop again. The conductor cues each section to make the music happen (that's your job here). You've given all your musicians (workers) the sheet music (the plan). You have the right number of musicians (workers) in each section (department), and you've arranged the sections on stage so the music will sound best (you have organized the work). Now you need only to tap the podium lightly with your baton to get their attention and give the downbeat.

Management Skill #4: Monitor

Now that you have everything moving, you have to keep an eye on things. Make sure everything is going according to the plan. When it isn't going according to plan, you need to step in and adjust the plan, just as the orchestra conductor will adjust the tempo. Keep everyone up to date both formaly (during SITREP meetings) and informaly (in emails, small talk, etc....).  Everyone has a vested interest and just like an Orchestra can hear the music they and their peers are making, you need to make sure the same happens in your group; only it's you who are their ears and it is you who must convey to them where they and their peers are on the sheet.

Problems will come up. Someone will get sick. A part won't be delivered on time. A key customer will go bankrupt. That is why you developed a contingency plan in the first place (right?). You, as the manager, have to be always aware of what's going on so you can make the adjustments required.
 
This is an iterative process. When something is out of sync, you need another Plan to fix it. Organize the resources to make it work, Direct the people who will make it happen, and continue to Monitor the effect of the change.
 
Is It Worth It?
Managing people is not easy. However, it can be done successfully. And it can be a very rewarding experience. Remember that management, like any other skill, is something that you can improve at with study and practice.



If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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