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The Concept of 1-Thing Management for 2008
Management is tricky. We didn't say difficult, we said tricky. Difficult, you know you can do. Tricky needs super human ingenuity and a very thick skin. Tricky comes at you from all angles, with relentless pressure, enough info to drown in that requires ongoing restructuring of the people, places, things, markets, security etc, to which the info refers. Like driving a formula 1 on a grease slick, management requires top of the range anticipation, the thrill of speed and complexity plus split second decision making with increasing risk and undefined challenges.
Management is accountable for, among other things, Info, Security and People. People make info and security work, management makes people work. If that describes your role, you're at the right site. Grab a cup of coffee and spend just 7 minutes with us, just 7.
If your 20 hour day is filled with interruptions by 'support' people not doing what you have authorised them to do, if prioritising has turned into speedily selecting-discarding-deciding, if survival management is the new norm, if company culture is divisive about sharing info or collaborating on standards, if there is miscommunication and lack of working clarity, if loyalty is thin and demand for perks is as thick as the book, if there is never enough time and weekly, you are half way round the world and missing your kids' childhood, if too many 'experts' tell you what to do, if the only roses you smell are the ones you ask your PA, to ask the florist to sent, then let's face it, you are not alone. And it's getting more complex!
If you are skeptical about solutions, because there is so much constant change that has to be accommodated, remember the Pareto principle applies to managers too. If you spend most time on the 80% that is (relatively) easy to do, while the ignored 20% may be where the most dramatic performance improvement experience will come from, that's a long way round the problem. In today's business world the ratio could be 99% to 1%.
Just because 50 managers work in the same company doesn't mean they encounter the same problem from their support teams. They will each have a different experience of what's holding them back, yet most management programs seek to improve overall ability. We think otherwise. They may be gone before you get your value! Change 1-Thing and notice what happens to the 99%.
1-Thing Management is a short cut, that connects-direct to that 1%. You don't need to re-invent your managers or change the 99%, to make your situation better. Start with 1% of perfect. If a senior manager identifies the 1-Thing that bugs them about their most valuable (or difficult), manager:
We will change that 1-Thing. *Guaranteed.
Conditions do apply: The 1-Thing that we guarantee to change must be a work related action or lack of action, a behaviour. It may not be a judgment on your part of the person.
QUESTION: What is the 1-Thing that blows your gasket about your managers? What is the 1-Thing they do, or neglect to do, that you wish would go away?
We, at INSAfrica, are total strangers until we demo credibility, trust and reliability. Our business ethic is to support our corporate clients and we'd like to do that by changing the 1-Thing that holds you back. Our skilled coaches will coach-train-mentor your manager in one-on-one sessions. And he/she will change. He/she might even enjoy the change! You will enjoy the end result! True to our guarantee, if we fail, we will refund the full fee.
So, what's the ANSWER to the QUESTION? Does your manager stall on decision making, or does he/she withhold info so they can score marks for themselves? Are they too slow out of the starting blocks, or so darn quick they neglect the obvious, so busy with perceived problems that nothing is gets done, while you're accountable to stakeholders for profitability? No amount of motivating talk, threats or incentives has had any effect. You are irritated. And you need his skills so what do you do?
Try 1-Thing and see what happens to the 99%.
HERE'S A LIST OF BEHAVIOURS THAT MANY SENIOR MANAGERS FIND DISRUPTIVE
Do they apply to you?
What's the 1-Thing that would tip the balance in your favour?
- A manager who may be motivated, but 99% of his drive comes form concern about the outcome difficulties, problems and hassles, with what goes wrong, what previously did not work and will not work. He shows little enthusiasm and energy for what the gains and benefits of the outcome are and consequently has little inclination or ability for long term planning. Motivation dies a sudden death as soon as the outcomes begin to be realised. That’s the 1% that gets neglected as he looks back over his shoulder.
- Or he may be just the opposite and be totally focused on the gains and benefits of any outcome. He is over the top concerned about the end results and spends 99% of his time on the achievements, the gains, and where he is heading. He's very future oriented. In fact, if he cannot see any future in projects, he will not be motivated.
- Or is it the manager who may be driven by his own strong criteria to the exclusion of what others may think or have experience in? You cannot give him advice or discuss other ways of doing things because this kingpin knows better than anyone else. Working with him is hardly an exercise in sharing. 99% of his effort is spent on going his own way, pursuing his own agenda but, if it is not the appropriate agenda, it's wasted effort
- Inability to make decisions is what probably blows your socks off with this manager. He is more of a follower than a manager because he accomplishes very little unless he can refer to others. On the surface of it, he seems lack confidence about calling the shots. He can't think for himself, needs hand holding to discern good from bad. He lacks the strength to accept accountability and to take risks unless there is another opinion, probably several. This takes time, taking the initiative, is not his forte. He spends 99% of his effort following instructions or doing things others have initiated which is not the best way to delegate.
- Or is your stressor the manager who spends 99% of his efforts on brainstorming new ideas. He talks about things that imply multi-dimensional outcomes and plans, parallel processing and multi tasking but somehow he never gets to choosing which of the great ideas is the right choice. He hates decision making, he does not want to lose out on any of the alternatives. The 1% he neglects is taking a stand and maintaining that to completion.
- Or does your manager spend 99% of his effort on organising the steps and procedures and order of things but drives you up the wall because he produces no new innovative ideas and projects and he has zero tolerance for those that do. His decision making is quick and firm as long as it goes for what he considers to be the right choice. He'd be highly sort out in the legal domain.
- Or is your exasperation caused by the manager who hardly belongs in the modern workplace with its disruptive requirement for constant change because he is over conservative? He hates change and spends 99% of his efforts doing things the same way he has always operated. He can even dysfunctional in situations where large or sudden changes are the order of the day, which in today's workplace is pretty much the norm. If he is expecting and seeing 99% of similarity, how will he ever know if some new venture has merit, or when upgrading is due?
- Or do you have a manager with a 99% habit of analysing everything you (and others), offer in a negative way, always countering what's going on, finding what won't work. If he agrees 1% of the time you are lucky. His attitude puts a dampener on ideas before they have been developed and can seriously de-motivate his people because it's hard for him to validate what others do. If only he would voice his analytical gems at the proper place in the process!
- Or do you want to tear your hair out when your manager gets bogged down, I mean stuck, in 99% details, so many details with no organising references to aid understanding, no summarizing or contextualsing. Do you find yourself responding "get to the point"? Do you lose track and switch off?
- Or is it just the opposite? It is that when you need to be supported with plenty of details, that you can only extract short sharp replies about the overview when it's clearly not enough to go the next step?
Those are just ten BEHAVIOURS that seem to get a senior manager seeing red.
They are extremely important behaviours but not the only ones. We call them operational GEARS and there are approx 60 other Geared conditions that are not conducive to senior manager's even keel day.
If you have some up your sleeve we would welcome them. We need to know what's happening in the SA workplace so that we can continuously generate unique ways to change the pain, with guaranteed results.
Connect-Direct to the 1% from which the most Dramatic Performance Improvement will come
We don't want to share all our secrets at this stage but when you are ready to find out more:
Contact us: 086-111-3040 info@INSAfrica.com Larry: 082-671-9210
DEFINITION: 1-Thing Management is a management style where top executives intervene at the level of
the 1% most likely to make the most dramatic performance improvement.