Manage My Employees

Archive for the ‘Trust’ Category

Article #53

Micromanagement is often defined as “excessive control of people or projects” and it is popularly viewed as an evil not a good. But is it entirely?

I believe that the ambiguity comes when we try to get our arms around exactly what is excessive? Most micromanagers I have encountered do not realize they micromanage—but their people do!

I think you would probably agree that an appropriate level of control is absolutely necessary to run a solid enterprise. But what is an appropriate level of control? When does a manager cross the line and get too controlling or suppressive?

On the other end of the spectrum, however, a manager could be seen as weak, disconnected or ambivalent if they under-manage. They could get too little performance from their people precisely because they fail to provide enough oversight!

Do you find it challenging to balance being totally in control—with not being overly-controlling?

Balanced managers find just the right mix of connecting, supervising, measuring, oversight, autonomy, and keeping people accountable to results—all without being over-the-top, control-freakish, or heavy-handed.

4 Differences of Being a Balanced Manager Versus A Painful Micromanager

• Micromanagement kills the spirit and drive of people by obsessing about the minutiae. Balanced managers may initiate projects, set the goals or parameters for associates and then get out of the way—but they immediately re-engage whenever projects stall out or lag behind. Micromanagers get in the way because they can’t release control.

• Micromanagement clogs up the free flow of creative energies and inspired efforts. Micromanagers often manage granularly, meaning that they drive hard for results by ruling with an iron thumb. I coached an executive of a small family business on his micromanaging tendencies a few years ago. He admitted to me that he personally approved and edited all memos that his executive team wrote before they could be sent out! What a waste of time! But this is just like micromanagers, rather than want summaries or highlights of progress they immerse into the micro level of projects or tasks and snuff the very life out of people. In contrast, balanced managers want the bigger picture, want to be copied on reports, and receiving a recap of a project’s status is fine with them. However, when goals or metrics are not being reached they look to get things back on course, quickly—and they re-engage as much as needed to achieve outcomes.

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Article #51

by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

The bestseller Trust Agents, by Brogan and Smith hits a big nerve today, one epitomized in its subtitle: Using The Web To Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust.

Who doesn’t want to know how to do that? I suspect just about everyone who cares to grow their business or profits will.

One feature of Trust Agents I really liked is the number of tools (how to’s and links) the authors provide so that you can actually take action on what they recommend. For example there are tidbits on how to get followed on Twitter, how to use LinkedIn, secrets to successful blogging and more.

Here’s something that was missing from the book, however…a prescription for how to ‘manage’ all the social media like Facebook Twitter, LinkedIn and on and on in 45 minutes or less a day?!! Whew!

That aside, it’s virtually unarguable that building online trust in your company is most important today, a point the authors argue with compelling examples. As legendary advertiser David Ogilvy said, “People must trust you to buy from you, and the more they trust the more they buy.”

Here are six of the book’s best points from my reader’s view:

Focus on how to use internet tools to connect and build relationships with customers. Avoid concentrating on the operations side of making the tools make sense to you. Look instead toward seeking connections with people through different avenues to create a unique experience with potential customers.

Become a “One of Us” trust agent in order to gain credibility and belong to an online community. A community relates to and trusts those that appear to talk like them, hang out at the same places they do, and will be seen as honest and genuine in their opinions.

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Article #46

Have you seen Undercover Boss on CBS?

The reality show Undercover Boss places CEO’s undercover in their own companies to get a personal sense for what’s really going on. The CEO goes to work at an entry level or manager-in-training position, does the actual job, all the while no one except other upper leaders know his true identify.

I enjoy watching the show, it’s entertaining and titillates my intellectual curiosity about these companies.

It does point out an important reminder that one shouldn’t miss in my view: upper management often insulates itself far from reality, at least where it matters most—with employees.

Something I’m not at all surprised about from the first four episodes, is that the undercover CEO is struck by the discovery that many of the hallowed “programs and initiatives” created by top leaders, have failed to get consistently implemented across the enterprise by mid-management as well as employees.

They are truly caught off-guard to discover that their corporate “programs and procedures” are often looked on laughably, and/or with great disdain by the employees who actually do the day-in day-out work.

For example, the Hooter’s CEO episode was sad.

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Article #45

During these uncertain times, is it possible that some of your customer’s are less likely to switch loyalties to another supplier, even if that supplier ‘might’ offer some advantages?

Do you see customer loyalty on the rise? Some of my clients do and have expressed this view to me recently.

One client recently passed this story along: when his sales force blitzes a new territory for their product line, out of 300+ contacts they now only yield 1 or 2% new customers! In the past this was apparently much higher. And get this, he wasn’t referring to a direct-mail blitz, but rather, personal contacts in the field. His company has earned a stellar reputation in the marketplace, and has among the highest quality as well as lowest price points, but still finds receptivity to doing business with a new supplier much more difficult to achieve.

What factors may be driving increased customer loyalty today? Well, according to some studies (Harvard Business Review, July-Aug 2009) trust in business is running much lower than in previous years.

So, if decision-makers trust other businesses less, doesn’t it seem possible that they might be less likely to consider switching to new vendors? While resistance to changing suppliers has always been evident in competitive B2B markets, it may just be on the rise.

Fortunately, there are some ways you can ride this wave of mistrust and come out ahead.

7 Ways to Keep Existing Customers and/or Land New Ones:

• Find ways to build and earn more trust in the initial phase of your sales cycle with prospects. Offer to do lunch and learns, provide case studies of your results, provide a steady stream of customer testimonials.
• Give the sales cycle longer intervals than in the past. If your sales cycle is six months, give it nine or twelve when soliciting a prospect who has never done business with your company before now.

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Short article #42

High unemployment has created a situation for employers whereby they now have many more applicants for job openings than previously. In effect, shifting bargaining power to employers.

Unfortunately, one unintended consequence of high unemployment may be that it has given some managers the belief that they can be more demanding or controlling of their employees.

I’m hearing managers say things I haven’t heard in a long time. Things that bespeak of an underlying and troubling attitude. 

For example:

• “I can have you replaced with a dozen just like you by noon if I want!” Read more »

Short article #35

Many managers I’ve interviewed loathe giving performance reviews. But that can’t possibly compare to a likely overwhelming majority of employees, who think the whole appraisal process is pretty much flawed in their organization.

There are a number of signs I’ve identified from client engagements over the last twenty years which point to performance reviews that fall way short of being the management tool they could be.

Here are 5 of the most common signs:

• Managers avoid doing performance reviews, so they’re often late.
• Managers invest too little time preparing, instead they try to get them over with as fast as possible. To expedite, managers use past performance reviews to copy/paste “wording” — and to make fast modifications to scores/ratings instead of stopping to carefully consider each criteria.

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Blogger Jason Christensen linked to a recent BNET.com article interview I gave regarding “Can’t Pay Your Employees What You Like? Praise Them Instead“

You might want to check out Jason’s article on motivating and building the morale of remote employees, I found it pertinent. He offers up a number of useful ideas especially if you have employees scattered about. See: ON A BUDGET: Motivating your team, bolstering loyalty & elevating morale. (Full Series) « “Life as a Remote User”

Motivating, managing distance employees presents a few unique challenges like…

• Less face time to create open dialogue about work goals, problems, feedback, updates, etc.
• Communication is relationship and distance can impact building relationship and trust.

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Short Article #29

“What do you think?” asked the manager to her employee. Surprised, the employee responded, “Well, I don’t know if this would work or not but I think…”

Those four words posed in the question, “What do you think?” may be more telling of one’s management style than any other sign.

Why? Here are four possible reasons, you may want to add one in a comment yourself:

• It’s a sign of whether you genuinely care to hear the opinions of others, or just want to appear like you do.
• It’s a sign of whether you lead by “getting others to want to do” OR “getting others to do” what you believe should be done.

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Everyone knows times are tough, but what will your organization do exactly to keep employee morale and performance high?

I’ve provided a link (Engaging Employees Tops Leadership Priorities in Tough Economic Times) to a nice article on what leaders can do to rev up workplace attitudes. In addition, I’ve added a few tips you might want to comment on…

Definitely, be a straight shooter on what these tough times mean to your company, and the department. Don’t spin the truth one iota.

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With everything going on in society, trust is more important than ever. It’s crucial in business, with customers, with fellow workers, with vendors or suppliers—everything really.

When it comes to building trust with associates, mistrust seems to be more prevalent. Many employees believe their boss spins the truth, fosters gossip and fails to deliver on promises.

A study of 700 workers by Florida State University found among other things:

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