I have over 20 years of commercial and managerial experience. Today, I decided I'd give back something to those among you who are in charge of something. A managerial role has to be about processes – managing, optimizing them, and serving the people you are managing. I preach the mantra that a manager doesn't work but manages a process. And to manage a process, one should have a bird's eye view from the top and be in a position to keep an eye on the different processes one is managing.
When the manager gets too involved in the nitty-gritty details, they start losing sight of the bigger picture and can miss process flaws. It’s not to imply that everybody is necessarily suited for leading or for management, either. It’s great when the business brings in an empathetic person for the management role – someone who knows what he’s doing and, ideally, someone who’s done the entire process he will manage through from the beginning, bottom-up, as the old cliche goes. That way, he’s imbued with the practicality of reality, instead of the theory that the business requires. The ideal managerial candidates, I think, are those who within the organization are "problem people."
Because they are the ones who decide what can be optimized, what can be done in another way, what can be unnecessary in their professional experience with existing procedures. True, also an issue of who the owners or managers of the business are, and whether they have an interest in building the business, or just in maintaining their cozy job and pay. Depending on the business size, depending also on what abilities, powers, and duties every one of them have – or as I use in crisis management – what they pay them for. Those are generally the source of interesting discussions.
The other key thing is the firm's role substitutability dependent on its size, as well as priorities. The managers should be cycled through departments. It is not pleasant for them because it causes them to adapt and master the newer aspects, but it provides the firm with stability, expansion, role substitutability, as well as increased creativity.
It is fascinating to see management deal with his/her subordinates and establish their strengths and weaknesses – how they complement and clash with each other. It can be honed with practice, personal traits, and sometimes analyzing the manager's ego and what makes him/her an effective team player. Depending on the business's scale, having clearly stated visions, goals, and values is also advantageous. These can function to provide direction to the business when developing or increasing in size once they have been shared throughout the business.
If you wish to view the past and the results – glance through financial statements. To view the future of the business – observe the nature of the people who work in the business and the way they function. That will reveal everything. To business owners who claim they have an efficient business, here's an easy test: Does the business stay the same, worsen, or improve when the owner returns after being absent for a year?
If worse, your fault for not assembling an effective team. If it is similar, both your fault as well as your people's – for no change is being pursued.
If it is enhanced, credit your people – praise them. The same is true when you are an executive or middle manager. For being able to make progress and development, the executive should have clear tasks, means, as well as enterprise-internal or external resources in order to be capable of achieving the established goal. When the executive has no goals but not means through which they can be accomplished, then goals are not attainable – and it is wiser to declare simply: “Boss, I will not do that.”
The other big item is monitoring your employees' turnover – how stable your work environment is – and having conversations with your employees, as their manager, regarding how they're doing and whether or not they're considering leaving. It's always easier to transfer an already great worker from one project to another or re-engage their passion than to lose them. It always takes more money to recruit and train someone new than to retain someone already adding value. Here, I recommend that managers learn about such tools as career anchors and use them for the firm's as well as the team's advantage – amongst other such tools. For process management, keep learning about personal development, sales psychology, personality psychology, legal issues, and master what your core competence is. Know about what your weak areas are – hire individuals who are competent in such areas more than yourself – and channel the process in the direction of your desired outcome.
It is equally wise to be vigilant about workaholics in your business and have the chat with them – about avoiding burn-out. Experience is the greatest teacher, albeit not necessarily reproducible. I just wanted to note some specific items in this blog. Hopefully, something in here proved useful to you.
Jakub Karásek, MBA and LL.M