Tim Connor
In today’s fast-paced and rapidly changing business climate, it is critical that organizations maintain flexibility, fast response time, customer focus and agility. The vital ingredient necessary to accomplish all of these is creative, imaginative, loyal, productive, motivated and well-trained employees.
This rapid pace puts a great deal on the average manager’s plate, which often prevents him from spending adequate time coaching and training both long-term and new employees. Therefore, the rank and file employee must learn, interpret and understand corporate direction, organizational goals, priorities and challenges on his own without ample upper management influence, guidance and feedback. As a result, many employees are less effective in their roles than is required to maintain the corporate posture necessary for success. Further complicating this issue is the absence of many managers due to travel, meetings and a myriad of other administrative requirements. The result: many employees are busy in non-productive tasks WAITING for the direction and guidance they want and need.
So, what’s the answer? One approach is for managers to lead and manage by example. What are the keys to managing by example? Here are a few for your consideration:
1. You can’t manage your organization locked in your office behind your desk. If you are not routinely circulating throughout your organization, making field sales calls with salespeople etc., I guarantee you are out of touch with the REALITY that exists within your organization.
2. You get the behavior you reward. Don’t like the behavior of an employee, department or division? Look at the reward system in place that is directly or indirectly rewarding that behavior, attitude or activity.
3. All communication, culture, performance, results, attitudes, etc. are top-down. Don’t look at the lower levels of your organization for the cause of problems or challenges – look in the mirror.
4. Inspect what you expect. If you don’t – you don’t have the right to expect it. Stuff falls through the cracks. The only way to prevent this is to be aware of what is falling through the cracks and why – then take action to correct it.
5. There is a lot more, but let me wrap up with this last one: Don’t shoot the messenger. Reward people who bring you bad news.
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About the Author :
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com.
