“FIRST, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently”, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
Part 2: The Wisdom of Great Managers
Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman sum up that wisdom very nicely in Chapter 2 of First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently
People don’t change that much.
Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out.
Try to draw out what was left in.
That is hard enough.
We all recognize that individuals are unique. They may have different ways of approaching the same problem or goal, and use different skills to get to the same endpoint. Ultimately, however, it is the responsibility of the manager to create the synergy between the employee’s goals and talents and the company’s objectives and bottom-line in the most effective, productive way.
According to Buckingham & Coffman, it is the manager’s duty to:
- Find the right people
- Set goals/expectations
- Motivate the person
- Develop the person
These are the most important duties a manager can perform and the accomplishment of these 4 goals will establish the credentials of a great manager.
It becomes fashionable sometimes to talk about leaderless organizations and the importance of team work in being in on the decision-making process, and I don’t disagree with getting input from the whole team. But it doesn’t work as an isolated decision-making system. One of the key elements of leading is to make sure you have all the information from all the right people, in order to then make an informed decision on which way to go.
The book discusses a failed attempt by a hotel industry executive, who believed [wrongly] that self-management teams would be an effective way to develop more and more skills in individuals. Instead, the employees could not concentrate on their particular fields of competence, since they were encouraged to get involved and familiar with as many other roles as possible. This created an atmosphere of uncertainty and denied them the feeling of core competence in their chosen lines. It was no longer possible to excel in their own field when emphasis was strictly on the team as a whole.
The leader needs to see the big picture, armed with information gathered from the team members — their managers. But all the cogs in the wheel [read workers] have to be able to each do their own part without being expected to manage others as well.
Not everyone wants to be a manager. Not everyone knows how to be a manager. Not everyone is fit to be a manager. One of the most interesting viewpoints I found in this book is this:
The most importance difference between a great manager and a great leader is one of focus. Great managers look inward. They look inside the company, into each individual, into the differences in style, goals, needs, and motivation of each person. These differences are small, subtle, but great managers need to pay attention to them. These subtle differences guide them toward the right way to release each person’s unique talents into performances.
Leaders focus outward on possible paths and directions and organizational strategies. But it is to the great manager that an employee shows commitment and dedication.
There are many more insights to be found within these pages, and this is a book to be read more than once, and used as a desk reference.
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