Effective Manager Notes

April 19, 2019 8-minute read

communication

This is data from the slides mixed with my notes from the Effective Manager Conference in Boston that I attended on April 17, 2019.

An Effective Manager has 2 Responsibilities

Results
Retention (most turnover is because of in-effective management)

4 Behaviors

Know your people
- Action: One on Ones
- 40% focused here
Talk about performance
- Action: Feedback
- 30% focused here
Ask for more
- Action: Coaching
- 15% focused here
Push work down
- Action: Delegation
- 15% focused here

3 Types of Power

Role: Given by organization; layer of removal, suspicion by Directs, fleeting, doesn’t really get you anything
- Can work against you
Relationships: happens between individuals
Expertise

Communication

Quantity
- everyone has different quantity that they need
- over-communication can be spammy
- needs to be high quality
- needs to resonate with individuals
- find out what’s important to them
- everybody’s favorite topic is themselves
Quality
- we try to be efficient
- do it in group settings

One on Ones

Purpose is to build Relationships
Encourage Relationships
- Learn what’s important to Direct
- Should be focused on Direct’s Issues
- Manager takes notes
- What do they highly value?
- Share what is most important to Manager
- He/she is the center of attention
When?
- Weekly (BEST)
- Scheduled / Not Ad-hoc / must be predictable
  - Allows them to prepare
- Never cancelled
- Rescheduled when conflict arises
  - Otherwise, Direct doesn’t feel valued
  - Deferral makes Direct feel undervalued
How Long? About What?
- 30 minutes: 10 for Them, 10 for You, 10 for Future
- For Them: whatever they want, ANYTHING!
- If they go longer, it’s OK
- Don’t be an agenda nazi
- Future: Coaching and career planning
- Usually will be 15/15 Them/You
Where?
- Not in public
- A place where Direct feels comfortable
- Don’t schedule a conference room, too much chance for problems scheduling/booking
Note Taking
- One On Ones are Business Meetings
- Handwritten
  - Tells that you’re paying attention
- Used for performance reviews
No more than 3 in a row; 5 minutes between each
- 30 minutes between each takes up too much of Manager’s time

Feedback

Feedback is RELATIONSHIP based
Deliver in a way that Directs don’t feel attacked
Encourages effective FUTURE BEHAVIOR
- Most managers think about the past
- Effective Managers think about the future
- We can’t change the past
Managers tend to HESITATE to give Feedback
Feedback is like holding a steering wheel on a straight road
- Don’t do big dramatic swings
- If we reserve ALL Feedback then they can’t tell how they’re doing
- Kind of like training a dog
Why do we give Feedback?
- We’re constantly making mistakes as human beings
- Directs and Managers prioritize differently: we want to come into alignment
Must be ACTIONABLE
Is not PRAISE
- makes them happier
- doesn’t influence productivity
Is not PUNISHMENT
- not given guidance on what to do or how to do better
- no actionable information
Must have RELATIONSHIP with Direct, not ROLE power
- will not be effective with ROLE power, will not stick
Must be done VERBALLY
- controls tone
- reduces misinterpretation: can feel negative
Tailored to the individual
- People person vs Task person
Doesn’t need to be mixed up
- Can be the same 3rd sentence every time
- Use the Direct’s values; what’s important to them
Not public, not in group, doesn’t need to be 1x1
Do it in a way that’s impactful
Start with 2 middle sentences and transition to 1234 parts
Shit sandwiches:
- no one likes it
- makes manager feel better
- is done because manager is not confident
9:1, positive:negative ratio
- if 5:5 or too much negative, Direct will resent, hate model
- positive will reinforce them to do more positive behaviors
- REMEMBER: positive feedback for STANDARD behavior too
  - they feel: “I thought I was supposed to do it anyways. Thanks.”
When not in a positive space, don’t give negative feedback

Step 1: Ask
- Always Ask
- It’s OK if they say no
  - Can try again within 36 hours
    - If Positive Feedback, can always give
    - If Negative Feedback and >36hrs, makes it feel like a big deal
    - better to let it expire (behavior has changed!)
- Examples:
  - “May I give you some Feedback?”
  - “Can we talk about that?”
  - “May I share something with you ?”
  - “Can I have a word?”
Step 2: Describe Behavior
- Behavior: something you can SEE and HEAR
- Attitude is not Behavior
- Examples:
  - “When you call the customer…”
  - “When you miss a deadline…”
  - “When you are late to staff meetings…”
  - “When you stay late to help…”
Step 3: Describe Impact
- Describe the Results of their Behavior
- Cause & Effect; Action & Reaction; Incident & Response
- Impacts don’t have to be “big” or “important”
- Examples:
  - “Here’s what happens: the customer calls to thank me…”
  - “Here’s what happens: I notice your extra effort…”
  - “I appreciate it, and the team’s job is much easier…”
  - “Our case for the new hire is that much stronger…”
Step 4: Future Effective Behavior
- Affirming Feedback means: Thanks
- Adjusting Feedback means: Doing it differently
  - Shepherd them
  - Don’t suggest your own way of doing things; not telling them what to do
  - Train them to bring you SUGGESTIONS/SOLUTIONS not PROBLEMS
  - This is teaching people how to think like you rather than teaching them to depend on you
- Examples:
  - “Thanks.”
  - “Please keep it up.”
  - “Could you change that?”
  - “Can you do that differently?”
  - “What can you do differently?”

Rollout

Tell Directs about what you’re doing, be transparent from the start
Schedule meeting to tell everyone
Important to take it slow
They’re going to notice it’s happening

At start: do nothing
At 3 weeks: One on Ones (until forever)
- heavy investments in the relationships
At 15 weeks: Add Positive Feedback (until forever)
- be safe here; make sure there’s good rapport/relationship first; if not sure then extend this
At 23 weeks: Add Negative Feedback (until forever)
At 31 weeks: Add Coaching/Delegation (until forever)
- before this, Direct doesn’t fully trust Manager

Coaching

Manager doesn’t need expertise; this isn’t teaching
- If no expertise, Manager can leverage network too
Have a meeting to walk through the basics of Coaching
Start with top performers
- they feel valued and invested in
After 1-2 successful coaching completions, roll out to all
Go slowly with Coaching
Many Managers get overwhelmed early
Encourages Improved Capability
- Sustained process for Direct’s self-improvement
- You don’t have to train
- You can Coach every direct during One on Ones
Never do it in from of other people
Podcast: A Corky Performer
Important to write everything down
Coaching + Delegation go hand in hand
Create urgency around Direct’s learning/development
Break work down into Actions for them

DBQ
- Deadline: “By date…”
- Behavior: What are they going to do?
- Quality Standard: Pass/Fail binary success
- Achieving a Coaching Goal usually takes AT LEAST 12 WEEKS
  - if <12wks, just Delegate and give frequent Feedback
- Write down Coaching Goals:
  - “By 2/24, you’ll run weekly staff: agenda, start/top on tine”
  - “By 5/22, you’ll produce monthly report, on time, w/o errors”
Brainstorm Resources
- Do this together with Direct
- Goal is VOLUME, not accuracy or quality
  - No more than 2 minutes, set a timer
- Write it down
- Hint: Books are a great low-cost investment
Plan Next Deliverables
- Deliverable: has a DATE and a TIME
- Pick a Resource from the Brainstorm
- Let Direct have significant input
  - they will be the one doing the work
  - who cares how they do it if they get there?
- List some SEQUENTIAL DELIVERABLES for using the resource
- Give them short due dates early
- Frequent small do-able steps leads to early success
ACT
- Your Direct implements the Plan
- Your Direct reports to you weekly on progress
- When they meet the Goal, CELEBRATE!
- When they are LATE, adjust the plan
- Repeated late can be failure
  - Can be an opportunity to give Feedback about failure to meet deadlines
- If you run out of Resources, go through the steps again

Delegation

Tasks that are yours to do that they take going forward
Should not be Tasks they are able to say no to (?)
Is essentially succession planning
“You will never get all your work done”
Don’t try to make people happy: it’s a losing game
- Try to make them more productive
Encourages Increased Productivity
- State your desire for help
  - “Rob, I’d like your help on something”
- Tell them why you’re asking THEM
  - “You’re the closest to this customer”
  - “You’re most in need of growth in this area, and I trust you”
- Ask for specific acceptance
  - “Would you please take over the monthly project meeting?”
- Describe the task/project in detail
  - “Here’s what’s involved…”
Use Coaching model
“There will always be too much work to do”
- Customers are expecting more from you everyday
Manager has higher valued time
Thought: “If I pass this down, will she be able to do it as well as I did when I did it the FIRST TIME?”
Low drop in quality in short time for longer term investment
Delegate tasks taht:
- I am the expert
- Take <12 weeks to learn
Who can do it?
- Someone who wants to do it
- Good at doing it
- Like to do it
- Enjoys it
- “Needs to” do it (but avoid this if possible)
Best way to teach someone something new
- succession planning
Delegate to the floor
- Cascade down

Additional Resources: