The "Z" Method of Management
When we talk about the successful manager of the today we know
that they communicate well, delegate and empower their people.
We have read so much about this individual that we know what the
"prototype" looks like, on paper, but I have found that we don't
seem to recognize these folks when we run into them live.
I think two reasons are responsible for this.
* First, we have known them before we read about them, so we are
expecting the "ideal" manager to be someone new to us. * Second,
we never give personalities and emotions to the managers
described in articles. But the managers in real life have those!
Two client companies of ours have managers that are great
examples of delegating/empowering manager. These are people who
get many times more things accomplished than their peers. It
doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why.
They delegate lots of work to their people and are open to new
ideas and ways of doing things. They like to venture into to new
areas and "push the envelope." These folks seem to always be
busy with a variety of projects many of which are being
completed everyday. Often their peers are "busy" but really
getting little done.
Often we see that these delegating managers (DM's) have a strong
interest in many aspects of their business and are open to a lot
of new ideas.
The converse of these people seem to be so narrowly focused that
they have no interest in new ideas or different ways of doing
things.
The DM's have realized one of General Patton's principles of
leadership, "tell people what you want done then get out of the
way and let them do it." There are often many ways of achieving
a goal.
The DM's are usually so busy doing things that they have no time
for complaining about what is or is not happening and nagging
his people.
I have found that DM's often have many very different activities
happening at the same time. We expect this from the CEO because
he is responsible for the overall success of the organization
and as such has to be sure that all of the departments are
working in some harmony.
Also, the DM's will often get involved with solving problems in
areas that would seem outside his/her "jurisdiction." With the
smaller more efficient structures in today's business everyone,
to some degree, has a role in the success or failure of every
department. So if one area is not pulling its weight, someone
has to jump in and take charge.
However, this should be happening at any level within the
organization and indeed is occurring more and more in the
corporations. One reason is the hierarchy of the past no longer
exists so managers are forced to delegate more. But some people
do it very reluctantly.
Finite vs Infinite Power
The theory of finite versus infinite power has a lot to do with
delegation and empowerment so it is very important to
understand. If you believe that power is finite then you feel
that if you give some of your power to someone else, that is,
delegate, then you have less.
If you believe power is infinite, when you give some away, you
have not lost any, and in most cases you have gained more. That
is one of the biggest differences in delegating and
non-delegating managers. A Delegating Manager realizes that by
empowering others, he or she enhances their department and the
entire organization. Managers who believe in the finite theory
of power are dying, along with their organizations. Many of us
know of companies in this situation right now.
This may relate to one of the most important words of this era -
Change. Regardless of how you feel about it, Change is a fact of
life for all of us. If you don't accept it, the lack of Change
will be your downfall.
Change just means different, not bad.
For example, the automobile industry made a dramatic change in
recent years from carburetors to fuel injected engines. It
probably displaced a lot of people, but this change benefited us
all.
A myriad of changes have occurred as a result of the advancement
in computer chip technology from desk top publishing to
computerized control of most of the functions of an automobile.
Some of the definitions of change are also, Innovation,
Metamorphosis, Transformation, Correct, and Convert. These are
positive terms.
The Delegating Manger Empowers their direct reports. Downsizing
has made delegation mandatory to some degree in many situations.
The DM's however, make this tool work to everyone's advantage.
This is really not new, good managers have empowered for years.
In conclusion, the Delegating Manager of the present and future
is one who communicates well, delegates, and empowers. We all
know this from the books that are on the best seller lists. The
key for all of us is to recognize these folks in our
organizations, look past the irrelevant personality quirks that
we tend to get hung up on and join the team. These are the
people who will lead us in the future.
Bill Truax Bill@BlitzCall.com 800-253-1214