10 Doable Tips for Being a Good Leader and Managing Efficiently

I recently read an article from a top business magazine in which a successful former CEO was asked what the best business advice they had ever received. After some thought he shared the story of a breakfast meeting with a group of business leaders in Dallas at which one of the gentlemen, a folksy kind of fellow, plainspoken, who noted to no one in particular during the meeting that, “When everything gets really complicated and you feel overwhelmed, think about it this way. You gotta do three things. First, get the cow out of the ditch. Second, find out how the cow got into the ditch. Third, make sure you do whatever it takes so the cow doesn’t go into the ditch again.”

While the folksy “cow quote” above covers just about every situation, I also have learned that one of the best ways to learn is from studying the advice and examples of top business leaders. This can be through books, articles, blogs, RSS feeds, or personal experiences. I thought I would share some ideas I have gleaned concerning managing when defining a problem and moving forward.

• No Control – when you don’t have control over an issue don’t waste your time fretting over such things. Leaders have a tendency to take control of things in order to be effective; however, there are things that pop up occasionally that you don’t have control of and requires adjustment. When this happens, don’t waste your time … do what you can and move on to more productive matters as quickly as possible.
• Delegate – good leaders know what and when to delegate. Easy or repetitive matters should be delegated to others. A leader holds on to those that are challenging, difficult, and most worthwhile to the situation. This is how they continue to grow and lead.
• Focus on your function – in a challenging situation, it’s important to manage the function, not the paperwork. Always keep in mind what you are to manage and stay focused on accomplishing that first. Don’t be distracted by paperwork or “the thick of thin things.” Results are all that counts.
• Manage By Wandering Around (MBWA) – Tom Peter’s taught this concept in his book In Search of Excellence … and I am a strong advocate of this tactic. It’s important for a leader to get out of their office and be amongst the people (the doers). This is how and where you find out what’s really going on within the organization. Furthermore, you will learn that it’s often easier and quicker to leave another work area (office) than to get someone to leave your office.
• Listen Intentionally – we’ve all heard that we have two ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk … and that’s good advice. If you let them … if you really pay attention … you will find that your peers, your employees, your suppliers, your customers and your friends all have something of value in what they have to say … and they want to share … especially with the leader. You will miss many great opportunities if you mistakenly think others only want to hear what you think. You learn best from others … what you have to say you already know. So use listening as a learning opportunity.
• Other’s Mistakes – in line with the previous point, keep in mind that you can learn from the mistakes of others. As one of my mentors told me, “You won’t live long enough to make them all yourself. So learn from others and don’t repeat theirs.” Which leads us to the axiom “Leaders are Readers and Readers are Leaders.”
• Make your Smartphone your BFF – learn your Smartphone well … use it to the max. If used properly and efficiently it will become your best friend forever (BFF). It’s your calendar … so put any appointment or meeting in it immediately … including an appropriate date to prepare for it. It’s your rolodex … it’s your email partner … it’s your Internet connection. Don’t change devices every time a new and improved model comes out. Take the time to learn your device so you can maximize its use … to maximize your efficiency … your results. This is your connection to everything! Can’t emphasize this enough!
• Two Dashboards – create and develop a Dashboard to keep up with the key result areas (KRA) of your business. This is vital for you to stay on top of your functions. I suggest you take it a step further and have a second Dashboard for your personal life … your health, emotional, spiritual, and family life are important to your business life … give it the same attention.
• Be THE Example – to be a good leader you have to lead by example. Don’t look for your people to put in extra time if you leave early every day. Don’t fly first class or stay in four-star hotels if you expect your employees to stay in mid level or budget motels.
• Show integrity and honesty – always! Seek excellence.

© Phil Hoffman 2016. All rights reserved

A Look, A Word, and A Touch

In my last blog I addressed listening … intentional listening. I addressed the importance of being sure, that as leaders, we listen for the right information from the right sources. I received some feedback asking for some ideas as to how to get into the lower levels without disrupting your relationships with key reports and whereby lower levels aren’t standoffish. Obviously, there are times when you circumvent “the system” or your direct reports that it can be hurtful. At the same time, there may be occasions when you need to take such action for the good of the company.

The best personal example I can give goes back to when I was president of a manufacturing company where I had a terrific vice president of manufacturing who was open-minded and team oriented. Some of my key concerns in the manufacturing environment are that all employees understand the importance of consistently good quality, the importance that every employee knows the need for efficiency of materials and labor, and the desire for continuous improvement so the company’s bottomline is maximized. Add to these the most important element of being sure we had the best employees in the area available for the wage we could afford to pay and that they were happy with the way the company treated them and all matters in general. In order to keep my finger on the pulse for these important elements, I would make it a point that every Thursday morning I would walk the factory floor starting one hour before the scheduled break and pause for a brief exchange with each employee. Then I continued the process after the break until I had spoken with each employee. This often took a lot of time, but it always proved to be quality time in the long run.

A Look – A Word – A Touch

I have long been a fan of Tom Peters and his theory of MBWA (managing by wandering around) which was first publicized in his book In Search of Excellence. I liked this concept from the moment I first learned of it and decided to develop my own personal approach for adding this tactic to my leadership skills. Over an extended time, I honed this into part of my management style by adapting three simple steps that I use with every employee. The three things are … a look, a word, and a touch. My primary goals were to get to know each employee personally and to build a rapport with each employee over time. Here’s my explanation of this simple process:

1. A Look – I looked each employee in the eye and called them by their first name or nickname. If I hadn’t met them, I introduced myself and tried hard to get their name right for the next exchange. As you probably know, many employees feel that top management doesn’t want to know who they are and never speak to them. I don’t think this is good and feel it can be addressed with a little forethought and focused effort. Plus, it is fun … and you meet many interesting and wonderful people.
2. A Word – I say something right away. It can be as simple as, “Hi, Jim.” Or more involved like, “Hi, Jim … you making plans for deer hunting next month?” Or simply introducing yourself. Or … “Hi, Jim … how are Allison and kids doing? Have the boys signed up for baseball?” Or … “Hi, Jim … do you follow any sports?” (or social media, go to church, married, kids, grandkids, parents, girl friend, etc.) As you get to know each employee better, you learn more about them, which helps build rapport and makes it easier to have an exchange the next time that is interesting to them and you.
3. A Touch – Shake hands, a fistbump, a high-five, a pat on the shoulder, a hug, etc. A kind touch is a real barrier breaker … rapport builder.

Objective

The objective is to build rapport. But even more important is that by MBWA on a consistent basis you will find people in the lower levels will start to comfortably begin sharing their ideas and suggestions for improving systems, techniques, product development, continuous improvement, innovation … all while building your knowledgebase, getting to know your employees, and building relationships … and loyal employees.

Discernment

It is important to be careful how you use and share what you learn through MBWA. First, you don’t want to lose anyone’s loyalty or confidence by “telling on them” or by taking credit for something that was their idea. In addition, there is the discrete manner of how to handle this approach with your direct reports who may feel you have circumvented their authority and prevent them from becoming disgruntled. With some forethought and by being forthright and honest with your key team players, you and they will learn that this approach can provide helpful insights for all parties. But you have to start with a “big picture” mindset of how you want to use this approach to develop a method and system that is both fair and worthwhile for everyone.

How do you go about communicating with lower level employees?

© Phil Hoffman 2013. All rights reserved