Management Secrets by Mary Elston

With exceptionally pleasant weather providing encouragement, my sister and I enjoyed a Sunday afternoon by meeting for lunch and hitting the mall for retail therapy. While waiting for our food, we strategized our shopping approach like huntresses seeking prey — makeup, shoes and a super sale on spring jackets — essential sustenance. As we finished our meal we agreed it was, in scientific terms, yummy. The restaurant consistently serves hunger-satisfying hamburgers, wraps and tortilla soup; the kind of above average food you come back for again. But then it had to be for the place to survive, right? With the proliferation of casual dining choices, food, service and value simply have to exceed average in order to stay in the game. Guess what? The same is true for employees and managers now too. As we begin this new Management Secrets blog series we’ll explore why being average in the business environment, in many cases, isn’t good enough anymore.

Seems absurd but ponder this: When are workers like hamburger joints? Answer: When workers stand out with unique, above average qualities — like great hamburger joints — they survive. In the January 24, 2012 New York Times article, “Average Is Over,” Thomas L. Friedman spoke to this new reality. With above average opportunities to use cheap foreign labor in addition to globalization, low priced robotics and software it is little wonder why doing an average job no longer gets you what it did before. Accelerating advances in automation and technology have been eliminating jobs for decades. Friedman also noted the best jobs will require employees to have more education to become above average. Research agrees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment rates for Americans over 25 years old: those with less than a high school diploma, 13.8 percent; high school degree and no college, 8.7 percent ; some college or associate degree, 7.7%; bachelor’s degree or higher, 4.1 percent. In short, depending on the average or less than average group you fall into, the higher the unemployment rate is for that group.

Unemployment is only part of the picture — what about the impact being average has on being a manager? As a manager, why should you care about being above average? Countless reasons apply but let’s hit the top three that come to mind. Above average managers are more likely to: 1) keep their job, 2) keep the best employees, 3) stay in business. Sum it up in one word – survive. Over the next several weeks we’ll look at the obvious importance in each of these factors and despite this, why so many managers continue to lead in an inept and below average manner. What’s even more disappointing is these sub-standard management practices may go unchecked and unrestricted for extended periods of time.

What above average management experiences have you encountered or — even better — been able to implement? Write a comment and share your input. I’ll be back in a couple weeks to begin discussing the three items mentioned above that are hallmarks of the above average manager.*

*excerpted in part and reprinted from Mary Elston management column with permission from Soundings Publications, LLC.

Onboarding, swimming and checking in. Are these things you might do on vacation or something else? You guessed it – something else. These are three core elements a manager must oversee when bringing a newly hired employee into the fold and helping them to quickly become productive, as well as help them overcome any new hire hazing which may occur. When all factors are well managed multiple benefits emerge including a happy worker who is much more likely to make strong contributions at a more rapid rate. What about the manager who doesn’t work with new hires in this manner? Lose, lose and lose. The new worker often feels isolated and lost, it takes them longer to get up to speed which wastes time and money, and in worst cases they simply quit and go elsewhere which wastes even more time and money for the manager who mishandled the new hire. That’s not what, you, the savvy manager would do, right?

In the last few weeks we have covered the fine points on bringing your new employee up to speed through the onboarding process and swimming or getting them into a productive work rhythm. By the way “swimming” must include making you’re your new team member aware of specific tasks, goals and programs which they own and can accomplish. You’d be surprised how many managers miss this simple step – telling the new hire what their priorities are and what they should be getting done. Today we’re going to walk through the final portion of this equation … checking in.

It’s far too easy, as a busy manager, to think once you get your new employee off to a good start you’ve done your job well —- you’re almost right. Every employee hits speed bumps along the way even after they’ve been with the company for a few weeks or months, which makes checking in incredibly important. As a manager, you’ll need to continue to check in with each employee – especially your new hire — through one on one meetings. These sessions help you stay on top of small problems before they become big ones, enable new employee growth and coaching and continue to encourage success. There are a huge number of managers who fail in any one of or all of these areas. The result is taking the talent you took the time and energy to hire and pouring at least part of it down the drain.

What constitutes checking in by the manager? I have heard several managers over the years provide the excuse for not regularly staying in touch with each employee as “leaving them alone to do their job.” Fair enough but this is valid only to a limited degree.

Yes – let them do their job. No — ignoring, putting them on auto pilot or micro managing are extremes which are not the answer. Leaving an employee alone to do their job should not be something that occurs for months at a time. Checking with each employee – including the new hire — should take place weekly or at least every two weeks. Build a family too. This means engage in a regular team call or group meeting for everyone to attend, share and learn. Have fun together as well.

By the way, how do you, the manager know that you’re doing a good job checking in with your new hire? You are NOT doing most of the talking! Bring an open mind and an open floor to one on one sessions, engage your employee on their work effort as well as insert some friendly conversation. When you onboard your new hire effectively you’re quickly executing counter measures against new hire hazing, you’ll get them swimming with their new duties and you’ll keep them on a path to productivity by regularly checking in with one on one meetings. As a manager, what do you get from the onboarding, swimming and checking in formula? A new hire who is making great progress and contributing the value you intended — which is the same value they are eager to give. Well done!

How do you manage your newly hired employees to help make them productive? Write to me and let me know. Join me again in a couple of weeks for a new Management Secrets blog series, see you then.

Experienced managers in every organization have had the opportunity to hire additional head count. In this current Management Secrets blog series I’m covering what many new employees have to endure after being hired and their new job begins. There is the usual stress of becoming familiar with new company processes, systems and applications as well as the often added stress of going through new kid hazing. You know – current employees making it hard on the newbie by over escalating small problems, hassling the new person over inconsequential mistakes which fresh hires often make and the like.

In my previous blog installment in this series, I mentioned the importance of you, the manager, giving your new hire great onboarding input in the form of one on one meetings. In these sessions you need to share performance expectations, provide direction as to where priorities should be focused, connect your new hire with an onboarding buddy and several other tidbits essential for getting started on the right path. See the details in the entry immediately below this one.

Swimming. Once you’ve given your new team member the appropriate onboarding coaching or “swimming lessons” you’re ready to let them leap into the proverbial ocean of work and start power stroking their way through the corporate current. As your freshly acclimated employee starts swimming, what should the manager do next? Walk the other way and assume your new kid will be just fine or something more? Yes — something more. Ongoing, weekly one on one meetings should be scheduled and held. Emphasis on “held.” It’s far too easy to cancel these sessions when you’re a busy manager but don’t. Encourage your new employee to keep track of all their manager-oriented questions during the week and address these topics at their regular session with you. Answer these questions directly or provide other, reliable resources your new employee can go to. Big no-no – do not send them down a black hole looking for answers you have no idea exist or not, refer them to a resource who can help them get what they need.