Last two posts are solid thoughts and I want to elaborate on them a bit, but first some thoughts from one of my favorite books on leadership: Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko. A precursor for you: if you don't know who this guy is, he is a former Navy SEAL and an expert in counter-terrorism and security. Here are his 10 Commandments for Special Ops:
1) I am the War Lord and the wrathful God of Combat and I will always lead you from the front, not the rear.
2) I will treat you all alike - just like s**t.
3) Thou shalt do nothing I will not do first, and thus you will be created Warriors in My deadly image.
4) I shall punish thy bodies because the more thou sweatest in training, the less thou bleedest in combat.
5) Indeed, if thou hurtest in thy efforts and thou suffer painful dings, then thou art Doing It Right.
6) Thou hast not to like it - thou hast just to do it.
7) Thou shalt Keep It Simple, Stupid.
8) Thou shalt never assume.
9) Verily, thou art not paid for thy methods, but by thy results, by which meaneth thou shalt kill thine enemy by any means available before he killeth you.
10) Thou shalt, in thy Warrior's Mind and Soul, always remember My ultimate and final commandment: There Are No Rules - Thou Shalt Win at All Cost.
Now, in this heavy-handed approach to things are some real gems for management. And these I will hit on first.#'s 1 & 3 - Do not be afraid to get in the trenches with your people. If you understand the problem, you are better able to help find a solution. Too many managers do just that, manage. They forget that that is really only half the job. They have to lead and that means getting in and getting dirty at times. It also means helping your "troops" maximize their efforts.
#'s 4 & 5 - In a world of shortcuts that often get results, doing things the right way is a rarity. Focus yourself and your temas on doing things in alignment with the core values of your company, your department, and them selves. If their heart isn't in it, then they need to own up and say why.
#'s 6, 7, & 8 - Once a decision has been made, get it done. If it was a bad decision, new ones can be made to alter course. Eliminate wasted energy, time, and resources. Keep all communication lines open, especially the ones that have respectful disagreement with you...they are your moral compass.
#2 - The wording here is abrasive, but speaks to a fundamental principle: No favorites, no targets. Everyone based on the merits of their work and fought for based on the merit of their work. If their work is good and the politics are against them, fight for them and then coach them on the politics to improve it...don't leave them hanging.
Now that I have that off my chest, to the previous entries...
I think it's fair to say that no manager is loved by everyone.
Usually it is the people beneath them that are grumbling but not always the case. The goal as a manager is to be firm, fair, and faithful.
Firm - Be willing to stand ground when necessary and lead.
Fair - Treat everyone equally according to their role and work quality. Also give equal credence to their ideas and needs.
Faithful - An odd one, but possibly the most important. One of the quotes in the last post that caught my attention was being looked up to by those beneath you on the totem pole. That verbage denotes an innate sense of trust that you are given as a manager/leader. Those in your employ or your team believe that you are there for them, so DO NOT SQUANDER that. That faith is what will rally them to your cause when the email queues are out of control and need a weeks worth of overtime to knock down. That faith will let them speak well of you even when they disagree with you. That faith builds teams not groups of individuals.
I was occasionally likened to a zealous priest over his small flock where I used to work and I took some pride in that. My team always knew that I would lift them up, reprimand them, and always dig in with them when needed. Whenever I needed them, they had my back and were always clutch.
One last thought for this round: In my experience, your job as a leader and manager is to remove obstacles from your people's way so that they in turn can do excellent work and keep problems above you from coming down on the department. Acieve that balance and you will succeed.
Lee, those 10 commandments are AWESOME!! Will order it from amazon first thing tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the caveat. Take away the obstacles and push the team to give their best, thereby giving them more reponsibility/accountability.
I've also learnt, the hard way that there are different people in team, some want to hold the finger and some want their space. the way I see it, you can be a good manager only when you understand your team first.
Sure...every team is different and every team member has his/her own motives and methods. As the leader, however, YOU set the tone of the team, the expectations for success, and the outcomes for failure. Those are like a macro overlay above their individual ways of doing things or personal needs. Thanks for the comment, J!
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