Manage better by doing very simple things

Here is something that a supervisor shared with me the other day. He had taken part in a management training course we conduct and as part of the training I phoned him to provide some coaching around issues he was facing. One of the questions was about what his learning plan objectives would be. He said ‘I plan to be on the floor with the mechanics more.’ I probed a bit to see if there was anything else he was going to try to do, but that was the extent of it.

I thought it was brilliant. He didn’t pick three or four items – his workload would have short-circuited that.  He didn’t pick a new skill to develop – a new skill won’t help him manage his current situation and there isn’t any time for him to go off to a course or a secondment. What he did was this:

1. He looked at his situation and identified all that he had to do and assess what he could realistically take on, by way of changing how he manages.
2. He reviewed the short list and focused on the one possible course of action that – if successfully done – will make the biggest positive impact on his work environment.

By choosing to spend more time on the floor, he reasoned that he would be more accessible to employees, be in a position to better understand the ebb and flow of workload, and be available for immediate consultation by his direct reports for resolving technical situations, all resulting in increased productivity. For him, this will make a huge difference in achieving his objectives.

What’s the lesson?

1. Keep your development goals simple and straightforward.
2. Make the changes to your management style and practice that can be (relatively) easily incorporated into your current approach. Fine time, don’t reconstruct.
3. Look for ways to spend more time managing your staff face to face. All direct reports want more face time with their boss.

Let me know how that works for you.