Managing people could be considered to be one of
the toughest jobs in the world. Each individual is distinct,
has different dreams and wants things unique to themselves. In
this context, the effective manager must provide for individuality.
Myriads of books have been written on the topic. However, the
following, simple five step approach works very well!
Hire the Right People
The first task of any manager of people is to hire
people to fulfill the set of tasks. Most managers hire people
by their skill set. For example, a manager looking for a Quality
Engineer would look for a person strong in statistics. If looking
for a Quality Auditor, someone that is skilled in auditing and,
possibly, ISO 9000. But, the correct skills are not a necessary
indicator of success. Certainly they should be considered, but,
the overriding need is for someone that fits with the rest of
the team. In the above examples, statistics, auditing and ISO
can be taught, the ability to "fit" cannot be taught.
Several years ago, I was tasked with hiring two quality
engineers for my company. I went through the motions of looking
for people with the right skills. I ended up hiring a very skilled
person and a person that was currently working as an accounts
receivables clerk. After six months, the skilled person had left
the company and the accountant was driving our ISO efforts. The
skilled person obviously did not fit with the rest of the team.
I believed at the time that this was an anomaly. However, I
have seen it happen on 8 different cases…thus, HIRE THE RIGHT
PEOPLE!
Train the People
After hiring the right people, train them. This
sounds elementary, but many managers perform sloppily with training/learning.
Training/learning should be the cornerstones of any company.
The personnel of the company should be continually challenged
to grow and develop. This will keep people from becoming stale
and tired.
Support the People
Another simplistic task that most managers fail to
understand. Supporting employees involves "going to bat"
for them with the boss. When an opening comes available, try
to get one of your employees the promotion (only if they are ready
for the job). When the boss gets upset with one of your employees,
take up for them. EVEN IF THEY MESSED UP!!! The mistake should
be between you and the employee, no one else.
Support also means providing the right tools for
the job. For example, a quality engineer that is asked to do
Designed Experiments would be hard pressed without adequate computer
facilities. Again, an obvious task, but, there are more subtle
tools that are also necessary.
Get Out of the Way
The biggest hindrance to most people performing their
jobs is the boss. Too often we hire good people, train them and
provide them with tools, only to not give them the freedom and
faith to actually accomplish the job. If the manager cannot believe
in the people they have hired, then the manager is doomed to failure.
Reward Often / Discipline When Necessary
The old adage of "you catch more flies with
honey than vinegar" is true of employees. Managers should
look for ways to compliment/reward their employees. Probably
the most effective reward is for the manager to let the person
know that they did a good job. Make it specific, letting the
employee know that you saw what they did and it pleased you.
The reasoning behind this is simple, most employees want the boss
to be happy with them. When they please you, they should be allowed
to know it.
Most managers look for times to discipline. Although
sometimes necessary (as some of my employees pointed out), discipline
works better when doled out sparingly. Discipline need not be
harsh (or even documented). The most effective discipline that
I have found is to let your employees know that they disappointed
you. As stated above, most employees want the boss to be happy,
when this does not occur, then they feel very bad. As a matter
of fact, I have only used this discipline twice…I
could not stand to use it anymore than that. Both employees cried
and apologized profusely. Again, use it very sparingly.
I hope you find these techniques useful…I have!!!
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