The Top 10 Keys to Effective, Flexible Management of Others

  1. Give the person a huge goal that will keep their attention and ask them to develop the strategies or steps to effectuate the goal.
  2. Have daily or weekly reports or check-ins; daily at first.
  3. Ask the person how willing they are be to effectively managed and condition/warn them of your particular style and of your high standards/expectations/requirements.
  4. Get the person focused on actions and outcomes, not just goal setting and reporting.
  5. Install a system that warns you WAY before the person stops performing or producing.
  6. Build in training/coaching to your conversations so that the person understands that you aren’t just managing them to reach goals, but that you are helping them to become a more effective person via skills/communication training.
  7. Set up your staff/goals so that you can afford for them not to produce or that you can afford to fire them as this will free you up to manage well vs being fearful or reactive.
  8. Rather than expecting your staff to know everything, seek to provide answers, tools and support BEFORE they need it.
  9. Don’t get too close/chummy — be a manager who has a lot going on and make sure the staff knows that you’re relying on them to do their best and don’t have time to mollycoddle them.
  10. Develop a visual display of results, progress and problems and post this on a white board for everyone to see and/or on the web; this keeps the facts public and is very motivational.

About the Submitter
This piece was originally submitted by Thomas J. Leonard, Coach and writer. Thomas J. Leonard wants you to know: This Top 10 List was created with the assistance of a number of Top 10 List subscribers who participated on the Create a Top 10 List TeleClass Marathon in June 1997.
Copyright 1997, 98, 99, Coach University https://www.coachu.com/

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