Management Styles
Most of us have all had good and bad managers. The good ones seem to inspire confidence, build and protect their teams, mentor, care about people, are kind, proficient, have integrity, are professional, predictable,
have vision, are dependable, and are dedicated to the success of the entire team.
Bad managers vary greatly. Some are demeaning, autocratic, impatient, inefficient, don’t keep confidence, lack vision, are immoral, mean spirited, and incompetant --essentially having serious character flaws enhanced
by their “management” position. Others are good people that just don’t yet have the experience or skills to manage teams.
The Good, The Bad and...
It is the nature and disposition of almost all men (and women) that as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they immediately begin to exercise autocratic dominion. It therefore takes a strong,
moral character to resist and rise above “position” power. For those who cannot do so, “skill” training won’t work. For those who can, they need only the proper training to be effective.
With my first attempts at management I was too directive. I felt entirely responsible for the end result and I had to approve every move made by my organization. I stumbled along and did OK but I wasn’t consistent
and didn’t really have a style. Years later, at another employer, I learned a style of management called, “Situational Leadership” which has made a dramatic impact in my effectiveness as a recruiter, trainer,
mentor, manager and leader.
Situational Leadership
The book, “Situational Leadership” was one of the first books written by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson and was the forerunner of the One Minute Manager series. Unfortunately, it uses HR terms, explains theory
and reads like a psychology book. What makes the One Minute Manager series so popular is that it put the concepts of Situational Leadership within a story (sort of like Og Mandino’s, “Greatest Salesman in the
World”). As a result, it was easy reading, entertaining and more understandable.
A problem with the book, “The One Minute Manager,” however, what that it was incomplete--it only contained some of the concepts from Situational Leadership. It wasn’t until the books, “Putting the One Minute Manage
to Work,” and “Leadership and the One Minute Manager” were released did it contain enough of the original concepts to be effective. In fact, the One Minute Manager alone is a bad management style.
The main principles taught within the first series are a) set clear expectations, b) reward good performance, c) reprimand poor performance (but “only” if its a competent winner, not a person being trained (this is
CRUCIAL). This process requires engagement.
The second book, “Putting...” discusses techniques to help set and achieve goals (such as ABC for activators (set goal), behavior (performance) and consequences (reward - hopefully)). It then provides the PRICE
system to identify desired objectives, record progress or lack of it, and then the coaching and re-setting of goals to continue forward.
In the final book, “Leadership...,” the concept of a situational leader is developed. This means that you a) set goals with your team, b) determine their current capability with those goals, c) decide which style of
leadership you will use (it will often be a different style for each separate goal), such as directive, coaching, supporting or delegative, e) attempt to help the person become competent and motivated enough within
each goal that they move through the continuum to delegative in every area, f) be flexible to move forward or backward in your leadership style depending on their progress or lack of it.
The overall goal is to help your team members set their own objectives, motivate themselves and allow you to delegate to them unquestionably. This frees you up to become less tactical, more strategic and to do those
things that only you can do (managing upward, instead of downward without a lot of required coaching and mentoring). Whenever a delegative person needs help, it is usually not motivation or training, but
resources--which is where you can help them the most.
That’s pretty much the gist of it. I love working for a situational leader (since I try to move to the delegative area in all of my key responsibilities as quickly as possible), and others similarly love working with
me when I use this managerial approach. In fact, the first thing I explain to any new teams or people (even in the interview process) is my management style (it helps recruit some top notch winners and develops
early expectations and loyalty).
The most difficulty I’ve had in a position is not doing the work, but working for a person who has only one management style--especially someone who is highly directive or highly delegative (but uninvolved) and then
never provides the resources to get the expected job done.
I was first exposed to these concepts in 1983 and they took years to internalize. If you haven’t already gone through this approach, you should--it gives you a clear process to help your team and your company succeed
by providing strong, consistent and repeatable leadership.
Additional One Minute Resources
I’ve also read, “The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey,” (about delegation), “The One Minute Sales Person,” The One Minute Manager Gets Fit,” “One Minute for Myself,” and “One Page Management,” (a favorite about
managerial reporting). Plus, I’ve read, “Gung Ho,” and other Blanchard books. Obviously, I’m a BIG fan and HIGHLY recommend you pick these up (all of them are short and easy reads). I’ve also watched several of
Blanchard’s video series--they were all very good, very motivational and highly entertaining--excellent reinforcement for your team.
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