First 90 days are critical for newly placed manager or executive

Dear Joan:

I am a new manager.  I manage a small business but I find it hard to know if I am too strict, or too easy, with my managing style.  Can you give me ways to measure how I'm doing? 

Answer:

I’m encouraged by the fact that you are asking for measures for good leadership! Many small business managers are so focused on growing the business and getting the work out the door, that they manage as an afterthought. Unfortunately, they start to ask these questions when they run into trouble managing their staff, which is then harder to resolve.

Here are some practical and proactive ways to measure your leadership style:

• Do employees know what you expect of them, even when you are out of the office? If you can leave on vacation, for example, without constantly checking in to make every decision (or manage the crisis du jour), it’s a good sign that you have been clear about what you expect and have given them the freedom to act.

• When you return to the office, do they proactively fill you in on what they did, why they did it and what the outcome was? This is your cue to praise their efforts or coach them about alternatives they could have taken. Usually this means they want to please you and they aren’t afraid of being punished if they take well-intentioned action on their own. If they are only doing what they are told and not a lick more, it’s a sign you are either a micromanager who expects perfection, or too strict or punitive.

• When you hold regular meetings, your staff is at ease and is open about issues, ideas and concerns. If few people talk, it’s a bad sign. You could be too authoritarian—imposing your ideas, instead of soliciting ideas from others and getting buy-in when it’s needed.

• There will be little gossip and speculation about company happenings. This will indicate that you are a regular communicator, who is open about what is going on. If you keep all the information in your head, or only dole it out on a “need to know” basis, you will create a lot of water cooler talk and disengaged employees.

• Your employees handle the customer the way you would. This is a sign that you have put the right standards and parameters in place. In addition, this tells you they know what the company’s goals are. If they are indifferent, rude, or have the wrong response, it is a signal that you haven’t done enough communicating about the company’s goals, mission and values. It also indicates that you may not be modeling what you are preaching. In other words they will treat customers the way you treat them.

• Your staff will treat each other with respect and professional courtesy. If there are a lot of employee conflicts, it can be a signal that you are too soft. Frequently, employee conflicts break out because someone is not performing well, someone’s poor work habits are tolerated by the boss, or there are inconsistent standards. When a fair and just leader is at the helm, disagreements are resolved quickly and everyone knows where the boundaries are. In short, there is consistency and accountability.

• Your employees aren’t angry or shocked when you give them feedback. This is a signal that you are giving them feedback, or coaching, often enough and preserving their self-esteem when you correct a mistake. Feedback should be as common as the give-and-take that occurs when an assignment is delegated—done in the spirit of helpfulness, and to get the desired work outcome.

• Your staff recruits others to work there and unplanned turn over is low. This is the ultimate sign that you are a manager who people want to work for—and with.

Jump Start – The First 90 Days

You’ve taken time and energy selecting the right candidate but what will you do to ensure the person gets off to a successful start? The first 90 days in any new job is critical, but when it’s a manager’s job, the stakes are even higher. An investment on the front end can prevent problems later. If the new person doesn’t win the commitment and trust of the team, doesn’t set clear expectations, fails to make a good impression on fellow managers and executives, or underestimates the power of the corporate culture, trouble can start to brew early.

Newly placed managers and executives who have experienced our new coaching process, “Jump Start—The First 90 Days” say,

• “Even thought I’ve held manager positions before, this process helped me get on the right path very quickly and successfully. I’m glad my organization offers this process to all directors who are new in their roles.”
• “My staff had struggled with their former manager and this process shaved months off of my orientation and helped me get a good start on build a trusting relationship with my team.”
• “I am in a totally new—and bigger—role within my company, and this process helped me to understand how to manage my time, who I need to establish regular meetings with and how to keep key executives in the loop.”
• “The Jump Start coaching helped me to get up to speed quickly on the new culture and helped me figure out how to get buy in and results quickly.”

These results were seen in three sessions. It’s an investment worth making in your leaders and key individual contributors.  Call (414) 476-8853 for more information.