Employee View of a Manager's Low Self-Esteem

A manager had a low self-esteem. In working towards increasing his self-esteem, he analyzed the impact of low self-esteem on himself as well as on his employees. He found that low self-esteem created a sense of self-doubt that limited his ability to make firm decisions on a timely basis. In turn, he believed that diminished his employee's confidence in him as well as their confidence in the work they were doing for him.

I agreed with his perspective on this, but asked him to consider this additional thought as well: "When you are down on yourself, when you lack self-confidence, you cause people to wonder if your successes are due to your professional and personal competence or, instead, if you accomplish things simply by having strokes of luck."

Or put a different way, when you lack self-confidence you limit people's ability to give you credit for your hard work because they lack confidence that you were truly capable of doing it.

About me: Dan Pelley is an educator specializing in management training and development programs for supervisors and other first-line managers in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI). The issue recited above came from a participant in one of his supervisory management development programs.

Copyright © 2011 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Include Your Employees in Decisions

Within a set of guidelines or boundaries, most companies empower employees to make certain operating decisions on their own. Decisions beyond those boundaries are typically referred to the manager who then makes a decision (up to her or his authorization level of course).

Most managers are good at making these decisions at their level of authority. What many managers fail to do however is to involve their direct reports in the decision making process or to even tell their direct reports the reason or justification for their decision.

By leaving direct reports out of the process the manager fails to educate them and leaves them to speculate, guess or surmise why some decisions tend to go one way and other decisions tend to go another. The employee may guess correctly, or not, but in any case they don't know for certain the business policies and philosophies that underlie their manager's decision.

By explaining the higher level decision-making process, the manager expands the employee's knowledge of the factors involved in making those decisions. This positions the employee to have their own decision-making boundaries expanded in the future, as the manager confidently delegates additional decision-making to an employee who knows full well what the correct decision is and, more importantly, why.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Topics include handling difficult employees, leadership, counseling, coaching, problem solving, lean thinking, motivation and time management. We welcome your comments on this post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Follow Through

Yesterday's post contained the thoughts of Matt McLaughlin as he focused on a personal negative trait. Today's post was written by a manufacturing operations manager who wishes to remain anonymous. Like Matt she is focusing on a personal negative trait and I reprint her work with permission.

"The trait that I feel causes me the most difficulty in performing my job is 'Does what he/she says they will do,' driven in large part by another deficiency: 'Regularly monitors progress and results.' I do well at assigning task, but lack the follow through on pushing it through and coming through on items that are left up to me.

"For example, I assigned a task of coming up with a plan to monitor our lubricants to avoid running out. The employee devised a plan that in the end required a work instruction and training of all employees to adhere to the system. Six weeks later, the plan is still sitting on my desk and I have yet to issue a work instruction. I assigned the task but didn't hold up on my end of the deal.

"I feel this has a very negative effect on the people who came up with the plan and threatens their confidence in me to follow through on what I needed to do. I can only imagine that if I don't improve in this area, the employees will begin to stop doing the tasks I assign because they will think that I won't review it when they are done, so why bother? In addition, because the lubrication plan I asked for is still not issued we still face a threat of running out because I haven't completed my tasks to finish the roll out of the procedure.

"The actions I will take in the future to strengthen my skills and improve in this area are as follows:

1. When appropriate, assign tasks/projects one at a time so I allow myself the time to review each one. Only at the close/completion of one task will I assign another.

2. When a task/project is forwarded to me for review and items are left undone, work with the team leader to have them assign the remaining tasks - rather than taking them on myself.

3. When a task is remaining and the team members are unable to complete them because it is out of their scope of ability (i.e., the work instruction for managing the lubrication area), I will delegate it to someone else inside my team of resources.

4. Ask the person in charge of the team to assign me the task and manage me as part of their team. Admit to them that this is an area that I struggle with (completing tasks on time), and that I'm going to need to be managed to ensure I complete my responsibilities. Turn it into a project management lesson for them, and help me with my follow through at the same time.

5. Get some quick wins! I think most of my faults in this area come from taking on too many things at once, and not setting realistic goals as to when they will be completed. For those reasons, many tasks go unfinished and are so past due that I don't take them seriously, or worse yet, there is no real expectation from anyone that I will get them done! I will evaluate any unfinished tasks sitting on my desk and approach them one at a time - picking the ones that require the least time and effort to complete. I hope that I will soon realize they are all achievable and get some motivation to continue completing them all (rather than looking at the pile on a daily basis and feeling overwhelmed)!"

Dan says: Thanks for the sharing. I especially like number 4 above. Not only does it help you, but it also expands the capabilities of team members.

About me: Dan Pelley offers a series of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. The five programs are "Managing People,: "Leadership Skills," "Managing For Results," "Proactive Leadership," and "Participative Management." 139 companies in Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA) and New York have one or more people who earned this certificate.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

On Building Trust

Today's post was written by Lindsey Bousquet who lives in Putnam and works in Pomfret, CT. This article was part of a homework assignment in out "Leadership Skills" program where Lindsey focused on a leadership strength. Her work is reprinted here with permission.

"I feel that my best strength is that I build trusting relationships with people at all levels. This is very important for many reasons. One is that you cannot lead someone if they do not trust you. They want to know where they are going, how they will get there and why they are going there to begin with. I would never follow someone who I did not trust and I know neither would anybody else. My crew people asked me for advice and how to do certain things long before I was their manager. It was because they trusted that I would know the right answers and the correct way things had to be done. In a 'crisis' situation they would always come to me trusting that I could help.

"Another reason trusting relationships are important, is employees need to feel like they can talk to you. If a person has a problem or just needs to vent they need to trust that you will handle things properly. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is just going to ignore you or worse, inform people who do not need to know what your problem is. I feel very good in saying that all my crew people trust me enough to come to me with all their problems. They know I will handle them correctly and privately. Only the parties involved and my store manager need to know.

"The final reason is building trust increases your sphere of influence with your employees. This means that you can be more effective in how you manage your store. My crew people see how I act and what I do and are influenced by this behavior. They trust it is the correct, if not only way to work in our company. By having them act as I would act and do as I would do the store runs smoothly and effectively without me I having to do it all myself. "

About me: Dan Pelley offers a series of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. The five programs are "Managing People, "Leadership Skills," "Managing For Results," "Proactive Leadership," and "Participative Management." Lindsey Bousquet recently completed "Leadership Skills" in Danielson, CT. Click here to learn more about our programs for supervisors.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Fun!

Here's some thoughts on making the workplace fun contributed by Dawn M. Coyer who works at Citizen's National Bank; reprinted with permission.

"Being a teller can be very a serious and stressful position. I have found by using humor (the joke of the day) and creativity with props (when a teller is balanced they ring a bell and all the other tellers clap for them) in the everyday job gives all individuals a positive attitude and helps to increase overall team performance and cohesiveness.

"I hold a monthly group discussion to decide what special days we will celebrate for the up coming month from a list of national days. Examples are Western Day when we dressed up like cowboys and served popcorn to our customers, and National Give a Hug Day when we gave out Hershey Hugs to all our customers.

"Since implementing these ideas I have helped create a workplace that we all look forward to going to including our customers and upper management. All of these things benefit my performance as a leader by helping to keep my team members in good spirits. When they feel good about their job they are much more efficient and accurate."

Dan says: Thanks for your contribution Dawn!

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, both new managers seeking to learn new skills and more experienced managers seeking to update their skills. We also encourage everyone to participate in the blog by commenting on any post, or by submitting your own article for posting. If you would like to know more about submitting articles or topics for consideration, click here to send me an e-mail.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
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How Technical Must You Be?

Yesterday's post looked at the importance of knowing the technical requirements of the work your people do. But just how technical must you be?

Obviously, the more technical skills you have the better you will understand the work. But you also may be more prone to doing the work rather than managing it. You also may become too involved with how people do their jobs (their style) rather than concentrating on the the results of their work effort (the substance). (For more on style vs substance see "Much Ado About a Vacuum Hose" posted on May 5, 2009 and "Alternate Methodologies" posted on May 6, 2009). And no matter how technically competent you are, you must also have a good set of management skills which you are capable of using competently as well.

So just how technical must you be? In my judgment, technical enough to understand what your people do and generally how they do it so you can effectively plan, organize and schedule the work; provide the necessary supporting resources; coach and train people; give them helpful advice and counsel; and accurately evaluate performance factors for each employee as an individual as well as the department as whole.

For example, if you are going to manage electricians you don't need to know exactly how to wire a 220v dedicated circuit feeding a water pump. But you should know who on your staff is qualified to do it, about how long it should take, understand what possible problems might crop up especially in an old work situation, make sure the key components of the job are on-hand, be aware of possible disruptions to users and other departments, and know what permits and inspections are required. (If you've just read this paragraph and don't have a clue as to what I am talking about, you would indeed be quite limited in your ability to manage this electrical project for example. In that case you'll need the advice in yesterday's post).

About Pelleyblog: We are striving to be a communication device for managers where many people can share their thoughts, ideas, opinions, perspectives and points-of-view. We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us both as readers and participants.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Knowing the Technical Requirements of the Work

One of the characteristics of a good leader is a thorough knowledge of the technical requirements of the jobs your employees do. Indeed, because good workers are often promoted into first-line management positions, that characteristic is one most supervisors have. But what if you don't? Just how important is it for the manager to know? That's the question I was asked yesterday.

My response: it is very useful for a manager to understand the work their people do. The better the manager understands what they do and how they do it, the better equipped the manager is to plan, organize and schedule the work; provide the necessary supporting resources; coach and train people; give them helpful advice and counsel; and accurately evaluate performance factors for each employee as an individual as well as the department as whole.

Having said that, it is possible for a newly assigned manager to manage a department performing work that the manager is unfamiliar with. Provided that the new manager has fairly good management skills. The wisdom to admit what they don't know. A willingness to listen and learn. A respect for the technical capabilities of the people in the department. An ability to make friends and get people on their side. A talent for asking the advice and counsel of employees in areas such as planning, organizing and scheduling the work. An appreciation for the guidance and help provided by employees. And a willingness to provide public recognition of their efforts.

It certainly won't be easy managing a department without a strong knowledge of what they do. But a manager can make the best of the situation by accomplishing the above, winning people over and building a team. But note this word of caution very carefully: You must also be a fast learner. If you don't learn at a reasonable pace, people will begin to view you as incapable and/or incompetent and/or uncaring about the work. Once that happens, your status as their leader will begin to fade away.

About me: Dan Pelley offers a series of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. The five programs are "Managing People,: "Leadership Skills," "Managing For Results," "Proactive Leadership," and "Participative Management." The issue recited above came from a participant currently attending "Leadership Skills" in Danielson, CT and "Managing For Results" in Lincoln, RI.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

The Leader in the Back Row

Yesterday's post pointed out that leaders are not found in the back row. And while that is almost universally true, there is a very special kind of leader who chooses to sit in the back row for a very special reason. These rare individuals tend to be very strong leaders who have no trouble speaking up, speaking out, taking a position and/or making a decision. Over time they've come to understand that others are far too willing to defer to them, rely on them, follow them and let them always lead the way. They've also come to realize that while the group moves forward and things get accomplished, the ideas, talents, creativity and ingenuity of others in the group tend to not to come to the forefront, nor does the reliance on a strong leader develop and enhance the leadership skills of others.

These talented leaders recognize the problem and choose to sit quietly in the back row so others can have every chance to participate. Ah, you might say, doesn't that take away from your argument yesterday Dan? All those quiet people in the back row are simply strong leaders who have chosen to give others a chance. If you believe that, please contact me regarding a bridge I have for sale.

The fact is you know the type of leader I am talking about today. Because even though they choose to back off, you will find them encouraging others to speak, and helping to move the conversation along. You also know who they are because they stay involved enough so you clearly know where they stand on any issue.

About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog is designed to be a resource for supervisors and other first line managers. Currently most of our readers are from Rhode Island (RI), Central Massachusetts (MA) and Eastern Connecticut (CT). But everyone interested in management topics is welcome. We also welcome your participation. Feel free to comment on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

There's No Leaders in the Back Row

I've been teaching supervisors and other first line managers for many years and, while I've never taken a formal survey on the question, I'll bet most of them view themselves a leaders. So why do so many of them sit in the back row in classes and seminars? Why do so many of them remain silent throughout the discussions? Why is it when we seek someone to be a meeting leader or volunteer, most of them look down and hope I won't call on them?

Is that just human nature? Perhaps so. I used to be that way too. But I don't believe you find leaders in the back row. Head down. Not willing to speak up. Or share their thoughts, or argue their points or give and take in a dialog with others.

I learned many years ago, before I was in high school, that if you want something in life you have to seek it out. Ask for it. Let people know you are interested in it. And I learned somewhat later in life that if you want to be a leader you need to stand up, state your beliefs, point the way, make the decision, take advantage of opportunities, position yourself to benefit from luck, stick to your beliefs when you are right, always listen to what others say, learn from experiences, know when to give and take, admit when you are wrong, give credit to others when they are right, but always keep moving forward even if that means picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and eating humble pie. That's what leaders do. And they don't do it from the back row with their head down.

About me: Dan Pelley teaches what it takes to be a leader as part of his "Leadership Skills" program, one of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. 137 companies in Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA) and New York have one or more people who earned this certificate.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

A Thought From Theodore Roosevelt

Our "Participative Management" program focuses on the idea of hiring good people, training them well, giving them clear assignments, then getting out of the way and letting them do their jobs. Carrie Norris, supervisor-in-training at Staples, Inc., Wauregan, CT recently completed that program in Danielson, CT. On the last day of class she told me how our discussion on empowering employees reminded her of a saying she she valued highly. She was kind enough to share it with me so I can share it with you.

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done and the self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." -- Theodore Roosevelt.

Thanks Carrie!


About me: Dan Pelley teaches leadership and facilitation skills that encourage high levels of performance from empowered employees as part of his "Participative Management (Building High Performance Teams)" program, one of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. 137 companies in Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA) and New York (NY) have one or more people who earned this certificate.

On Being Perfect

I was reading a homework assignment from someone who listed "a constant focus on perfection" as their biggest deficiency. Never satisfied, they tended to do work that their subordinates should be doing because they wanted to make sure "it was done right." They worked long hours to ensure everything was just right. When they did make a mistake they apologized profusely and at length.

Their story rang a bell with me. In graduate school I had the misfortune of straight A's course after course after course. After awhile I became obsessed with the perfect record. Running harder and faster to keep up the perfect record. I almost made it to the end when I finally got a B. Obviously, I was disappointed to break the winning streak. But I was far more relieved to be rid of the burden. Straight A's are nice. Something to strive for. But not to a fault.

Here's my comment to the person with the issue: "No one is perfect. And being obsessive about it can result in burnout or worse. Always try to do your best. But also be realistic and human in your approach to your work. p.s., I've been very successful in my career. But you should see some of the huge blunders, errors and mistakes I've made along the way."


About me: Dan Pelley is an educator specializing in management training and development programs for supervisors and other first-line managers in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI). The issue recited above came from a participant in his "Leadership Skills" program.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Presenting Difficult Issues

There are times during in-house seminars that we have an opportunity to identify a sensitive issue within the company, discuss its impact and ramifications, and go on to create a set of positive and constructive recommendations for improvement. When we are done, since it was a group effort, the question then becomes who should present these recommendations to the boss or senior executive who is in a position to act on these recommendations.

My answer to that question never waivers. I always ask: "who among us has the best rapport with that boss or senior executive?" They are the person(s) who we should entrust the presentation to. Why? Along the lines of what we said in yesterday's blog, when you have a good relationship with your boss, your boss will more likely to listen to the suggestions for change, not because your boss was particularly looking for recommendations, but because you are bringing it up.

When you cultivate a good rapport with your boss, your boss will tend to like you, respect you, and value what you have to say. Accordingly, your boss is far more likely to listen carefully to what you have to say, and to give your suggestions and recommendations a full and fair hearing.

If you think about yesterday's post on giving constructive criticism to your boss, and today's blog on presenting recommendations for resolving sensitive issues, ans if you reflect on any number of other things between you and your boss, I think you'll agree that the time and effort invested in building a good rapport with your boss is a sound investment indeed.


About me: Dan Pelley's career experiences range from the shipping room to the boardroom and the college classroom. He has worked in companies as diverse as metal stamping, foundries, pharmaceuticals, computers and electronic components, hospitals, nursing homes, motor carriers, distribution, retailers, social services, government, quasi-government agencies, a major art museum and an airline. He shares his experiences through programs and seminars for companies in New England and through this blog.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

My Boss is Late to Meetings

This post results from a comment to our 4/7/09 post "A Culture of Promptness" which you may want to read first. Click here to go to that post. If comments do not immediately follow the post, click on the comments link at the end of the post.

The comment: "What is your suggestion to correct lateness when senior management of the company are the ones that are consistently late and then you are obliged with an update when they finally decide to arrive?"

First, I'll take your question at face value and without knowing who "senior managers" are. As a general rule rank has its privilege. Senior managers often have very busy schedules and sometimes get behind. The nature of their position is such that they expect subordinates to "wait for them" before starting a meeting or to give them an update if they arrive late. Some senior managers will apologize for the inconvenience, others will not. This is their right and privilege whether we agree with it or nor.

Now, let me look at a more specific (and more common) situation. The offender is your boss. The above guidance still applies, but with your direct boss you have the potential to advise, coach and correct if you have a good rapport with your boss. When a subordinate has built a good relationship with their boss, the employee may be able "to get the boss's ear" and offer constructive criticism. You'll have to gather your facts, though, and be prepared to tell your boss exactly what the problem is, how it impacts the people attending the meeting, and why the it would be good if the behavior could change.

When you have a good relationship with your boss, your boss will more likely to listen to the constructive criticism, not because your boss views the criticism as being necessarily constructive or even valid, but because you are saying it.

You see, when offering constructive criticism to your boss, or anyone else for that matter, the validity of the criticism is far less important than the relationship between the critic and the person being criticized. No one likes to be criticized. But most people tend to listen more carefully and receptively to criticism from people they respect, and to take suggestions for improvement from people whose opinion they value.

So remember this when coaching your boss to correct a behavior: Rank has its privilege. But a good rapport can create privilege too. The privilege of being listened to because the person speaking is you.

About Pelleyblog: We are striving to be a communication device for managers where many people can share their thoughts, ideas, opinions, perspectives and points-of-view. We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us both as readers and participants.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Get Motivated by Failure

In a recent seminar on being an agent of change, I was asked "How do you stay motivated to implement change when you have repeated failures?"

The answer comes from your approach to making changes, and what constitutes a failure.

First, the fact that you have entered the implementation stage and actually tried your idea puts you far above the vast number of managers who speculate, and suppose, and dream of what can be; but fail to take a chance, fail to try things out. You've avoided that failure.

Second, great inventors, innovators and problem solvers know that from each failed test comes information that brings us closer to successful implementation. If you learn nothing else from your failed test, you now know of something that won't work. Gaining that knowledge doesn't seem so much like a failure.

Third, in diagnosing a failed test, you may discover the information that leads to a stunning breakthrough, or at least moves you closer to the final answer. Gaining that knowledge certainly isn't a failure.

Ultimately, every business problem we face will be solved sooner or later. Solved by companies with people who think, ponder, postulate, try, fail, learn and try again. And companies that solve business problems tend to be leaders in their industries.

So, if you look at implementation test failures in the correct way, they are only failures when viewed in the light of a final answer. When viewed as a valuable stepping stone, failed tests are not failures at all.


About me: Dan Pelley is an educator specializing in management training and development programs for supervisors and other first-line managers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The issue recited above came from a participant in one of his "Thriving on Change" seminars.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Be True to Yourself

In my programs and seminars on leadership skills we often talk about the traits and characteristics of a good leader. And because much of leadership involves people skills, what we call the "soft skills" of management, we often get involved in discussions regarding how to handle difficult or sensitive situations.

When it comes to dealing with people, there's usually more than one way to approach any given situation. And it's extremely rare during the course of these discussions that I would ever tell a participant that their approach is wrong. While I do tell people what I think is the best way to handle a situation, I also respect, appreciate and encourage alternate answers and approaches.

Underlying all these discussions, however, is a bedrock principle I make sure to interject at appropriate times: "No matter what you do, you first and foremost have to be true to yourself. You'll find it very difficult to have credibility with other people if you are saying things or doing things that you truly do not believe in. If you do, it's virtually guaranteed that you will come across as a fake or a phony. To maintain personal credibility, you must be true to yourself."

Now that doesn't mean that you, as a manager will never have to do things you don't like or disagree with. But if you can rationalize and accept what you are being asked to do, even though you may not think it best, then you should be able to say and do the things necessary to be supportive to the approach, even though you're not in agreement.

On the other hand, if you believe you are being asked to do something you believe is totally wrong and goes against your fundamental nature, then you need to have a long talk with your boss on how to handle the situation. In very extreme cases, a manager may ultimately have to seek employment that will allow them to be true to themselves.

About me: Dan Pelley conducts training programs for supervisors in the New England states, with a concentration in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. His programs include "Handling the Difficult Employee," "Working Together," "Managing People," and "Leadership Skills."

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Avoid Professional Tunnel Vision

Too often I will give a real-world example in a program or seminar and have someone complain that the example isn't relevant because it doesn't come from their industry. Bankers think they can't learn from retailers. Retailers think they can't learn from construction. Construction people think they can't learn from health care. Health care people think they can't learn from manufacturing. Manufacturing people think they can't learn from Bankers.

It frankly drives me nuts because I know from experience that for most managers, the problems we face have already solved by someone else, maybe in another industry. The improvements we want have already been implemented by someone else, probably in another industry. The breakthrough innovations we seek are already underway somewhere else, possibly in the world of R&D.

Our job as leaders and managers is not to create new and inventive ideas to resolve every situation we face; our job is to find ideas that work. And often times an idea that will work can be found if we learn to look outside of our chosen area of expertise, outside of our industry, outside of the world as we know it. But if we're going to think outside of the box, we also have to learn to stop saying "It won't work for us" and start saying"How can we make it work for us?"

That is not to say that we should never be the pioneer, the creator, the inventor, the person who creates a better way; but it does say that we are wasting our time being the inventor if the invention already exists.


About me: Dan Pelley illustrates advances in science and technology and their implication for managers as part of his "Proactive Leadership" program, one of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. 137 companies in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Connecticut. Massachusetts and New York have one or more people who earned this certificate.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

A Tale of Two Crews

I was doing a program in leadership for a company in the roofing business. During the program we discussed an issue of crew motivation.

One crew leader told us how he had to watch over his team all the time. For example, each morning he would get to the company early so he could monitor his crew as they loaded supplies for the day's job. He said that if he didn't do that, they would certainly miss something needed on the job with the result that someone had to make a trip back to get what they needed. He also talked about how he had to watch over his crew every hour of the day to make sure they were doing things correctly. If not, they would do the work incorrectly resulting in additional labor and materials to correct the mistakes.

Another crew leader listened intently to the conversation but had nothing to say. But he certainly had a big grin on his face. I finally asked "Why the big grin?" "Well." he said, "he and I take a much different approach to our crews. I never go in to check my crew when they are loading the truck for the day's job. They know I expect them to arrive on the job on time with all the tools and materials they need for the day. They also know that I don't want to stand over them all day making sure they do their job. I expect them to do their job. I pay them to do their job. If they need help or have a question I'm always there for them. But it is their job and I expect them to do it.

"Please don't misunderstand me. I don't tolerate laziness, incompetence, slacking off or poor quality. They know that. They also know that I respect the work ethic and technical skills they bring to my jobs. They are professional roofers and I treat them as such when they work for me.

"I know the other crew chief doesn't see things the way I do. And that's his choice. It's not my place to criticize him. But I've been sitting here listening and smiling because I simply don't have the problems he does."

The interesting thing about this conversation is that the members of each crew are interchangeable depending on the size of each job. So it was very common for a roofer to work for one crew leader this week and for the other next week. Yet each crew chief has different expectations and get different results.

This case is a good example of the Pygmalion effect. As a well-established concept in human behavior, the Pygmalion effect says what we expect from other people is pretty much what we are going to get.

About me: Dan Pelley is an educator specializing in management training and development programs for supervisors and other first-line managers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The discussion recited above came from a company sponsored (in-house) program held in Rhode Island.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Thriving on Change

Today I am working on upgrades to a program called "Thriving on Change."

Faced with rapidly changing technologies and ever increasing customer demands, every business organization must make timely changes if it wants to maintain or improve its competitive edge. Yet most organizations are naturally resistant to change and will avoid it whenever they possibly can. Therefore companies need strong leaders who can drive the change initiatives. Leaders who can work outside of the box, revisit the way we’ve always done it, break the mold, and lead the organization to success.

Leaders are not found idling by the side of the road. Leaders are not found in the middle of the pack or lagging behind. Leaders are people who seek the top of the mountain. People who look for the best practices and the best current technologies.

When leaders reach the top of the mountain, when they find that best practice or best current technology, they stop for a moment to congratulate their team and celebrate success. Then they get up and move forward again. Looking for the higher mountain, a better way, a more efficient technology. True leaders know that resting on past accomplishments will result in a quick drop from their leadership role.

To be a successful manager you must be a strong leader who has a vision for the future. Your job as a leader is to search for innovations, to share your thinking and get others excited and involved with new ideas or approaches. Your job is to take risks and to try new ideas. And its not enough for you to just cope with change. If you want to be a true leader, you must be a driver of change.


About me: Dan Pelley conducts training programs for supervisors in the New England states, with a concentration in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Recent additions to his offerings are a six hour seminar titled "Thriving on Change" and a sixteen hour program titled "Leadership in a Changing Environment."

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Who Was That Man?

I was at a fast food restaurant yesterday. Small line with one quite competent cashier. He quickly served two people in front of me, then stepped away to get a drink cup for the person just served. I stepped up to the register and another person behind the counter stepped between me and the cashier, and swiped a card into the register. No uniform. Kind of grungy in appearance. No "Hello." No "Excuse me." No "Just a moment, we'll be right with you." But obviously someone with authority to get between cashier and customer without so much as a "Howdy Do."

Finally, the cashier asked the person "Are you done yet?" No response. Abruptly the person turned away and literally got in-between several people working drive-through and the deep fryer. Didn't say anything to them, but started handing bags to them for take out orders while he checked the status monitors.

Meanwhile, the cashier had quickly and pleasantly taken my order and given me a drink cup. My order soon arrived and I walked away thinking "what a great cashier. But who was the other man?"

Possibly he was the shift supervisor. Or the restaurant manager. If so he was out of uniform. The way he acted and dressed, more likely he was the "big boss," maybe even the franchise owner. But in any case he most certainly was a manager. And just as certainly his demeanour, attitude and rapport with crew members and customers indicated he was no leader.

Leadership is not about being the owner or the boss. Leadership is not about violating standards of dress and good customer service. A leader is someone we look up to and admire and respect. A leader is a person who we expect to do the right thing in every instance. A leader is someone we want to follow and emulate.

He may have been a manager, but he's also a rude discourteous person who pushes his way through his crew and his operation; he certainly was no leader. And, as a customer in his restaurant looking at his appearance, I am very glad he didn't handle my food.


About Pelleyblog: We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

She Disagreed

If you haven't read yesterday's post, you may want to read it before this one.

Yesterday's post dealt with a discussion group talking about scheduling. I recommended that managers avoid using themselves as the backup, the fall back, the extra pair of hands when the department falls behind in its work, especially when the department is facing emerging problems, unless no other option is available. The non-verbal signals from the group indicated most people agreed.

One person, however, was shaking her head. I called on her and said "You seem to disagree."

"Yes," she said, "I think it sends a good message to your employees when you pitch in to help out; when you work alongside of them. I don't see anything wrong with that."

Nor do I. Indeed, in my "Leadership Skills" program, I encourage managers to find time to work alongside of their employees doing the ordinary and routine work of the department. By doing that we become reacquainted with the problems and issues our employees face, as well as giving us a chance to assess our employees' knowledge, skills and capabilities. Additionally, when we take the time to work alongside our employees, we convey the message that no job in our department is beneath us, that every job in our department is important and, if necessary, we are prepared to work on any job that needs our attention.

So am I taking a different position today than the position I took yesterday? Not at all. It's a matter of degree. The fact from yesterday still remains: When you are doing the ordinary work of your department, you are not doing managerial work. The management work of the department should generally take top priority for the manager, especially when things are falling behind and/or a crisis is emerging.

But the fact recited today also still remains: There are several advantages associated with finding time, on occasion, to work alongside employees on the routine and repetitious work of the department. Even so, when we are taking the time to get reacquainted with the routine work of our department, the fact still remains that we will not be managing the department during that period of time.


About me: Dan Pelley's "Managing for Results" and "Leadership Skills"programs are two of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. 137 companies in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New York have one or more people who earned this certificate.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.