It’s the Manager
Rick Phelps
Synchronous Solutions
It ’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach is the title of the 2019 business book from Gallup, the polling company. It is the sequel to their 1999 business classic: First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. Both should be in your business library and read regularly.
“It’s the Manager” is the answer to why the vast majority of fabricating shops we encounter and work with are not as successful as they should be. Synchronous Solutions now includes the building and training of your management team as part of our core program offering.
The role of Manager is critical for the success of the team. First level managers, the managers working directly with the people, are often unable to perform because they don’t know how. How could they? They were promoted because they were good at their old job, then basically told to figure it out. Being ‘the manager’ is a VERY different role than being a team member.
In one of our recent experiences, Cut was chronically a day behind schedule. The manager would be called into his boss’s office and told to “fix it.” He would acknowledge the problem and then work over or on the weekend to pull his department back on schedule. The underlying problems that were causing the chronic lateness weren’t being addressed, and THAT is the job of the manager.
The underlying problems were solved and the Cut Department got on schedule and stayed on schedule under an enlightening set of circumstances. The manager was out for an extended period and two sawyers, friends of the manager who were slackers, were fired by his boss. Within a week, absent a “manager” and two team members, Cut got on schedule and has stayed on schedule ever since. Occasionally, even finishing all the day’s jobs before the second shift even started!
How did they manage this?
Out of the shadows of the Cut Department emerged a great manager. That manager now runs the department. His talents were totally obscured and wasted by reporting to the wrong person who previously held the manager title.
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In his business classic Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about getting the right people on the (management) bus, the wrong people off the bus, and then everyone into the right seats. The damage done to a business by giving out the “manager” titles to people who do not have the aptitude for, or interest in being a manager, can be devastating.
Gallup’s research shows that an engaged workforce is 30 – 40% more productive than a disengaged one. Think about a business pumping out 30 – 40% more jobs with the same number of people! The impact would be massive.
Back to our story: the Cut Department, down three people, increased their output by 50%. That is HUGE. Their productivity skyrocketed when they were given the direction, the leadership, and the MANAGEMENT they needed to be successful.
You owe it to yourself to get educated on how to do what Collins admonishes – getting the right people on your bus – chances are they are already in your business.
If you want help creating an amazing leadership team at your business, you know where to find us!
If you’re curious and want to give us a test drive, sign up for our Free 2-week Coaching program today. (https://crm.synchronoussolutions.com/claim-your-gift).
Rick Phelps www.synchronoussolutions.com