1 THE UGLY TRUTH: Lessons Learned

SHARED FROM THE BOOK:

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT MANAGING PEOPLE

RUTH KING

Advantage Quest Publications

256 pages

 

Managing people is one of the toughest jobs in business.  We all have had great managers.  Many of us have also had terrible managers.  We hated working for that person, and even hated coming to work.  We spent much time focused on finding a way to be promoted of transferred,

Good managers earn the respect of their workers and are creative, motivated, and fair.  They:

·         Have a sense of purpose

·         Deal well with tough performance issues

·         Tackle problems head on

·         Create an environment where employees can do their job productively

·         Positively contribute to the bottom line of the company

Smart managers learn from their mistakes and modify their behavior.  The smartest and the most experienced learn from the mistakes of others.  Learn what it takes to be a good manage and make you and everyone around you a success.

Many people have learned how to be a manager from bosses who treated you poorly.  Everyone has different strengths to be discovered and used accordingly.  No one has to be afraid of mistakes.  Admitting failure is far better in the long run.  We learn from it and move on.

Many people aspire to be a manager.  Some even want to lead a large number of people.  You might find that you love management.  Discover why you want to manage.

 

STORIES NOS.	LESSONS LEARNED	APPLYING LESSONS
1	·         Willingness to say ‘I don’t know’ and accept that others had more experience ·         Asking staff to teach earning their respect ·         Not afraid to get hands dirty to learn what is needed ·         Treat everyone fairly and with respect ·         Gain trust by taking responsibility	·         Have a sense of humor ·         Acknowledge contributions ·         Everyone is important ·         Take responsibility for team performance
3	·         Take risks only with people whom you have a great relationship with	·         New managers must establish their boundaries; you must learn what you can and cannot do to be successful ·         It takes a strong ownership to admit mistakes and address the situation
5	·         Managing resentful, immature people takes the same skill set as raising kids; you have to nurture, mentor and coach to succeed ·         A large part of a manager’s job is to keep staff happy	·         Acquire the necessary management skills ·         Coaching is more needed than supervising
6	·         Hiring goals must  be tied to sound talent retention strategies ·         Having a fair and unbiased leadership team ·         You have to do what is right ·         Fight for changes ·         Patience and selling skills are necessary skills even in management	·         Family members should not be working together
7	·         Keeping a positive work environment is critical to success ·         Give people the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise ·         Know what a person is really like before forming an opinion ·         Show dedication ·         Let employee know you are there for them and that they can count on you	·         Create a team environment ·         To be successful you need everyone pulling in the same direction ·         Have everyone work with you rather than for you ·         Treat employees with respects and it will spill over to customers
8	·         Always get inputs before making decisions	·         Healthy discussion and disagreement are critical for the success of a company
9	·         Mentoring can help a lot ·         Numbers tell productivity stories	·         Build a good reputation so that people want to work for you ·         Ask referees from previous company
10	·         Have trusted and good relationship with people ·         Two people cannot be in control ·         There can only be one decision-maker	·         Develop managerial potential in people ·         Delegate ·         Decide what is important ·         Find something that will make you happy ·         Be ready to take a step back
11	·         Manage time and work-life balance ·         Health is important ·         Outside advisors can help see the forest through the trees	·         Communication is critical ·         Find good advisors for the business
12	·         Good performers will leave if the expectations are not clearly defined ·         People want to follow great leaders ·         People want ownership[ ·         People want to be involve and understand where the organization is going and how it plans to get there	·         Deal with performance issues in a timely manner ·         Reward good performers ·         Correct poor performers ·         Communicate expectations well ·         People need to understand how their work will be judged ·         Do not try to find people who are mirror image of yourself ·         Find people who can perform and empower them
14	·         Establish rules ·         Managing people is different ·         Wanting people to be happy was a pipe dream; sometimes, you have to put your foot down	·         Set the rules and make employees respect the power a boss have over them
15	·         Sometimes non-cash incentives are more powerful than cash	·         Find non-cash incentives to retain employee
17	·         Be sensitive to the self-esteem of a person	·         Communicate to non-performers and help them improve and give chance for them to work it out
18	·         The first idea is not necessarily the best idea	·         Do not give up when you meet the first obstacle ·         As long as there is trust, even through heated arguments and differing opinions, a solution can be reached ·         Make sure you are not so tied to your ideas that you cannot see a better solution ·         Work towards compromise
19	·         Conflict resolution can work when two people are not communicating	·         Resolve conflict before they blow up into crisis
20	·         Establish good communication ·         Have confidence to let go ·         Empower your teams and trust them to make the right decisions	·         Hiring from within can be a great option ·         Make sure lines of communication are open ·         Make sure each manager understand clear boundaries
22	·         Management are not supposed to choose sides ·         Inappropriate behavior does not work towards the organization goal	·         Conflict between two members belonging to the same team at any level of an organization can lead to disaster
24	·         The key to managing is listening ·         Give opportunity to work out problems helps people to discover the answers for themselves ·         Even though management may know the answers, the best way to learn is by asking questions and letting them discover the answers on their own	·         Managers can help team solve problems by listening and questioning ·         The best way to learn is for the people to discover the solution himself ·         Learn to question rather than immediately giving an answer ·         Let them think on their own and come to you with potential solutions rather than just questions
28	·         Have to abide by the organization policy no matter how much it hurts ·         Rules must  be applied fairly to everyone ·         Integrate new and current employees	·         New employee can cause resentment, so do not let resentment build up ·         Have a good induction and integration program
30	·         Find out what your partners think before you begin working with them ·         Make sure they have the same management philosophy ·         Mixed messages cause paralysis rather than productivity	·         People have different management styles ·         Must be on the same wave length and have consistent message
31	·         Try to work with team you are managing ·         Deal with difficult situation and do not let them get worse ·         Difficult employees can turned around and improve their performance	·         Understand the organization’s policy ·         Sometimes difficult employees can change and improve ·         Always have a back-up plan
32	·         Stand up for what you believe in ·         Employees are more productive when they can take time off for children and family events	·         Have a clear stated policies ·         Lead by example ·         Enjoy your career, spend time with your spouse and family ·         Be proud of your actions and accomplishments
33	·         People can discuss things as adults	·         Focus on  your job and the results expected of you ·         Find a mentor who can help through situations and keep you on track
34	·         Thank people who help you fix problems ·         Do not take credit for someone else’s accomplishments ·         Feedback is critical ·         Talk to customers and find out their issues	·         Team environment are critical to success. ·         Listen to employees and subcontractors as the information will improve products and services; and cement relationships and future business
35	·         Communication is the key ·         Learn to focus and not procrastinate	·         Break task into doable segments ·         Focus and concentrate ·         Separate family issues from business issues in family business
36	·         Succession planning is critical	·         Making succession decisions is difficult
37	·         Explain reasons for your actions ·         Be honest ·         Give bad news in person	·         Task is accomplish with the right team in place and the right management ·         Open and honest communication
39	·         Friendship and business do not mix well	·         Take actions if someone is breaking the rule
40	·         Family issues need to remain at home ·         Know your employees ·         Test people	·         Hire a diverse work group ·         Ask for inputs ·         Create a professional place to work ·         Have the patience to help
41	·	·         Change is difficult for most people ·         Be consistent with your message and actions ·         Hire slowly and fire fast
42	·         Managers should always communicate ·         Let people know where you are going so that they can follow you ·         Explain goals, behavior and expectations ·         Let people do their jobs ·         No double standards ·         Support your employees	·         Set goals ·         Form measurements or list of requirements for each goals
43	·         Teach people about diversity at work ·         Relationship between people are the key to a company’s success	·         Training takes time and can be costly ·         Good relationships and understanding among all employees is critical to business success
44	·         Bad situation do not last forever ·         Share what have been taught	·         Surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude ·         Work to achieve something in life ·         Surround yourself with people who are successful
45	·         Praise in public, punish in private ·         Follow through on promises	·         Ask for opinions ·         Communicate your decisions ·         Do not break rules for a friend ·         Trust is hard to gain and is easily lost ·         No one wants to be treated badly or embarrassed in front of others ·         Resolving issues requires calm, rational discussions
48	·         Unless the mistake caused great deal of harm, let the trainee find it, correct it and learn from it ·         Always have a backup plan ·         Cross-training is essential ·         Ensure everyone can help out in a pinch	·         Management is all about communication ·         Be clear about expectations ·         Follow the manual
50	·         People and profits are not mutually exclusive ·         Do not be afraid of moving people around	·         Do not afraid to put people where they want to be ·         Everyone must understand how they contribute to the profitability of the organization

To be continued…..

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