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1-Page Summary of Less

You Just Hired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

You hire a new manager who has great credentials and recommendations. He begins his job with solid strategies for the team, but he quickly runs into trouble when he ignores company procedures and fails to support other managers or members of his team when they make mistakes. He doesn’t hesitate to push them under the bus in front of others if they cause problems.

There’s a problem with the new manager, but you’re too busy to deal with it. You give her the benefit of the doubt and don’t want to have an unpleasant conversation about it. However, you know that follow-up discussions will be worse than just having one discussion. So you look away from this issue until it goes away on its own or someone else deals with it.

The next time you look, you’ll see that the manager’s team is not happy with her. People who were once very good at their jobs are now miserable and have quit. You realize that it was your responsibility to deal with the manager’s abusive leadership style because she reports to you.

If you are like most executives, your employees may not be performing up to par. You need to hold them accountable and have regular talks with them about their progress and performance. If they’re not doing well, talk to them about it right away before the situation gets out of hand.

Many executives avoid difficult personal encounters with their direct reports. This is a sign of poor leadership and an example of wimping out. Their fear causes them to do this, specifically, “fear of the unknown, fear of losing control and fear of failure.” However, such fears can always be conquered. And each time you confront your fears directly, it becomes easier to deal with them in future situations and you become less afraid overall.

Performance Conversations

Performance discussions are difficult for managers and employees alike. Managers don’t like to have these conversations because they can be uncomfortable, while employees can feel threatened by them. However, if you know how to run a good performance discussion, it’s not as bad as people think it is.

All employees need to interact with their managers and receive feedback in order to perform well. They must know what is expected of them, as well as how they can meet these expectations. When a manager conveys this information in an effective way, it provides the employee with valuable insight that helps him or her improve performance.

Are You a “Catalyst”?

As a manager, you should be the catalyst for positive action in your team. You can do this by having frequent painless performance conversations with employees and direct reports to bring out their best. The conversation must involve “an issue” that worries you and requires your influence to resolve it.

Being a catalyst means guiding your employees to success and helping them reach their full potential. Each employee faces different challenges, so you need to have the courage to hold regular performance conversations with each one. Don’t make these meetings scary or formal; keep them as conversational and informal as possible. If an employee annoys you personally or triggers one of your pet peeves, don’t let that get in the way of a productive conversation.

You are responsible for your employees’ productivity. Never assume that one conversation will fix a problem. You should focus on work-related issues with them, which will take more than just one conversation to solve.

Specific Expectations

Never leave your employees guessing about what you expect from them. You should provide each employee with a written list of your standards and goals, so that they know exactly what is expected from them. The better informed they are, the more likely they will meet those expectations.