Comments on: Save Your Team!

By: Andrew Moore

Andrew Moore — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:22:02 +0000

I have been bad at training my team in the past. I am working hard to get them up to speed on how to deal with people. The truth is that the more time our firm spends up front in the hiring process, the less issues we have. It slows down hiring, but turnover is not getting us either.

By: Carla Fair-Wright

Carla Fair-Wright — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:18:47 +0000

How many managers have received formal training in the process of personnel selection? The problem begins when you don’t hire the best person. True, you can inherit problem employees. When that happens, it is best to address the issue quickly. Your team will admire quick action and respect you for it. Managers need to educate themselves on proper employee selection. It is best to avoid rather than remedy a team member that is not performing.

By: Andrew Moore

Andrew Moore — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:43:07 +0000

Great discussion! It was brought to my attentions that this subject hits a little close to home for some… I want to be clear that I am blogging about topics and situations- sometimes these are rooted in personal experience- more often than not- I am simply trying to spark conversation.

That being said- I am hearing the group loud and clear. There appears to be a blurry line between leadership and management and quite a few people believe this is management at the core. I happen believe that a leader must make hard decisions and lead the team by showing they are willing to work with others to achieve the goals of the group, but eventually do what is best for everyone.

By: F. John Reh

F. John Reh — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:39:27 +0000

Andrew,

You describe above “the meeting I wish we could have had” and explain that “leaders cannot do that” because “that type of leadership is not effective.” I disagree. While there are times when it’s not appropriate, we would often do better to be that candid with our employees. It’s better for them, for us, and for the other employees who get more of the boss’s time and attemtion.

Great article – and I loved the cartoon.

By: andrew

andrew — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:26:42 +0000

This is great insight. I would agree that management and leadership often overlap. I see leadership as a needed portion of the manger’s toolbox. Many managers do not have the skills they need to lead their team in tough decisions.

Making a change in your team requires true leadership. Although I have not gotten into the topics of the back-end decisions and the handling of the fallout and communication of a decision to terminate an employee, I do see that managers need to be empowered and lead their team by making difficult decisions.

Are you saying that managers do not lead through most of the decisions they make? I see your point, but there is so much overlap between effective management and acting as a leader- I am not sure where the line is easily drawn.

By: Mark Herbert

Mark Herbert — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:52:10 +0000

Andrew:
While I would agree with you that making sure the “right people are on the bus” is a critical role, I respectfully disagree that it is the key role of leadership. I think what you describe is effective management.
I see management and leadership as being related, but not the same.
Leadership in my mind is about creating organizational clarity. The leader’s role is to craft the vision for the organization and be able to articulate that in a way that connects and resonates with people.
Management’s job is to clarify that on a personal level for each employee-
” your role in accomplishing our goals is X” Or “your assignment fits into the larger picture this way”
Managers remove the ambiguity for people at a personal level.
You are absolutely right that getting the right people doing the rights things is critical.
I also reccommend in giving feedback that we focus factually and make sure the consequences are clear. I try to avoid words like you or I. I prefer to talk about behaviors or actions. It feels more objective and less attacking.