It’s Your Business
- Author: Terry Greenhut
- Subject Matter: Shop management
- Issue: Qualities for success
Shop management: Fifth in a series
In this installment let’s continue to uncover more good traits of a successful manager.
So far we’ve learned that successful managers have integrity, are improvers of themselves and others, have relatability, are good listeners, keep their promises, have compassion and can empathize, but not sympathize, and are well organized and in control.
Proactivity
Good managers don’t sit back and wait for things to happen. They head them off at the pass by anticipating what is needed next. A great example would be making sure the common, always-needed parts are on hand for whatever type of transmission is scheduled to come through the door. That way only the odd parts will need to be ordered once it has been determined that they are necessary. Staying a step ahead usually means finishing on time or a little before. Making sure your team is up to speed on the newest transmission and electronic changes makes far more sense than thinking they don’t need to learn it yet because they won’t get a crack at fixing it till the warranty is over, so training to be ready is always important.
Focus
Good managers are well focused on whatever is the current task at hand. While it is OK to multitask, and we know we have to in this business, splitting our attention too much can cause us to let things slide that we shouldn’t. Some of our bigger or more important problems require more of our time and energy devoted to them than some of the smaller ones. While we are distracted several times during the day we must try to keep those distractions to a minimum by arranging our time and environment so that we are not disturbed any more often than is necessary. Arranging your office so that the desk is facing a corner or an outside window instead of the office door will cut down on the random passerby stopping to chat about nothing in particular. When you are talking one on one with someone focusing all of your attention on that person is a great management trait. It makes the other person feel like you are really into everything he or she is saying. It gains you their trust and respect.
Planning
Consistent and comprehensive planning is essential for anyone running a business. Make time for it. Put yourself in a quiet place where you can think clearly without being swayed by any of the disasters of the day. Identify high pay-off activities and when would be a good time to do each. By planning regularly you are forced to look back on previous situations as well and think about better ways to handle them in the future.
The most dangerous events we face are the ones we didn’t anticipate. When you plan you design ways to recover from almost anything that might be thrown in your path. Some of those events may never even occur because you had taken steps to prevent them before they happened.
To be effective your plan must be written and stored in your electronic devices so that you can refer to or rework it whenever necessary. As an idea comes to you during the day, stop and write it down or record it before you forget it. We all have lots of good ideas and thoughts about what we want to accomplish later, but if we don’t record them so they become part of our plan we are very likely to lose them.
Good communicators
Good managers make sure that the right people know what they are supposed to be doing and how it should be done. They don’t make the mistake of taking for granted that employees, especially longer term ones, automatically know what they are supposed to be doing next or how to do it. That may sound like babying people but experience teaches us that over time, doing similar repetitive tasks, employees will begin to take shortcuts or skip steps, in many cases causing the end result to suffer. Telling people what is expected of them is, after all, the main function of a manager so it has to be done more often than you or they would like but without it systems, no matter how good they are, break down and fail.
A good communicator knows how to get the best out of each of the employees with whom he or she deals and knows the words that will motivate them to do what is needed. I learned early on that each of my employees had different personalities and therefore would respond differently to orders so some of those orders had to be put in the form of requests to get them done. While one would respond well to being given a direct order like, “Joe, go build me that 700R4” another would need to be asked, “Hey Sam, could you do me a favor and build that 700R4.”
Managing by walking around is an important communication technique. Getting out of your office and visiting with employees as they work, seeing what they are doing and discussing ways they might do it better keeps your lines of communication open with them, then they don’t look at you as one of those bosses in the “Ivory Tower” who is not approachable. Great care must be taken when using this technique.
If employees feel they are being continually watched or if they think you are waiting for them to do something wrong the result of walking around may be fruitless, even detrimental. Your attitude and the way you go about it makes all the difference. You are there to help and they need to know that. “What can I do for you today” or “Is there anything you need or I can get you” would be a good way to start a conversation. Don’t walk over to a worker and start off by saying, “What are you doing?” That can be taken several wrong ways.
Regular meetings can be a good communication tool, but the atmosphere of them must be non-threatening. Employees need to know that nothing bad will happen to them if they bring up ideas or even complaints about what is going on in the workplace. They need to know it’s OK to talk to you. Ask for their help to solve problems. Show them that you value their opinions.
Don’t say “no” to any idea they may come up with. Instead indicate that you will look into it or take it under advisement and get back to them. Then make sure you do get back to them. Don’t leave them hanging or they will think you don’t care about what they had to say.
Back up important conversations with texts or emails so there is a record of them for future referral. It’s amazing how quickly the things we discuss are forgotten.
Delegation
A good manager doesn’t do everything him or herself. They delegate the work to others. Although there can be a very strong urge to jump in and do something yourself when you know how to do the job or when you think someone is doing it too slowly, don’t. That doesn’t do anything for a future similar situation. All it does is show a lack of confidence in the employee and can set up the idea that if they can’t or don’t want to do something that you will jump in and do it for them. Teach but don’t do. Tell them what to do and how to do it but make them use their own hands. That’s how they learn. Always keep in mind that you are there to run the shop. They are there to do the actual work.
Controller
A good manager is able to control everything that takes place in his or her department. He or she can control production, cost, sales, quality, customer acquisition and retention, cash flow, profitability, and employee relations.
A good controller inspects what he or she expects. They don’t take for granted that anything is what they see or are told without keeping accurate records of every activity. People can look very busy without really producing very much and sales can look really great without being profitable. The only way to know is to keep score of everything.
Executer
Good managers not only track what’s going on. They make things happen. They come up with a plan based on all the information they compile and then initiate it and follow it through to completion. In a lot of businesses many things are started and abandoned somewhere in the middle. To be a good executer one must put all the pieces together before shouting “GO.” He or she must select all the right resources including the employees most likely to complete the task within the allotted time and on budget. Then monitor the progress, make necessary changes along the way, and be there to help or coach if the employees need it.
Summarizing attributes
Great owners and managers are not born. It takes years of hard work and persistence to become an “overnight success.” Your integrity will make people want to do business with and work for you. Clearly defined values and beliefs are the core from which everything else stems. Habits make or break you.
Finding good ones and training yourself to stay with them will serve you well your entire career. Communication is the common denominator to building a team that works well together over the long haul. In order to manage it you have to measure it. Keeping accurate statistics and referring to them regularly is the only way to know if you are moving in the right direction and when to make necessary changes. Finally, inspect what you expect. Your main job is to manage people and processes. To do that successfully you must be constantly checking to be certain that your plans are being carried out to your satisfaction.
Next time we’ll take a look at finding and developing your personal management style.
