Extraordinary Manager

[...]... R 1 Introduction E xtraordinary managers make the whole greater than the sum of its parts They add value to their organization They get extraordinary results from ordinary people Average managers wind up with ordinary results no matter how good their people are There are even managers who, unfortunately, drag their groups down so that they get ordinary results from extraordinary people The whole, then,... obvious impact on children Those managers we’ve worked for have had an impact on us Some of us say, ‘‘I’ll have to remember how it feels to be treated this way I’ll be sure not to do that when I become a manager. ’’ But most say, ‘‘This is what managers are supposed to do, I guess I’m required to be 16529$ $CH1 08-08-07 10:01:54 PS PAGE 5 6 BECOMING AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER like the person I work for... action to 16529$ $CH1 08-08-07 10:01:53 PS PAGE 3 4 BECOMING AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER be taken? I asked those same people if would they fire their manager on the spot if they were able to A full 25 percent of employees said, ‘‘Yes!’’ What does that tell you about their respect for the people they work for? So, why aren’t there more good managers? We’ve got many good programmers Most programmers are very... It’s based on what I do So, too, with managers It’s what they do that counts That’s why I’m not going to focus on the theory but on what to do If you follow the suggested actions in this book, I guarantee that you’ll improve as a manager One thing I’ll often do in training seminars is ask some questions to try to get managers thinking Coming in the door, I’ll ask managers what brings them to the program... and was thrilled that a manager would show that much interest in her She did her research and prepared a lot of information for the meeting Unfortunately, the meeting was postponed because the manager was too ‘‘busy.’’ That meeting was postponed nine more times She said she is now so disgusted that she deleted all the information she had prepared and said that, if and when the manager reschedules the... she purposely won’t show up to try to get back at the manager Employees should be treated with the same respect that customers are given Imagine postponing a customer meeting because you’re too ‘‘busy’’? 16529$ $CH1 08-08-07 10:01:53 PS PAGE 4 5 INTRODUCTION Why Aren’t There More Good Managers? There are five main reasons why there aren’t more good managers: 1 Most occupations require some demonstrated... do you need to become a manager? Nothing Nothing at all You just have to be in the right place at the right time Maybe you’re the last one standing Everyone else has quit and you’ve hung around the longest It’s the ‘‘Poof! You’re a manager ’ process Imagine if there were a ‘‘Poof! You’re a heart surgeon’’ process I don’t think things would work out very well that way 2 Most managers are thrown into... than the sum of its parts These managers have little, if any, value They don’t really manage much of anything They’re ‘‘straw bosses.’’ After the worthwhile stalks of wheat and other grains are harvested, straw is what’s left over on the ground It’s used primarily for animal bedding The term straw boss has come to mean a low-level manager who isn’t good for much Such managers have very little authority... the ones who do.’’ 4 Even after they become managers, people continue to be rewarded for being good individual contributors Knowing what people are rewarded for always helps you understand the way they behave Ever read a manager s performance review? It’s usually hard to find a single line about management performance It’s typically about the projects the managers worked on and the problems they’ve... BECOMING AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER the lottery The truth is, you have to pay up-front even to do that You have to give up a dollar or two to get your one in 13 million chance to strike it rich It’s amazing how many people have a plan like ‘‘win the lottery’’ and yet they don’t sacrifice anything up-front They don’t even buy a ticket As with any principle, there are exceptions Some people are natural managers . BECOMING AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER PAGE i 16529$ $$FM 08-08-07 10:00:39 PS PAGE ii 16529$ $$FM 08-08-07 10:00:39 PS This page intentionally left blank BECOMING AN EXTRAORDINARY MANAGER THE. Becoming an Extraordinary Manager after I had invited Len Sandler to conduct training sessions for my management team in Japan. At that time, I thought his style of engaging our untrained managers. 1 Introduction E xtraordinary managers make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. They add value to their organization. They get extraordinary results from ordinary people. Average managers wind up