How can an individual turn ordinary resources that are available to many other people and convert them into extraordinary results?
Outside of winning the lottery, I think the best answer is through effective management.
Of course, then the key question becomes, "How does a person manage effectively?" Well, the truth is that it's not a miracle at all, but simply a matter of mastering the fundamentals. After having provided over 450 Executive Coaching sessions to executives in a variety of industries, it seems to me these are the four most important keys to managerial success.
- Strengthen Your Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the value a person sees within them. The stronger a person's self-esteem, the more value they see within them, the more value they will have to offer to other people. As they add more value, they generate greater results. If a person cannot convert internal resources within them into better results, how can they expect to convert resources within an organization into better results?
The vast majority of the major managerial problems I have seen where people had to be fired could be traced back to a significant lack of self-esteem. When a person doesn't see much value within them, he or she tends not to see the value in other people. As a result, they treat other people with a lack of dignity and respect, which obviously causes enormous problems.
The most important contributor to self-esteem is personal dignity. In the early 1960's Abraham Maslow wrote, "True self-esteem rests on a feeling of personal dignity, the feeling that you are in control of your decisions and your destiny." In any situation, it is important that you maintain the ability to do what you think is the right thing to do. If you lower your integrity, you will sacrifice your personal dignity and that will endanger your self-esteem. If you give up the balance in your life between work and home, then you will lower your sense of personal dignity, which will lower your self-esteem.
Remember: a strong self-esteem is the starting point of all long-term, sustainable external results!
- Communicate With Respect And Candor
Since effective managers do not execute the tactics necessary to accomplish the desired result, their most important means to success is through communication. Communicating with respect means totally listening to the other person, reflecting on what the other person has said and responding with tact and candor in a timely manner. It simply means communicating to other people the way you want your manager to communicate to you.
Of all of the elements of effective communication, perhaps the most important two are "totally listening" and "closing the loop."
By "totally listening" I mean mentally letting go of your to-do list and completely tuning in to what the other person says. Even if you listen this way for just five minutes, you will take a big step toward building a relationship that can generate terrific results. Then when you respond to the other person, look for ways to add relevant value to them. Remember: value is anything that increases the chances that the other person will achieve what they want.
The biggest complaint that I hear from employees in all organizations is that their managers do not close the loop. By this they mean that their boss has asked for their input on an issue. The employee has gone out on a limb to give their honest feedback and the boss never gets back to let them know what decision has been made regarding their input. Effective managers get back to their employees in a timely manner and say, "Of your five ideas, we will implement these two, but we won't be able to use these other three and here's why…" The effective manager closes the loop, which demonstrates respect to the other person.
- Put The Right People In The Right Positions And Get The Wrong People Out Of The Organization
In his fantastic book, Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap And Others Don't, Jim Collins wrote that one of the most important keys to organizational success is getting the right people in the right positions and the wrong people out of the organization. Of course, the key is for you to decide who are the "right people" and who are the "wrong people."
The right people are the ones who have the technical skills for their particular function AND who believe in the purpose of your organization AND whose behaviors demonstrate the values and beliefs that are considered critical within your organization. All three are extremely important, but the last two are crucial. While technical skills can be learned, it is very, very hard to instill in a person a new sense of purpose and the desired values and beliefs. If they don't come to the organization with these last two already in place, then you will struggle in an attempt to motivate or change the person. Consequently, design questions, role plays and case studies for the interview candidates which will help you determine their alignment with your organization's purpose, values and beliefs.
If you have people in your organization who are technically sound, but who clearly do not act in accordance with your organization's purpose, values and beliefs, then have the courage to let them go. It will be better for you and for them.
- Provide Freedom Within A Structure
Some of the most successful athletic coaches in history were the ones who clearly explained the structure they wanted their players to operate within, but then gave them the freedom to make their own decisions within that structure. The same holds true for effective managers. The boundaries of their structure include the following: purpose/values/beliefs, strategic direction of the organization, expected short-term results and expected long-term results. This is explained visually in Figure 2 on the next page.
Figure 2
As long as your employees operate within this structure, then give them the freedom to make their own decisions and reinforce their success within the structure by providing positive consequences (i.e. rewards and recognition). When they step outside of the structure, then hold them accountable by providing negative consequences. But, remember, the starting point is for you to clearly communicate the boundaries to the members of your group.
Finally, keep in mind that you can never manage other people, and that you can only manage yourself. Other people always have the final say as to what they will do. Rather than trying to manage people, coach them. By "coaching," I mean ask clear, specific and open-ended questions that will cause the other person to think in new ways. After you ask your question, pause while the other person is thinking and then listen to what they have to say. Then, and only then, give some additional input. The key to effective coaching is a principle called "Time-Spaced Learning." In other words, don't just have one coaching session. Periodically (every three weeks is my recommendation) meet with this person and build on your earlier conversations with them.
Again, effective management is not really a miracle at all. It is the execution of the fundamentals we have examined in this article. Remember, as an effective manager you can convert ordinary resources into extraordinary results.
As a professional speaker, Dan Coughlin speaks on RESULTS-FOCUSED LEADERSHIP, OUTCOME-BASED TEAMWORK, CUSTOMER-CENTERED MANAGEMENT, MASTERING THE THREE PHASES OF STRATEGIC PLANNING AND HOW TO BE AN INNOVATIVE EXECUTIVE.
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Fenton, Missouri