People Management. Rus Slater

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more you delegate, the more time you will have to manage people and improve processes. In order to delegate effectively, you need to ensure that the person to whom you delegate a task is provided with four things: Skill, Time, Authority and Responsibility. The first letters of these words spell the word STAR, which makes them easy to remember, as shown below.

      • S = Skill. You need to ensure that the person has the skill and ability to do the task. This doesn’t mean that they have to be as good at the task as you. (You may be able to give them more time to do it than you would otherwise have available to do it yourself.)

      • T = Time. You need to make sure that the person has adequate time to complete the task at the pace that’s likely for their ability. This means allowing for the actual time this task will take alongside any other tasks they need to do. If you are their manager, they may be reluctant to admit that they don’t have the time. Try to ask open questions (“When will you do this?”) rather than leading questions (“You have enough time to do this, don’t you?”) to ascertain their workload.

      • A = Authority. Ensure that other people know that the person you’re delegating to has been given the authority to complete this task. You might just tell people that they will need to provide this person with information and support, or you might give them a written ‘licence’ or acting rank. Without confirmation of authority, their task may be much harder to perform.

      • R = Responsibility. This is often the hardest one. You are delegating something that you have a responsibility to get done, so you must ensure that the person you delegate to understands that they are responsible to you for doing the task. One of the best ways to give the responsibility is to make it very clear that you are sharing the credit for the successful outcome.

      For more about delegating to motivate people, see Secret 4.7.

       The more you can delegate properly the more you can get done, so learn to love delegating.

       1.6 Lead by example

      We have already established that it is easier for you if your people want to follow you rather than be ‘the managed’. You have to set a good example for people to copy. Otherwise, you are giving the contradictory message, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say.”

      • Leading by example doesn’t mean that you have to do or even be able to do the jobs of everyone who works for you.

      • Leading by example doesn’t mean that you have to get as ‘grimy’ as they may have to on a daily basis.

      • Leading by example doesn’t mean that you have to earn the same as they do. The extra responsibilities of being the boss usually command a higher rate of pay.

      one minute wonder The difficult balancing act is to let people see that you have achieved your elevated position on merit, without making them resent you for the trappings of that achievement. If you can get this balance right, then you are a leader!

       What leading by example does mean

       You have to set an example all day, every day. People really notice and remember if you fail to ‘walk the talk’.

       1.7 Think about TOM

      TOM is an acronym. It sets out three simple to remember principles that help you manage people effectively. The three principles of TOM are Trust, Objectives and Motivation.

      • Trust. You need to build trust with your people. Note the emphasis on trust with, i.e. you trust them and they trust you. You can do this by observing, questioning, listening to and socializing with your people. Manage their expectations and keep your word. Always be reasonable. Building trust takes time, and you don’t command trust just because of your rank or job title. Avoid ‘micro-management’ – don’t expect hourly progress reports. Step back and let people get on without your constant supervision.

      • Objectives. You need to set objectives that have clear desired outcomes. These can be short-, medium- or long-term objectives. They can be based around activity and effort or results, as appropriate, so long as the way you will (and therefore the individual can) assess success is clearly understood. Chapter 3 covers the required elements of a good objective.

      • Motivation. You must ensure that the individual has adequate motivation. Recognize that sometimes the responsibility alone is motivation enough and that at other times it will not be. Like the objective, the motivation can be short or long term: “If you get all this filing done today, you can do the research you enjoy tomorrow. If you get all the research finished by the end of the day tomorrow, you can have Wednesday afternoon off!”

      Business gurus who have successfully managed people in the real world agree with the TOM approach:

      “If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings [Trust] and put compensation as a carrier behind it [Motivation] you almost don’t have to manage them” [just set the Objectives] Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric

      “I have no secret. There are no rules to follow in business. I just work hard [set and achieve Objectives] and, as I always have done, believe I can do it. [Trust myself] Most of all, though, I try to have fun” [Motivation] Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Group

      “Tell them what you want [Objectives], reward them for it [Motivation], and get out of the way” [Trust] Gordon Bethune, former CEO of Continental Airlines

       Agree objectives, check people are motivated and then get out of the way!

       1.8 Create a ROWE

      A Results Orientated Work Environment – or ROWE for short – is a new idea that is gaining ground in the information and Internet age. The main principle behind ROWE is to create a working environment that is orientated to recognizing and rewarding results rather than time.

      In order to create a ROWE, the manager has to set specific, measurable objectives that lead to results that can be tested and accepted. (See Chapter 3 for more about setting objectives.) The key concept in a ROWE is the quality standard by which you, the manager, will assess whether the task has been completed, and therefore whether the reward for it will be released.

      Obviously the faster a person can complete a task to the required standard, the sooner they earn the reward. This challenge in itself encourages people to work with a higher level of motivation.

      ROWE doesn’t work for all roles. For example, a shop assistant has to be

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