Managing Corporate America

[Kanewpadle]

The lack of management/supervisory skills in todays workplace simply amazes me.

It's painfully evident that big and small business alike don't take the time to train their managers properly let alone provide any training at all.

Managing people isn't really all that hard. Mostly common sense and patience are needed.

The two most common mistakes I see are, ruling with an iron fist, and being too nice or afraid to say anything.

Normally those that rule with an iron fist are rude, insulting, and use threats to get people to perform. This shows a serious lack of training and/or experience. Anybody can manage in this manner. Instead of learning good management principles, they spend their careers convinced that they know what their doing even though it's wrong. Eventually it catches up with them.

Those that are too nice, or non confrontational usually try to befriend their employees. Another big mistake. In this situation employees usually do what they want instead of what they should be doing. So because everyone is busy doing their own thing, things don't get done right or not at all. No teams players here.

A good manager will have the abilty to lead by example. They will motivate their employees in a positive manner and create a good work atmosphere.

A good manager will understand that they can't manage everyone in the same manner. A skilled manager will use different techniques for different personalities.

A good manager should be fair at all times and use discipline when needed. People should want to work for such a person.

Sorry for the rant. My 24 year old daughter is slowly understanding what it feels like to work for a dimwitted so called manager.

 

[Ron H.]

Sir, meaningful training, particularly for managers, went away about the same time as pensions. With no long-term incentive, employees aren't loyal to companies, and companies aren't loyal to people who more than likely won't stick around. It's a vicious circle. Labor and employment both have become commoditized to the benefit of neither.

The upshot is that companies figure that money spent training people is largely wasted since they'll probably leave in a year or two anyway. It's cheaper to just bring in an outsider who already has the skills they want.

IMHO, while that saves money in the short term, it costs more in the long term--both for individual companies and our economy as a whole. It's a sad situation.

There's an old joke about training:

Boss: "What if we spend all this time and money training these people and then they just leave?"

Trainer: "What if we don't and they stay?"

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[JohnnieB]

I more or less agree with everything said so far, but there is more to the story.

Many years ago, when I became a manager, I could hire good employees and fire bad employees.
When I retired last year, I could do neither, or so it seemed.

Too many Accountants
Too many Lawyers
Too much Govenment intrusion
Too many Applicants with dilusions of grandure
And the list goes on and on.

Over the years I attended numeous management schools, some on the company's dime, others out of my own pocket, so I'm not sure when the decline in management training began, but I believe things really started going down hill when Personnel changed their name to Human Resources. People aren't resources or assests, they are persons.

One of my favorite tricks was to promote someone just before the end of the fiscal year, that way they got two salary increases in the same calendar year, which drove the accountants crazy.
Of course, doing things like that for my people is probably why I never got past mid-managment.

Suggested reading for OP's daughter.
Hardwiring Excellence: by Quint Studer
Results that Last: by Quint Studer

The first is based on the Healthcare industry, but principles apply across Corporate America.
The second is more generic.

Working for a lousey manager isn't fun, but there are ways to transform a negative situation into a positive one.

John

 

[rondo]

All true, yet until you have worked with a government agency, you haven't seen anything.

I worked 20 years for a municipality and have since started my own small business that deals primarily with government agencies.

Words cannot express the frustration. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[cp1969]

but I believe things really started going down hill when Personnel changed their name to Human Resources. People aren't resources or assests, they are persons.

Even worse, the corporate buzz-word people are starting to call employees 'human capital' as if they can be borrowed or spent.

 

[OKFC05]

One technique I found useful was, when possible, to ask people their preference in the various types of tasks and duties in the govt function I ran. It soon became clear to most that people who stepped up to the plate and took responsibility got the better jobs and promotions, and the dodgers and slackers got the dirtiest, most unpleasant tasks, usually with me or a trusted supervisor close enough to stop any goofing off. People know who works and who does not, and nothing is worse than just passing award nominations around to "the person whose turn it is."

I often had full staffing because I had a reputation of being demanding but fair, and people who wanted a chance to show what they could do came to me. Our people got more than their share of awards and promotions, but nobody doubted they worked hard to get them, and owned their part of the mission.

 

[Bat Guano]

I suppose good management can be taught (and possibly even learned) but IMHO it's more about character. I was very lucky to have some really good managers and supervisors (in the federal govt., no less). I also had some real losers for contrast...oddly enough the agency didn't seem to care which kind they had as long as nobody rocked the boat.

It's amazing to me how some/many/most(?) managers treat the people that can make them or break them. You'd think that sheer practicality would make them change their ways, but there doesn't seem to be any cure for stupidity.

I probably wouldn't last a day in today's workplace.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Remember that many if not most top and middle managers today are Children of the 60s, when the old ways of courtesy and decency were replaced by obnoxiousness, belligerency and "it's OK to cheat as long as you don't get caught." Back in 1976 one friend said to me that a lot of companies that used to be good to work for weren't so good any more, a savvy Wall Street lawyer told me that the Dark Ugly Secret of American Capitalism is that many companies are run for the benefit of their top officers-often THE top officer. Enron, Worldcom, Qwest, Adephi come to mind-we know how they ended up. I note that people who refuse to show loyalty towards others howl the loudest when no one shows it to them. While working on my MBA I read several books about Penn Square Bank in Oklahoma which dragged down several larger banks through bad loans during the Oil Patch Boom and Bust of the early 1980s. One of those it sank was Continental Illinois. The one account I read said that Continental Illinois was known as a rough place to work, the then chairmen boasted that he had no friends at the bank. When the crash came, Continental Illinois found that their VP in charge or relations with Penn Square had received $565,000 in "sweetheart" loans from Penn Square, which he tried to laugh off by saying "That's how they treat their best friends and good customers. Then there's the story of Thomas Watson Sr, the founder of IBM. He was an up and coming executive at National Cash Register when he was made a scapegoat and purged by the then head of that company. Watson quietly swore revenge and devoted much of his career to thwarting NCR. Watson died in 1956 and NCR did not turn a profit in computers until 1973.
My personal peeve are the foulmouths who think they're so cute and clever by using profanity liberally-makes them feel big and bad and tough no doubt. I deal with such people by subtracting 50 points from their IQ.

 

[LVSteve]

The biggest failing I see in managers is that they confuse control with management, and this is a society wide disease. Perfect example was the BP oil spill when it seemed that neither the US media nor many ordinary folk could not understand tha tthe CEO did not know what went on day-to-day on the rig that failed. DUH! Good managers delegate work to their staff and, if those staff are competent, let them get on with it. In this case he was let down and carried the can for it, but this is the reality of ANY large company. Many in the US do not understand that micro-management does not work.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

Even worse, the corporate buzz-word people are starting to call employees 'human capital' as if they can be borrowed or spent.

I knew an employer many years ago who told me straight out what he thought of his staff and employees. Since this is a family forum, I will not put that here except to say he thought extremely little of them and in private, he felt the same about his customers.
His take on that was that the employees were "expendible product" that were "barely human" and "disposable"...they "mean nothing to me unless I can make a quick buck off of them."
In the years since in both big and small companies, I've found more people like him than not.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Many companies seem to have taken Organized Crime as their organizational model, the Big Bosses try to remain carefully insulated
and anonymous, the lower downs are expected to take the fall. I recall reading that one of the Big Boys at Enron got off scot free because he made sure his fingerprints weren't on anything, all his e-mails, etc., were the most ordinary and routine, not even a hint at anything improper. One of the things that sank Ken Lay was the jurors saw the real Ken Lay, arrogant, conceited and quick to pin the blame on others. In the case of BP I suppose the investigation of the destruction of Deepwater Horizon is still under investigation, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to pin the heaviest blame on the 11 workers who died. There was the My Lai massacre and coverup in Vietnam, the "investigation" by the Peers Commission tried to pin the heaviest blame on 5 officers who were already dead.
Last Standing Knight-you referred to someone with contempt for both his employees and customers-he didn't run a porn shop, did he?

 

[Kanewpadle]

Great replies guys.

Fortunately my daughter just finished college. She's had the same job for almost five years because they worked around her class schedule. But it's time to move on. Looks as though she's already found something. A few employers are really after her so things look good.

 

[wuluf]

On the Other Hand..

I've learned far more from the bad managers I've had than from the good ones!

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

Many companies seem to have taken Organized Crime as their organizational model, the Big Bosses try to remain carefully insulated
and anonymous, the lower downs are expected to take the fall. I recall reading that one of the Big Boys at Enron got off scot free because he made sure his fingerprints weren't on anything, all his e-mails, etc., were the most ordinary and routine, not even a hint at anything improper. One of the things that sank Ken Lay was the jurors saw the real Ken Lay, arrogant, conceited and quick to pin the blame on others. In the case of BP I suppose the investigation of the destruction of Deepwater Horizon is still under investigation, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to pin the heaviest blame on the 11 workers who died. There was the My Lai massacre and coverup in Vietnam, the "investigation" by the Peers Commission tried to pin the heaviest blame on 5 officers who were already dead.
Last Standing Knight-you referred to someone with contempt for both his employees and customers-he didn't run a porn shop, did he?

No, no porn shop. As far as I know, he is still in business somewhere as I on occassion deal with people who HAD (note the emphasis here) dealings with him and has not changed.

 

[The Big D]

Much of my LE career was spent in positions wherein I was a boss.

Two very important things occurred...two things that still stick in my mind.

1. I never lied to a co-worker.

2. I had to deliver a "direct order" one time...only one time.

I am immensely pleased to report these two facts.

Be safe.

 

[LTC]

During my 45 years in manufacturing I worked for some of the best and some of the worst. During that time I was and still am in shop supervision (about 35 years).

Managers and supervisors need to LEAD. Pushers were about the worst and brought out the worst in me. I enjoyed working for leaders. Managers need to be fair and just.

Manufacturing management started going down hill when accountants started becoming manufacturing managers. Mostly all they knew was how to manage money.

Also trying to convert a 55-65 year old work force with 35 to 45 years of service to accept the newest trendy asian manufacturing trends was really difficult.

LTC

 

[JohnnieB]

Much of my LE career was spent in positions wherein I was a boss.

Two very important things occurred...two things that still stick in my mind.

1. I never lied to a co-worker.

2. I had to deliver a "direct order" one time...only one time.

I am immensely pleased to report these two facts.

Be safe.

That just might qualify you as a "Leader" rather than a Supervisor.

Manufacturing management started going down hill when accountants started becoming manufacturing managers. Mostly all they knew was how to manage money.

Same was true in healthcare, but I often had serious doubts about their abilities to manage money effectively and/or the IQ needed to recognize the simple fact that P&L graphs in the real world have vertical components rather than perfectly straight horizontal lines.

John

 

[Rule 303]

Being a Chief of Police was a wonderful job.

The only down side was having to deal with the Politicians.
I always want to take a shower and scrape the dirt off after meating with them.

Glad to be retired.

Rule 303

 

[hsguy]

Anyone can be taught to "manage", leadership is a much harder skill to be found. I am retired but work part time in retail and the management is beyond abysmal and leadership is non-existant. It seems that anyone who demonstrates any leadership is quickly dismissed so as not to reflect poorly on the incompetent managers. The rulebook has become the bastion of the incompetent and rigidly enforcing it is equated with good management. Most mangers are so busy covering their own butts they forget what I think is the most basic principle of management, take care of the people working for you to the best of your ability and authority. I have found that most employees will do a great job if they feel someone is interested in their welfare and they are provided the tools to do their jobs. Writing people up and firing them on a whim does not engender loyalty or top performance.

 

[Faulkner]

Anyone can be taught to "manage", leadership is a much harder skill to be found. I am retired but work part time in retail and the management is beyond abysmal and leadership is non-existant. It seems that anyone who demonstrates any leadership is quickly dismissed so as not to reflect poorly on the incompetent managers. The rulebook has become the bastion of the incompetent and rigidly enforcing it is equated with good management. Most mangers are so busy covering their own butts they forget what I think is the most basic principle of management, take care of the people working for you to the best of your ability and authority. I have found that most employees will do a great job if they feel someone is interested in their welfare and they are provided the tools to do their jobs. Writing people up and firing them on a whim does not engender loyalty or top performance.

Good post. In short, you manage things and you lead people. I've seen managers who couldn't lead and they are tough to work for. On the other hand, effective leaders don't have to be great managers if they can develop and motivate the team to cohesively get the job done.