One of the hardest things to do as a manager is to honestly admit something or someone in your organization is not working. One of the most important things you can do to be a successful manager is to identify what is not working and fix it.
Sounds easy, but it’s not.
We find that managers often do not or will not admit there is something in their organization that is not working. Whether intentionally overlooking it (thinking it is not important enough to deal with or because they don’t know how to deal with it) or it may truly be a “blind spot” for them such that they really don’t see it. (This is often the case in two conditions: new managers or ignorant ones). It could be an employee; it could be the management team; it could be how people communicate.
We worked with an organization that provided services to the energy industry. We were coaching two of their managers and it was clear that communication within and among management team members was poor. There was a lack of trust; managers would “talk around” an issue and frequently blame the other managers. That is they would talk with other managers who had no responsibility for the issue but avoid talking to the manager who had direct responsibility and could do something about it.
Based on the concerning themes we were seeing with his staff, we requested a meeting with the President. He said he was open to feedback and observations about the organization. We discussed the lack of alignment in the management team and how it could be contributing to some of the problems we observed, such as high turnover. He said, “ya I know, but we put a program in place and I understand it’s getting better”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t getting better and the President initially refused to address the issue. What we were getting and what the President was serving to himself and us was management pablum.
What are some of the signs that reveal something may be wrong in the organization?
- Good employees are leaving
- Having trouble hiring good replacements
- Employees are tired and frequently complain they are overworked
- Project deadlines are missed
- The number of on-the-job injuries and accidents is increasing
- Customers are leaving or not coming back
- The manager is spending more time listening to complaints about how other managers are not doing their job rather then discussing ideas and tactics to get the job done better
- There is little meaningful conversation and discussion at management meetings, but eloquent one-on-one (manager with the boss) conversation after the meeting
Problems in organizations have symptoms, just like people have symptoms when they get sick. If you are sick and the physician only treats the symptoms there is a good chance that the disease will get worse and the consequences for you could be catastrophic. Same with organizations, treating only the symptoms or ignoring them all together will only result in them getting worse and it will have catastrophic consequences to the organization. The only people who will be celebrating your inertia to act are your competition.
Fortunately in this case, the President did decide to take action after reviewing the evidence.
Copyright 2009 Kubica and LaForest
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