The three sins of bad management

How to vanquish the most common management defects. By Terence Mauri, consulting director, Leaders First.

Is your organisation a management sinner? Are the basic rules of good management, such as open communication, delegation and developmental feedback being flouted?

Traditional 20th century management practice and principles are proving inadequate in meeting today’s business challenges. For example, as knowledge itself becomes a commodity, value creation will depend on the intangibles of communication, trust and innovation. Unfortunately, management bureaucracy and hierarchy can discourage employees from exercising these qualities.

What can you do to vanquish the most common management defects and empower your teams to outsmart the competition? Here are three of the most common management sins, which you commit at your peril.

Lack of communication

Don’t be a seagull communicator. According to Ken Blanchard of the ‘One minute manager’, a seagull communicator will swoop down on the team now and again, make lots of noise squawking at people and then swoop straight out again. Inadequate communication on direction, systems and business priorities is one of the most common sins cited by British employees. The costs incurred include lack of focus, wasted resources and a sense of ‘not belonging’.

Be committed to open, informative communication and lead by example. Demonstrate positive body language in meetings and presentations. Articulate your messages in a calm, confident and logical manner. More regular communication with your teams will help influence productive behaviour and build valuable qualities of respect, loyalty and integrity.

A professional manager will encourage the sharing of ideas and opinions and provide coaching on listening and communication. For example, Fujistsu offer training in ‘straight talking’ skills for all employees.

Lack of feedback

An absence of feedback can lead to individuals feeling undervalued and can adversely affect productivity and performance. Constructive feedback, both positive and negative, is a vital tool for managers. It should be used on a regular basis to create a culture of ‘learning by doing’.

How often do you deliver feedback? Is it balanced and focused on developing your team’s competencies? Apply the following questions when giving feedback:

• what went well?
• what could be better?
• what else do you need? For example, skills, knowledge and experience.

It is essential that, at the end of a feedback session, your team member has a clear plan of action and is motivated to make the change happen successfully.

Lack of delegation

The final sin is a basic lack of delegation. Often a barrier to delegation is fear of loss of control or power. A recent board level client in a major insurance business commented that ‘good delegation is not abdication. It is the only way to multiply effectiveness and work smarter’. Delegation allows both the manager and the employee to learn new skills and increase responsibility. It can also act as a contingency planning tool by growing the talent pool to fill gaps when people leave or go on holiday.

What is your process for delegation?

The power of delegation as a leadership tool should not be underestimated. Done well, it will equip your teams with a broader range of skills, thereby saving time and boosting productivity. Below is a standard delegation structure:

• define the task: what, who, when, how?
• appoint and brief: agree the end result and check that the task is specific, measurable, agreed, realistic, and time bound.
• monitor: outline checkpoints to ensure everything is on track.
• provide valuable feedback: every delegated task is a learning opportunity. What worked? What could be improved?

Use delegation to lead and manage your teams and demonstrate a commitment to ongoing improvement.

In the 21st century, the best managers are drawing inspiration from the vanguard of management innovators such as Google, UBS and Tesco. They understand that by committing the sins of poor management, they run the risk of low morale, high attrition and poor financial performance. What will you do today to prevent the same sins being committed?

Terence Mauri is a professional speaker and organisational consultant. He was recently voted ‘Trainer of the year 2006’ by Reed Learning.

October 2006