Expert Insights

FiveCriticalManagementDerailers:SymptomsandRemedies

April 2009
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Expert Insights Fi Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies. C E t I i ht Five C iti l M t D il S t dR di Copyright 2009 by Profiles International. Printed and bound i ht b P fil I t ti l Pi t d db d in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of the report may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the publisher. Publisher Profiles Research Institute Dario Priolo, Managing Director 5205 Lake Shore Drive Waco, Texas 76710-1732 Profiles International (800) 960-9612 p www.profilesinternational.com

Acknowledgements CEO, Co-founder, Profiles International: Jim Sirbasku President, Co-founder, Profiles International: Bud Haney Editor-in-Chief: Dario P i l Edit i Chi f D i Priolo Managing Editor: Carrie D. Martinez Creative Director: Kelley Taylor

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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies | 2

Are your managers on track to deliver?

Timesofchangepresentmanychallengesfororganizations,particularlyforfrontline managerswhosepeoplewillberesponsibleforimplementingthechange.Pressureto performishigh,asareemotions,andeveryoneisexpectedtodomorewithless. Ironically,thetimeswhenyouneedyourmanagerstoperformattheirverybestarethevery timestheyaremostlikelytofail.Thechallengeofchangeiscompoundedbythefactthatthe times they are most likely to fail The challenge of change is compounded by the fact that the highermanagersriseinanorganization,themorelikelytheyaretodevelopblindspotsthat increasetheirriskoffailure. Thisgotusthinking:Whydofrontlinemanagersfailandwhatcanbedonetoavoidfailure? Wepolledourexpertstoidentifyourtopfivemostcommonmanagementderailers.They We polled our experts to identify our top five most common management derailers. They are: 1.Poorinterpersonalandcommunicationskills 2.Inadequateleadershipskills 3.Resistancetochange 4.Inabilitytodeliverexpectedresults 5.Inabilitytoseebeyondtheirfunctionalsilo Thisreportelaboratesonthesefiveissuesandofferssomecommonsenseadviceforhelping yourmanagersavoidthem.

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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies | 3

Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies

1. Poor interpersonal and communication skills

SymptomsofanAtRiskmanager
Alwaysseemstobefeudingwithsomeoneorsomegroupintheorganization. Hasareputationforbeingauthoritarian,cold,aloof,arrogant,orinsensitive. Actsasapolarizingforcewithinanorganization.Otheremployeeseitherloveherorhateher. Avoidsdirectcommunicationorcontactwithsomeorallcoworkers. Deliversbadnewsthroughemailratherthanthroughdirectconversations. Exhibitsahostileattitudetowardscoworkerswhoshareinterdependentgoals. Becomesthetargetofsubtleorblatantsabotageefforts.

Remediestopreventderailmentandimproveperformance
1. Understandthetruerootcauseofconflict. Doesyourmanagerhaveapersonalorpolitical problemwithjustoneortwopeople,ordoesyourmanagerhavemoresignificantissues withanumberofdifferentpeople?Iftheconflictstemsfromasmallpersonalissuethen mediatearesolutionimmediatelyratherthanlettingitfester.Ifitismoreserious,then 2. Understandthemanager smanagementstyleandmotivation.Somepeoplejustaren tcut 2 Understand the managers management style and motivation Some people just arent cut outtobemanagersalthoughtheymaybeexceptionalindividualcontributors.Otherpeople justdontwanttobemanagers.Andwhilesomepeoplemayhavewhatittakestolead,they mightnothavetheskillsorexperiencetodothejob.Ifyourmanagersissueisthelatter, youmaybeabletohelphimdevelopmoreeasilythanyoucanhelpsomeonewho completelylacksthebehaviorsandintereststhatleadtosuccess. completely lacks the behaviors and interests that lead to success. 3. Helpthemanagerunderstandhisownmanagementandcommunicationstyle.Inmany situationsmanagerssimplydontknowwhattheydontknow.Forexample,ifhecomes acrossasinsensitiveoraloof,pointoutthebehaviorandhelphimimprove.Itisimportant forthemanagertounderstandhisnaturalmanagementstyleandhowitimpactsothers bothpositivelyandnegatively.Themanagercantbeexpectedtoimproveifhenever receivesconcretefeedback.
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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies | 4

Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies

2. Inadequate leadership skills

SymptomsofanAtRiskmanager S f A Ri k
Teamconsistentlyfailstoachievetheexpectedgoals,evenafterstrongwarnings. Keyprojectsconsistentlyendupoverbudgetorbehindschedule. Teammembersaredisengaged.Theymissmeetingsanddeliverpoorqualitywork. Teammembersarefrustrated.Theyinfight andlosefocusonthebigpictureobjectives. Themanagerdoesnotaddressconflictandpoorperformancepromptlyanddecisively. The manager does not address conflict and poor performance promptly and decisively Teammembersquit.Theycomplainoffavoritism,inconsistencyandpoortreatment.

Remediestopreventderailmentandimproveperformance
1. Clarifytheteamspurposeandgoalswiththemanager.Weallknowwhatitsliketolose sightoftheforestforthetrees,andsometimesmanagersneedtoberemindedofwhat s sight of the forest for the trees and sometimes managers need to be reminded of whats importantandwhatisnt.Thentheyneedtocommunicatetheseprioritiestotheirteams. 2. Helpthemanagerunderstandhispeople. Peoplehavetheirownstylesandpreferences,and thisinfluenceshowtheybestrespondtotheirmanagers.Whenamanagerunderstandshis people,hecanalsobeawareofpotentialconflictorchemistryissuesbetweenhimselfand othermembersoftheteam.Thusthemanagercanbemoreawareofandproactivein dealingwithissuesthatmayimpactperformance. 3. Helpthemanagerunderstandhisleadershipstyleandmotivation. Manyofushavea numberofkeyleadershipqualities,butwestillneedfeedbacksothatwecanbuildonour strengthsandfortifyourweaknesses.Andinsomecaseswhereitisclearthatamanager h d f if k di h i i l h reallyisntreadytolead,thediscoveryprocesscanhelpidentifyothercareeroptionsthat arebettersuitedtoamanagersstyleandabilities. 4. Providefeedbackfrommultipleconstituents. Itisextremelyvaluableformanagersto receivefeedbackfromtheirsupervisors,peersandsubordinatestoilluminate receive feedback from their supervisors peers and subordinates to illuminate developmentalneeds,misalignmentsandotherissuesthatmaybedifficulttocommunicate openlyunderchallengingcircumstances.
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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies

3. Resistant to change
SymptomsofanAtRiskmanager
Managerexpressesfrustrationatthesuggestionofchange. Managersattitudeandbehaviorsignalskepticism. Managersattitudedoesntchangeevenwhenhisconcernshavebeenaddressed. Managerispreoccupiedwithreminiscingaboutwhatwasversuswhatwillbe. Managercontinuestodothingsthesameoldwayyetexpectsnewresults. M ti t d thi th ld t t lt Managerisuncomfortablewithambiguityandisntopentodiscoveringbetterways. Teammemberscomplainaboutmixedmessagesfromleadershipandtheirmanager.

Remediestopreventderailmentandimproveperformance Remedies to prevent derailment and improve performance

1. Understandthemanagersappetiteforchange.Peoplearewireddifferently,andthis influencesourappetiteforriskandchallenge.Somefindchangeexcitingandembraceit, whileothersfinditthreateningandrejectit.Abalanceofbothishealthyforan organization.Knowinghowsomeonewillrespondtochangehelpsyoutailoryour g communicationandgethimonboard. 2. Helpthemanagerunderstandhisnaturalaversiontochange.Ifamanagerhasanatural tendencytoresistchange,thenitisimportanttomakehimawareofthistendency.Thiswill enablehimtodevelophisownwayofhelpinghimselfadapttochange.Whenpossible, havehimthinkthroughtheprocessforyousothatyoucandemonstratehowthechange willbenefitboththeorganizationandtheindividual. 3. Ensurethatthemanagerisfocusedonthenewpriorities.Therearemanywaysto communicatechange,butwordsarenotenough.Youneedtotranslatethischangeinto meaningfulactionsandgoalsforthemanager,andthenyouneedtoinspectwhatyou expect.Askthemanagerandhispeoplewhattheybelievehisprioritiesare,especiallyafter expect Ask the manager and his people what they believe his priorities are especially after achangeevent.Thisrevealsdisconnectsandopportunitiesforrealignment.
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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies

4. Inability to deliver the expected results

SymptomsofanAtRiskmanager
Resultsconsistentlybelowgoal,especiallythosethataremeasureable. Managerblamesothersormakesexcusesfortheirfailure. Manageravoidsdiscussionsaboutsetting,trackingandprogressingtowardgoals. Managerspendstoomuchtime,energyandresourcesonlowpriorityactivity. Managerdemonstratesadefeatedornegativeattitude. d d f d d Teamunawareofhowtheycontributetothemanagersororganizationsgoals.

Remediestopreventderailmentandimproveperformance
1. Clarifyexpectedresultsandgoals.Itisdifficulttohitatargetwhenthetargetismoving oryoureshootingthroughfog.Donttakeforgrantedthatyourmanagershaveaclear h ti th h f D t t k f t d th t h l understandingoftheresultstheyneedtoachieveandhowtheyregoingtoachieve them.Whenpossible,gobeyondthewhattothehow,andchallengethemanager totranslategoalsintosubgoalsandactivitiesthattheirpeoplemustachieve. 2. Understand the manager. Not everyone is naturally goal oriented. For those who arent, Understandthemanager.Noteveryoneisnaturallygoaloriented.Forthosewhoaren t, thenotionofsetting,trackingandachievinggoalscanbeextremelyintimidating.Thisis especiallytrueofnewmanagersinroleswheremeasurementisdifficult.Ifthe managerfitseitherofthesecriteriathenexpecttospendmoretimecoachinghimso thathecanachievehisgoals.Whenpossible,includehiminthegoalsettingprocessto gethisbuyin. 3. Inspectwhatyouexpect.Oncegoalsareclearandyouhavethemanagersbuyin, establishaprocessfortrackingthemostimportantgoals.Usethesegoalstocreatea personaldashboardthathelpsthemanagersethisownprioritiesthatdriveresults. Requirethemanagertoupdatehisgoalsweekly,andusehisprogresstofacilitatea coachingdiscussion.Finally,checkbackwiththemanageronaperiodicbasistoensure hi di i Fi ll h k b k ith th i di b i t thathisprioritiesareproperlyaligned.
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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies | 7

Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies

5. Inability to see beyond their functional silo

SymptomsofanAtRiskmanager
Unwillingtocommunicateorcollaboratewithothersoutsideofhisunit. Makesdecisionsthatbenefithisunitbutclearlyhurttheoverallorganization. Resistschangethatimpactshimbutclearlybenefitstheorganization. Hoardsinformationthatmightbenefitothersoutsideofhisunit. Coworkerscomplainthatthemanagerisoutoftouchwiththeorganizationsmission. k l h h f h h h

Remediestopreventderailmentandimproveperformance
1. Establishclarity. Dontassumethatthemanagerunderstandshowheandhispeoplefitin andinterrelatewithotherunitstoachievetheorganizationsgreatermission.Thisshould bespelledoutexplicitly,especiallyifthemanagerhasspentlittletimeoutsideofhis be spelled out explicitly especially if the manager has spent little time outside of his functionalunit. 2. Includethemanagerinatleastonecrossfunctionalteam. Havethemanagerexperience firsthandwhatitmeanstocontributetoanddependonsomeoneelsetoachievea g j y, p significantcommonobjective.Ideally,heorsheshouldworkunderanexperiencedteam leaderwhocanprovidebothcoachingandapositiveexperience. 3. Establishatleastonecrossfunctionalgoalforthemanager. Whilesimilartotheprevious point,thisrequireshimtoparticipateinanongoingoperationoftheorganizationrather thanaspecialprojectwithadefinedendpoint.Inthissituation,themanagerswhoshare thegoalshouldreporttosomeonehigherupwhocanmonitorprogress,facilitate discussion,offeradvice,anddriveaccountability. 4. Monitorthemanagersprogress. Thisismorethanjustanannualperformancereview;its aboutholdingthemanageraccountable,ensuringthatheisalignedwiththecompanys prioritiesandchanginghisbehavior.Thisisdonebymonitoringhisprogressandoffering priorities and changing his behavior This is done by monitoring his progress and offering coachingandadditionaldevelopment.Inputfrommultiplesourcessuchasthemanagers managers,peersoncrossfunctionalteams,andsubordinatesisvaluable
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Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies | 8

Summary: Five Management Derailers and Remedies for Prevention

1.Poorinterpersonalandcommunicationskills Understandthetruerootcauseofconflict Understandthemanagersnaturalstyleandmotives U d t d th t l t l d ti Helpthemanagerunderstandhisnaturalcommunicationstyle 2.Inadequateleadershipskills Clarifytheteamspurposeandgoalswiththemanager y p p g g Helpthemanagerunderstandhispeople Helpthemanagerunderstandhisleadershipstyleandmotivation Providefeedbackfrommultipleconstituentstothemanager 3.Resistancetochange 3 Resistance to change Understandthemanagersappetiteforchange Helpthemanagerunderstandhisnaturalaversiontochange Ensurethatthemanagerisfocusedonthenewpriorities 4.Inabilitytodeliverexpectedresults Clarifytheexpectedresultsandgoals Understandthemanagersdegreeofgoalorientation Inspectwhatyouexpect 5.Inabilitytoseebeyondtheirfunctionalsilo Clarifyhowthemanagersrolesupportsothersintheorganization Includethemanagerinatleastonecrossfunctionalteam Establishatleastonecrossfunctionalgoalforthemanager Monitorthemanagersdevelopmentalprogress
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