Observations on Managing Others

Managing is not for the timid. The fact is that managing employees is the most critical and challenging factor in establishing and maintaining a smooth running operation or team. Here are some of the lessons learned over time.

Managing with Integrity Gains Respect

The most important first and long term step a manager must take is to establish him self or her self as authentic and predictable. The key to this process is thoughtful consideration - thinking before acting or implementing. Initially, a manager must carefully think through how he or she intends to implement changes, especially to procedures or policies. The language must be easily understood and unequivocal so that employees have a clear and complete picture of what is changing and what is expected of them. Once the changes are understood and implemented, it is important to avoid tweaking changes unless absolutely necessary. Employees want - and need - to feel grounded in their work environment; constant changes to the rules confuse employees.

By clearly communicating policies, procedures and expectations at all times, a manager is consistent. When that manager consistently acts on what he has communicated to his employees, his actions are dependable. When employees can consistently depend on what a manager says and does, he gains integrity. In this respect, it's important to note that a manager's actions always speak louder than his words. The manager that consistently does what he says he will do shows integrity and gains the respect of his employees. This character trait - integrity - is very important in building a smooth functioning operation.

Respect is A Two-way Street

One of the byproducts of integrity and authenticity is respect. A manager who demonstrates integrity and is authentic in his actions typically earns the respect of his employees. However, in order to earn respect, a manager must also respect his employees. Universally, employees feel respected when they are valued for who they are as well as for their work abilities.

A manager needs to have an all-encompassing definition and perspective for respecting all of his/her employees. Employees, on the other hand, individually and as a group have their own personal definition and perspective as to what constitutes respect to them - and their definitions may be entirely different from the manager's. Put another way, respect is a two way street on which respect ideally earns respect. The obvious flaw in earning respect is that some employees may not respect the manager or feel respected, and the same is true for the manager. Why?

Managers must recognize that even though each employee has their own set of beliefs and perceptions, all of the employees must respect the manager's position, regardless of whether they respect the person in the position. Some managers equate respect with popularity and compassion for employees. The reality is that managing often requires managers to make unpopular decisions that must be followed and take corrective action with employees when it is appropriate. A manager who believes that always being a "nice guy" will earn employees' respect is in for a rude awakening. Good management requires the manager to teach his/her employees, through evenhanded example and action, that there are positive and negative consequences for their actions - and then consistently respond to each employee's circumstances in the same way. This approach will earn the majority of the employees respect for the position, regardless of whether or not they like or respect the person. Gaining genuine respect from employees requires much more.

Defeating Mediocrity

Federal agencies are bureaucracies, large organizations built on adherence to inflexible rules and regulations, slow to act and hesitant to take risks. While bureaucracies certainly don't discourage innovation, there is little encouragement to innovate. Bureaucratic organizations, by their nature, foster mediocrity. Taken one step further, when an organization accepts mediocrity, it creates apathy within its workforce. Apathetic employees are devoid of motivation to do any more that what is required of them. The manager's challenge in this environment is to overcome the acceptance of mediocrity and apathy by listening to employees' ideas on improving work processes and encouraging them to be innovative in performing their jobs - and rewarding them for their successes. While this approach runs contrary to the bureaucratic mindset that relies on inflexible rules and processes to get work done, it gets employees involved in their work and more likely to take ownership for their jobs. Involvement in improving work processes also improves morale.

The Balancing Act

The primary responsibility of a manager is to meet his unit's and the organization's goals through his employees work and effort. At the same time, the way in which employees approach their work can make a manager look like a hero or a loser. Ultimately, managers cannot motivate employees; employees motivate themselves.

While consistently managing achievement of goals and directing employees' actions in pursuit of those goals is a manager's top priority, recognizing that employees work is a secondary priority to their lives outside the workplace is also important. In this respect, good managers are aware of employees' needs and find innovative ways to help them without impeding the unit's responsibilities. Employees in the best functioning units recognize that when they take up the slack for an employee who requests to be off for a good reason, the payback will come when he or she needs to be off. The manager's awareness and willingness to look for ways to meet his/her employees' needs when doable can be a powerful motivator.

The Problem Child

Wayward employees will usually say that it's management's fault that they are in trouble. The fact is that in most cases, employees do it to themselves. Every unit has at least one problem - or potential problem - employee. The way in which these employees are dealt with is critical to the success of the entire unit's operation. If allowed to get out of hand, a discontent or trouble-making employee can destroy a manager's efforts to build a cohesive unit.

Most managers prefer to avoid confrontation with their employees. Some managers avoid it and hope the problem will go away. That is not going to happen. The most effective way to deal with a problem employee is to confront the employee and the behavior when it first becomes apparent. In the majority of cases, the employee is testing the manager's limits. When the manager immediately meets with and confronts the employee's actions, and clearly establishes boundaries and potential consequences for continuing along his/her path, the problem usually abates. However, there is always going to be the employee who continues to be a problem and must be confronted. The manager must take stronger action to correct the behavior. Once this process is started it must be consistently applied. The manager's failure to act in the face of unacceptable behavior sends an equally strong - and harmful - message to all of the employees and undermines the manager's integrity and authority. Ignorance never makes an employee problem go away - it only makes it worse.

Remember the Unions

One of the unique features of many government agencies is the unions that represent its employees. Government unions, particularly in the federal sector, are unique in that they are barred by law from striking. Consequently, unresolved union contract negotiations are typically resolved through mediation or binding arbitration.

Most unions have negotiated contracts that cover the same essential articles - work hours, leave, pay, benefits, seniority, assignment rights, discipline, and grievance handling. Management relies on the organizations policies and procedures to manage employees in tandem with the mutually negotiated contract. The unions "police" the contract to insure that management complies with it. Grievances are generated when an employee - the grievant - alleges that management has violated an article of the contract. It is in these situations that managers can positively demonstrate credibility and integrity. Credibility is at the heart of the grievance handling process for management and labor.

Most legitimate grievances are fairly clear cut and can be resolved quickly by the employee's immediate manager. Grievances that management believes lack merit - in some cases referred to as "frivolous" grievances - are properly denied by the manager. If the union believes that the grievance is proper, it is appealed to the next step in the grievance process. Management has the right to deny a grievance and the union has the right to appeal the denial up to the step that it is arbitrated by a mutually agreed upon arbitrator. The arbitrator's decision is binding on the parties.

When a manager recognizes that the grievant has been wronged and that the contract has been violated, he/she has the responsibility to make things right. Unfortunately, in many organizations, the unspoken policy is to deny all grievances, regardless of merit. This is wrong and flies in the face of the intent of collective bargaining and the concept of bargaining in good faith. By the same token, unions that file and support "frivolous" grievances are equally guilty of failing to bargain in good faith.

The manager that consistently resolves or settles grievances when management has erred and stands his ground and denies a grievance when management is correct in its actions will be seen as credible. The same applies to union leaders.

Moving on Up

There is a piece of managerial wisdom for any manager's career: Avoid staying in the same position for more that six years; some proponents of this wisdom say four years. The point is that a manager should come into an assignment, determine what he wants to accomplish and recognize when it's time to move on to a new assignment. By staying in one assignment too long a manager exposes himself to a multitude of career risks, including complacency, more friction within his/her unit, missed opportunities for new challenges, and burnout. As importantly, the manager tends to loose objectivity when he/she manages the same group of people for a long period and overlook new or lingering problems. In a real sense, the manager who stays too long in one assignment risks becoming part of the problem and jeopardizes his/her reputation and career advancement.

In Closing

The manager's role in an organization has become much more complex and multifaceted than it used to be. He/she takes on the role of leader, negotiator, mentor, cheerleader, disciplinarian and administrator. Many of the administrative tasks once assigned to administrative employees are now performed by managers. Managing others has become a daunting task.

Nevertheless, the duty that transcends everything else is still to meet the organization's goals and objectives. How a manager goes about meeting goals and objectives in the midst of performing his/her other duties has a lot to do with character and integrity. It boils down to always opting to do the right thing, regardless of the circumstances and pressure to do otherwise.