Issue No. 110 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a book about “managing people” (I prefer “leading people”) with 63 short myth-dispelling “truth” chapters. It’s excellent. By the way, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read.” What book has changed you? And this reminder, visit my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.
Management CliffsNotes
It’s time for the weekly staff meeting—and your interruptions have been interrupted by interruptions. Your job is to lead, inspire and motivate—and you need something fresh, but quick. This week’s book is your CliffsNotes for all things management. Pick from 63 two-page chapters—and get this—the memorable content is not just opinion—the insights are all research-based.
Does Barack Obama (or Sarah Palin) have enough experience to be U.S. president? Eventually, yes/maybe. Author Stephen Robbins writes, “Even in the most complex jobs, real learning typically ends after two years.” His research says that “experience, per se, is not a very good predictor of effectiveness. Just because a (job) candidate has 10 years of previous experience is no assurance that his or her experience will transfer to a new situation. What is relevant is the quality of previous experience and the relevance of that experience to the new situation that the leader will face.” He adds, “Too often, 20 years of experience is nothing other than one year of experience repeated 20 times!”
The 63 mini-chapters are listed under 10 sections: The Truth About…Hiring, Motivation, Leadership, Communication, Building Teams, Managing Conflict, Designing Jobs, Performance Evaluation, Coping With Change and Managing Behavior. To order from Amazon, click on this title: The Truth About Managing People and Nothing But the Truth, by Stephen P. Robbins.
The well-researched conclusions/chapter titles are compelling: Truth #4: Want Pleasant Employees? It’s in the Genes! Truth #16: Not Everyone Wants to Participate in Setting Their Goals; Truth #28: Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues (he suggest five ways: metaphors, jargon, contrast, spin and stories); Truth #31: Charisma Can Be Learned; Truth #36: Hearing Isn’t Listening (he gives eight behaviors associated with effective listening—like making eye contact); Truth #45: Not Everyone Is Team Material; and Truth #62: People Aren’t Completely Rational: Don’t Ignore Emotions!
From Chicago to Orange County last week, the senior manager in Seat 10C read the book over my shoulder—and plans to order it. That’s a pretty good indicator of a great book! (Yeah—I got the dreaded middle seat.)
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) “Personal references are easy to acquire but they’re essentially worthless,” says Robbins in the chapter, “Don’t Count Too Much on Reference Checks.” He says friends of applicants won’t be honest with you. Do you agree?
2) Some teams lower productivity, says the author. According to his research, “The truth is that teams often create negative synergy. Individuals expend less effort when working collectively that when working individually, so 2 + 2 can equal 3!” He calls it “social loafing.” Let’s talk about this today.
Eliminate Fuzzy Roles - Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit
One of the big ideas in the Operations Bucket, chapter 17, in Mastering the Management Buckets, is to eliminate all fuzzy roles—and identify a point person (or champion) for every task.
Here’s a tool for clarifying responsibilities and task ownership—the Prime Responsibility Chart. This has been a critical best practice in my operations tool kit for over 30 years. Bill Benke introduced it to me when he served on my board at Camp Sambica (1974 to 1979). Benke used a version of this chart when he was a strategic business analysis executive with Boeing.
The chart is simple and straightforward and can be changed at any time. The most important principle: Only one person has “Prime Responsibility” (P) for a task or responsibility. Many can have “Assistant Responsibility (A). “Approval Required” (AP) is reserved for only those tasks that need an OK by a supervisor, committee or board.
Check out chapter 17 for the five strategic operations best practices (including “Specify: Good, Better or Best”) and visit the Operations Bucket on our website for resources, downloadable worksheets, recommended books and the worksheet, “Prime Responsibility Chart: Clarify Responsibilities, Task Ownership and Approval Requirements.”
Join John Pearson at:
Mastering the Management Buckets Workshop Experience
Join your colleagues at our final Buckets workshop this fall, November 18-19, 2008 in San Dimas, Calif., hosted by Christian Community Credit Union. For more details and to download the brochure, visit The Workshop page on the Management Buckets website.
CEO Dialogues
Limited to just 25 nonprofit CEOs, join us at South Hills Country Club, West Covina, Calif., on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. For more information, visit the CEO Dialogues website. If you’re a Christian organization nonprofit president, CEO, executive director (or senior pastor), you’re invited. The day is hosted by John Walling, president of Christian Community Credit Union. John Pearson is the dialogue facilitator.
Comments