The common parody to which a techie is exposed when he becomes a manager is’Avoid dilbertization’.
1. Know what you do?
I personally believe, the great managers are the ones who knows what the team have to do to achieve the objective.
The same funda is said to have been dilbertized when you have a manager who does not have any clue as to what the team is doing. Keep a vision statement, define KRAs, and spend energy in defining roles etc etc. Thereby they lose focus and technocrats working in the team lose motivation.
I have had guys arguing that this is not the correct approach. You need to have framework frozen and have a mechanism for tracking, measuring performance etc. While I do not demean those, my idea is when you know the work well, other paraphernalia comes just like that.
If I(I dont know anything about this industry - Just have an MBA) am asked to manage a Hotel kitchen, I might evolve a process for inventory management, productivity, do time study measure customer satisfaction and work towards evolving process for sustainability of food quality etc. But If I am guy who is a cook for 5 years before being made a Manager of a kitchen, I dont need process. I know the key areas in maintaining the overall satisfaction. I dont need check list or guidelines to tell me how to estimate inventory. I know to take care of the business.
2. Different strokes for different folks
I read the above phrase from Jagdish Parikh’s’Management by detached involvement’. This is very true. At first I thought this would be against my conscience. But I had adapted.(7 of 9 in Star Trek?) I now deal with different guys differently.
I maintain no-nonsense dealings with technocrats in the team and delegate as much as possible(PHB might say this empowerment, I call leave the good guys alone for maximum output from them).
I have to bend myself to satisfy the requirements of my non-technical boss(Imagine a situation when a new owner takes over the hotel chain). Though 90% of reporting done to him may be unnecessary for you, those might be required for him to impress his boss. In business world everybody has a boss.
I have to deal with customers in the most accomodating manner. After all they make my existence in the business viable. Having a customer base will motivate you to attach personal feelings to work done and extract top class contribution from me and my team.
3. Nuisance factors
You have to pay special attention to nuisance factors. They may be small but will take your best men away from you. Some of the nuisance factors in a typical office scenario are:
- Having inadequate parking space
- A/C in office not working
- Finance guys talking rude to technical guys when it comes regarding employee benefits/claims
- Office water cooler does not work
. and so on
These nuisances allows employees to discuss among themselves as way of associating with common goals. These feelings tend to direct towards the management(They see YOU as the management).
4. Have fun
Easier said than done. Having fun builds trust and improves productivity. It contributes to de-stressing to a significant extent. This makes discussion on sensitive topics more easy. Joke a Day and developing a sense of humor is one of the best rewarded Management tactic.
5. Reward & Recognition
Lets face it. Everybody needs to be recognized. Even when writing reviews on MouthShut we expect people to come and HR the review. This instinct of a man is best utilized in management and eliciting the best of the ability
Dont follow mandatory rewards. Choose the reason and highlight it while rewarding. This instills a confidence that rewards are given for’good’ contribution only.
6. Accept the Triangle
The Triangle of Stake holders
Your Boss/Shareholders
Your employees
Your customers
Each have their own aspirations and expectations from you. Understand and empathise their situation. The contribution should be equal for all the three and your job is not to make them conflict with each other.
You should love the stakeholders.
Boss - For giving you the business opportunity
Employees - For enabling your success
Customers - For making your business survive.
Management is fun guys. You can learn a lot from all the guys you interact. You will ofcourse find some idiots in between but you should learn to brush them off and proceed.
Cheers!