They need to manage the business strategy!
Ed was Chief Operating Officer of a public Hospital in Boston. He was the one charged with making sure that the right service got to the right patient at the right time. He didn’t do this all on his own of course. But that was his function. He was good at it. Later in his career, Ed joined a not-for-profit organization in Maine. He was the one who scouted out a new office, secured the new furniture, and ordered supplies including coffee. He was a good manager. In both jobs his work allowed his boss to be the strategic thinker, and the face of the organization for their clients, their families, and the community.
In a privately owned business, job roles are not as distinct. business owners might enjoy the diversity of their roles; i.e., getting their hands dirty supplying their service or product, being the strategic planner, as well as being the account manager for their customers.
A financial planner and business owner named Frank has a very successful business. He specifically said to me, “I need to improve my management skills.”
Frank’s administrative assistant Lisa has been working effectively for him are just over a year. He provided her with a thorough orientation process, increased his expectations of her as time went on, and he is very satisfied with her progress.
Yet amid this, Frank noticed that Lisa had an attitude problem. While she was polite and patient with clients, she was often critical of vendors when they did not understand the needs of the clients at once and supply exactly the right support.
The business owner, or a top leader, has a responsibility to also be a manager. In other words, when you notice something that needs attention, you give it the attention it needs.
Just like my friend Ed did two of his managerial positions.
Frank talked with Lisa. He told her about her negative attitude in her voice and in her words that he saw when she spoke either to or about the services they received from vendors of their financial service products. Frank let Lisa know that his reaction was that this attitude did not fit with their brand of being a problem solver for their clients. They talked about what might be the roadblocks to Lisa being a problem solver when the vendor did not perform as they needed. They sorted through Lisa’s issues to performing. Then they brainstormed about what Lisa could do differently to help the vendor resolve the issues at hand, or at the very least better understand what they could do differently to meet the needs of Frank’s customer.
With his refined management skills, Frank was better able to see the problem from Lisa’s perspective, brainstorm potential solutions with her, and help her improve her skills to collaborate with vendors. This in turn Improved her attitude, and enhanced services for Frank’s clients.
What are you noticing in your business that needs your immediate attention, and what management skills will you use to address it?
Chuck Scharenberg is the Founder of More Profit More Freedom, a consultancy that supports the execution of large-scale growth for small businesses. His practice has successfully grown businesses with processes that identify potential roadblocks and mitigation schemes to accelerate realistic execution.
Challenging Leaders to solve the Right problems by asking the Right questions!