Manager's Minute 

When you've only got a minute for management you haven't got a minute to waste.

Last week, in "The Cry of the Managed" we outlined the 6 primary needs of anyone who is being managed, from the feedback that I received it seems as if you agree, these are important. So for the next 6 weeks I am going to deal with each need individually.

Remember that the art of management is getting things done, and to get things done you need to know what needs to be done, how it must be done, by when it must be done and who must do it.

So On with today's message. "Let me know what is expected of me"

1. Let me know what is expected of me

One of the most important skills that you as a manager must learn, is to give clear instructions and to clarify the expectations of the activity. (We've dealt with this in a previous article "Clarify the Intent of the Task" but today I want to look at it from a different angle.)

So often conflict in the workplace, and at home, is caused by misunderstanding. We give an instruction and assume that the other person understands what we want. The other person receives the instruction and presumes that they know what to do. Sadly the reality is often, that what they heard is not what we meant. So what they did, and the way that they did it was not what we wanted.

When you give instructions the are some rules to follow (a review of "The Art of Delegation" would be useful)

Rather than just creating a Job Description which focuses on the "what", the activities, of the job define Job Expectations which focuses on the "Why" the outcomes, of the job.

When people know what to do, how to do it and why they are doing it they are in a position to control how they behave while doing it.

Let me use an example of a receptionist

The tasks, job description, of a receptionist are fairly straight forward.

Answer the telephone, redirect calls, take messages, pass messages on and if it's a front desk position deal with visitors to the business.

Sounds simple enough, but it's not enough. What are the expectations of this position.

The primary expectation of this position is to create a positive experience for callers and visitors so the expectations are

Answer the telephone within 3 rings.

Smile when you answer and project a friendly tone.

Redirect calls and make sure that the caller is connected.

Take messages accurately, and legibly, and pass them on promptly to the recipient.

Always deal with visitors in a polite and friendly manner.

I am sure that you have got the idea.

So from today respond to the cry and make sure that you let those you instruct know exactly what you expect from them not just what you want them to do.

That's it for today, I look forward to your comments and experiences related to this message. Mail them to me at johan@motivate.co.za

PS: Please pass this message on to any of your business colleagues you feel may benefit from it.

To live your best life be true to the YOU, that you want to be.

Live with passion. Change your life from making a living to making a difference.

Live up to the reputation that you want to have.