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Have you ever wondered how some manager's departments always run smoothly; everyone performs their job, projects are completed on time, turnover is low, and the employees respect and admire the manager? Well, Sally wondered too. She had been a manager for one year now, and her department was falling apart at the seams. Work was not completed on time, employees were bickering amongst themselves, and morale was low. And, there were always troublemakers who constantly kept things stirred up. They continually had excuses for missing deadlines, being late for work, holding up projects, and causing dissension within the department. Anne had been promoted to a management position at the same time as Sally, and her department was located just down the hall. Each time Sally walked through Anne's area, Anne's employees were steadily working. They all seemed pleasant and satisfied with their jobs. Anne was named "manager of the year," an honor voted on by the employees. Anne seemed to have a good rapport with her staff, and they always spoke fondly of her. What was her secret? She didn't work any harder than Sally. In fact, Anne would cheerily say "Good-bye" to Sally as she walked out the door most evenings, leaving Sally behind to face the mounting pile of paperwork on her desk. Sally was desperate. She had scheduled meetings with three problem employees for Monday morning. However, she had a dilemma. She didn't know what she was going to say that she hadn't told them numerous times before. Since the previous performance discussions there had been no behavioral improvement; in fact, their performance had actually declined. If she terminated three employees, her manager would be suspicious. In her last performance review he had mentioned that her management skills needed improvement. Last week, a very important regional project had been delayed because her staff has missed the deadline. If things didn't improve quickly, Sally was going to have to update her resume. All of a sudden Sally had an idea. She swallowed her pride, dialed the phone, and asked Anne if she could meet with her early Monday morning. She was going to beg Anne to share with her the secret of her management success. Monday morning arrived, and Sally knocked on Anne's office door. Anne warmly greeted her and offered her a seat and a hot cup of coffee. "What's up Sally?" Sally sighed heavily and asked, "What am I doing wrong? This is embarrassing for me to admit, but I envy you. Your department runs so smoothly, your employees love and admire you, and you won "The Manager of the Year" award. I struggle to just keep my head above water, my employees are always complaining, and if things don't get better I'm afraid I'm going to lose my job. What is the secret to your success?" Anne chuckled softly and said, "Sally, it's really very simple. In fact, you are going to think it is magic. In my first job I was lucky enough to have a wonderful manager. We all loved her and worked hard to make her look good. She was always relaxed and easy going, and yet all projects were completed on time. Her directions were easy to follow and we always knew exactly what was expected of us. We never hesitated to go to her with a question or a problem and she was able to point out our mistakes and performance problems without making us feel embarrassed, resentful or ashamed. When we heard she was being promoted, we were all so upset. Knowing that my goal was to be in management someday, I couldn't let her go without asking her to share her secret of success with me. Let me share with you what she shared with me. Anne reached for a gilded frame on her desk and handed it to me. Before me lay a framed parchment entitled, "The 10 Golden Keys to Leadership Success." 1. Treat employees like you would like to be treated if you were in their position. 2. Never ask your employees to do a job you would not be willing to do yourself. 3. Realize that you are a treasure hunter searching for the talents, unique goodness, creative ideas, and special gifts of each person under your leadership. 4. Know that your actions speak louder than your words -- employees notice everything you do…and everything you fail to do. 5. Be short on criticism and long on praise. The greatest gift a leader can give an employee is increased self-esteem. 6. When delivering negative performance feedback, provide behavioral examples, be specific in your expectations, establish deadlines and follow-up, offer support, and express the belief that their performance will improve. 7. Encourage and reward creativity; use mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow, not an opportunity to punish. 8. Keep employees informed about the big issues, as well as, the little details. 9. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 10. Remember that leadership is a privilege, and you have a duty to develop the leaders of the future. Someday, someone will knock on your door and ask you to share the secret of your leadership success. When they ask that burning question, the torch will pass. Give them "The 10 Golden Keys to Leadership Success." Sally looked at Anne and asked, "Is this the secret?" She nodded with a smile on her face and said, "There is one more thing, Sally. Read this every night before you leave the office and every morning before greeting the first employee. Etch these words in your mind. This is the simple formula employed by complex, brilliant leaders." A year later when Sally was graciously accepted the "Manager of the Year" award, she proudly stepped up to the microphone and said, "I couldn't have done this without Anne who shared with me a golden secret. Thanks, Anne." She bowed to a standing ovation and knew that she was now the torchbearer of the "The 10 Golden Keys to Leadership Success." |
