“Go, figure it out!”

Looking back on my corporate career of more than 35 years and reminiscing about assignments that became sheer inflection points in my professional growth, I realized that I learnt the most with Managers who let me find my way.

I had a Manager whose usual response was, “Go, figure it out!” when we used to approach him for solutions to problems. Though at that time it was irritating and frustrating, looking back, I learnt so much while working under his supervision. He used to assign challenging tasks and projects, with his standard “Go, figure it out!” (GFIO) response.

In hindsight, he never used to abdicate his responsibility as a Manager. While his standard response was GFIO, he used to track, monitor, and ensure that we successfully completed the assigned tasks/projects, which allowed us to learn new competencies and grow from our setbacks too.

At a very basic level, I have observed 3 types of Managers – “Tell” Managers, “Ask” Managers and “Ask/Tell” Managers – who would “ask” for solutions and/or “tell” what to do, depending upon the situation.

“Ask” Managers are managers who typically probe, asking deep questions that challenge you, make you search, research, and discover fresh insights and solutions. The best part is that you grow tremendously in the process by learning new competencies and unlocking latent talent that you never knew you possessed, but the “ask” managers probed and revealed it to you. I still recall the time when I was deputed to Mauritius (my first trip abroad) to bring about the cultural integration of a firm headquartered there, that the textiles major that I was working for then, had acquired. Prior to my departure, I anxiously went to my Manager, who was known for his GFIO style, asking him what should be my game plan to bring about the envisaged cultural integration. He responded with his famous GFIO response. However, I still remember that he used to call frequently to check how the day went, asking innocuous questions that revealed to me the areas that I should have explored further or had missed out. He would take stock of my plans for the next day and would check whether the trip was on track to achieve what I had set out to do. The growth and self confidence that I gained consequently, was immense. GFIO made me grow in confidence and set me up for success. It was also amazing to note that GFIO was a culture that soon percolated across the function, where other Managers began to adopt a similar strategy with their teams.

“Tell” Managers, as the name suggests, prefer to directly tell you what to do. This is also an important managerial quality to have in times of crisis where the immediate need is to ensure the situation is handled. Competent Managers know when to use the “ask” mode and when to use the “tell” mode. While the tell Manager may suggest a solution, there is a lot to learn while implementing the suggested solution. I recall the first industrial strife that I handled independently in an oil and gas major. I was responsible for HR in the North zone, based out of New Delhi. There was a flash strike at an LPG plant based in Rajasthan. I had to travel to Jaipur, address the issues that led to the strike and ensure that the LPG plant was back in operation, without further loss of production and supply disruption. At the same time, I also had to ensure that I did not concede to anything that would create a precedence across other LPG plants. To top it all, my Hindi at that time was still very basic, to put it mildly. While my Manager told me what to do – go meet the union leaders, understand what led to the flash-strike, take the right decisions to resolve the issue while being firm, but fair – it was easier said than done. I was petrified being the person on ground zero, with the added weight and pressure of the supply disruption of essential services. Looking back, I can see the confidence that I gained in dealing with that situation on my own, while being guided by the advice given by my Manager. Through that incident, I learnt how to make a win-win deal such that there are no losers and understood the importance of building and sustaining personal credibility in a way that makes people trust you and your word, more than any signed document.

I also look back to analyse and understand what sort of a Manager I have been, to my reportees? Did I guide my reportees by “asking” or was my default style more of “telling”? Or did I use a correct blend of “Ask” and “Tell” styles, suited to the needs of the situation? While it is for my reportees to correctly answer this question, in hindsight and also based on feedback received, I realize that in my early days as a Manager and in my anxiety to get quick results, I was a “Tell” Manager. However, as I gained in experience, maturity, and self-confidence, I dare say that my style evolved to be more of an “Ask” Manager and “Ask/Tell” Manager.

To be an effective Manager it is important that we constantly take feedback from our bosses, peers and most importantly the people who report into us. While there are formal processes in place to receive feedback from superiors, there are only a few companies that take 360-degree feedback formally from peers, team members and others with whom we interact with, while carrying out our roles and responsibilities. Even if the company does not have formal systems and processes to capture such 360-degree feedback, effective Managers reach out and take such feedback informally from their peers and team members, with a clear focus and objective, to develop themselves.

It is a given that GFIO Managers create more GFIO Managers. For a corporate to differentiate itself, nurturing and creating GFIO Managers who focus on problem solving, capability building, team building, bonding, and building a culture of innovation, is paramount.

VERTS MANAGEMENT CONSULTING LLP

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