Monday Morning Leadership

Manager in Crisis

Jeff Walters was in trouble. After several years as a successful manager at a large, well-known company, he hit a mid-career crisis. Jeff was putting in extra-long hours, but he wasn’t achieving the goals his company set for him and his team. Business was bad; lately, the company’s leaders had been telling all its managers that they expected stronger performance from each team. Jeff and his team were reporting weak results, and his problems at work were undermining his personal life: He had no time for his children, he and his wife were unhappy, his health was deteriorating – everything was going wrong.

“For you to be the very best, you cannot allow yourself to become complacent in your comfort zone. You need to be reaching for improvement.”

Jeff called Tony Pearce, a semiretired executive who had been close to Jeff’s late father. When Jeff graduated from college, Tony had offered his help, if Jeff ever needed it. Jeff hoped that maybe Tony could coach him on how to turn things around at work. Tony agreed to meet with Jeff for eight Monday morning mentoring sessions. In return, he asked Jeff to pass along the knowledge he would gain to others. Jeff agreed. He was excited about learning from Tony, whom the business community respected greatly for his wisdom and his business savvy.

“Making Tough Decisions”

For his first Monday mentoring session, Jeff arrived at Tony’s house 10 minutes late due to bad weather. Tony warmly greeted Jeff and escorted him to his library, where they would meet for the next seven weeks. Tony asked Jeff to agree to three rules: Show up at the scheduled time, be honest, and be open to new approaches. Tony requested details about what was going wrong at Jeff’s office. Jeff explained that his early career had been successful. His firm’s business was strong, and he had been on the fast track. He worked hard to get his staff members to like him. To maintain friendships with them, Jeff sometimes overlooked some team members’ poor performance. Jeff had thought that was OK, but now the performance problems he once ignored had become impediments that made it difficult for his team to meet its goals.

“If you want to be extraordinary, the first thing you have to do is stop being ordinary.”

Jeff confessed to Tony that in a spirit of candor he sometimes shared his negative opinion of the firm’s senior managers with his employees. While complimenting Jeff on seeking coaching and support, Tony warned him that trying to curry favor with his staff was a big mistake. “If your goal is to get everyone to like you, you will avoid making tough decisions because of your fear of upsetting your friends,” Tony cautioned, telling Jeff not to criticize upper management to his staff. As a manager, Tony explained, Jeff no longer was just a passenger in the company’s journey down the road. He was a driver, and he had to accept responsibility for his team’s performance. Tony gave Jeff a notebook to use as a journal about their Monday meetings, and he told Jeff to write the thoughts and plans that evolved from their discussions.

“Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing”

On the second Monday, Jeff told Tony that he led a team of 15 people, but he had two open slots because two top people had just quit. With confidence in his team, he affirmed his belief that his people knew what they had to do to succeed, but he described his boss, Karen, as “demanding.”

“People quit people before they quit companies.”

Tony asked why the two staffers had departed, why Jeff hadn’t filled the vacancies and why he thought his team members knew what to do if they weren’t meeting their goals. “Keep the main thing the main thing,” Tony advised, meaning that Jeff had to establish firm priorities for himself and his team. Many leaders fail to define their team’s primary goals, Tony explained. As a result, employees focus on what they assume their bosses consider important. Many times, they guess incorrectly. When people quit, Tony noted, usually they are not dissatisfied with the company but with their boss. He suggested that calling Karen demanding might be unfair, since supervisors must insist on ace performance. Tony counseled Jeff to determine exactly what Karen wanted and then deliver it. He told Jeff to identify his firm’s and his team’s “main thing,” their top priorities.

Keep Your Stars Shining

On the third Monday, Jeff reported that he’d re-examined the exit interviews he’d conducted with the two people who left his team – Jeni and Chad – and he’d questioned some of their peers about why those top producers had quit. He learned that neither really wanted to leave, but they were unhappy in their work. Jeff then called Jeni and Chad directly. They both blamed his weak management skills for their decision to leave. For instance, he hadn’t provided feedback, and he didn’t hire quality people, so they had to carry more of the load. As uncomfortable as this feedback made Jeff feel, he reported that he considered it carefully. Jeff also told Tony that, in order to define priorities, he’d followed up on their previous meeting by asking his staffers to complete the sentence, “The main thing in our department is...” Jeff also met with Karen to learn her expectations.

“Manage your boss the same way you manage your subordinates.”

Tony described the pitfalls of getting lost as a manager, losing touch with employees and wrongly treating all personnel the same. Pleased with Jeff’s initiative, Tony told him employees fit one of three types: “superstars” who are exceptional at their jobs; “middle stars” who lack the experience to become superstars, or who were superstars and are no longer motivated; and “falling stars” who don’t care about their work and don’t even try to do their jobs well. Jeni and Chad had left, Tony explained, because Jeff had thoughtlessly expected the team’s superstars to make up for the deficiencies of its falling stars. Start paying attention to your superstars, Tony counseled Jeff, so they keep working hard or do even better. Tony also told Jeff to take another look at how he had evaluated his team members when he reviewed their work.

“The ‘Do Right’ Rule”

On the fourth Monday, Jeff reported back that his personnel evaluations were flawed. Often, he gave higher marks to falling stars than superstars. Regarding recognition and performance, Jeff realized that he had “lumped everyone into the middle,” and he now understood why “Jeni and Chad felt abused.” He also told Tony that he now was spending more time coaching his team.

“The principal reasons executives fail are arrogance, out-of-control egos and insensitivity.”

Then Jeff described a difficult situation: One of his best employees, Todd, was having problems at home and had begun to drink on the job. Jeff had already told Todd that such behavior was a firing offense, and that he needed to discontinue it immediately. Todd was still drinking at work and Jeff didn’t know what to do. His tendency was to ignore Todd’s behavior so he wouldn’t lose another top producer, but Tony strongly counseled him to act, explaining that taking charge of the situation and firing Todd was the right thing to do – since company policy against alcohol on the job was clear, and since Jeff had already issued a warning. Tony explained, “The only way to fix the problem is to...fix the problem.” Back at work, Jeff consulted with Kim in his firm’s human resources department, and they role-played the upcoming session, during which Jeff would terminate Todd. Kim and Jeff met with Todd, and Jeff fired him.

“Hire Tough”

At his fifth Monday mentoring session, Jeff reported that he and his team had established their “main thing”: Respect your colleagues and team, give customers terrific service and earn profits for the firm. Tony was pleased Jeff’s unit now had a mutual set of priorities.

“Figure out ways to take control of your time so that you can take control of your life.”

Tony complimented Jeff for dealing forthrightly with Todd. The “right people” are a company’s greatest asset and the “wrong people” are its chief liability, Tony said. Therefore, any leader’s primary job is to bring in the best employees. Leaders must hire tough, prepare fully for all job interviews and never rush hiring out of the need to fill a position quickly. Tony cited the “Three Rules of Three in Hiring: Interview at least three qualified candidates for every position, interview the candidates three times, and have three people evaluate the candidates.” Tony advised Jeff to have one of his team’s superstars sit in during his job interviews with prospects.

“Do Less or Work Faster”

On the sixth Monday, Jeff informed Tony that he and Kim had interviewed 20 applicants and chosen the top nine candidates for three open positions. However, all of this interviewing had put him way behind schedule and left him little time for his personal life.

“Doing the right thing is always right.”

Tony asked Jeff a puzzling question: “Who can spend your time but you?” Tony made Jeff realize that he can spend his time as he chooses. It is his responsibility, no one else’s, to spend his time productively. Working hard is not an effective management technique, Tony explained. Instead, save a minute here, five minutes there, fifteen minutes somewhere else. Watch the time add up as you discover ways to slice small segments from daily tasks. Shorten your chores, drop unnecessary steps and combine activities. “You can do less or you can do things faster,” Tony stated, “Those are our only choices.” Tony suggested that Jeff track his time for two weeks to create a record he could study to find ways to save time. He also told Jeff to follow these specific steps: Keep your desk clear so you can work more efficiently. Don’t be a prisoner of email. Take lunch at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. to avoid the rush. Avoid interruptions. Stand up when people enter your office so they don’t sit down and get comfortable. To avoid distractions, face your desk away from the door.

“Buckets and Dippers”

At their seventh meeting, Tony taught Jeff how to coach his team members so they would become more proficient, noting that smart leaders spend substantial coaching time simply recognizing top producers for their good work. Tony reminded Jeff that, as a leader, he needs his employees more than they need him because meeting the company’s goals requires the team’s combined efforts. Like employees everywhere, Jeff’s staff members each have a “bucket of motivation,” and like other leaders, Jeff’s job includes making sure everyone’s bucket stays full.

“The more you teach, the more accountable you become to what you’re teaching.”

Tony also explained that the people on Jeff’s team had individual negative “dippers” like “cynicism, negativism, confusion, stress, doubt, fear, anxiety” and other emotions, problems or attitudes “that can drain someone’s desire and motivation.” Some people even use their dippers to steal other people’s motivation. Tony envisioned Jeff’s job as “Chief Bucket-Filler.” This task requires strong communication in four areas: keeping everyone in touch with the main thing, providing excellent performance feedback, routinely recognizing achievers for their good work, and informing the team about how it performs as a group.

“Enter the Learning Zone”

At their eighth and last meeting, Jeff told Tony that he had convinced Jeni to return to the company. Plus, his new employees were all doing well. Tony congratulated Jeff for working so hard to improve his performance as a manager and as his team’s leader. At the same time, Tony warned Jeff not to slip back. “For you to be the very best, you cannot allow yourself to become complacent,” Tony warned. He urged Jeff to move out of his comfort zone and into “the learning zone,” which has three rooms: the “reading room,” since managers should read constantly to improve their knowledge; the “listening room,” because managers must hear their people; and the “giving room,” because the more you give, the more you receive.

“The more buckets you fill, the more your bucket is filled.”

Urging Jeff to keep setting goals, Tony reported, “I’ve found that goals can become the strongest force for self-motivation – they are your track to run your course,” His last piece of advice was to encourage Jeff to remain upbeat. Tony explained, “The question is not, ‘Are unfair things going to happen?’ The question is, ‘How are you going to react to whatever happens?’”

“Executives call me to help them solve business problems. I’ve never made up a solution. None of their problems are unique. The value I offer is the wisdom of all the people who have written these books.”

Jeff thanked Tony for all his valuable counsel and mentoring, and he gave Tony a large brass bucket filled with gifts. “At the risk of sounding corny, this gift represents what you have done for me the past eight weeks,” Jeff said. “You filled my bucket with your gifts of insight and wisdom.” Tony’s mentoring sessions proved to be exactly what Jeff needed to resurrect his career and get back on track at work and in his personal life. Within two years, Jeff received a promotion at his firm. Jeni, who originally quit because of Jeff’s previous management flaws, replaced him. And, Jeff wrote this book to fulfill his promise to Tony that he would pass along what he had learned during his Monday morning mentoring sessions.

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About the Author

David Cottrell is president and CEO of the CornerStone Leadership Institute. A former senior manager at FedEx and Xerox, he is the author of 11 books and a frequent speaker on leadership.