At TRT you aren't "managed" you are...

My first week at IBM as an Information Systems Assistant (ISA) in 1988, it was shared to me that IBM had a few other (unofficial) acronyms other than International Business Machines. They started with “I’ve Been” …. Married and Managed (mis). I was not too worried about the married acronym as I was not married, and I did not plan to be there long enough to been measured against that acronym. But the “I’ve Been Managed” yes that concerned me, it’s funny I always was attracted to the word management but repulsed by the word “managed’. To me the word management was applied to resources and managed was applied to something you do to people. Rightfully or (most likely) wrongly that being “managed” was synonymous for me to be “manipulated”.  

Moving forward to the founding TRT in 1997, it was important to me that I was there to manage people I had a “time and motions slant” to my management approach which has endured in the 22 years leading to today and I guess will stay in place as long as TRT is owned by myself.  

The reason behind the waste of the two previous paragraphs is not to justify my approach nor my desire to express my life. But rather to let you know that the TRT approach to human resources is based on the long-held view of its founder that is still the CEO of TRT today.

TRT does not employee people managers because at TRT you are not managed you are:

1.     Recruited

2.     Trained 

And then you …

3.     Execute

And then you are

4.     Reviewed

After Step 4 you go to back to Step 2 and then go through to Step 4 repeatedly. In the meantime, Step 1 is continued in parallel. So, if Steps 2 -4 don’t yield results we “manage” that applicant out of the business and bring in new talent. 

You are working with “live ammunition” with serious subject matter experts who are measured and measure themselves on how well you execute and not on how good they are at keeping you liking the job. The job is the job... you want to stay you stay you want to leave then leave. It is a short discussion because we do not want to manage you to stay if you do not want. 

If you feel some Team Leader said something you do not like, and it demotivates you, then you should leave as you should never work at a job that is not motivating to you.

The number of interviews with for Team Lead positions where I must hear an applicant state on notable achievement being converting an unmotivated employee to a motivated employee by “managing” them through the process …. Seriously, I feel like choking myself. I want to say to the applicant. How about those motivated employees why did you not spend time making them better? Why did you not tell the unmotivated employee to leave?  

I am mindful that TRT is not for everyone and in many cases only for a few people. We have demanding clients and well-funded, organised, determined competitors in a changing technological global business landscape. TRT has not the luxury to motivate an unmotivated employee. If you have any tendency to not be 85% motivated when you arrive at work, then do not apply for any role at TRT. We are awful at converting under 80% motivated employees on any day to be over 80% motivated. We are great to convert consistently 80% motivated employees to be 103% motivated. When it comes to your career you are ready to run through a wall to be successful? We will show you how.   

In conclusion if you want to be “managed” look past TRT to other companies that have managers that take responsibility for and find motivation for you when you are not quite so motivated to come to work. We genuinely wish you the best in search as purpose in your career life is most important.