What is management added value ?

I am in the business for 26 years and I am still asking myself this question on a daily basis. Regardless the tasks, job descriptions, organizational changes, meetings, business review meetings, personal targets, KPIs, and you can go on like that forever, this seems to remain unclear to many people.

In fact, it seems the more we are spending time on the above activities, the worst it gets. So let′s collectively take a step back if you wish.

First general expectation is that management brings CLARITY.

• Company PURPOSE, values, culture (enablers and sustainability conditions to satisfy customers): that is why and how we do what we do
• Priorities (alignment, focus); that is what we do and what we give up doing (this last one is rarely considered ending up into massive frustration of staff)
• Timeline: this is by when we need to be there (this is not budget or annual operating plan, this is 3 to 5 years strategic plan supported by an X matrix)
• Resources: who is doing what (project team NETWORK, sizing, skills)

All the rest is just consequence.

Second expectation is to get SIMPLICITY.

The world is complex enough and it is easy to find people capable to make it even more complex for others... Now it takes talent to turn something complicated into simple and that is very rare. Management has to bring simplicity in the areas below:

• Targets and KPIs: One KPI per target and a handful of key targets should suffice. The rest are PIs, keep them if they are related to the key targets, dump them otherwise.
• Organization: the more layers in an organization, the more complex the whole thing will become. Start by reducing functional layers: President / VP / Director / Manager / Team Member is enough. There is need for more Indians and less Chiefs...It is essential to build a NETWORK focusing on key projects in COOPERATION instead of vertical traditional organisation. Bend your organization to fit your team profile, do not try to force someone in a box (see the 8th MUDA).
• Speed is essential: transfer authority lower in the organization, EMPOWERING people is key. Try to eliminate relentlessly non value added activities starting by those you are forcing your team to do. Example: a manager has a budget: he is the only one in charge of it, no one to ask for spend authorization other than his/her boss.
• Reporting: a chart per KPI (NO SPREADSHEETS !), list of actions on identified roadblock, on display everywhere on daily management boards.

The TED Talk of Yves Morieux put in perspective how SIMPLICITY and COOPERATION deliver performance better than strict and perfect individual performance measured by marvelous KPIs within a rigorous organization.

With all the above you can get the BRAINS of your people.

Last expectation is TRUST.

If you are micro managing, spending an awful time checking the details behind the KPIs instead of corrective actions, not sincerely trying to help your team, being judgmental, playing politics instead of facts, you will never ever get the TRUST of your people and their HEARTS.

Without gaining the BRAINS and HEARTS of your teams, you will fail, it′s just a matter of time.

That is where you see the difference between stars and leaders.

• The star has selfish interests, trying to make himself indispensable, will squeeze everything he can from a team, hide the issues and his weaknesses, get some success, move away quickly and the whole results will just disappear leaving a destroyed team. How to spot them? they are directive, authoritarians, do not listen or ask for feedback, careless for people feelings, they say "I" not "We" and are not tolerating errors. When you have such boss, you are feeling unsafe.
• The leader has an altruistic attitude trying to give autonomy and make himself dispensable. He does not fear to show his errors and weaknesses and to ask for help. When he will move away the team performance will go on and all results will not be lost. How to spot them? they are asking about your ideas, let you often decide, spend a lot of time silent, questioning and suggesting, ask for feedback and caring. They say "We" all the time and allows try and error as normal part of the knowledge acquisition. When you have such boss, you are feeling safe.

My summary: a good manager brings CLARITY, SIMPLICITY and TRUST.

Which leader are you? What will you improve tomorrow?