You Are Not the Yardstick

Hello again, new managers. Let me introduce you to Ed.

The first thing you need to know about Ed is that he was a damn good sales professional. He set aggressive sales goals, but preferred to work on his own timeline. Like most high-achievers, he looked at micromanagement as a kind of disease--he just wanted to be left alone to do his thing. And as far as recognition went, he didn't have much use for "attaboys." For Ed, the reward was a job well done and his commission checks.

Ed was also a nice guy, so his colleagues were happy when he was promoted to be their new sales manager. It didn't take long, however, for the team to lose all confidence in his ability to lead. Within just a few months, sales had dropped through the floor and the team's morale was abysmal.

Ed's problem was that he managed others the way he preferred to be managed. He made it a point to set aggressive goals and then get out of his people's way. He also didn't set firm deadlines for anything, because he figured his people knew how to manage their workload better than he did. And he didn't offer them much in the way of recognition because he assumed that they were all wired like him--motivated primarily by financial incentives.

Some of his junior salespeople flubbed their first meetings with new customers through lack of experience and Ed didn't come along to show them the way. Other members of the team delayed meetings because, without firm deadlines to word to, they felt no urgency. A few of his senior salespeople picked up the slack and started mentoring their junior peers, but quickly grew resentful because they felt their extra effort had gone completely unnoticed and unappreciated.

Managing other people the way you want to be managed only works if the people you're managing are exactly like you.

Assuming you're not managing a team of clones, you'll need to get to know your people as individuals. This doesn't mean you have to be everyone's friend. It does mean you have to get to know what makes them tick, professionally.

Here are a few questions for your first one-on-one meetings:

• "What motivates you to do your best work?"
• "How do you like to be managed? Is it better for you to have a lot of guidance or a little?"
• "How do you prefer to be recognized for your work?"

You also need to recognize that you are not the yardstick for performance, either. You probably earned your promotion because you were an exceptionally high achiever. Not everyone you manage is going to have the same aptitude or motivation you did, so you need to get to know what they're realistically capable of. You can motivate them to grow and improve their performance beyond its current level, but you can't use your own performance as the standard for everyone.

Don't manage other people the way you would like to be managed. Manage them the way they would like (and need) to be managed.

This is part of a series of articles for new managers. If you enjoyed this post, check out the other articles in the series: Promotion Shock, The Boring Truth About Wardrobe, The Near Mentor, Listen to Everything, Promise Nothing, Your First Day, Don't Mention It, Ask And You Shall Receive, What Got You Here Blah, Blah Blah, You are Not the Yardstick, The Most Important Meeting, You're on the Air, Your People Come First, Your First One-On-Ones, and Perspective-Taking: An Overlooked Skill for New Managers.