Dr. Merritt,
I attended your leadership program recently and wanted to take a moment to thank you and let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your classes. Not only did you keep the atmosphere light, you brought a real world experience to class that made it crystal clear that you have been in our shoes.You were describing a manager whose operations were “crazy busy,” but had no hard facts to back up those statements. I laughed and realized that I can identify with that manager at times when I get asked questions from board members. It is uncomfortable when I tell them I need to get back to them. I have weekly manager meetings where operations are discussed, however I was inspired by how your meetings were run. I have decided that I am going to change the way that I structure my meetings and have each manager spend a few minutes summarizing the past week and events along with what is happening in the upcoming week. After that I want them to discuss their departmental financials. Can you give me advice as to how to get started?
Ariel S.
St. Louis
Ariel,
Thanks for your message. I enjoyed meeting you and having you at our sessions. The short answer is that you need to ensure concise reporting from your managers, so that you are current on operations--especially as they relate to budget and forecast--without drowning in useless detail.
Let your direct reports know in advance that you are changing the format of your meetings slightly and that reports will now move toward concise operations reviews of who, what, where, when, why, how, and who cared. Their reports should also include recaps of numbers and times versus budgets and forecasts.
Weekly meetings, monthly, and quarterly reviews should include statements (department head estimates) as to whether variances to budget and forecast (of 10% higher or lower than forecast) are issues of timing or real (with hard adjustments at quarter ends). Perhaps the most important part of this analysis review is the reporter’s understanding that you want to hear what he or she intends to do about such variances.
One cannot move high performance individuals and teams toward the lowest amount of need for direction by you (refer back to our discussion of the four levels of direction: Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating) unless they assume responsibility for managing both good and tough outcomes. Operations are somewhat easy when business is favorable. Effective management comes from thoughtfully and successfully working through difficult times. Carefully guiding the ups and downs of operations is what makes effective managers successful leaders.
Good luck and good wishes!
-Ed Merritt
