Avionics News January 2012 - 53

by tinkering with the actual work of front-line employees, said Dan Bobinski, author of Creating Passion-Driven Teams: How to Stop Micromanaging and Motivate People to Top Performance. He or she may require excessive approval at each sub-step of a project or take back work that’s been delegated to “do it better” himself. In either case, those actions take a toll. Employees who don’t feel they can do anything right quit trying, since the boss is just going to redo their work anyway. As morale plummets, they act out in predictable ways: high absenteeism, attendance problems and passiveaggressive bad-mouthing. “All of that is going to affect the bottom line,” Bobinski said. But, those actions exert another cost, too: high turnover. This affects not only the business, but also the employee. In an emotional tizzy, employees may feel inclined to jump ship just to get away from Bosszilla. “It can go from bad to worse,” Chambers said. “You take the next job, as opposed to the best job.” Yet, the events leading up to this situation go unnoticed by the manager, Chambers said. The worst offenders are often tone-deaf to the notion that being quick to point out errors and mistakes, or getting openly frustrated because no one “gets it,” may not be such a good idea. Generally, they only put the idea on their radar when confronted. “Managers want to defend that they’re only adding value,” Chambers said. “They don’t perceive they’re being a hindrance.” Beating the Habit For that reason, managers need to consider the possibility. They also can’t dismiss direct reports who are griping, Chambers said. Yet, if acknowledging there might be a problem is a smart move, it’s not the only one. Chambers recommends every manager have one-onone conversations every 120 days with each direct report to ask three candid questions: 1. What does he or she do that helps the employee do their job?

2. What does he or she do that hinders that work? 3. What should he or she consider doing differently? This has two benefits. First, employees generally feel more comfortable reporting problems with open communication. Second, those last two questions may uncover stewing problems, which gives both parties the opportunity to negotiate new rules. Still, the solutions may need to be unique to each employee; what works well for one might not with the next person. If this sounds burdensome, remember it is the manager’s job. Yet, oftentimes, micromanagers haven’t been adequately trained for the role. “You’re good at your job, so I make you the manager,” Chambers said. “But, I don’t teach you how to get the job done through others.” In that vacuum, managers either default to modeling a previous boss or grab tight control to repurpose past successes. There’s only one problem. “(When) a person becomes a manager, he has a whole new job description,” Bobinski said. “The only thing that’s going to make somebody successful at the management level, which made them successful at the front line, is the ability to learn.” In essence, the manager needs to learn that he or she is no longer responsible for technical work. The manager is responsible for helping the employees work better. Bobinski recommends asking each employee what makes them tick – what drives their head, heart and hands – considering that people think differently, value different motivations and behave individually in the face of problems. This knowledge is where a manager can add his value, Bobinski said, and one who’s able to do those things is better equipped to coordinate work flow and delegate tasks to the right people at the right time, which helps quell the urge to take over when things might go awry.
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Avionics News January 2012

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