Friday, January 29, 2010
The Six C’s of Management Put to the Test
Behind the Scenes at Taylor Studios, Inc: "When a direct report doesn’t complete a task that has been assigned to them it can be frustrating. In my early years (I started my business when I was about 25) I would become very aggravated. I would think, “I told them to do this. I sign their paychecks. What’s the problem here?”"
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5 comments:
I think the most important part of this article was not the 6 Cs, but the line about "I told you to do this. I sign their paychecks." In my experience, some managers tend to take this mindset to an almost extreme level, occasionally making it the base for their management style. Part of what makes a good manager is the ability to connect with his or her workers, so when they solidify just how much higher up a ranking ladder they sit compared to those that work for them, it tends to negatively impact their ability to lead.
I've certainly worked with the managers that Charlie speaks about! But two things resonated with me in this article - actively practicing or working with the direct report to troubleshoot areas of uncertainty or lack of knowledge, and handing over a written-out list of explicit goals and objectives for the position. I jump to my experiences in the scene shop this year, which I came into CMU with little to no experience and even less common sense around the shop. The tasklist may not have been feasible for each night of crew, but one of my best experiences in the shop was working with Tom Strong who, when he saw I was moving slowly and faltering often while attempting to build a frame with him for Burial at Thebes, walked me through a step-by-step process and explained the concepts, not just the procedures. I really learned that process that night, and you can bet we were moving really fast on the second and third frame we made that night. In short, it's akin to the "give a man a fish" proverb - teach a worker to understand what they're doing and why, and they will be much more successful at it and similar tasks in the future.
I have a problem with this article, not the 6 Cs, but the examples he gives of solving a problem. He gave a new worker an objective, to make 50 phone calls a week, and explained why. While he goes through the steps and says that all was good, I wonder if there was just no need for a number to measure the work of this person. Could he not be doing an excellent job, just not requiring the numbers given? I don't know exactly what an account manager does, but it seems like they might not need 50 or even 30 calls a week to be effective. As for the 6 Cs, they seem like useful tools if used properly. Since they are based on perception it is important to really look at the problem from the workers perspective.
I agree with both Katherine and Charlie. Being able to connect with people is an extremely important quality in a leader. Also the example the author gave was not the best one they could have used. The caller could have been an excellent worker, but couldn't make those calls. you can't measure how good/hard/efficient a worker is with phone calls.
I also like this system because it seems rational and logical. It makes sense and would help not only judge whether it was a staffers error or your misjudgment of their capabilities to get a task done.
"What gets measured gets managed." - Peter F. Drucker
You may be correct in that phone calls were not the best tool in evaluating this sales type position. The results of the phone calls is the key. However, we were not hitting our sales numbers either. Additionally, there are many other measurements that he was evaluated on, not just one. Phone calls help build relationships and that was one of the goals of the position. Phone calls was one of the primary roles of the job description.
I prefer that there is a combination of quantifiable and qualitative assessments. I believe if you do not have something quantifiable, evaluation can be very subjective and a moving target. What measurable evaluation tools would be acceptable?
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