The Manager - Edition 87 - Consistency in management
THE MANAGER - BY ROB LAMBERT
Thoughts, links and food for your management brain
Hi,
I hope you're all staying safe and well.
The key to being a successful manager (well, a successful anyone really), is being consistent.
Consistent in doing the right thing; the thing that needs to be done; the work.
They do the right thing. Consistently. No matter what their mood, interest, inclination, fears or personal drama. This isn't to say you should remove emotion from your life, far from it, but you shouldn't bring it to work.
Others look to you for support, high standards and the example of how to behave. Therefore, you must be consistent, no matter what's happening in your life. Sure, you should show vulnerability and not put on a brave face, but deal with your challenges outside of work, not in front of others. It's hard, it's a fine line.
But the effect you have on the team is much more intense than you may realise. Managers, even the bad ones, have a real influence on the team. Be human, be vulnerable, but be reliable.
In the past I've been inconsistent due to personal reasons and it made a HUGE difference to my team. I quickly realised that I often set the tone of the team. I learned to keep my issues at home, take time out often to rest and relax, and not to bring my own drama to work. I showed vulnerability; that I was human, but I dealt with it out of work (and took some time off to do so).
More importantly though, I learned that being consistent is the key to effective management.
Having the hard conversations no matter how I felt
Improving the process, even the really boring ones
Sticking to my one to ones, even though I had other work to do
Challenging the status quo (and leadership), for the good of the customer and team, even when I knew if would be a tricky thing to do
Showing up and doing the work, day after day
Consistency in your behaviours and actions, shows other you can be trusted and that you are reliable. Two behaviours we surely all want to see in those who lead and manage our world?
So today, even if you're not feeling it...what needs to be done? What shouldn't you put off? What is the right thing to do? Who needs you to be your best today?
Go do it.
Hope you are well, take care and stay safe.
Rob
FOOD FOR YOUR MANAGEMENT BRAIN
1.
This week's new post from me is about the 11 Principles of Effective Communicators.
You know how I feel about communication and how it is a core behaviour to learn - well, these 11 principles are essentially the foundations of the Communication Workshop, Zero to Keynote and are the 11 I've tried to apply to my own life too.
The blog post is here --> https://cultivatedmanagement.com/11principles/
The YouTube video is here --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3UPwGwR1ZI
A fun 2 minute video on the 11 is here --> https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6663767585751867392
----Channel Information----
YouTube Channel is here - consider subscribing to never miss a post - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpmsS4WP6MdLRrwisHnWDTw/
LinkedIn catalogue is here - again, you can "Follow" the page to get updates and see the content - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/42938705/admin/
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2.
Elon Musk reacts to not being classed as "essential" during lockdown by promising to immediately move Tesla from San Fran to Nevada unless he gets treated better (i.e. - they're allowed to open during lockdown).
What about the people he employs in California? What about the skill and knowledge he would lose?
But more importantly, what about the safety of his people?
As managers and leaders we need to think about our people, they are the engine of our success. To react to news is not a good trait. Instead, digest it, dwell on it, decide what you can do - and respond. Not react.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52601750
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3.
This article is all about learning and teaching children during home schooling, but frankly, this advice is good for adults interested in learning too.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/2020/04/forget-homeschooling-teach-life-skills-instead-coronavirus
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4.
It's incredible to read about how many tech companies are coming together to try and solve our current predicament. But let's not also lose sight of some of the challenges with new tech - mostly, the fact it can be quite invasive.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/15/tech-coronavirus-surveilance-state-digital-disrupt
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5.
Yay - not just me then that thinks disruption should never be the goal of a business. A business should exist to give customers something they aren't getting (and needing), from someone else. Not just products, but service and care and attention too.
https://hbr.org/2020/05/good-entrepreneurs-dont-set-out-to-disrupt?ab=hero-subleft-1
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6.
Does having a company that sounds fast increase the chances of investment and success? I knew I should have called my business "Super Fast Management" or something stupid like that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/technology/zooooooooooooom.html
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7.
Love this little article on writing and why it makes sense when working remote. There are also some brilliant tips on how to write better.
http://www.timcasasola.com/blog/writing
Thanks for reading this week's edition of The Manager.
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Thanks
Rob..