Confessions of a failed manager ?

SHARED THOUGHTS………..06.10.2012.

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Some of my younger friends have been asking me to pen my thoughts or my experiences from the lessons learnt in my years of managing business and people.  This very brief introspection is for them.

 

I have not been a great successful Manager. I lacked many qualities that could be ascribed to being one. But did I succeed in what I was doing or did I fail? 

Honestly looking within, I can confess, I have come a long way from the naïve sheepish looking fresher of the ‘70s… coming a long way happens even by default, when one lives that long. Yes, I am a failure as a Manager, is what I want to convey.

And I know the reasons for that failure.

It is Success.

 

I succeeded beyond the expectations of those employed by me, or partnered with me in recent times and that was the reason for my failure.

 

The bottom line is that I failed to capitalize on the success achieved by my Team.

 

In the first instance, I failed to synchronize my team’s target with that of the Company’s..a mere 25-30% growth would have satisfied the Co’ management; my team achieved over 150%. That mis-match in perception caused the failure that happened very soon.

 

In the second instance, from a total new beginning, within one year, my new team achieved a near miracle, close to being the market leader, relegating my previous company into a non-entity.. However, the Investor had other ideas seeing this success.. I failed to read the developments leading to a hostile take-over by the Investor, right under my nose.

 

In the third instance, I put together yet another new team and started anew in another region, totally alien to me and the team, with a new investor. Within a short time, my team achieved another near miracle, close to being the market leader. The investor had other ideas seeing this success. I failed to see the conspiracy between the investor and my own team member to collude, right under my nose. 

 

Similarities aplenty, right?  The point is success in itself is not success. In business, Success is to succeed AND managing people. No wonder Management is defined as Manage-men-t ; how to ‘manage men in real time’

 

 

A pilot’s skill is irrelevant, without an airplane. An airplane is nothing, without a pilot. The success of the pilot is in navigating AND understanding that all the mechanisms are doing their respective functions expected of them. Disaster is not far off, if the pilot is oblivious to erring parts in the system

 

I have been only a good success in managing business, but a failure over managing people…reading the minds, check-mating and overcoming the scheming, plotting, conspiracy of people around me. As flowers attract the honey bees, success attracts jealousy, envy, greed and resentment. If one cannot see these taking roots, then that is a failure.

 

Reflecting upon this truth, I realize that the single most important reason for my failure is my inability to speak frankly or bluntly, when required. 

 

Two Weakness of a person
one - to be silent when it is proper time to speak.
second - to speak when it is proper time to be silent.

 

I came across the following as some of the reasons for management failure. From my experience, I would rate the inability for a tough plain talk, as the most significant  contributor for failure.

 

Most common reasons for managerial failure.

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You aren't very good at tough conversations

A manager needs to have tough conversations, make decisions that may be unpopular, and enforce standards and consequences. If you shy away from difficult conversations--or the opposite, if you're too aggressive and confrontational in them--you likely won't be seen as manager material.

 

You don't look the part.

It might seem superficial and unfair, but appearances really do count. You might get away with pushing your office's dress code to the limit, but it's probably impacting the way people perceive you and what opportunities you're offered.

 

You're terrible at time management

Managers need to keep track not only of their work, but also keep track of other people's too. If you can't stay on top of your own projects, your employer isn't likely to have faith that you'll be able to monitor the work of an entire team.

 

You gossip or are part of a clique.

Managers need to be unbiased and objective--and not only that, they need to appear unbiased too. If you've already crossed professional boundaries within the office, it will be difficult to rebuild those lines as a manager.

 

You don't know how to prioritize

Managers need to look at a landscape of dozens of possible projects and identify the most important ones to spend time and resources on--and then stay focused on those goals without letting distractions intervene. If you already have trouble figuring out the best place to spend your time, the problems would only compound.

 

You don't manage your own boss well

The ability to manage upward gets more and more important as you move up the ladder. If you're not skilled at managing your relationship with your manager now--including communicating well, getting aligned on expectations, it's likely to hold you back from higher-level roles.

 

You're a complainer

Managers need to have the maturity and perspective to understand how policies that might be annoying still serve the larger good of the company. They also need the judgment to raise concerns professionally and through the correct channels, rather than sharing them with anyone who will listen.

 

You do your job duties and nothing else

Average work might satisfy the requirements of your current job, but it's not enough to get you promoted. Promotions go to people who go above and beyond the minimum and seek out ways to improve constantly.

 

You don't make your accomplishments visible

You might be doing a fantastic job, but if no one knows that, you won't be rewarded for it. So don't be shy about sharing accomplishments with your manager, whether it's rave reviews from a client or a tricky problem that you solved before it caused damage.

 

(extracts from web)

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Life is similar to a Boxing game..

Defeat is NOT declared when you fall down;

It is declared when you refuse to ‘Get Up’!

 

I have indeed Got Up every time I was felled or thought to have been defeated. This I consider is my success and a blessing. “Pulling together” a new team is not easy, but it happened just when one was needed; as at present, I am with a new team, hoping to sustain the success we are riding now, from the lessons learnt.

 

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In any Team, members must share the same vision. The team leader’s vision. Any mis-alignment is a recipe for disaster, sooner or later. Rotten apples are everywhere, if one is in the Team, then the Team is rotten. To identify and remove the rotten apple, determines the success of the Team Leader. 

 

TEAM WORK.

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None of us is as smart as all of us. ……… Ken Blanchard.

 

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. Henry Ford.

 

It is not a question of how well each person / process is working, the question is how well they are working together.  Lloyd Dobem.

 

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Henry Ford.

 

Talent wins games. Teamwork & intelligence wins Championships. Michael Jordan.

 

Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much. Helen Keller.

 

Finally, WHEN “I” IS REPLACED BY “WE”, EVEN ILLNESS BECOMES WELLNESS.

 

( Thank you Moh’d Al Saad) .

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PULLING TOGETHER.

 

What sets a successful organization apart from its competitors? You can bet having a successful team is at the foundation of the answer.

 

Are you putting your Team first? Do your team members really understand your overall vision? Do team members know what is expected of them? How can each team member contribute most effectively.   What constants hold the team together?

 

At the center of every high performance team is a common purpose – a mission that rises above and beyond each of the individual team members. To be successful, the team’s interests and needs come first.  Effective team players understand that personal issues and personality differences are secondary to team demands. His does not mean abandoning who you are or giving up your individuality. 

 

On the contrary it means sharing your unique strengths and differences to move the team forward.

 

High performance teams recognize that it takes a joint effort to synergize, generating power above and beyond the collected individuals. It is with this spirit of co-operation that effective teams  learn to capitalize on individual strengths and offset individual weaknesses, using diversity as an advantage.

 

Effective teams also understand the importance of establishing cooperative systems, structure, incentives, and rewards. We get what we inspect, not what we expect. Think about it. Apart from individual job descriptions, there must be Team job description, Team performance reviews and Team reward systems.

 

Team First Rule: to embrace Team First rule, make sure your team purpose and priorities are clear, overall mission is shared by all in the Team. Team game plan is discussed and agreed. What is expected of each Team member is well understood.

 

Courtesy. Mac Anderson / John Murphy.

 

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Have a good weekend,

 

 

MOHANDAS. KP.

http://mohandas-sharedthoughts.blogspot.com/