
We are used to seeing more success stories and overnight success than struggles. It's much easier to take note of the 25 year old who climbed the ladder quickly as opposed to the struggles and time taken by a 35 year old to get to the same spot.
This is part of the reason why we produce our podcast. Mastery takes time, mastery is the combination of lessons, failures, and the result of the number of times you are able to get up after falling down and grazing your knees.
For this Podcast, we opened up about some of our failures and what we wish we had known from The One Minute Manager before we started our management journey.
One Minute Goals
Having a bad manager is like participating in an archery class, blind folded. You have a bow and arrows in your hand and your instructor tells you to hit the target.
You know you need to shoot your arrow and hit a target, but you have no idea where to point your arrows. You have no concept of the direction of your target nor how far away it is! Similarly, a bad manager will tell you to "hit your goals" but provide you no direction.
A great instructor will remove the blind fold, explain the reason why you need to hit the target, and allow you to adjust your distance from the target accordingly - after all, you are learning! Similarly, a great manager will tell you what objective you need to achieve and work with you to break it into manageable goals according to your skills, understanding, and availability.
One Minute Praise
Let's carry on with our archery analogy.
Suppose you are still in your archery class. You are shooting arrows for 45 minutes, the instructor doesn't interact with you throughout the session.
The likelihood is that you will shoot 30-40 arrows and you will miss the target multiple times. Some arrows may be wide, some short, and others long. Similarly, a bad manager will let you get on with no feedback. If you are lucky, you might get some generic feedback such as "good job" and certainly won't be timely. Too little too late?
A great instructor, on the other hand, will be on the lookout for something you do right. They will observe you shooting arrows and pick up on the actions and behaviours that are in line with a great archer. Similarly, a great manager will be on the lookout for something you do well and will give you timely and specific feedback. Think - what would you rather hear:
"Good job in the meeting"
or would you prefer:
"You did a great job in the meeting. I really like how you have structured it and kept everyone on task. I know it was difficult, but it was needed".
One Minute Redirects
Back to our archery classes.
You have been attending 45 minutes classes for 8 weeks. On week 8, your 'lovely' instructor decides to tell you: "your posture is half the reason why you don't hit the target!". You will probably think: "Hang on a second, you wait until I pay 8 weeks of classes before you give me any feedback?!"
You have paid your hard earned cash and are annoyed. Why should you feel any different in the work place? You are putting in the most valuable thing in your life - your time - towards completing work and attempting to achieve some objectives.
Receiving untimely feedback is not helpful and doesn't contribute to your growth. In addition, when redirects are not timely or frequent, they are typically skewed towards the most recent actions you have taken. It is the equivalent of receiving feedback for the last 3 arrows you shot. You may be left thinking - what about the other 37 arrows I shot?
On the other hand, a great instructor will be on the lookout for an opportunity to redirect you. When you hold the bow incorrectly or when you lose your posture, they will point it out as soon as it happens. This ensures you have time to realise what was wrong and rectify it. Similarly, a great manager will lookout and provide you with redirects immediately. They will not wait until performance review meetings, they don't shy away from holding the conversation. The purpose is to give you the opportunity to learn immediately from the opportunity. Feedback is a gift.
Archery is far fetched, what happens in real life?
In our 10 year in industry, we have had our fair share of good managers and less-great managers. Amongst our less-great managers is Tommy (obviously not the real name).
Working for Tommy was a bit like playing roulette. You never knew what was going to happen next, you never knew if it was going well, and there was a ton of other people playing the same numbers as you!
Meet Tommy
When I joined Tommy's team, I was off to a great start.
I was excited on my role, but a little inexperienced. When I first joined the team, I was given goals, expectations and I knew what I was supposed to deliver. I felt I had a good sense of direction.
This couldn't have been any further from reality.
The objectives begun changing on a weekly basis and new actions (all urgent) were added daily. The lack of prioritisation and structure left me with a feel of helplessness. I felt I was unable to prioritise effectively, and felt unable to deliver in my role. I begun questioning my abilities and worth. I begun working unhealthy hours, which took a toll on mental health.
Why was I struggling so much? It's amazing how much one can spiral in those instances!
I wasn't alone. There were others, like me, who were struggling. As a matter of fact, other people in the office were undergoing the same experience: an increasing number of actions, pressure, and unclear goals. To add to the confusion, specific actions were allocated to multiple people. This meant there was two-three people working on the same things at the same time (yes, a wonderful use of resources!) This left the entire office feeling frustrated and defeated!
Meet Caroline
As I was undergoing my ups-and-downs with Tommy, a colleague spoke to me about Caroline. Caroline has the same seniority as Tommy, but had an entirely different management style.
The key difference in Caroline's management style is that she never gives answers or commands. Instead, she asked questions to understand what her reports could commit to (i.e. she allowed for targets to be adjusted). Caroline spent time to explain the why of tasks and their importance - she attached the "why" which earned commitment.
My colleague explained that Caroline used the One Minute Manager principle by the book. Upon the completion of a business proposal and presentation, Caroline provided immediate and specific feedback. She took a minute to reflect on the quality of the proposal, how well it had landed with the senior stakeholder, and what it would have meant for the business. It wasn't just a "great job" it had depth, it reflected upon what was done well, and the impact.
The difference in the approach of each manager is significant. One is direct, wants to get the job done, and will find all means possible to do so. The other invests time in the development of individuals, gets her reports to become invested in they "why" and delivers results.
If you haven't read the One Minute Manager, give it a try. It's a tiny book with large font (somehow managed to turn into a 45 minutes podcast!) It has some golden nuggets and we hope that you can find it as useful as we have.
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