What's Critical for Managers? Consistency!

Managers must be clear on the management practices they use to manage. Sounds simple, but all too often when I ask managers what practices they use to manage I get answers seated in uncertainty. This, to me, demonstrates an inconsistency in how they choose to behave. Instead, I get, “I do a bit of this and a bit of that”. What I don’t get is an answer that describes a set of consistent practical steps.

Choosing a set of foundational steps and sticking to them is critical for management success. Genius is developed through doing something hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Remember how clumsy you felt when you first started to drive and now it is second nature to you? You achieved this through practice, practice, practice. Great managers do the same to develop their skills. They choose a set of management practices and stick with them for their entire career, each day deepening their expertise and effectiveness. This enables them through time to build a level of wisdom in and mastery of their chosen profession.

An immediate result is predictability, consistency and increased clarity for their direct reports, something most employees crave.

Here are the 11 Practices we have found serve managers well when they choose to adopt them and practice them religiously:

1.     Context Setting
2.     Team Planning
3.     Team Building
4.     Task Assignment
5.     Task Adjustment
6.     Monitoring
7.     Coaching
8.     Effective Assessment
9.     Selection and Integration
10.  Deselection and Dismissal
11.  Continuous Improvement

So... if you are a manager, ask yourself: how do you manage?

Nick Forrest