Dear Tom,

Question:
I thought I would try to just meet with my supervisors individually. That way I could compile all the information and make some sense out of it. It just isn’t working. By the time I get back to them, chaos has broken loose.

Response:
Management is about leverage and impact. One of the most powerful leverage tools you can use, as a manager, is calling a meeting. Working with team members one at a time has its place, but the leverage is 1:1. Don’t ever work 1:1 when you can help it. A manager cannot afford to work 1:1. A manager has to work at least 2:1, better 3:1 or 5:1. Gain 5 hours productivity from one hour’s work.

You are working with several supervisors on an individual basis, attempting to coordinate their schedules. Call a meeting, get them in the same room and have them coordinate with each other. The trap most managers fall into is the feeling that the manager must solve the problem. Listen carefully, write this down:

The manager does not have to solve the problem. The manager ONLY has to make sure the problem gets solved. Big difference. Think about it. The manager solving the problem requires:

1. The manager meets with each supervisor to collect a schedule familiar only to the supervisor.
2. The manager reviews the schedule to understand its current sequence, without the knowledge of required labor and materials.
3. The manager meets with three other supervisors to do the same thing.
4. The manager does some anlaysis to locate overlaps and gaps between the schedules.
5. The manager, without the benefit of knowing labor and materials, makes unilateral decisions to re-sequence production, preventing overlaps and filling in the gaps.
6. Everyone stands around wondering how far the manager had his head up his a*s when he made that decision.

Try this scenario:

1. The manager calls a meeting with the four supervisors who arrive with their schedules and knowledge of who is working today and what materials they have on hand.
2. The manager asks each supervisor to report on their intended production schedule, asking the other supervisors to listen for overlaps and gaps between the schedules.
3. The manager asks each supervisor, with their knowledge of who is working today and materials on hand, to re-sequence production to prevent overlaps, fill the gaps and meet the production needs of the Project Mgrs.
4. The manager adjourns the meeting.

Management is about leverage. Meetings are a powerful leverage tool. —TF