“You are running short and running long,” I repeated. “Are there any patterns to the fluctuations that would help us understand.”
“Absolutely, but the manager is working as a supervisor and doesn’t have the time to lay it all out,” Rene continued. “We have spreadsheet models that we used two years ago, but the assumptions don’t hold up, need to be tweaked. You know, it’s funny. The manager asked me last week if, what he is doing now, as a supervisor, is really the best use of his time?”
“What did he mean?”
“I don’t know,” Rene replied. “For a minute, I though we might have a motivation problem. You know, right now, everybody has to pitch in and do whatever it takes. But it did get me to thinking. We didn’t hire him to be a supervisor, it’s just now, that’s what we need him to do.”
“That’s what you need him to do, or someone else to do? Do you need someone to put out all the fires or do you need your manager to work on the system that will prevent most of those fires?”
This post reminds me of a quotation:
We are too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet. – Author Unknown
Nice post Tom! Unfortunately this is a common problem, especially given the challenging economic climate we have faced in recent years. I applaud this manager for having the courage to suggest that his time could be used better elsewhere. The danger for under utilizing a managers skills is very real in this situation and could lead to great problems as he or she becomes less engaged with their position.
I have shared your post with my readers in my Rainmaker ‘Fab Five’ blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2010/07/the-rainmaker-fab-five.html) to get them to look more closely at the root cause of the fires we all face every day at work.
Be well!