Author Archives: Tom Foster

About Tom Foster

Tom Foster spends most of his time talking with managers and business owners. The conversations are about business lives and personal lives, goals, objectives and measuring performance. In short, transforming groups of people into teams working together. Sometimes we make great strides understanding this management stuff, other times it’s measured in very short inches. But in all of this conversation, there are things that we learn. This blog is that part of the conversation I can share. Often, the names are changed to protect the guilty, but this is real life inside of real companies.

Whose Goal Is It?

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“Don’t you think you are being a little hard on me?” Torrey floated.

“Not at all. I am just heading off the excuses I expect to hear when your team doesn’t meet your goal,” I replied.

“My goal. But it’s not really my goal,” Torrey protested. “It’s the team’s goal.”

“No, the project goal is your goal. It is you, the Manager, that I hold accountable for the project goal. Regarding your team, I only expect them to do their best.”

“But, but,” Torrey sputtered.

“But, what? You signed off on the project budget, based on the resources and the schedule. You signed off on the Goal, the What by When. I will judge your effectiveness, to manage the project resources and the schedule along the Time Span of this project.”

Even If a Machine Breaks Down

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Torrey took a long breath. “So, I am responsible for the output of my team members?”

“That is what I will hold you accountable for,” I replied.

“Even if they get sick, or a machine breaks down, or materials are late,” Torrey was looking for a way out.

I nodded my head. “Torrey, the reason we selected you for this project, is that you have been successful on other projects, six months in length. I expect you to manage the uncertainty of events that could happen and will happen during a project of this Time Span. I expect you to make contingency plans, schedule redundancy where it’s appropriate, inspect for quality, anticipate schedule changes, vacations and prevent accidents. I don’t expect you to make excuses. I expect you to anticipate, modify, readjust and meet the deadline.”

Redefined Role of the Manager

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Sitting in an airplane, with daylight fading behind the tail of the aircraft, watching the city candles flicker in the valley below. Three days working with groups in San Diego, got to spend time with Ozzie Gontang who always makes me think.

As this recovery struggles along, I find myself working, more and more, with new managers and I am struck by the remarkable role they play in the fabric of our organizations.

“You have just completely redefined the role of the manager,” came the observation from the other side of the room.

I don’t think it was me. I think it was somewhere between Elliott Jaques, Wilfred Bion, Jerry Harvey and Lee Thayer.

“You are not a manager so people can report to you. Your role, as a manger, is to bring value to the problem solving and decision making of the members of your team. And you, as a manager, are responsible for the output of your team.”

What Do You See?

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“I see, I mean, I am having a problem with one of my new supervisors, and I need to know if he is up to the challenge. If you could interview him, I would appreciate your feedback,” explained Ryan.

“You started to tell me what you were seeing,” I pushed. “Then you stopped and announced that you had a problem, a problem you think I can fix for you.”

“If you can’t fix it, can you, at least, tell me what to do, how to handle him?” Ryan shifted quickly.

“Let’s go back to what you see. You think you need to make a move with this new supervisor, and you haven’t told me what you see. If you can describe to me what you see, we can likely make some headway.”

I could see Ryan’s impatience. He wanted a quick fix, something he could nail and move on. And yet, I could see his breathing slow down. He knew there was no magic pixie dust. “Okay, what do I see? I see a project on his plate. This is not a huge project, but it will take some planning to make sure everything falls into place.”

“And what do you see, in your new manager?” I pressed.

“I see some confusion, disorganization. I see the clock ticking on this project, and he hasn’t taken the first step. This will be a test in his new role and I am afraid the wheels on the project might get a little wobbly.”

“And what are the things that could make the wheels get wobbly?”

“It’s not that difficult,” Ryan thought out loud. “First, he has to make a list of the milestones, then a list of the people, materials and equipment for each of the milestones.”

“I know you think you have a problem with this new supervisor, and as you describe what you see, what moves do YOU need to make, as his manager?”

See Things With New Eyes

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I am in San Diego, working with a group on the Time Span research of Elliott Jaques.

“So, what do we do next? How do we implement this stuff?” came the question at a break.

“Calm down,” I replied. “For starters, don’t do anything.”

This was definitely NOT the anticipated response. I smiled. “Look, during the past three hours, I have described a new way of looking at your organization, a new way of looking at work, how roles are created, how accountabilities are designed into those roles. So, stop. Don’t do anything.

“Sit, and watch. Observe. See things with new eyes. Describe what you see, first to yourself, then to someone else. That is the first step.

“So, tell me, with your new eyes, what do you see in your organization? What is going on?”

How to Work Harder Without Working Longer

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Emily’s white board had been in place for three days when I got the call. The tone in her voice was quite cheery.

“My team is absolutely amazing,” she reported. “The first day was tough because production was pretty much the same as before. The daily target was 175 units and we only managed to produce 86. I thought the team would implode, but when I got to work the next day, they were all there early and the line was already running. Instead of shutting down the line for break, they took breaks one at a time to keep things moving. We still only got 110 units, but they saw the improvement. Yesterday, they changed a couple of more things and we produced 140 units.

“What’s funny,” she continued. “All I have done, as a manager, is post the target number on the board in the morning and make comments about their improvement. All the changes, they have done on their own. It’s like everything has shifted. This is no longer my problem. They are working to fix it like it is their problem.”

“And, what about your morale problem?” I asked.

Emily’s face curled into a smile, “Oh, I don’t think the problem was morale.”

Tasks Only You Can Do

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“With those two purposes for delegation, time management and people development, where is the leverage, for the manager?” I asked.

It’s a lizard eye question, destined to create silence in the room. The answer to that question requires a series of more specific questions.

“If your purpose for delegation is time management and you delegate a task that saves you one hour, how much time have you saved?”

“One hour,” someone shouted out. “As long as you didn’t have to explain it. But if it took ten minutes to explain, you only saved 50 minutes.”

“You must have been a math major,” I replied. “So, the relative leverage for delegation, if your purpose is time management is 1/1, as long as you don’t have to explain much.” I stopped to survey the room. Heads were nodding in agreement.

“And if your purpose for delegation is people development and you delegate a task that saves you one hour every week, in a years’ time, how much time did you save?”

“Fifty two hours,” shouted the math major.

“And so, if it took an entire hour to explain this one task, that now saves you 52 hours over one year, what is your leverage?”

The math major was still on his game. “52/1,” he announced. “And if this delegated task saved you one hour a day, your leverage for the year would be 260/1.”

“Now we are talking leverage. If your purpose for delegation is time management, your leverage is likely closer to 1/1, but if your purpose for delegation is people development, your leverage is huge. When I work with CEOs, I am always looking for leverage, where they work for an hour and gain 500 or 1000 hours of productivity. The only way to gain that kind of leverage is through developing team members to assume responsibility for tasks and roles that you think only you can do.”

Two Purposes for Delegation, One More Powerful

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“Be selfish. Don’t think about anyone else. If you could delegate more effectively, what would be the major benefit, to you, as a manager?” I asked.

The class was quick. We charted their responses on the board. I drew a careful red line across the page and asked the second question.

“And for your team member, what would be the major benefit for your team member if you were able to delegate more effectively?”

Again, the class responded and we filled the rest of the page thinking about the team member. I stood back. The top was all about the manager, the bottom was all about the team member. And the themes were distinctly different.

“What is the major theme when you think about yourself?” I continued.

“Time,” the class replied. They had twenty responses, but they were all connected to time.

“Indeed, delegation is your most powerful time management tool.” I stopped and surveyed the faces as I pointed to the bottom of the chart. “And what is the theme, here? When you focus on the team member, is this about time?”

Heads were shaking, eyes squinting, some sat back. “It all has to do with learning, self-confidence, growth and recognition,” they finally replied.

“Indeed, as a manager, you think about delegation as a time management tool. In fact, delegation is your most powerful people development tool.“

Negative Behaviors

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
What is an extreme negative temperament?

Response:
We all have the ability to irritate others on occasion. An extreme negative temperament would be connected to behavior that is over the top, sustained and sticks out like a sore thumb.

It is a characteristic of the fourth factor I look for in candidate selection for a role.

  1. Capability
  2. Skill (Technical Knowledge and Practiced Performance)
  3. Interest, Passion, Value for the Work
  4. Reasonable Behavior

As a part of Reasonable Behavior, I look for both positive habits (repeated behaviors that contribute to effectiveness) and the absence of an extreme negative temperament.

I see myself as pioneering, competitive, assertive and confident. However, under moderate pressure, people have described me as demanding, egotistical and aggressive. Under extreme pressure, I might be seen as abrasive, arbitrary and controlling. If I were, indeed, abrasive, arbitrary and controlling, all the time, to everyone, that would likely have an impact on my effectiveness in most roles where I had to work with others.

Most of us contain bits and pieces of traits like this and under pressure or stress, those traits tend to emerge. As we feel this pressure and become aware of our response, we can, intentionally, temper those behaviors, moving away from behaviors that decrease our effectiveness and moving toward behaviors that increase our effectiveness.

Some, few people, however, move toward those extreme negative behaviors faster, stay there longer and may not be aware of the impact of those behaviors on their effectiveness. This behavior (the underlying temperament) is typically not coachable, and working with a person like this is usually outside the bounds of prudent managerial time. As managers, we are NOT psychotherapists. Our role is to assist the organization to accomplish goals and tasks.

As managers, we deal with people problems all the time. As managers, it is our role to support our teams and coach our team members to be more effective in the work that we do together. When behaviors escalate beyond that (and you will know by the churning in your stomach) it’s time to seek assistance and counsel from your own manager. That’s what they are there for, to bring value to your decision making and problem solving.

Coachable Factors That Impact Effectiveness

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
If we cannot change a person’s natural capability, except to watch it grow through their lifetime, what can a manager do to impact a person’s effectiveness in a role?

Response:
Tons. It is a managers responsibility to bring value to a team member’s problem solving and decision making, and there are several factors that contribute to effectiveness.

The most obvious is skills training. I may have the capability to perform effectively in a role, but I may lack the skill (technical knowledge and practiced performance). It is incumbent on the manager to observe the team member, ask questions, test performance and determine if skills training could contribute to effectiveness.

I may have the capability to perform in a role and I may have mastery of the necessary skills, yet I may still underperform in a role that I am not interested in. It is incumbent on the manager to observe the team member, ask questions and test performance to determine what work I am interested in. Another word for interest is passion. So, what work am I interested in or passionate about? It is that work, on which, I place a high value. If I value the work, there is likelihood that I will be interested, but if I do not value the work, there is likelihood that I will not be interested. This has a huge impact on effectiveness and eludes most managers.

Reasonable behavior. I see two sides to this, there is a positive side and a dark side. Elliott Jaques described this as “minus T.” The “T” stands for temperament. Now, there are many psychometric assessments out there that attempt to classify behaviors connected to temperament. While there is some curiosity around these assessments, Elliott found no positive correlation of any “reasonable temperament” to success in a role. Yet, if there are behaviors connected to an extreme negative temperament, there could be significant impact on effectiveness in a role. I find these situations typically beyond managerial coaching. By the way, we do not need a psychometric assessment to find this out. Everyone already knows it, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

But there is a positive side to reasonable behavior, called habits. I find these are coachable. I may have the capability, the skills and knowledge, place a high value on the work and yet may engage in habits that are counterproductive to effectiveness. Or “not” engage in habits that contribute to effectiveness.

As a manager, I may be more effective if I arrive in the morning fully awake to get my teams cranked up for the day’s production. Yet, if I am in the habit of staying up late at night, that may have an impact on my effectiveness. And yes, habits are habits, but they can be changed.

So, we cannot change a team member’s natural capability (it is what it is), but, as managers, as coaches, we can have a profound impact on effectiveness.