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.

Isn’t Big Enough (Yet)

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From Time Span 101 (scheduled for release in about a week).

Question:
I’m not all the way through the sessions yet, but I’m wondering how small businesses (less than 30) fill the roles of Stratum III and Stratum IV managers? I can see they have Stratum I and Stratum II but can the role of Stratum III and IV be filled by the same person? Can a person have two different time span roles depending on the “hat” they need to wear?

Response:
Sometimes, through necessity, one person can “fill in” by playing a role with shorter Time Span goals. Even in longer Time Span roles, we have many short Time Span goals, so the shift is not difficult, in terms of capability.

Beware, however, the shift may prove difficult in terms of interest. If all I ever get is short Time Span goals, with no challenge, you may find my interest begin to lag.

In small business, it is likely the entrepreneur will fill the role at Stratum III. And in a small business with less than 30 people, it is unlikely there is a need for the Stratum IV Integrator role. There isn’t anything to integrate. The business isn’t big enough to have those problems (yet).

There are many successful Stratum II companies (with less than 30 people). In their competitive environment, all they have to do is follow consistent processes. This would be typical of a fleet based service company (like plumbing or carpet cleaning).

To Know, To Feel, To Do

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I don’t care how much you, as a manager, know. I don’t care how you, as a manager, feel.

I only care about what you, as a manager, can do.

The best (and only) judgment of performance is performance.

Education is all about teaching you things to know. Motivation is all about making you feel. But all I care about is, what you can do.

That’s why we started Working Leadership Online. This is a hands on program that helps you to implement managerial leadership practices in your own daily work life. Next week, our Working Leadership group turns their attention to Delegation. I don’t care how much you know about delegation. I don’t care how you feel about delegation. I only care that you can do.

You can read this blog and know something. You can read this blog and it may make you feel differently about something. But the blog is not designed to help you do.

And that’s why we started Working Leadership. I just put the finishing touches on the curriculum that starts Monday. It’s good stuff. You can sign up for the upcoming Delegation subject area or you can register for the next three (Delegation, Control Systems, and Managing Time) at a discount. Each subject area lasts three weeks. We currently have 16 managers actively participating in this program and we’d like to see you join in, too. Check it out. -TF

A Hundred Hours

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“I don’t understand. Delegation saves time,” Julio puzzled.

“Yes, but let’s change the leverage point,” I replied. “Instead of thinking about the benefits to you, as a manager, what are the benefits to the person you delegate to?”

Julio was thinking. He nodded. “Well, they will be able to take on more responsibility?”

“Okay, but how does that benefit the team member?”

“They may learn something new. Gain a new skill. Try something they have never tried before. It might lay the groundwork for a promotion.”

“And if they are successful at this new skill, how much time will that save you?” I asked.

Julio sat back. Chuckling. “If they really learn it, could save me a hundred hours.”

“And that’s the leverage I am talking about. You work for one hour, get a hundred hours of productivity.”
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

I Would Have More Time

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“Every manager first thinks of delegation as a Time Management tool,” I said. “And it is powerful, but not if you think about it in terms of Time Management.”

Julio nodded that he was listening but I could see the skepticism in his eyes.

“You think you can save an hour here or there, but that is chump change compared to the leverage available. Julio, tell me, what are the major benefits to you, as a manager, when you are able to effectively delegate?”

“Okay,” Julio started. “If I can delegate, I can spend more time working on more important things. I can get more done. I may be able to get enough done to take off a little early, maybe take a full half-hour for lunch. I would have time to start on projects that have been sitting on the back burner. I would have more time for coaching and planning.”

“And that’s the problem.” -TF
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

Delegation Leverage

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Thanks to all of you who responded yesterday about the beta test for Management Myths and Time Span. We got our test group by around 11:00a. For those of you who responded after that, we started another list and we will let you know when we release the program (1-2 weeks).
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Julio continued to resist. “The biggest problem with delegation is that it takes too long to explain what I want done. In less time, I can finish the project myself and I don’t have to worry about any loose ends dangling.”

“What is the purpose for delegation?” I asked. “Why am I so insistent that you should delegate more often?”

“That’s easy. Delegation is all about Time Management. But, that’s not my experience. I spend a half hour explaining something that takes me fifteen minutes to do. How is that Time Management?”

“What kind of leverage are you trying to get when you delegate?”

“Well, if I can unload something that takes me an hour to do, then that saves an hour,” he explained. “But if it takes me a half hour to explain, or review the work, then that leverage is 2 to 1.”

“That’s a good start, but you should be looking to gain more leverage. You should be able to work for one hour and get five hours productivity. A better target would be to work for one hour and get ten hours productivity.”

Julio looked puzzled.
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

Theory and Practice

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Most of the time, the discussion here is about the practice part of management. And, for the past several years, I have trucked around the US and Canada, doing a workshop called Management Myths and Time Span, an introduction to the research of Elliott Jaques. That’s the theory part.

Now, an online version.
Management Myths and Time Span has generated so much interest, that we created an online version of the workshop, scheduled for release in a couple of weeks.

I need 20 people.
Right now, I need 20 people to test drive the program, kick the tires and give us some feedback. The test group will receive a free login to the program.

If you are interested, please [reply] to this email and I will put you on the list.

Details, for those who sign up.
The online version will go faster than the original workshop, but, it’s in-depth with tantalizing detail, so I don’t want you to think you can skim this in 6-7 minutes. The menu navigation organizes the program so you can pick it up and put it down.

You will most likely be interested if you have

  • attended one of our workshops
  • tried to explain it to someone else
  • tried to read Requisite Organization

If you have any questions, please let me know. Looking forward to seeing you online. -TF

Reverse Delegation

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“I don’t know,” Julio replied. “I try to delegate as often as I can, but it always ends up, back in my lap.”

“Does it seem like you delegate things to your team on Monday and then your team delegates back to you on Wednesday?” I asked.

“I never thought about it that way, but you’re right. It’s almost like reverse delegation. They get stuck with a problem, come to me for help and before you know it, they are out the door with the project on my desk.”

“How does that happen?”
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Apr 27 – Control Systems and Feedback Loops
May 18 – Managing Time – Managing Yourself
Jun 8 – Team Problem Solving – Power of Team

Saving the Day

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“I know I need to delegate more often, and I try, but I gotta tell you, I am not happy with some of the results,” Julio explained. “It takes longer to delegate than to do it myself. And half the time, I have to come back in, take over the project and begin again. It’s frustrating.”

“And what else?” I asked.

“You want me to go on?” he replied.

I nodded.

“I don’t trust them. I have a great team, but they let me down too often. We have a mission critical project and I try to get some help and it’s always me having to save the day.”

“Why do you think that happens?” -TF
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Working Leadership Online
April 6 – Delegation Skills – Ultimate Leverage
Register today.

Details

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From Working Leadership Online on the subject of Planning.

Question:
I see the guidelines for creating a vision, but it seems a little far-fetched. Actually, I think most vision statements are far-fetched. They are too vague, or too warm and fuzzy. They describe a world that doesn’t exist.

Response:
Exactly, a world that doesn’t exist. Planning is about creating the future. And you are right, most vision statements are too vague. A vision statement should describe a specific point in time and should be detailed, rather than vague. Whenever I write a plan, my vision statement is often the longest part of the whole plan. It is detailed in its description of how things look and how things work. The more descriptive the vision, the easier the rest of planning steps flow.

Slow Now, Fast Later

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“That fixes accountability between you and your team, but who will I hold accountable for the Goal?”

Gordon nodded and smiled. “Me,” he said quietly.

“Even if the reason we didn’t achieve the Goal was a defect in the team’s Action Plan?”

Gordon was catching on. “Yes, as the Manager, even though the team comes up with the Action Plan, I have to approve it. And, as the manager, if there is a defect in the Plan, a missing step or an overlooked contingency, it is my responsibility to challenge the team until the Plan is one that will work.”

“This takes time, and often, we have go slow now, so we can go fast later.”