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.

Communication Opens Up

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“So, I guess I should have stepped in and told them it was okay to be a little behind on the project. I was just being too hard on everyone,” Sheila figured.

“That’s not the problem,” I replied. “It’s not a matter of being too hard or too soft on your team. It is a matter of fixing accountability. It’s a matter of being very clear on who would be accountable for the result.”

“You mean I should tell them the truth, that they would not be held accountable for the result of the project? That doesn’t seem right. If they know that I am the one accountable for the result, I don’t know what would happen,” Sheila pondered.

“Think about it. If your team knew that you, as the manager, were accountable for the result of the project and the project got behind, would they have tried to cover it up?”

“I suppose not. If they knew that I wasn’t going to chew them out, why would they cover it up?” she said.

“Especially, if you make an agreement with them, because you, as the manager, are accountable for the result, you need to know ASAP if any part of the project gets behind schedule. And you are not doing it because you are tight-fisted, but because you are accountable. When you are clear about accountability, communication opens up and people stop trying to cover their ass.”

HR Blew a Gasket

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“As the manager, you agree that you were accountable for the results of the project?” I asked.

“I agree,” Sheila reluctantly replied.

“But the mistakes were made, because the team member thought they were accountable for the results. When the project first got behind, why didn’t they tell you?”

“I guess they thought they could cover it up, catch up with the schedule and that I wouldn’t find out.”

“Because they knew there would be hell to pay?”

Sheila nodded. “Because there would be hell to pay. I guess I did say that.”

“And because there would be hell to pay, the team member thought they should work overtime to fix the mistake. Is that person authorized to make the decision to work overtime?”

“No, and they talked the whole team into working overtime. And they agreed not to write the time down on their timecard. They were really trying to cover up. HR blew a gasket when someone complained they had to work overtime and weren’t allowed to put it on their timesheet.”

“And why did all this happen?” I pressed.

“Because the team thought they were accountable for the result and there would be hell to pay.”

But That’s Me

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“So, you told the team something that wasn’t true. You mislead them about who would be accountable,” I said.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Sheila protested. “The problem with the project was just a breakdown in communication.”

“Sheila, I want you to look carefully at a couple of things here,” I replied.

  • The project got behind and no one reported it.
  • A team member made a decision to work overtime that was not authorized.
  • A team member made a decision to use materials that were reserved for the next shift.

And you can’t tell me why those things happened.”

“It was just an honest mistake. I don’t think they really meant any harm,” Sheila defended.

“So, who should I hold accountable for the project coming in late and over budget?” I asked.

“Well, it was their fault.”

“No,” I shook my head. “All crumbs lead to the manager.”

“But that’s me,” Sheila puzzled.

Accountability for Results

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“They knew they were behind, but didn’t speak up,” Sheila began to think out loud, assembling the events in her mind. “They worked overtime, used up materials intended for the next day. Put us further behind. And still didn’t speak up.”

Again, I asked, “Why didn’t they tell you. After all, you are the manager. And, as the manager, you were accountable for the results of the team.” I stopped. I stopped to see if Sheila noticed that I changed her story. She noticed.

“I know, I know,” she replied. “And you’re right. I told them that they would be held accountable for the results, but in the end, I’m the one in the hot seat. Believe me, my manager was pissed.”

“Let me get this straight,” I said. “You told the team that they would be held accountable for the results of the project, when you knew the accountability for results ends up with you.”

“Well, you know. I always say that. I want the team to take ownership. Every manager I know, says that.”

Hell to Pay

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“The harder we worked, the behinder we got,” I smiled.

Sheila politely laughed, but I could tell she didn’t see the humor. “You would think, as soon as it looked like we might miss a milestone, someone would speak up.”

“Why do you think your team was silent? Were they aware the project was getting behind?” I asked.

Sheila nodded. “I talked to them and got a funny response. Everyone knew the project was behind. One person said they got nervous when they inspected some of the production and found it was defective. They knew there would be hell to pay, so they worked overtime, doing rework, used up the raw material that was reserved for the next day. You can see where this was going. The next day, the whole crew stood around, not able to work and we were further behind.”

“And they didn’t tell you what was going on?”

“No, not right away.”

“Why didn’t they tell you?” I pressed.

Sheila looked to the side, then to the ceiling. “I don’t know.”

Snowball Effect

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“But we had the meeting,” Sheila complained. “I delegated the tasks, each, to the most appropriate team member. I spent a lot of time trying to build consensus for the direction we were heading with the project. I ended the meeting very firm, that the team would be held accountable for the results.”

“And what happened?” I asked.

“Everyone was very clear about their part. Lots of things had to be coordinated. I was looking for some high levels of cooperation,” she replied.

“And?”

“A couple of things got behind, and I didn’t find out about them. One part of the team was waiting on some things and couldn’t move forward until some other parts were finished. At first it didn’t seem like such a big deal, but it’s that snowball effect. The longer the project went on, the harder everyone worked, the more we got behind.”

No More Illusions

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Elliott observed the frustration in the Management Team Meeting and watched as it failed to achieve the teamwork intentions of Wilfred Brown.

And Elliott made a suggestion. It was a simple suggestion, but its impact profound.

From that day forward, the Management Team Meeting would carry a new name. In its place, it would be called the President’s Meeting. The members of the meeting would be the same, the frequency would be the same, but the accountability for its decisions would no longer rest with the team, but with the president.

In fact, the accountability of its decisions had never rested with the team. The accountability had always rested with the president. This small change only now, clearly described what had always been.

But now, what was different?

Naming the meeting according to reality brought a new enthusiasm to its purpose. The purpose was, now, to capture the input of the management team, to identify the challenges that exist, both in the external market and the internal organization, to identify the technical details and consider alternative solutions, so the president could make the best decision. There were no more illusions, no more contrived circumstances. The politics disappeared and the team moved forward with great clarity.

This lesson about who is accountable for the goal is a lesson that has value at every layer in the organization. More about that tomorrow. -TF

A Larger Sense

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Still in Philly, working with another group today, more on Elliott Jaques.
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The Board of Directors had assigned a goal to the president, Wilfred Brown. It was Wilfred, alone who would be accountable. It was Wilfred, alone, who had the authority to make the necessary decisions, to commit resources, to set the reasonable Time Span of task assignments for his management team, to adjust the strategy, to shut down a project, to acquire a technology. It was a long term goal defined by the Board and the Board had entrusted its execution to a man named Wilfred Brown.

And what is more, Wilfred Brown was up to the challenge. He understood. He had the necessary capability to plan and execute, to achieve the goal.

Wilfred’s executive team was hand-picked, each chosen for their experience, their skill and their capability for the tasks they were assigned. But the tasks (goals) they were assigned, were of shorter Time Span than those (goals) created by the Board for Wilfred Brown.

And it was at these Management Team Meetings that Wilfred would present the problems he faced and the decisions to be made. His executive team could, each, see the impact in their own discipline, and each, in their own way, could make decisions appropriate to their assignments.

But in the largest sense, they failed to see what Wilfred Brown could see. Wilfred could explain and demonstrate, argue and persuade, but in the end, in some cases, he would veto the team’s conclusions on the largest decisions.

What Was the Point?

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Greetings from Philadelphia. Talking to a group about Elliott Jaques.
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So, what was the point of this Management Team Meeting? The Management Team was asked to participate in the biggest decisions and solve the biggest problems. Yet, all too often, Wilfred Brown the Managing Director, would make his own decision.

What is the point of your Management Team Meetings? Is it important to set the context for the work of the company, to describe the market, identify the customers? Is it important to describe the ultimate goals of the organization, the long term vision?

Is it then important to capture the input of the management team, to identify the challenges that exist, both in the external market and the internal organization? Is it important to identify the technical details and consider alternative solutions?

And is it better to do this alone, in the solitude of the president’s office, or is it better to put together the heads of the management team?

You see, Wilfred Brown’s intention to include his management team was not only noble, it made common sense. More than that, it was necessary.

But what was the point, if Wilfred was going to veto some of the important decisions?

And Elliott watched. He made notes. He talked to the members of the management team, and he talked with Wilfred Brown.

Often Enough to Disturb

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You see, before the Management Team Meeting, Wilfred Brown sat in another meeting. This meeting was behind closed doors. It wasn’t secret, but the doors were closed. This meeting was a meeting of the Board of Directors. In this meeting, Wilfred Brown was given his marching orders. The Board made its decisions, decided direction and set its goal. These were not operational directives, but strategic milestones well into the future.

So, Wilfred Brown arrived at the Management Team Meeting, knowing the goal assigned to him by the Board of Directors. Wilfred had noble intentions of creating an atmosphere of teamwork. He held a deep belief in the importance of his management team participating in the largest problems and making the biggest decisions.

But, in the end, (of many meetings), the decisions, made by the executive team, would fall short of those directives determined by the Board. And it would not be the team sitting in that next Board meeting. It would be Wilfred who would be held accountable for the decisions made in the Management Team Meeting. Often enough to disturb the team, Wilfred, reluctantly had to step in.

So, what was the point of this Management Team Meeting?