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.

The Super-Magic Pill

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

Yesterday, in a post about the Magic Pill, you said that a manager should only work 40 hours a week. There’s no way I can get all of my work done in 40 hours. You have to be kidding?

Response:

The Magic Pill is a mind-set. Forty hours a week is a mind-set. Of course, managers do work more than 40 hours a week, but the point is the mind-set. If you worked 80 hours in a week, would you be able to get all of your work done? The answer is no. The work of a manager is never done.

The point of the Magic Pill is two-fold. First, when you get tired, exhausted, burned out, your effectiveness drops off dramatically, down to zero. But the most important part of the Magic Pill is to work differently. The role of a manager is not the same as the work of a team member.

Let me tell you about the Super-Magic pill. It only allows for 10 hours of work in a week. If you took the Super-Magic pill and only worked 10 hours a week, what would you have to change to work effectively?

No, I am not kidding. I am as serious as a heart attack (the one you will have working 60-70 hours a week). -TF

Rules for the Magic Pill

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Prescription Instructions

  1. The magic pill must be taken, by managers, once per week, on Monday.
  2. The magic pill has no effect on the manager during the week until 40 work hours have been logged.
  3. Once 40 work hours have been logged, the magic pill prevents the manager from thinking about work activities.
  4. Blackberries and remote email are considered work activities by the magic pill.
  5. If the manager persists in thinking about work activities, the magic pill will shut down conscious thought and make the subject sleep for a temporary period (naptime).
  6. In most cases, the magic pill has been shown to change the work habits of managers, who now know they must be effective within 40 work hours per week.
  7. In clinical trials, in some cases, side effects of the magic pill have improved family and social activities.

Think about this magic pill. If you took the magic pill, what habits would you change to become more effective? -TF

Hard Work and Control

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“It’s funny,” Curtis observed, “sometimes, after hours, it is quiet and I ask myself, why am I here? I should be home with my family, but there is still so much to be done. And if I don’t take care of some loose ends, something critical will blow up tomorrow.”

“Do you think you are the only manager in the world that is thinking that thought?” I asked.

Curtis chuckled. “You know, you’re right. So, why does it happen?”

“You tell me,” I replied.

Curtis had to think. He had been so busy working, that he never thought about what he was doing and why he was doing it.

“I feel guilty,” he finally responded. “I am responsible. It’s up to me. I guess I bring it on myself.”

“And if something doesn’t change, about the way you manage this department, what will happen?”

“I am already seeing the chinks in my own armor. I feel tired every morning. I stopped working out because I don’t have time. I feel like I have a cold coming on. But the harder I work, the more things seem out of control.”

“Think about that,” I said. “The harder you work, the more things seem out of control.” -TF

Whose Fault Was That?

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Curtis was very uncomfortable. “You make it sound like I am in big trouble. But isn’t this what management is all about? I mean, aren’t I the one who is supposed to make all the decisions? Aren’t I the one responsible for all the results?”

“You are accountable to your boss for the performance of your team,” I replied. “But between you and your team, it sounds like you are responsible for making up all the plays, calling the plays, taking the snap, throwing the football, catching the football, running for the touchdown. Did you forget to block?”

“Yes, but it’s not that bad.”

“It’s not?” I asked. “Who was here all day last Saturday? How many hours a week have you been putting in?”

“Well, when you put it like that, I was here, 58 hours last week,” Curtis reported.

“And whose fault was that?”

“Well, there was just stuff I couldn’t get done during the week. I have a lot of responsibility.”

“And how much responsibility does your team have?” -TF

Tough Assignment to Turn Down

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Curtis shifted in the chair. “But my team never really comes up with anything. Sometimes it seems they just want me to tell them what to do so they don’t have to think.”

“Of course they want you to tell them what to do. If you tell them what to do, then they are not responsible for the solution. All the accountability falls back on you.”

“Yes, but after all, I am the Manager,” Curtis replied.

“It’s a tough assignment to turn down,” I nodded.

“What do you mean?”

“They invite you to take all the responsibility, you get all the glory. It is a tough assignment to turn down. Unfortunately, you cannot hold them accountable for things gone wrong. Your team kind of likes it that way.” -TF

Listening to Learn

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In her book, Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott talks about deepening our conversations, moving closer to reality, tackling tough challenges and enriching our relationships.

Mineral Rights is a multi-level conversation which cycles through surface issues, toward deeper insights, understanding and learning. Mineral Rights is the kind of conversation we often avoid, yet long to have. Yes, it deals with issues of the heart, beliefs and values. I am often asked when I teach this skill, “Isn’t that kind of personal?” Well, yes. “Doesn’t it make people uncomfortable to talk about that?” Well, no.

People like to talk about themselves. In fact, most people are actually waiting for someone to come along so they can talk about things close to the heart, what they believe, things important. They have been waiting all their lives for someone like you to listen.
-TF

No One Follows Your Lead

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

I have been a manager for several years, but have just been reassigned to a new division. I feel like a fish out of water. Their processes are slightly different and all of the people are new to me. And I am new to them. In the past, things were easy, no sweat, very routine, no problem. At every turn, I am getting push-back. No one seems to follow my lead or direction. Everything I say is questioned. And I have some very aggressive goals that I have to achieve.

Response:

Are you getting push-back, or are you getting tested to see where you stand as a manager? Either way, you have some work to do, individual work and group work.

Individually, you need to get to know each team member. This sounds simple, but it’s not.

In our classroom training, we call this the Mineral Rights conversation, digging little wells, looking for interests, influences and values. This is a highly structured conversation with a definite purpose. (Tomorrow, I will cover the Mineral Rights conversation in more detail.)

As a team, you need to leverage the dynamic of the group to establish the lead or direction. You are correct in your observation that no one seems to follow your lead. People only follow the lead that is in their best interest. This is a critical topic for discussion with your team.

What is the work that needs to be done? How can we best help each other to do it? What do you need from me? What do we need from each other?

Notice that the questions come from you as the manager. The responses come from the team. -TF

You Cannot Manage Time

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“How many of you have all the time you need to complete all the things that need to be done?” I surveyed the room, not a single hand went up. Earlier, during class introductions, the challenge most often described was Time Management.

“The clock never slows down,” I began. “I cannot give you any more minutes in a day and the rate of those minutes never changes. You cannot manage time.

“You can manage yourself, you can be more productive, you can manage tasks, but no matter how much you stare at the clock on the wall, the second hand will continue to tick.

“And understanding techniques to be more productive, techniques for self-management, techniques for task management seldom work.

“It is not desire that fails people, for most want the outcomes that Time Management produces.

“What fails people most is Discipline. The Discipline to perform something over and over until it becomes a habit. It is only when you create a habit that you will gain the benefits from any Time Management technique.

“I can teach you the techniques, but only you can supply the Discipline.” -TF

Positive in Public

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From yesterday’s mailbag:

Question:

How do you bring in a new team member to an existing team?

Response:

Kurt pointed out (in a comment to yesterday’s post) that the job of bringing on a new team member begins long before the arrival date.

That being said, I believe the new team member is already on site. Now what?

This rite of passage for the new team member is a group issue. It needs to be dealt with by the group. It is up to the manager to create the environment for a positive discussion. The initial topic will be to introduce the new member. And I mean a proper introduction, at a regular team meeting.

What is the previous work experience, what positive qualities were identified during the recruiting process, what role this new person will play? These are all great questions to answer in the introduction.

Subsequent team meetings should provide discussion on Getting Things Done and focus on skills and talents that each team member brings to the table. Part of the discussion should be on the diversity of skill, talent, attitude and energy that will be required from the team as a whole.

I want to create these positive conversations in public with the team rather than allow private pairing conversations to occur at the water cooler. -TF

Bringing in a New Team Member

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

How do you integrate your team’s newest member when she brings a personality that is more intense than everyone else? Let’s say that she strikes you as being, at times, slightly passive aggressive while the other five teammates are typically a very easy going bunch. There is no doubt that she is productive, but so is everyone else.

Might they have trouble working through in a crisis, if she will not buy into their laid back attitude? What obstacles would you watch out for in this situation?

Response:

Bringing a new person into a team is always the beginning of change for that team. The fastest way to change the culture of any team is to bring in a new team member. For better or worse, things will change, and everything that happens will create a precedent for future events, future relationships within the team.

Before we start looking out for things to go wrong, let’s start with how to productively bring in a new team member, especially one that brings energy, enthusiasm, a fast pace and other great attributes.

Let’s open this up for comments. If you have an experience, observation or recommendation, please post your comment. More tomorrow. -TF