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“He said that I was undermining his authority, that if I had anything to say to one of his team members, I needed to go through him and he would deliver the message. Otherwise, he said, Hands Off.” Sylvia was off balance. “I didn’t know what to say.”

“What did you say?” I asked.

“Well, I told him I was sorry, that I didn’t realize I had overstepped my bounds on his team and that I would try to be more considerate in the future.”

“And how did he respond?”

“He started talking about professionalism and that if I had worked where he used to work, that I would have been written up,” Sylvia replied.

“So, this place where he used to work, was this some sort of policy, that managers could only engage people one layer down in the organization?”

“Exactly. He said that if I had worked for a real company, I would have known that.”

“So, you are saying that’s it’s okay for one person to play more than one role in the company, since we are so small. We just don’t have enough people to cover everything you’ve outlined.” Wes was piecing this together, looking at the roles and the limited number of people he had available.

“That’s why the smallest of companies need only focus on their product or service. They keep all of their performance standards in their heads, because they are the only ones doing the work,” I replied.

“It’s like a sole practitioner, a CPA or an attorney in a company of one. They alone are doing the work, so there is no need to document processes.

“It’s only when that sole practitioner grows, adds people, that processes have to be established. Because now, other people are doing the work and those same performance standards must be maintained.

“At that point, there are really only two roles in the organization. The people who are doing the work and the (no longer sole) practitioner who makes sure the work gets done.

“At the same time the (no longer sole) practitioner is making sure the work gets done, you can almost bet he is also doing some of the work himself. The (no longer sole) practitioner is now playing two roles at the same time.” -TF

As Wes studied the chart scrawled across the white board, I could see a question mark on his forehead. “It’s all well and good, to say that this layer in the company does the work, and this layer, supervisors, makes sure the work gets done, and the next layer, managers, create the systems in the company.” Wes stopped.

“But sometimes, I feel like I have to play a little bit of all of these roles. In some departments, we just can’t afford to hire separate people to fill those roles. Sometimes, we have to play double duty.”

“That’s not unusual,” I replied. “I find this chart is especially helpful for lean companies, like yours, where you can’t afford to field every position with a different player. But the roles still have to be played, even if some are played by the same person.

“Just remember, that every minute a manager plays the role of a supervisor is a minute that your systems are neglected. Young companies don’t have a choice.” -TF

“Well, we run a pretty complicated system, here,” Derrick said. “If I had to design the system, the people system, I would really have to sit down and flow chart it out.”

“Is it all about getting the work done?” I asked.

“No, not really,” Derrick struggled. “It’s not just getting the work done, often it’s the way we get the work done. I need dedicated supervisors to just make sure the work is flowing, that it doesn’t get hung up, and that the work product meets our customers’ specs.”

“Is it just about making sure the work gets done, on time, on spec?”

“No, you can get the work done on time, on spec and still lose a ton of money,” Derrick answered. “We also have to think about efficiency. That is why our systems are so important.”

“So, is it all about getting the work done, on time, on spec in an efficient way, according to a system?” I asked.

“You would think so,” Derrick nodded. “But one thing I have noticed, when we get a system humming, its momentum begins to wreak havoc on another system. Like sales, as soon as we get our sales system humming, our volume picks up and outstrips our capacity to produce. So we ramp up our capacity to produce and that outstrips our raw material flow. There always seems to be this major moving target that throws a monkey wrench into the works.

“All of these decisions are made by people, and they are all interdependent. You are right. The way I create this people system will have a dramatic effect not only on our ability to produce, but it will also impact the individual behavior of the players I have working in the system.

“I am beginning to wonder if many of the problems that I see between people and the problems I observe in performance or underperformance are caused more by the system and less by the people I am blaming things on.”

Reggie was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “I’m really lucky,” he said. “We are opening up a new division and I have three great candidates for the VP position. It’s actually going to be tough to pick which one I think will work out best.”

“Congratulations,” I offered. “Internal candidates or external candidates?”

“All internal. Homegrown. Got the right value system. Good decision-making skills.”

“And what will happen to the two candidates who will be left behind?” I asked.

Reggie stopped. He had been focused on his good fortune to have this kind of bench strength, but he had not considered what would happen after his selection.

“I guess they will just continue doing what they are doing now. I mean, they all play an important role, they just won’t be a Vice President in charge of a division.”

“They all know they are being considered as a viable candidate for the position?”

“Yep, I had a meeting, just last week, with all three of them. I wanted to be upfront, let them know what I was thinking.”

“And, have you noticed any change since you had that meeting?”

Again, Reggie stopped. He knew I hadn’t dropped by to chat about the weather. He also knew that sometimes, even on the outside, I hear about trouble before he does.

“So, something is up?” he guessed.

I nodded. “Don’t go jumping in there, but take some time to take a hard look at the new dynamics you just created.” -TF

“But he has been doing a terrible job, as a Manager,” Cheryl observed.

“So, do you want him out of the company? Should he be gone?” I asked.

Cheryl shook her head. “No, Harold has too much knowledge, he knows everything about everything, he is just in the wrong position for our company. What he is doing now, works against us. But he could be so valuable in a different role.”

“Right now, you have Harold in the role as a Senior Manager, which you say is the wrong place for him. But you don’t want to fire him, just reassign him. How do you think that will work, in Harold’s eyes?”

“He’s not going to like it,” Cheryl replied, still shaking her head. “He might quit and we really do need his technical knowledge. I am afraid he is going to be embarrassed in front of his peers, in front of his direct reports. This move is going to be very touch and go.”

“So, what is the one thing you have to do, to make this move successful?” I pressed.

“Somehow, we have to allow Harold to save face in front of the company. I am just not sure how to do that.”