When Managing Employees, What Is The Goal?
 

How we manage employees has some striking similarities to how we manage anything in business. And one striking difference.

Managing anything is simply directing or controlling the use of that thing. Managing in a business environment would also entail making the most effective use of that thing or resource whether it be money, machines, material, supply chains, accounting, engineering, people or whatever.

So what is the "most effective use" of people?

For a machine, it is obvious that using it as it was designed to be used and operating it in accordance with its operating manual is a starting point. But effectively using it would also have to include maintaining it in good condition (well lubricated, appropriately fueled or provided power, well overhauled, parts replaced when worn, etc, etc).

Very few managers are unaware of the fact that if we only used the machine and never properly cared for it, the machine's capacity would degrade rather steadily over time and eventually suffer a casualty which would render it useless. So effective use includes routine preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance in order to "maintain" the machine in tip-top operating condition. The better we maintain it, the better its output. No rocket science here.

In such respects, are people any different than machines? What is tip-top operating condition for people?

Is a tip-top condition extremely high morale or very low morale or somewhere in between? Is it a strong sense of ownership for their work or no sense of ownership? Is it acting like a robot or is it using their full potential of creativity, innovation, productivity, motivation and commitment on their work? (Note that the experts indicate the difference between the top and bottom of this performance spectrum is about 500% in productivity.)

To be successful at maintaining machinery or a function like accounting, one must thoroughly understand that machine or function, how it works and what it needs. Is it any different for managing people? Not really.

There is one significant difference between machines and people. People have a brain completely capable of deciding what they should do, when they should do it, how they should do it and then actually doing it. This would seem to imply that managing people is more about maintaining the natural capabilities of the "machine" (people) than about operating it.

So the primary goal of managing people is to maintain them at a high level performance and even enhance their natural capabilities.

To understand what I went through to become an exceptional manager of people, read an interview of me HERE


Any thoughts about this??

Best regards, Ben

Cool Hand Luke - Leader of men
 

Leadership and employee management is well illustrated by a scene in "Cool Hand Luke", a movie with Paul Newman.

The chain gang is out on a long piece of road, throwing shovelfuls of gravel onto the hot tar. It's back breaking work and the cons are only moving fast enough to keep from being beaten by the guards.

Suddenly, Luke starts throwing gravel on the road as fast as he can. One of the cons says "What are you doing Luke, slow down we have all day to do this road". Luke says "The trucks don't come back until sundown. If we finish before the trucks get here, what will they have us do? There's no more road. We'll get to lay down in the grass".

The story works it way up the line of cons, and soon they are all working as fast as they can, and running to the next pile of gravel.

Leaders are guys (and gals) that don't have anything to prove to anybody except themselves. Well managed employees are those who see the benefit they gain by doing what the leader wants done. Everybody wins.

Re: When Managing Employees, What Is The Goal?
 

Thanks Ben.

Cool interview.

Looks like a good book. Have added it to my wishlist.

Re: When Managing Employees, What Is The Goal?
 

Ben,

Thanks.

My thoughts on "this"... you don't care about our thoughts on this. You posted this Article not to get our thoughts but to brag, credentialize yourself as some kind of "exceptional manager of people" expert - and - get a link in and thus get around the No Blatant Ads rule. A ruse us "old timers" have seen plenty of times.

Michael Ross
Author "692 Ways To Spot A Fake Forum Post" :)

Re: When Managing Employees, What Is The Goal?
 

Michael, you said "My thoughts on "this"... you don't care about our thoughts on this. You posted this Article not to get our thoughts but to brag, credentialize yourself as some kind of "exceptional manager of people" expert - and - get a link in and thus get around the No Blatant Ads rule. A ruse us "old timers" have seen plenty of times."


Thanks for taking the time to post, Michael.

Can't blame you for being skeptical, but I am just trying to help change the world from the top-down command and control model which demeans, disrespects and demotivates employees, to its opposite. No reason why we can't all love to go to work and feel great about it.

I am twice retired and am not in this for money. I help people for free if they so desire.

You are right about my considering myself an expert at managing people. I successfully effected four turnarounds including a nuclear-powered cruiser and a 1300 person unionized group in New York City and I think that makes me an expert.

Need any help managing people?

Thanks again and best regards, Ben