Six Things You Should Know About Managing People

When I was promoted into a position where I was managing others, I realized that I had no idea as to how to be a good manager.  Over time, I discovered that few people are actually good managers; that’s because no one teaches us this skill – we learn from observing those who have managed us.  And since most of them don’t know how to manage, we continue to make the same mistakes that they did.

Consequently, I thought I would give a quick tutorial of things I have learned and observed over many years in business.

1.    Give those who report to you clear and precise direction

Your subordinates cannot read your mind.  You must let people know what you are thinking.  This means telling people what you expect, how you expect it and when you expect it to be complete.  There is nothing worse than giving an assignment and not verbalizing your expectations.  For instance, if you don’t give a due date, you cannot complain that it is late.

2.    Make yourself available

I have worked for people who have given me an assignment, but when I had a significant question, they were nowhere to be found or couldn’t be bothered. A good manager is available 24/7.  You need to make it known that you can be called at home at night, if it is necessary.

3.    If possible, include those who work for you in meetings where the outcome will affect their ability to complete their assignments.

Meetings have a way of changing situations.  Your subordinates may be wasting valuable time if you are in a meeting and they continue to work on an assignment which has changed.

4.    Be constructive, not critical

Managing well means that you help your people.  If they have done something wrong, don’t yell, don’t belittle, don’t complain, but let them know how they can do the assignment better.  You should be a facilitator not a blocker. And above all, be positive not negative.  Your feedback is critical to the success of the endeavor.

5.    Give your subordinates a full picture of what they are doing

When people know why they are doing something, they will do it better.   If they have a complete picture of how what they are doing fits into the whole, they will function more efficiently.

6.    It’s the results that matter

The first thing that I learned about managing people is that no two people, no matter how well trained they are, will do everything the same way.  You have to let people arrive at your conclusions their own way.  If you have spelled out your expectations, they should complete the assignment as you require.

Once Laid Off, Never Go Back

My last post was about the difference between being fired and being laid off.  Essentially, there is little real difference – if you are out of work, you are out of work.  However, one of my human resources readers pointed out a legal difference.  If one is fired for cause, there must be significant paperwork to insure that it is legal.  But laying off an employee which can be done for any reason and requires no paperwork. No explanation or back up is required.  That is why everyone now gets laid off.  Laying an employee off leaves a company pretty much immune from lawsuit.  This is especially true in states where employment is “at will”, like New York.  

Occasionally companies lose accounts or have business problems which actually require good people to be let go.   I have heard of a few situations where an executive  has actually been offered their job back by the same company that fired them.  Often these job offers come weeks or months after the initial termination.

My advice is to never go back.  Period.

On occasion, companies can make saying no very difficult.  They might offer back salary.  They will often offer salary increases (rarely retroactive, mostly not).  They apologize and play on a person's ego by getting senior executives to tell how much a person was really loved.  It is great for the ego to go back, but, generally, a poor career decision. 

There are many reasons to turn down an offer to come back.  Most importantly, no matter what the reason given for the layoff, the company did not think enough of the employee at the time, to keep them.  Whatever issue caused an employee to be fired rarely goes away.  

The next time there is a problem, no doubt the employee will again be on the top of the cut list.  I can think of a wonderful account person who was let go three times.  The first time, her account was lost.  She went through this two more times with the same company.  The first time her account was lost, the second time business was down and the third time was because there was a change in management.  Each time, before accepting the offer, she was given advice not to accept.  I understand what happened.  Each time her ego overrode her rational self.  By being asked back she thought that the company really needed and liked her, besides, she was comfortable there.  Taking her job back was a rationale for her ego. 

But, as they say, the devil you know is better than the one you don’t know.  Hiring back an employee is really a matter of convenience for the company.  After all, a returning employee needs very little orientation and can be up and running very quickly. 

 Finally, there are issues within the company which negatively affect employees.  A month or two months or two years away rarely resolves those issues.

Unfortunately, within the business community there is extreme negativity to being on the market frequently, especially for senior executives.  I have actually had clients say, "What, her again?"

Once you are out.  Stay out.  

Is Being Laid Off The Same Thing As Being Fired?

There is no shame anymore in being fired.   

It has happened to almost every executive I know.  Accounts get lost, business turns down, and there are mergers or other changes in management which often result in you being the person who finds yourself redundant.  It is nothing to be ashamed of.

The irony is that almost no one gets fired any more.  They get laid off.

I think that people who are terminated believe that being laid off is a much more acceptable term than being fired. It is somehow less harsh. But being laid off or fired are two sides of the same coin.

Once upon a time in advertising and other businesses, being fired carried a negative stigma.  It more than likely meant you were not performing well.  But starting in the 1980’s, as the holding companies started buying and merging agencies, many people became victims of this environment as multiple people could not have the same job. At one point in the late eighties, advertising unemployment was about 25%.  So there was no shame in being out of work.

Unfortunately, there are still a few people in the business who look down their noses at people who are out of work.  They should only realize that it a matter of time before they are laid off or fired.   

So be it.

Somehow companies would rather say that an employee being terminated is actually laid off.

But a lay off carries the connotation that if the situation changes or improves, the laid off candidate will be rehired.  Sadly this rarely happens. 

When I am interviewing candidates who are out of work, I always ask what caused that situation.  In over thirty years of recruiting, very few candidates have admitted that they screwed up.  Most tell me that there was a company cut back so they were laid off even if they were the only person to be let go. It is really easy to determine the truth. 

At any rate, these days in advertising, where clients pay fees which cover the employees who work on their business, clients have the ability to pick and choose the people who work on their account.  And, of course, if the client changes agencies, almost everyone who spent a majority of their time on a particular piece of business can expect to be laid off no matter how well they have contributed or performed.   I have written about high performing people who are let go rather than being rotated on to another piece of business – it is simply easier to terminate rather than manage the complicated process of moving someone on to another account.  

Being laid off is wishful thinking.  Being fired is more difficult. But they mean the same thing.

Career Advice For Everyone From Recent Graduates To CEO’s

1.    Try to plan your career

A career plan is like a road map to get from here to there.  You can make stops and detours and even change your mind about the destination.  But if you don’t know where you are going, it is very hard to get there.  If you know where you want to go, even vaguely, you can determine the experiences you want and think you will need in order to succeed.  That will guide you on a job change. 

2.    Look at each job as the portal to your next job

If you love or hate your job, it is incumbent on you to continue to do your job to the best of your ability.  If you do well, you will feel better about yourself.  Your positive attitude will help you get your next move.  No one likes a whiner, so keep your complaints to yourself.

3.    Use your current job to assess your likes and dislikes as well as your strengths and weaknesses

Working should be a learning process.  Even negative experiences can provide excellent direction for the future.  But understanding what works for you and what does not, should help you from making wrong choices.  As you build your career, it is important to self-assess to determine what you did well and what issues came up for you.

4.    Trust your instincts while interviewing

If a job doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t right.  If you have questions about the people you meet, trust yourself.  Don’t take a job just to get a job; people who are out of work tend to do this, but it could be career suicide.

5.    Try to find a mentor

Almost all successful people have a senior who believes in them.  A mentor is a senior person who is in a position to influence other senior executives.  They can push you ahead and look out for your career. Those people not only are good for networking, but if they trust you to succeed, they can provide important opportunities for you. It is hard to find a mentor.  Look at the senior people in your company who you admire, then try to get to know them.

6.    Volunteer for extra duty

Get involved in new business, international or things which will give you exposure to management and other senior people – one of whom could turn out to be your mentor.

7.    Don’t change jobs too often if you can help it

Companies are skittish about hiring someone who takes a new job every year or eighteen months.  They equate your job changes with instability and are afraid you will leave them, too.  Sometimes the change is necessary, but often people move prematurely.  You must learn to assess the pros and cons of a job change.

8.    Never move just for money

Money can lead you in the wrong direction.  While taking another job for a huge salary increase is tempting, the expectations the company may have for you could be above your capabilities. Or it could be outside your current experience.  

9.    Ask Yourself how any job will contribute to your career path

All jobs should add to your career plan. Before accepting a job, ask yourself  if and how it contributes to your goals. it.  Although it may seem strange to ask yourself what the job will lead to if it fails, it is a very important issue to think about right from the time you start interviewing in earnest.

10.   Only take jobs you can succeed in

This may seem obvious, but it isn’t.  Use interviews to gather information about the company.  Finding out the resources and support you will have to do the job.  Some companies have systemic problems which you may or may not be able to solve or work with issues you uncover while interviewing..  If you are lucky enough to be offered multiple jobs, determine which one will allow you succeed the most.  This is true at every level of the business, from entry to chairman.