“Quick-Fix” Management Rules

I’ve just been made a supervisor, and need a “quick fix” on how to supervise. I plan to sign up for management training but could use some fast guidance now, because I’m already in the new job. What can you recommend? —Tom B.

You’re on the right track—sign up for as much supervisory/management/leadership training as you can handle. Don’t use the training as a “quick fix,” but a way to build solid skills. Becoming a good manager doesn’t happen overnight—any more than learning how to play a musical instrument can happen overnight. That takes months of practice at least—years at best.

But you need help now, so I’ll recommend four good sources: The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard; First-Time Supervisor’s Survival Guide, by George Fuller; Quick Skills; Skills for the First-Time Supervisor, by Doris Humphrey. You can get all of these at amazon.com—and order them used and you’ll get them for less than $10 each. (I buy “used” from amazon.com all the time, and often “used” means someone opened the book, didn’t like it, and returned it immediately—so it’s just like new.)

A really “quick-fix” I can recommend is Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management, and it’s free if you’ll just write for it at www.raytheon.com. It’s the product of Raytheon CEO William Swanson, who wrote down his observations on leadership in concise tips. He

had the 33 tips printed into a 3½-by-6-inch booklet called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. Word got around about the booklet and it’s turned into a hugely popular leadership book. So far, Raytheon has given out more than 100,000 copies. Single copies are free, and Raytheon asks that requests for relatively large quantities of the Unwritten Rules be supported through a contribution to MATHCOUNTS®, which has been promoting excellence in math among American middle school students since 1984. For orders of fewer than 50 copies, donations are not required, but appreciated.

Here are the tips I think you’ll find especially helpful right away:

1. Learn to say, "I don't know." If used when appropriate, you’ll use it often.

2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.

3. If you aren’t criticized, you may not be doing much.

4. Look for what’s missing. Many know how to improve what's there, but few can see what

isn't there.

5. Work for a boss with whom you can tell it like it is. Remember that you can't pick your

relatives, but you can pick your boss.

6. Constantly review developments to make sure that the actual benefits are what they’re

supposed to be.

7. However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best

efforts.

8. Persistence or tenacity is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties,

discouragement, or indifference. Don't be known as a good starter but a poor finisher.

9. Confirm your instructions and the commitments of others in writing. Never assume something will get done—follow up.

10. Don't be timid; speak up. Express yourself, and promote your ideas.

11. Those who speak the most knowingly and confidently often end up with the assignment to get it done.

12 Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports.

13. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.

14. Don't overlook the fact that you’re working for a boss.

* Keep him or her informed. Avoid surprises!

* Whatever the boss wants takes top priority.

15. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered

business. (You must make promises. Don't lean on the often-used phrase, "I can't

estimate it because it depends upon many uncertain factors.")

16. When dealing with outsiders, remember that you represent the company. Be careful of

your commitments.

17. Cultivate the habit of "boiling matters down" to the simplest terms.

18. Don't get excited in emergencies. Keep your feet on the ground.

19. Cultivate the habit of making quick, clean-cut decisions.

20. When making decisions, the pros are much easier to deal with than the cons. But your

boss wants to see the cons also.

21. Don't ever lose your sense of humor.

22. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except

another grump.

23. A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not nice. (This rule never fails.)

24. Never be afraid to try something new. An amateur built an ark that survived a flood

while a large group of professionals built the Titanic!

I’d like to recommend one of my own rules: Treat your employees the same way you’d like your boss to treat you. (Sound familiar?)