MANAGERS MUST manage is such a simple truth, so axiomatic that it is hard to believe that so many people who are called managers – or call themselves managers – completely miss it.

Too many managers participate in the blame game. They blame the government, their peers and subordinates, the marketplace, competition and some take it to the real extreme and blame God. Avoiding responsibility for personal behaviour in business is probably the most fundamental weakness that a manager can possess.

PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
The best managers I know are the ones who hold themselves accountable, take responsibility for their behaviour and actions and hold their colleagues equally accountable for their behaviour. This characteristic is often the seminal reason for managerial success. But it is hard to practise. When practised, however, it is the most liberating and energising force a manager can possess.

It is simply inspirational to see managers use their inventiveness, training, experience, ingenuity and the resources of their companies ­ raw materials, buildings and equipment, modern technology and people ­ to accomplish commercial success.
Good managers manage well because they tend to be individuals with high energy, they take very good care of their bodies and exercise regularly, have a can-do approach, a very positive and optimistic attitude to their business and life ­ even when circumstances are adverse ­ and they do not operate from fear. They are cognisant of what people say about them but they are also confident of their abilities and their direction.

GO FOR RESPECT
Excellent managers tend to manage for respect rather than the ephemeral liking of their peers and subordinates that comes with playing the popularity game. By plumbing for consistently good achievement, these managers are able to take tough decisions in the short term, take the risk of being disliked and work towards gaining respect in the medium to long term.

The liking that comes to a manager because of the professional respect that is earned from his or her consistently high performance is much longer lasting than the passing love that will be gained from simply trying to be popular.

THE FISH STINKS FROM THE HEAD
So why do managers fail to manage well so often? There are any number of reasons, these are some of the more evident ones.

They tend to be quite risk averse and try to play it safe and therefore never really achieve very much.

They dither and put off decisions in the hope that “something will turn up” to alleviate them of the responsibility to make firm and clear managerial decisions.
They have no sense of urgency and their supervisors or overseers give them too much rope and allow them to hide and avoid the major task of managers ­ to make decisions. Sometimes they are stymied by too much interference from bosses.

Sometimes they are lazy intellectually and will not do the analyses that will support their arguments, to convince their bosses on an implementation decision and strategy.
To be fair, poor middle and senior management performance is often a direct reflection and responsibility of an ineffective or poor CEO. Given that the “fish stinks from the head,” an organisation or company that is in a state of drift where managers dither, avoid making decisions or appear clueless is often because they lack clear leadership at the top.

THE MOST DIFFICULT ASSET – PEOPLE
I have observed that the assets that managers find most difficult to manage are people. Unlike the other assets in the company, people stare back at you, talk back to you, have body language that might be less than attractive. But people also have the power to encourage, to compliment and work well beyond the call of duty. Most managers mismanage their people by not stretching them enough.

Managers fail to recognise that more and better office space, computers and easier hours alone do not really build morale. What builds and keeps morale is the content of a job or activity that keeps the employee excited, energised and achieving.
Sure, it is nicer to work in amiable surroundings than not, but it is worthwhile to remember that Bill Gates did not create his wealth from a mahogany panelled office with great air conditioning, or with the most modern PC ­ in fact he was creating the operating system for his worldwide PC.

He and his few colleagues were driven by the sheer excitement of the content of their job and the chance to achieve beyond their and society’s wildest expectations. Managers, give your colleagues who work for you achievement goals that beat their wildest expectations and then give them the necessary support and resources and watch morale and achievement take off through the roof.

RECOGNISING REWARD
Managers have problems with people management because they frequently fail to recognise and reward incremental and outstanding performance. The people problem is often compounded because of a lack of proper, fair and regular evaluation. Remember great performances love to be measured and underperformers fear and hate it. And this brings me to Jack Welch.

Most of my readers know by now that I count Jack Welch as my management mentor. I share with you his five lessons on motivating and managing people:
* Tell people to never allow themselves to become victims ­ they should go somewhere else if that’s how they feel.
* Constantly refine your gene pool ­ by promoting your best performers and weeding out your worst.
* Grade on a curve ­ if I get 10 people, one is a star and one won’t cut it.
* Instead of giving people specific operating goals challenge them to give you every growth idea they have got.
* You can’t just reward people with trophies. Reward them in the wallet, too.

JOB DESCRIPTION – LIMITING
The issue of specific operating goals is the issue of a job description. I like Jack Welch’s approach because I have always believed that the job description is a limiting document. It does not empower persons to do their best at all times. It allows a person to have very limited goals, and once they are achieved they tend to slow down or stop achieving.
This is the job description I have used at many companies that I have had the privilege to lead:
“The employee must be prepared to do any task or job that is necessary for the success of the organisation, as long as it is within the firm’s overall policy and within the country’s laws.”
The job description slows down cross training and the growth of skills among the company’s employees. And that’s why I have opted for ‘Desk Performance Instructions’ so that when an employee rotates to a new desk of activities the Desk Performance Instructions tells the employee what is expected while he or she runs that desk. I have found it to be liberating both for employees and managers.

EXCELLENCE WELCOMES SCRUTINY
The CEOs and senior executives of organisations must make it clear to managers at all levels that they are expected to manage. The manager should be empowered but also held accountable. Excellent managers welcome the opportunity to be monitored and measured, so that their successes can be recognised and rewarded.
Great managers who are effective will seek respect rather than love from their peers and colleagues. Even if love does not develop, professional respect is better in the long run.

Aubyn Hill is managing partner, Corporate Strategies Ltd.
Respond to: writerhill@gmail.com