Managing in the REAL WORLD: Any advice??

TSFan,

I don’t know anything about banking or management or even business for that matter. What I do know is that people with lots of coaching experience sometimes have an advantage. Can’t exactly put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with understanding the people you lead will sometimes make mistakes. Also coaches are more likely to understand the power of team work and the importance of people having the right mentality. There are many things you’ve learned in coaching that can relate to other jobs.

I’d be more worried about your happiness than your management ability. Banking can’t possibly replace baseball. Can it?

Since I've worked the past 14 years in banking and real estate lending, I can assure you that what PG asks about banking taking the place of baseball is right on. On the other hand, if I didn't have a good job in banking/lending, I couldn't do what I do with baseball. So, its an enabler.

You'll find that you will be fine with your people skills in managing people in the banking business. Remember, what matters more than anything is that people know you're sincere, honest, care about them individually and as a group, and want everyone to succeed. They'll go to great lengths to help the team succeed. Doesn't matter which venue we're talking about, the principal is much the same. People skills is people skills.

06, I see where you and Mr Ford are coming from, but that question was answered 2 years ago when I became an LO w/ Wells Fargo. However that position was not as a manager w/ a significant number of direct reports. And along the same path of what you said, I wouldnt be able to provide the 3 kids w/ the opportunities they have now if I was still coaching college ball for 4 figures a year.

I'm hoping to find from some of you what are the things that you try and hold yourself to day in day out, how do you manage the volatile personalities, and how do you manage people that probably inherently don't want to be there? And I know it comes down to getting them excited about work, etc., but how do you effectively challenge and inspire everyday workers? I know (having been one of these workers) that they won't respond to the standard ra-ra the same way that a college baseball player will, so what do I bury at the ballfield and what do I bring with me to help my NEW team succeed?

Kenny,

Congrats on the new job!

The question you ask is an interesting one IMO.
Here are a few of my thoughts on the subject:

1) There are two things that most employees do not like. The first is change. You will be surprised to see how much it is resisted - especially from your more experienced employees.

2) The second thing is uncertainty.

I think the best you can do as a manager/leader of a team of working professionals is to communicate clearly - effectively and often.

You may not be able to motivate some folks that are just fed up with their job - or that want to move on to better opportunities. But you will save yourself alot of problems if you take the extra time to communicate with your employees as fully and honestly as you can. Whether it be about planned changes in the department or company, your expectations of them or anything else for that matter.

Just treat everyone fairly, help them grow and communicate clearly and with a purpose.

I think those things will help a bit.

Congrats again - my best to you.

TSFan,
Congratulations on your new position. I started an office equipment business many years ago after a career as an IBM service technician. I had to deal with customers while at IBM, but I had never managed employees, so dealing with people in that capacity and their problems was a new adventure. When I sold my business in July of this year I had about forty employees and I can tell you the PEOPLE and their PERSONALITIES have to be have to be the most intriguing, most challenging, and most rewarding aspect of managing a business. If I were to give one piece of advice to any manager it would have to parallel what itsinthegame has said. Communications is the key. Don’t sugar-coat the compliments and don’t reprimand with emotions. I might add that every manager has style that fits their personality and you will have to learn what style fits your personality. I agree with 06catcher dad too in his assessment that people skills are people skills no matter where we interact. I will go one step farther and include parenting in this mix.
Best of luck,
Fungo
PS: I found many interesting articles while researching management techniques on this website. Click on the "Business link".ezine articles

You should be a human being to your staff, not a baseball coach. As in, a decent fellow to work with, not someone who screams whenever a mistake is made. The best of us make mistakes.

That being said, let me tell you the one iron rule of running a business that I have learned:

YOU CANNOT CURE PEOPLE.

People have bad habits and failings. I don't care what management book you read, you are not going to change in a few weeks or months a flaw that has become ingrained in an employee over decades.

You must either figure a way to get productivity out of someone with flaws while steering clear of their weak sides, or you must make personnel changes.

Your good employees will appreciate you when you cut loose the bad apples and replace them. If you get another bad apple, cut him loose, too, and move on. The sooner you do this the sooner you will have a staff comprised of all winners.

The biggest mistake people make is letting someone who is not a team player, or who is absorbed with personal problems, hang on and drag your enterprise down for no better reason than that you just don't want the confrontation or the guilt of dealing with it. Or maybe you have heard too much from those who think a business' purpose is to serve its employees, not its customers or shareholders. But you're now in charge, so take charge!

I would be willing to bet you have inherited a mixed staff -- some winners, some who need to be shown the door. Good luck! Just bear in mind, you will not get what you want out of this until you hold the door open for the bad ones.

(I'll be on tour hawking my new management book soon; watch for the announcement.)

TS,

I've been the president and CEO of an economic development corporation in NJ since July 2003. I can share with you a few of the things you learned as a coach will assist you every day.

Remember that people have days that they are great and there will be not-so-great days. Never get too high or low with them.

People have external influences affecting them. A player might have a bad day because of a poor test grade on his mind. An employee could be having a problem at home. COMMUNICATE!

Create a team environment in which everyone is working collectively toward a common goal. You will be as strong as your weakest person, so motivate everyone to go after it at the best of their ability. Encouragement works better than pressure. Think about that in relation to a batter in the box against an ace pitcher. You don't want the hitter squeezing the bat too tight, right?

Little things: not only get you own coffee, but offer to get it for co-workers. You would carry the Gatorade for the team, right? I help the facility guys shovel snow around the building in the winter. Think they don't appreciate that? It's like carrying the bag for your catcher after he's caught two for you in 90 degree heat.

Be aware of your employees. Ask about their families and how ther're doing. If you care about them, they will care about you and respond as co-workers.

Many of the traits I've adopted I learned from a CEO that I worked for for many years. Naturally, he was a HS and college baseball player, a coach for 20 years in youth sports and a man who believed that former athletes make the best managers and employees because they value teamwork and enjoy competition.

I wish you great success in you new position.

Now I have to go and fire someone for parking in my spot (just kidding).

MJM

TS, I think we're all pretty much saying the same things to you. It ain't rocket science! Do what you believe to be the right thing, which may not be the easy thing, and many of your new team will work hard for you. Many of the principles that go into making a good coach are the same that go into making a good business manager, and neither of them needs much rah-rah, unless you're dealing with 10 year olds or those who act like one.

One thing I think has served me well is that no matter how I feel, I try to remind my self to take the high road in difficult situations. While my emotions might want to get down in the gutter and battle sometimes, my common sense reminds me that I should proceed in a manner that I won't be embarassed to have taken later on when the dust settles.

I was going to chime in with lots of stuff about People, but everybody here did such a great job with their different views.
In my many years experience running businesses, I have learned to bring my coaching experience into the work place successfully.
Do not try to change too much too soon.
I like to use "adjustments and improvements".
People seem to warm up to that. As Fungo has said, don't sugar coat, but don't be a hard A** either. People like to know that they are being relied on, that they matter. Start there, and let them know that you'll be learning from them in the beginning. That way when you begin handing out duties and advice, they'll be more receptive.
Two questions I have used in the past are, what would you the employee like to see happen here to better things, and what would you be willing to give up or sacrifice in order to improve things here? That can be in productivity, sales or even schedule.
With all these good people here, you should go to work loaded with ideas.
Remember, just don't try to do too much.

I realize that BaseballDad1228 is just kidding about the parking spot thing. I do want to clarify that firing people is not something you do lightly or for small provocation.

BUT...

When TSFan asks about "volatile personalities", or "people who don't want to be there", those kinds of employees need to go. You can give them a heart to heart talk ("Either this stops or you will need to look for work elsewhere"), but in my experience improvements in response to such talks are typically short lived. Folks clean up their acts for a while and then eventually revert to being their natural selves.

If you don't get rid of these folks, they will poison your work place, and next thing you know, you'll be losing your best employees because they don't like the working environment. And guess what? Good people have options! If your work place is toxic, they will find greener pastures.

So, if you want to keep your good people, the poison people have to go.

(Come to think of it, I used to run a travel baseball team on this same philosophy.)

Your job as a manager is to identify the poison people, map a plan of action that gets them out, and then replace them with people who have the right stuff. Repeat as necessary until you have a good team on your hands. As we all know, a good team makes a manager look like a genius!

Very good points Midlo. But can we assume volatile personalities when TS has just gotten the job. Like a new coach, you have to see your personalities for who they are. You can then utilize their strengths and possibly make it work. Maybe past management made them very unhappy, it wouldn't be the first time. But again, you are dead on that if they are the disease, cure it real fast or risk losing your real strength's.