In the spirit of all the list posts floating around looking forward to 2010 and back at the previous decade, I’ve decided to make a different sort of list. This is a list of mistakes. A list of things I’ve learned from in the past and am reminded of constantly as I run into others making the same blunders.
Context: My experience is in entertainment and last-mile logistics.
1. I failed to verbally acknowledge stressful moments
There’s a line between exchanges that boost morale and encouraging inappropriate personal disclosure. In my case, I failed to share enough and it cost me many valuable learning and morale-boosting moments. Why? Because I’m a pro at smiling when I don’t feel like it. I can have a rotten day and choose to grin through it. I can hide my pain when I have a job to do. Most people struggle with that and such a struggle can lead to rotten service and unhappy customers if left unchecked. I was working so hard to lead by example that I forgot to tune others in to what I was doing. That was a mistake.
2. I maintained pet peeves
Sometimes a piece of gum isn’t worth fighting over.
3. I neglected consistent contributors
It’s easy to spend a lot of time on a few “problem” employees and end up fostering resentment in the stellar contributors who show up on time and give 100% every day. Mitigating factors aside, I failed to sufficiently recognize those who made a difference on a daily basis. That was a mistake.
4. I overlooked individual goals in pursuit of business targets
People fulfill the requirements of their job descriptions in order to get a paycheck. They do remarkable work for other reasons. Looking back, I can think of times when I failed to connect an individual’s goals with those of the organization we worked for in a way that left us both feeling like a win could be had. That was a mistake.
5. I failed to show the people working for me that I cared about them as individuals
As the middle of 11 children, you’d think I might know a thing or two about falling through the cracks of an organization. Growing up, my father scheduled one-on-one time with each kid as a way to make sure nobody felt left outside the huddle. While I in no way view myself as a father figure, there have been times when I would have done well to take a page from my dad’s play book and scheduled more short meetings to check in with employees. 70 people is not so many that any should have felt like I didn’t know who they were as valuable individuals. That has happened, though, and it was a mistake.
6. I failed to take proper care of myself
Happy people do great work. I can look back and identify times when I should have taken time off, exercised regularly, eat better, pursued outside interests and generally set a better example for those working for me. Fewer mistakes in my personal life would have translated into a stronger and more attentive presence in my work life. I didn’t take great care of myself and ended up missing out on some cool moments and great opportunities because of it.
7. I spent more time optimizing machines for pennies than I did investing in people for dollars
The inclination to micromanage is never far behind an increase in power. Micromanaging leads to a laundry list of idiocy that fuels a cycle of unhappiness and results that seem to come only through blood and tears. Loyalty and enthusiasm aren’t easily tracked on a spreadsheet so increasing morale is often the last thing on a list of ways to improve profits. That’s a big mistake. I’m one of the people who has made it before and I fear that the temptation to do so again will always be there.
I’m sure there are others that I may be reminded of shortly but these seven are the first that came to mind in writing this post. Why would I write something like this? Why would I admit to having made mistakes? I don’t see much value in pretending to be perfect. My mistakes aren’t remarkable. My only chance at progress is found in learning from my stumbles and finding ways to avoid new blunders in the future.
What mistakes do you look forward to avoiding in the years ahead?
I can see how mom and pop shops could take such concerns, but in a world where businesses trading on the stock exchange are concerned with stockholder wealth optimization, many companies have evolved into managing numbers, not people.
Nonetheless, good goals for 2010…more power to you as you endeavor to make them true.
Most people would not consider film production a managerial occupation but it is, and more. Reading your list I see many crimes I’ve committed as a manager as well. For the most part I suck it up and focus on the job at hand to make sure it gets done. As a filmmaker, there is no alternative. But as a person dealing with diverse personalities in stressful situations I could have taken more time to acknowledge individual goals. However, I think, for the most part, mature and responsible people do a darn good job. Can we do better? Of course we can.
I once scolded myself because two of the members of my production team “disappeared.” No answered emails. No return phone calls. I sorely imagined I had done something wrong or said something that turned their stomach. Nearly five years later — December 2009 to be exact — I discovered that the two people in question had run off together, gotten married and had a kid. They were embarrassed that I knew they hated each other at first and didn’t want to tell me they’d eventually fallen for each other.
Continual self-improvement is the key. And of course this begins with understanding that improvement is needed. Outlining our mistakes is the first step. Good job.
Seth,
I enjoyed this post because, instead of talking about how to better organize people, you wrote about ways that managers themselves can improve.
When managers are mindful of their employees, it keeps everyone on board. Less people bail at last minute, people are willing to put in extra effort for unexpected projects, and the work produced is of a higher quality.
My flaw as a manager is that I tend to keep all of the details in my head instead of sharing them with those under me. Communicating the big picture as well as the process not only helps to motivate employees towards the goal, but it also keeps everyone going in the same direction. One other benefit of sharing is that your employees might have a great idea for how to improve the process.
SJA
People often want to make things (themselves, operations, etc.) better but fail to look at the root causes – many of the mistakes you list here. It may be cliché, but you can’t get better until you admit you have a ‘problem!’
That being said, the mistake that I most want to avoid is appearing unsupportive. I believe that people work best without constant supervision. But the complaint I hear most is that it appears I don’t care and don’t give enough guidance. I need to work on that balance of micromanagement at one extreme and abandonment at the other.
Having never shaken your hand, I can safely say I would work for you in a heartbeat. Leadership in the context you’re emphasizing is, for the most part, immeasurable and probably why it’s so easy to neglect.
As leaders/managers go, there are none that are perfect, few that recognize these mistakes and even fewer who will admit it and work to fix it.
A potentially lethal mistake I hope to avoid this year is not letting my team in on the vision. In other words, I may be able to clearly envision the opposite river bank, but if all I’m doing is letting my team see one stepping stone at a time and depriving them of the bank that we’re working toward, I’ve made a mistake.
I’ve found many leaders that believe the team only needs and can only handle one stepping stone at a time, and I couldn’t disagree more. If the opposite river bank is providing the best client service of any ad agency in a particular market, make sure all of your players can see it as clearly as you do – then work with them on defining the stepping stones. Not letting them in on the vision and definition of the path to get there will lead to uninspired work.
Very true! Sometimes that’s all it takes for them to realize they’re only a few stepping stones short of the goal!
Man, if I made a list of mistakes it would be a lot longer than yours. Thought what I find valuable in your post are two things. One, you seem to know yourself and you’ve offered your readers a reminder that it’s less about your list or their list and actually about that: knowing yourself, being objective in your self evaluation, and ideally doing something about it. Second that failures are nothing to be fearful of. They teach us much. They inspire new goals. And they equip us with lessons to share with others.
Those are great things to think about.
For me it’s about taking care of myself. The moment that I let work get the best of me I am no longer an effective manager/delegator/worker.