NO-NONSENSE “P” POINT MANAGEMENT

NO-NONSENSE “P” POINT MANAGEMENT
By
Bill Cottringer

"A shortcut is the longest distance between two points." ~ Annonymous.

Management information, like everything else today is on overload, so here is a quick system of No-Nonsense “P’ Point Management to help you accomplish a lot by knowing and doing a little. “P” Points, short for ‘psychological power points,’ are the small, but well-placed and strategically-timed interventions, which get the biggest results with the least costly side-effects. Here are ten such zero-gravitation “P” Points to help managers simplify their overload, avoid the treadmill trap, and keep up with the blazing blur of today’s nanosecond speed of change.

1. HIRE THE PERSON; FIRE THE PERFORMANCE.

The difficult search for talent today is making organizations painfully aware of the reality of the ‘Pareto Principle,’ or so-called 80-20 rule, where we often spend 8o% of our time getting 20% of our results. This is certainly true in hiring and firing of employees. We usually reverse common sense in over-focusing on a person’s qualifications, skills and past performance coming into the job instead of what is more important—the character and motivation of who the person is; and then we fire the person for what we didn’t get coming in the door. And of course, we spend way too much time working with problem employees and not enough with top performers.

2. LEAD BY DOING; COLLABORATE BY ASKING.

Actions always out-speak words and smart managers know the importance of leading by example. However, this applies mostly to: (a) doing the things that are clearly aligned with and contribute real value to the company’s mission, and (b) avoiding all the other distracting temptations that aren’t aligned and don’t contribute such value. Unfortunately the Pareto Principle has to be reversed for this to happen. And, today things are getting more complicated because the reality of “what got you here, won’t get you there,” is becoming more apparent. Today, we are clearly heading towards uncharted waters without a map. Hence, the need for problem-solving collaboration from the rest of the team.

3. FREE YOUR ACTIONS; CONTROL YOUR REACTIONS.

A common mantra during my management days at Borg-Warner, was “control the controllables.” However, applying this truth requires that you start by knowing what is controllable and what is not. Unfortunately we all typically start out by assuming too much of the things we do are in fact controllable when they really aren’t, at least until we become sensitive enough to see all the interconnections of things below their surface appearance. At some point we realize the main thing that is under our conscious control is our reactions to the curve balls life and other people throw at us. When we learn to control our negative reactions, we free ourselves to make the right choices to act to get the right results.

4. DEMONSTRATE INNOVATION; TEACH COMMON SENSE.

Creativity is a very natural process in us all, but the work environment is often stifling and not conducive to the necessary freedom for individuals and teams to create and innovate. Such “permission” to think and act outside the box, has to be shown from the top down with recognizable consistency, without judgment for less than perfect ideas on both sides. Now on the other hand, it is common sense that can be taught through words and conversation. A wise friend once reminded me that instead of getting annoyed at regular interruptions, I should take advantage of those situations to discuss the common sense solutions I already had in my toolbox to the problems that were being posed.

5. TALK WITH ONE MOUTH; LISTEN WITH BOTH EARS.

Here again, smart managers reverse the Pareto Principle and spend more time listening than talking. Actually when you look over these “P” points, many are inter-related and reinforce one another. The one that stands out most in relationship to the biological purpose of having one mouth and two ears, is the reality that we all want to be accepted first as we are, before we improve into our best selves. This takes plenty of airtime to provide the essential information that helps another person truly understand us so we can be accepted easier. The only question is who goes first?

6. SHOUT PRAISE; WHISPER CRITICISM.

The billion dollar gambling industry plays the psychological principle behind this card to the hilt. Praise for good performance should be lavish and done publically, and it never looses its zip. On the other hand, poor performance needs to be counseled and coached in private, with progressive disciplinary consequences established and carried out to prevent the loss of intended sting. The main trick with praise is to give it authentically and spontaneously, whereas with planning criticism, it is the adding of how to do something correctly to get the praise, which makes it most effective.

7. ACCEPT FIRST; ENCOURAGE IMPROVEMENT SECOND.

This is the number one people principle and good management is all about knowing and applying the right people principles. While the best managers always have very valid suggestions for improved performance with employees, this wisdom will fall on deaf ears when it is imposed. As the saying goes, “nobody cares about how much you know until they know you care.” The best way to show the required caring is to listen to understand so that you convey an earnest acceptance, loud and clear. After all, isn’t this the sequence in which life treats us?

8. FOCUS ON THE TRUTH; RESIST THE “FACTS.”

When we start accepting different varieties of the truth, we are in trouble. There has to be an objective reality that says it is either raining or it is not. The trouble is that so many plausible realities and truths have been ‘invented,’ that the real truth is hard to find, in spite of the appealing facts. Nevertheless, it is still there and worth the effort to uncover it, below all the illusions and incomplete or inaccurate perceptions and conclusions. You can’t get at the truth in an investigation until you ask enough questions you don’t already know the answers to, to disprove all the false possibilities. Never quit trying to find the truth until you know for certain you have it.

9. PULL THE PERFORMERS; PUSH THE DEAD WOOD.

A boss once had a piece of string on his desk that I was curious about and so asked, “What is the meaning of this?” He patiently told me that it was a living example of how you could only move the string by pulling it, not pushing it. One attempt validated the truth of that instruction. While it is true that your keep pulling good performing employees towards better performance rather than pushing them, it is a caveat to the string theory to push the poor performers out of their seats and off the bus, when a reasonable amount of counseling and coaching doesn’t get the needed results. Only then can the bus by pulled to the finish line.

10. SEE THE BIG PICTURE; WORK THE DETAILS.

Smart managers today have top quality telescopes and microscopes in their lean and mean toolboxes, which they are gradually emptying rather than filling up. The information overload and speed of change today require managers to keep the big picture of their organization’s mission and vision in sharp, steady focus; this is in addition to seeing and knowing all the details of what employees are doing to in the way of supporting and carrying out the values, goals and everyday activities that are necessary for the company to accomplish its big picture mission. Everything has to be aligned and that requires crystal-clear, well-ground lenses in the telescopes and microscopes.

Practice a few of these ten no-nonsense “P” points and get 80% of your results with 20% of your time and effort. Use the rest of the time and energy to plan to get even better results for your organization.