The 7 Step Map to Management Success
Create a map and pursue success. Don’t wait for it to find you.
The 7 step map to management success:
#1. Make people matter. The heart of making people matter is enjoying them. After that, become a maximizer. Overcome arrogant tendencies to adopt a fixer-focus. Commit yourself to advancing the career of others. Finally, know team member’s strengths, weaknesses, aptitudes and passions.
People want to spend time with managers who care about people.
#2. Define success. One of the most neglected questions in management is, “What does success look like?” The second response to the question is more important than the first. Typically, successes is first defined in terms of results. The second response is behaviors. What behaviors produce desired results?
#3. Establish and clarify goals and milestones.
Successful managers define the path to success.
#4. Make excellence a priority. Don’t allow people to perform below their potential. Your teammates deserve the opportunity to live up to their talent.
Excellence includes candid conversations about reaching higher and mutual accountability.
#5. Provide abundant, forward-facing feedback with optimism. Honor hard work. Celebrate progress. Discuss wasted effort. Explore new strategies when performance disappoints.
Powerful feedback is the result of defining success in terms of behaviors.
Define the feedback relationship together. Explore at least three topics.
- What type of feedback do you desire?
- How might feedback be given most effectively?
- How frequently should feedback be given?
Frequent brief feedback is better than infrequent long. Twice a month is a starting point.
Successful performance conversations happen more than once a year.
#6. Advance the career of others. People love to be around managers who create opportunities for others. How can you help others get where they want to go?
#7. Get off your high horse. Make expectations apply as much to you as others. Don’t simply point the way. Become a “with” manager.
What aspects of the manager’s success are most useful?
What might you add to the 7 step plan to management success?
I just wanted to say thank you for these. I use them in my business and they help stimulate communication and success.
Thank you Jeffrey. It’s a pleasure to be useful. You have my best wishes for continued growth and success.
Great post. These are all things we should know as managers, but often so easily forget. Management is all about other people and holding expectations to be universal. We must learn to humble ourselves and serve the people we lead.
Thanks Nick. You’re right. I think success often hinges on remembering and practicing the basics. Cheers
Dan, love this: “Commit yourself to advancing the career of others.” Perhaps every leader would benefit from asking themselves , “How have I contributed to each team member’s success today/this week? and not rest until they can answer that question.
Thanks Alan. Great seeing you here. Love how you put practical action to the idea of advancing the career of others. We must take specific action if we expect specific outcomes. Cheers
Thanks Dan. Whenever I read a valuable list like this two quotes pop into my head: Brian Mulroney’s “if everything is important, then nothing is important” and Stephen Covey’s “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” And here I’d suggest that #1 is the important, main thing.
When you nail #1, the other 6 flow much more easily because there’s a far more relevant context. Treat people as respected humans before you treat them as valuable employees. The distinction is subtle, though very powerful.
Good morning. Excellent reminder of fundamentals. I would like to add, “celebrate success with all team members”.
Thanks Prasad. Good morning to you. I like the idea of celebrating progress, effort, and character as well as success. (If you don’t mind me adding to your excellent suggestion.) Cheers