Archive for Management
Why Micro-Managing is Good
Posted by: | CommentsWe have a paradox of which we need to try to make sense.
No one thinks they are a micro-manager. Yet, we’ve all experienced being micro-managed, and none of us like it.
The paradox here is that those two things can’t both be true. Some of us must unknowlingly micro-manage. And I bet, more times than not, we get more results than those that don’t.
Is Micro-Managing That Bad?
Managers are faced with quite the dilemma when it comes to management style. Every employee will praise the manager who kept their distance and “just let me do my job.” So managers strive to be hands-off and liked.
But what should the good manager do when you don’t do your job well? Or when you continually overlook important details? The good manager doesn’t lay off and hope you figure it out. The good manager takes whatever action is needed to keep things on track. The good manager isn’t afraid to micro-manage.(Or to lose friends)
I don’t think the big issue is micro-management; it’s macro-working. I can promise you that any good manager is begging for his reports to step up so he doesn’t have to micro-manage. Unfortunately, most of us are waiting for permission.
Here’s a tip: managers are waiting for you to just run with it without permission. Permission-seekers have to be micro-managed.
Everyone’s Favorite Excuse
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The roads are icy in Dallas today. Given that we Texans go a little haywire when the temperature reaches the 30s, let alone when there’s precipitation at that temp, the daily routine isn’t exactly following suit today.
Schools have been cancelled. My office isn’t officially opening its doors until 10 a.m. The parking lot is near empty.
I can’t tell you if the roads are that bad or not; I fortunately only live minutes from the office. My assumption is the ice isn’t that bad, but the drivers reacting to the potential of ice are.
Creating Excuses is Human Nature
Of course, what’s clear here is a text book case of human nature: if there’s an excuse to be found to keep from doing something, we’ll find it. Fortunately, we don’t deal with icy conditions but maybe a couple times a year here in Dallas. However, we deal with some kind of excuse search on a daily basis when it comes to work and business. Here are a few that come to mind:
- “We can’t even get started on this project until all the requirements are complete.”
- “How can we effectively do our job when the corporate strategy isn’t even clear?”
- “That’s not my job.”
Each statement above is valid. We all like to have the proverbial ducks in a row. However, I’ve yet to be a part of something great where every single requirement was known upfront, every nuance of strategic direction was completely clear and unified, and where I didn’t have to do something that wasn’t my job. The main reason is because you often don’t get those things until your chest-deep into the tactics of the project.
If you’re a real marketer, one who accepts that part of your responsibilities is to move your business forward with excellence, then you have to deal with this issue on two fronts: with your co-workers and with yourself. And keep in mind that if there aren’t problems to solve, then you probably don’t have a job.
How do you deal with our tendency to look for excuses?
Why Year-End Predictions are a Waste of Vital Brain Function
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Fast becoming more annoying than tax season or budget season is the ever-popular, clearly link-baiting time of year marked with blogs filled with predictions for the new year:
- “10 predictions on social media in 2010.”
- “7 things that will happen on Facebook in 2010.”
- “47 ways advertising will die in 2010.”
It’s all baloney (yes, I know it’s spelled “bologna,” but I don’t want to chance you pronouncing it in your mind as bah-low-NUH), and it’s an utter waste of time.
“But shouldn’t one prepare for what’s ahead,” you ask. “Is it not a sign of knowing your industry?”
It’s definitely cool when someone knows an industry or trend so well that they repetitively prophesy and, poof, it happens.
Those people are rare. My guess is you’re not one of them.
Playing a Numbers Game
The problem with banking on predictions is that you are putting way too much stock in what has yet to happen.
Let’s say you make 10 predictions in your industry or for your company for 2010, and you put in place plans to address all ten. Now, fast-forward to 2011 and look back. Assume two of the 10 predictions came true. Granted, you are really ahead of the pack in those two areas, and it’s probably paid off to a certain degree.
But you wasted 80% of your planning process and strategic abilities on something that can’t even be used, because your assumptions never became reality.
Let’s face it: there are too many levers moving too quickly in the world today to know everything that’s coming. In fact, the sooner you realize there’s something always around the corner that you’re not prepared for, the better off you’re going to be.
Instead of waxing poetic on a year-end guessing game just so you get the thrill of proclaiming “I told you so!” at the end of next year, why not try building a different list.
How about figuring 10 things you can do now so you can easily react to what 2010 brings?
The all-stars of business today, especially small business, are those people who can react the fastest. Opportunity is always knocking, but it’s opting more and more for a speed-dating approach. If you don’t answer right away, it has no problem hopping to the next doorstep.
What processes can you put in place to get yourself and your team better prepared when the big 2010 moment hits? What processes can you eliminate? What do you need to learn? Who do you need to get to know? Who do you need to rally?
Two years ago I picked the Rams to win the Super Bowl. I think they won a total of three games that year.
Predictions mean nothing. Reactions and responses mean everything. Stop predicting and start preparing for the unpredictable.
4 Simple Words to Increase Productivity
Posted by: | CommentsNext time you sit down and go through your to-do list, ask these questions of yourself:
- What can you delegate?
- What can you automate?
- What can you eliminate?
- On what should you concentrate?
I’ve just started asking myself these questions on a weekly basis. Who’s knows: pretty soon I might even start doing something with the answers.
Another good tip is to read this guy’s stuff.
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5 Tips on Selecting a Marketing Agency
Posted by: | CommentsToday turned into a “vendor relations” day for me, as I took phone calls and had onsite meetings with several agencies and partners that my company is currently working with or has worked with.
As my interactions varied with each vendor, it became very obvious quite quickly what the best outcome could be for a vendor during one of these conversations: to get me excited about what could happen if I worked with them even more.
Seems obvious, doesn’t it?
The problem is that an agency’s presentation and conversation doesn’t always sync up with this ideal outcome. They might think they’re getting you excited, but their action communicate that their actual goal is something different.
With that said, I give you the following list:
10 Signs of a Good Marketing Agency
- They know when someone does something better. Just last week, I was ready to give some business to a partner that has been managed by a different partner. It’s an area where both vendors have higher degrees of expertise, and it made sense to me to simply consolidate. However, when I brought this up to the favored vendor, they quickly let me know that they actually thought I’d be better off sticking with the other partner. In other words, they turned down easy business. What they also did was multiply how much I trust in them. Honesty does wonders for ongoing business.
- They tell you when they disagree, and they can explain why. If I’m hiring an agency, it means I recognize a need for more expertise than I currently have at my disposal. So I expect some of my ideas to be off, and I expect my vendors to call me on it. If you can tell me why you disagree with me in a way that makes sense (don’t wax poetic on me), then I can relax knowing I’ve got an expert who can save me from myself. That’s valuable.
- They don’t get blame-happy. It’s one thing to know your stuff and let me know that I simply haven’t followed your advice and that could be the reason I’m not getting the result I want. It’s another thing to proactively blame my co-workers, or situations, or whatever. It’s only a sign that you know something’s not right. I’d rather pay you for suggesting solutions than magnifying (or inventing) problems.
- They can justify their value. Next time an agency is pitching you on spending tens of thousands of dollars on a website, ask them why you shouldn’t just get a web designer and build a site on Wordpress. If they fumble, then you just found a cheaper alternative. If they take it in stride and then give you a smooth answer, then you at least know you’ve got someone who knows their value proposition. Ask tough questions like this when it makes sense. How they answer will tell you a lot more than the answer itself.
- They can properly focus on you. The risk with a big agency is that they can’t focus on you enough; you’re too small. The risk with a small agency is that they might not have the experience or firepower to make an adequate difference. With that said, always err on the side that gives you more attention. Ideally, you want a small-to-mid-sized agency with experience either in your industry or in the channel/tactic you need support in.
At the end of the day, good agency partnerships are like any relationship: it comes down to chemistry. And remember, that’s a two-street. While I’ve harped on what to look for in an agency in this post, I daresay most agency/client relationships fail because they are poorly managed by the client.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
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The other day, a colleague of mine complained about a creative group he and I both have used for separate projects multiple times recently. He complained how they actually weren’t that creative, didn’t get what he wanted with the first design, etc. He wasn’t pleased with them, so he started using someone else he knew. He was raving about this new agency, complimenting their proactive approach, how they “got” what he was going for, how they were completely different than the other group he had used.
Which was funny, because I have been using the first group a lot lately, and they’re doing good work. What could be the difference?
The difference is in direction. More accurately, upfront direction.
I know for a fact that my colleague doesn’t do a creative brief justice (if he does one at all). It’s not a knock; it’s just not his thing. So he tosses a wish over the wall to a creative group with the expectations that they will get it immediately, and that all the unspoken needs and wants in his mind will somehow be captured.
I know this because my career has taught me the importance of spending time on a thorough creative brief for designers. To clearly define the purpose and target of a piece. To vividly establish the boundaries, inform the designer for his benefit, and then step back and let him do his thing within those boundaries. That’s why I’ve had a good experience with this design group.
As I’ve mentioned before, designers can really benefit from constraints. Your job is to establish those constraints.
Too often, our own tight deadlines/procrastination/frantic schedules prompt us to throw together a request in an email, write a couple sentences, push “Send” and then mark it off our list. I promise you that spending an extra 30 minutes on a brief, equipping your designers with the information you know they need, will save you days in the long term.
What are some of the more unique points of information you like to put in a creative brief?
On the Side
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“On the side” is a very big thing for us.
In the movie “When Harry Met Sally,” Harry (Billy Crystal) accuses Sally (Meg Ryan) of it being a big thing for her, too:
Harry Burns: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally Albright: Which one am I?
Harry: You’re the worst kind; you’re high maintenance but you think you’re low maintenance.
Sally: I don’t see that.
Harry: You don’t see that? Waiter, I’ll begin with a house salad, but I don’t want the regular dressing. I’ll have the balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side. And then the salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce on the side. “On the side” is a very big thing for you.
Sally: Well, I just want it the way I want it.
Harry: I know; high maintenance.
Since this movie first graced the big screen in 1989, “on the side” has become more of the norm than the exception. And not just in restaurants.
More than ever, employees have a lil’ sumpin’ sumpin’ on the side when it comes to their careers and livelihood. Designers freelance. Account Managers have “outside” accounts. Office Managers have rental properties. Secretaries start with a network marketing company. VPs have 10% ownership in some exciting venture startup.
Chances are, the majority of people you come across every day has something on the side.
As easy as it might be to condemn such behavior, bosses instead need to embrace it. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that maybe, just maybe, your current workplace can’t meet all of your professional goals and curiosities. In fact, it might not even be able to train you in some of the areas you’re most interested in.
Instead of denying that it’s happening in your office, learn how to leverage it. Ask your employees what they’re working on. Find out what they’re learning. Get to know them more, and get to know what they can do for the company more.
The openness and the variety will be extremely refreshing for the entire office. Plus, if you don’t embrace the on-the-side mentality that is surely present with your current employees, they might soon be on the other side.
Are the Questions Better than the Answers?
Posted by: | CommentsYou don’t need to know all the answers. In fact, you’ll be better off if you don’t. You need to know the questions.
It’s rare for the person with the answers to just speak up. But if you know the questions to ask, you can prompt the people with the answers to share them with everyone else. And when they speak up, you know what to do, and they feel empowered.
The questions reveal the plan and process and people you need to move your idea forward. And since no one will ever have all the answers, it’s makes much more since to try to know all the questions.
Brett’s note: This post is part of a series known as The Vault, which looks back periodically at some of the better moments of MarketingInProgress.com. This post was originally posted on August 29, 2007.
Enjoying the Process (part 1)
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We’re all driven by the end goal of whatever projects we pour ourselves into. We invest so we have lots of money in 30 or so years. We write so people will read our thoughts and even comment. We play a game or sport so we can win at it. We go above and beyond at work so we gain recognition.
Finding end results that appeal to us is not hard at all. In the above examples, I believe everyone reading would be attracted to more money, more readers, more victories and more recognition. But that doesn’t mean we should all be investors, writers, athletes or blue collar all-stars.
In terms of how you spend most of your time, don’t choose based on the attractive end result; choose because you’ve found an end result in which you actually enjoy the process of getting there.
If you’ve ever met someone who is completely happy with their profession, it’s because they enjoy the process (the work) as much or more as they enjoy the end result. Which makes sense. We spend way too much time preparing and managing our little projects to not enjoy the process.
I would love to finish a triathlon some day. The idea of being the type of person that can complete a feat like that is extremely impressive. However, as of yet, I am not willing to go through the process of getting there. I’ve tried starting on several occasions throughout my life, and the same thing always happens: I don’t enjoy the process enough to keep it going.
At the same time, I love putting together market research reports. I love gathering the info, digging into it, finding little nuggets of info that probably only I will ever find interesting, gathering it all into a presentation that’s easy to read, and then presenting it to a group of ‘big dogs’ and waiting for their reaction. Sure, I love the end result, but I love just about everything that happens before to get to that point.
If you’re struggling with finding ‘that thing you do,’ start asking yourself which processes you enjoy the most. Find ways to spend your time doing what you enjoy. Or, if you already know what those processes are, start doing them more.
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The Fallacy in Writing Your Own Job Description
Posted by: | CommentsThere seems to be a disturbing trend in today’s workforce. Too many supervisors are asking their employees to write their own job description.
This is stupid, and speaks volumes about the management (basically, that it sucks).
A job description should be written to fill a need of the business. It’s purpose is not to communicate what an employee can do, wants to do, should do or hopes to do, but rather what the employee filling that position must do to fill the need designated by the business.
Therefore, if a manager asks you to make up your own job description, they’re basically telling you they don’t know what the business needs, and they don’t know what you’re doing there.
Unfortunately, too many managers are asking their employees to fill in the blanks and make up their job description. Often after they’ve been working in a certain position for quite some time (who knows what they’ve been doing up to this point). The manager may see it as an opportunity for feedback, or empowerment, or input, but it’s really just a result of either laziness or cluelessness, both of which are deadly.
If you’re a manager, know what you want. Write the job description, then find someone to fill it. Never ask someone to fill in the blanks when it comes to what you, and the business, expect them to be doing.
