There are two kinds of managers in business today. Before you decide which one you are let’s talk about each of them and share some symptoms for you to identify.
Manager one, let’s call him Jim. Jim has staff that don’t seem to get things done on time, on budget and within the rules that clients require. Behind his back they are disloyal and engage in criticisms of him. Often they wonder how he got to be a manager at all and assume that it was essentially based on a lack of other candidates or a family connection. Retention of both employees and clients is a big problem. They have very little collaboration and often Jim’s staff keep their best ideas a secret. If a failure happens everyone points fingers and often Jim finds someone to throw under the bus.
Manager two, let’s call her Jane. Jane is organized and her team is delighted to go the extra mile for her. She has a good synergetic relationship with clients and her team. Behind her back people speak highly of her and seek great solutions even when she isn’t around. Word of mouth keeps her team busy and profitable. Supervision isn’t required. When its time for promotions they generally come to Jane and others on her team.
While the above two examples may seem like extremes they are often closer to reality than most managers will admit. The reason is that most managers settle for what’s in the middle when they really could have it as good as Jane.
The difference between the two managers comes down to the Proactivity/Reactivity Paradigm. The most simplified explanation of the paradigm, as presented in PPM (Personal Power Mastery), is that the more proactive a person is the easier their life is. The more reactive a person is the more complicated and chaotic their life is. It’s that simple.
In the examples above Jim is experiencing the outcomes he is as a result of a reactive paradigm. Over time his reactive nature of responding to situations rather than preparing for them has created difficulty getting things done on time, on budget and within rules clients have required. Reactive individuals place the power in a situation outside themselves. They rely on others to take initiative and provide solutions. Often they wait until the last minute to take action and as a result end up having to cut corners or make compromise in order to succeed.
As a reactive manager Jim often throws people under the bus when challenges appear. Naturally we teach people how to treat us and we create our environment. As staff members have been treated this way they lose respect for the leader and naturally discussions behind his back reflect this.
As there is no safety when things go wrong no one feels comfortable sharing their best ideas and an atmosphere of self-preservation is created. The mentality is now every man for themselves and there is no trust.
Jane on the other hand is proactive. The foundation of proactivity is to own your outcomes – even if you did not fully create them. One of our PPM mottos is that “if you own it, you can change it.” Proactivity requires two things to work. The first is assuming ownership so that you can make changes; even if the problem wasn’t created by you. When you step up to own it you gain power over that problem and can bring solutions. Those who solve problems that they did not create will eventually find themselves leaders over those who created the problems. The world needs more problems solvers and you are always paid and promoted in relation to the problems you can solve. The scone aspect of proactivity is that a proactive individual recognizes that they have power and ability to change situations. A proactive person recognizes that there is always something they can do. And even by doing the smallest thing, they can change the entire situation.
Jane’s habits of proactivity over time have told people that they can trust her. They know if a mistake is made Jane will own it and stand behind everyone on her team. Because of this they are inclined to share and take risks. As a result, her team is able to use their very best abilities without restraint to solve any and all difficulties that may appear.
My challenge to you is to recognize where you may be leading from a reactive paradigm and level up. Recognize, also, where you are leading with a proactive paradigm and increase it. As you do you will find your power and performance as a manager and you will grow! Now is your time – Make it count!
