One of the toughest things managers need to do is to strike a balance in everything. A manager is responsible for leading, planning, and controlling functions of their organizations. All of them require striking an optimal balance without going to high or low extremes in any. While most managers know that not enough application of these functions results in poor performance on their part, few know that the opposite is also a dangerous proposition. Going to extremes in leadership, planning and controlling can be counterproductive.
As related to leading, a recent study about assertiveness, an extremely important leadership trait, shows that too much assertiveness is as bad as too little of this important trait. Assertiveness denotes one’s ability to make a point and express one’s self in a clear and concise manner. While it is one of the most important traits for a manager, a recent study shows that a manager’s ability to communicate with employees is adversely affected in the case of too much assertiveness.
Organizational leaders who come across as low or high in assertiveness are seen as less effective, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. The research also shows that being on either the extreme or the low side of assertiveness might be considered the most common leadership weakness among upcoming leaders.
Another example where extremes are dangerous is control. This is a necessary function of management that helps compare actual performance to that planned, and determines if any corrective or preventive actions are needed to fix any performance problems. Without control, work may progress in the wrong direction, resulting in poor quality outputs. Control is important on a project, but too much control is not good as it hinders flexibility and creativity.
For example, if team members feel that they are being micromanaged, this will not leave them much room to think and recommend improvements. They will feel inhibited and a feeling of mistrust may develop between management and employees. Furthermore, not leaving room for employees to do the work their way will result in many “false alarms” where management, due to tight controls, may think that work is facing problems when it is not.
For example, if a team member is being tracked on daily basis while working on a five-day task, he might not do much of the work on the first day. Work, especially on creative tasks, is not equally divided on the duration of the task. However, with tight controls, management might not recognize this fact and pressure the team member to start working when he is not late to start with.
Another example of how a balance is necessary in business comes from the planning process, which is necessary for all the activities of the organization, whether operations or projects. Although planning is very important, most organizations do not spend enough time planning their activities. Many managers are not aware of the fact that research shows a direct relationship between the amount of time spent planning and the chances for success. This is why most want to spend more time “doing” and less time “planning,” as they perceive planning as having no added value. That withstanding, nonetheless, even planning might become excessive after a certain point.
Striking a balance in management functions is key to the success of a manager. However, the pressing question is how a manager can determine if he is striking a balance or doing too little or too much as in the examples above. This is a tough question as there are no clear formulas to make that determination. However, there are some rules of thumb that can help a manager strike that balance. One of them is to keep focused on the goal, not get lost in the details. The manager should keep an eye on the big picture to check and ensure that at a high level, work is progressing towards the chartered goal. If not, then all the management techniques in the world will not help a project heading in the wrong direction altogether. The techniques will merely push the project further and faster in the wrong direction.
Also, a manager must remember why a technique is applied rather than worry about going all-out implementing that technique. Management techniques are tools, not a goal by themselves. For example, the purpose of control or planning is to improve chances for success. Managers do not plan just for the sake of planning, or to feel good about themselves applying best practices. A manager must determine what level and what techniques of planning are required for the specific work, at hand. He should not apply techniques blindly just for the sake of applying them. Such mistakes will make the plan itself become the goal, while the actual goal will be lost and even forgotten, thus; leading to failure.
Finally, a manager must seek feedback and input from the results of the work and from stakeholders. If a manager keeps alert and assesses things objectively, he can notice from the results of the work and the behaviour and statements of people surrounding him if he is going to extremes or striking the right balance. If the manager maintains an open-communication environment and is willing to assess feedback without taking things personally, he can quickly pin-point areas where he is going to extremes and the areas which he is not putting enough focus on. Then, he can always maintain the balance necessary for the work to be done successfully.
Monday, February 12, 2007