Management in a Changing World: How to Manage for Equity , Sustainability, and Results by Imani, Wong, and Ahuja
A colleague recently taught me an acronym common in military circles: BLUF. Bottom Line Up Front.
So. BLUF: Management in a Changing World will make you a more effective leader, and maybe even a better person in general.
Before I became an executive director, I had years of experience as a leader just doing what needed to be done. I handled problems as they arose. I had zero formal management training, and was generally able to make good decisions and move big important projects forward anyway.
Then I found myself overseeing a shelter and mental health center, with round-the-clock shift workers handling complicated client situations that sometimes also involved child welfare employees or even the police. And yet, if an employee wasn’t showing up on time for their shift, or if two employees were refusing to work together, or if an employee mishandled a client situation, I didn’t even know to categorize this as a “performance problem.”
That meant I had to start from scratch every time to address the issue.
It was exhausting.
What a relief it would have been to be able to open The Management Center’s Management in a Changing World! “Management is about excellence and heart–that managers can and should be able to get great results while also being decent human beings and living their values at work.” While it would have behooved me to read the whole thing start to finish, I’m sure I would have flipped straight to the chapter on “Performance Problems!” I still would have had to think through a bunch of messy factors specific to my situation. But I’m quite sure that if I’d understood the “four steps to address performance problems,” I’d have spent less time grumbling to my husband and more time calmly working toward solutions.
Four steps to address performance problems
Reflect on the problem (What’s my role? Is this a management vs performance issue?)
Check in (What’s the employee’s understanding of the problem? What else might be going on?)
Assess and weigh options (Can it be improved through coaching, guidance, or training? If it improves, is it likely to be sustained?)
Decide: Invest, coach out, or let go
It also would have saved me a significant amount of anxiety to shore up my skills at delivering feedback. How clarifying to distinguish the different types of feedback positive, developmental, and corrective, and how helpful to know the best practices for delivering each. I could have used their “check-in template” to make feedback a regular part of my supervision routine, and their “MOCHA template” to clarify who was doing what in group situations (Manager, Owner, Consulted, Helper, Approver). When an employee seemed to consistently struggle with their duties, I could have tried the “coaching out” template to give them an opportunity to make meaningful improvements, or to seek a better fit in another agency, all with dignity.
And more.
I know I still would have modified and used the Management Center’s suggesitons in my own way, but if I had known about them as a starting place, I would absolutely have slept better at night.
And better sleepers are better leaders, sometimes even better people in general.
So. Management in a Changing World. Read it. Use it.
You’re welcome.
PS. The Management Center also offers a variety of training on the topics in the books, which can sometimes be a better fit for a leader’s busy schedule, or learning preferences. I took one several years ago and enjoyed the benefits of the breakout groups where we processed together how to apply the concepts in our individual situations.
