BW Online | August 21, 2000 | Moving from Doer to Manager

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AUGUST 21, 2000

BOOK EXCERPT

Moving from Doer to Manager
from:"Act On It! Solving 101 of the Toughest Management Challenges"

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The following is one of the 10 questions from Act On It! The book is a compilation of questions asked and analyzed along the ACT model. In Act On It!, Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman tell managers that "you have the power and now the model to become a successful problem-solver. You simple have to ACT: Analyze your situation, Choose the best strategy, and Track your choice. In the words of the Wise One, 'The answer is in your hands.'"

"The question, 'Who ought to be boss?' is like asking, 'Who ought to be tenor in the quartet?' Obviously, the man who can sing tenor."
* Henry Ford

Who are the best candidates to become supervisor?

Who among your current employees shows the most promise for promotion to the supervisor level?

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Part 1:
Earning Employees Admiration

Management
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Analyze These Criteria for Supervisory Success

1. Able to look beyond the welfare of the team to the good of the entire company.
2. Thinks like a manager rather than like an hourly employee.
3. Sees job contribution in terms of accomplishment rather than hours expended.
4. Can give up the "doing" part of the old job to focus on the "leading" part of the new one.
5. Willing to delegate responsibility.
6. Accepts that many followers will not have the same energy, dedication, and ability as the supervisor, and doesn't expect any more out of them than they can give.
7. Can give direction to people who were equals before the promotion.
8. Can delegate the "dirty work" without feeling guilty.
9. Can handle no longer being "one of the guys" or "one of the gals."
10. Can handle the potshots from employees who are jealous of the promotion or who don't understand why the new supervisor no longer acts like one of them.
11. Has confidence in his or her ability to lead others.

Choose

Don't make the mistake of promoting employees into supervision just because they are excellent "doers." Favor candidates who demonstrate the ability to exhibit the above behaviors.

Track

Stand by to coach, mentor, and counsel your new supervisors. Send them off for at least three days of training in leadership within three months of appointing them. Continue to groom other employees for future leadership opportunities.