Replacing Managers

How many times has the manager/coach been replaced due to team’s lack of performance? If you follow any sports team, I bet you can locate once within your teams history when a coach was replaced due to the team’s performance. It is always easier to replace the coach, then to fire the whole team. The corporate world pretty much does the same thing. Maybe not to the extreme of firing the manager, but there definitely are replacing and swapping going on. In each case, the team can easily have control over getting their manager/coach replaced. The team just needs to under perform or just not met the expectations that are set.

When I first became a manager, I was spending all of my time learning, mentoring and making sure that my teams met or exceeded expectations. I wanted to be one of the best!  As time went on, I became one of the best. My teams were highly performing teams that accomplished incredible results. The last 9 or so years, I was one of those managers that would go in and help struggling teams. I actually looked forward to the challenge.

What was my approach to the challenge of taking on managing struggling teams?

• Learn – There is so much to learn; the people, job, expectations, tribal history, overall performance and feedback. Most of my time is spent getting to know my team. Working with them to set up a level of trust that sets the foundation for what is coming. Getting out and meeting and discussing with key stakeholders to get the story that most managers think they know. There is always some interesting information that others will tell you that your direct manager will not.
• Working together – to set our teams expectations and guidelines. I have spent a lot of time in the learning phrase to help me gather as much information as possible. I take that information and facilitate with the team to write down our team’s guidelines. Those are our standard operating procedures that everyone agrees to. You know the stuff like who to call when you are going to be out. Setting up vacation coverage. Escalation procedures. Once that is done, we switch to overall team expectations. Not only the simple stuff that senior management thinks needs to be done, but the stuff we as a team want to track.
• Measure and Share – with every expectation that we have set, we need to be able to measure it. I have learned that if you measure and communicate the progress than every on the team gets into staying ahead. One item that I work hard on is setting up breakthrough systems that help each team member to track their own progress to expectations. Then I just have to follow-up.
• Open and Free environment – after we have worked hard on moving forward on the basics, it is time to focus on our overall work environment. Having an open and free workplace is something that takes lots of practice and time to accomplish.
• Celebrate – I have always been the happiest with teams that I have been on, that work hard and play hard. I want my teams to share in success. What better way to share in success than celebrating when we have reached our goals?

These items have helped me insure that I am doing my best for my team. My managers have shared with me that they have noticed the difference in the teams performance. What they really noticed is that some of my people have really stepped up and out performed expectations that my manager thought of those people. My team has told me that I am a “people manager.” I take the time to teach, mentor and help each member of the team to get the best out of them.

What are some of the items that you use to help your get your team performing well?