In my questions to David Maister, I asked for very practical application information. While theory is important for concept understanding, my clients and readers seek hands-on information. David is a master at responding with practical tips and ideas.
Susan Heathfield: How do you recommend that managers best demonstrate commitment, enthusiasm, and respect?
David Maister: Managers should act as if they are part of the team, not just the boss of it. They should minimize the trappings of office, and reduce the emotional distance between themselves and the rest of the workforce. People need to feel that management is part of "us," not "them." Dig in, routinely help with the work, be readily available to anyone who has a problem, whether work-related or personal. Wash your own cup. Above all, ensure that you stand for something, have uncompromising principles and stick to them.
Q: How do you recommend that managers generate commitment and loyalty?
A: It's as simple as "give to get." Dale Carnegie once said that you'll have more fun and success by helping other people achieve their goals than you will by focusing on your own goals. The job of a manager is to actively help other people succeed. Focus on giving your people exciting, challenging assignments, and help them succeed at them, and they will want to stick around. People want careers, not jobs, and that means they want to learn and develop. Anything that gets in the way of this will be demotivating.
Q: How do you recommend that managers excite and motivate people?
A: Managers should not do anything special, but do exactly the same things that would excite and motivate them as individuals. It's about "us" not "them". When I ask people, around the world, at all levels, about the best manager they ever had, I always get similar results. Great managers give lots of responsibility early, are available to help, set and enforce high standards (on things other than just financial results), don't tolerate non-participation by other team members, and set a high personal example. Yes, I know this sounds simplistic, but that doesn't mean it's wrong, or that it's common.
Q: How can the human resources professional assist managers to do these things well? How can the HR person demonstrate these behaviors in his or her own work?
A: Lots of managers, even those with advanced business degrees, are never taught how to manage. How many of us are taught how to win trust and respect? How do we convince those we lead that we care about their development. It ain't about systems, and it ain't about processes. It's about interpersonal skill, emotional intelligence and social interactions.
A lot of us need a lot of help in that area if we are to improve. This is as true for HR professionals as it is for the rest of us. In my (coauthored) book, The Trusted Advisor (Compare Prices), I wrote about how to win trust, confidence and influence from your "clients." HR professionals have to do this every day of the week, and again, it ain't about systems, processes or logic. It's about learning how to influence another human being, and we don't spend enough time thinking about it at that level.
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David H. Maister is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading authority on the management of professional service firms. He spends 40 percent of his time in North America, 30 percent in western Europe, and 30 percent in the rest of the world. His degrees are from the University of Birmingham and the London School of Economics. He holds a doctorate from the Harvard Business School.
Maister taught how to manage professional service firms and how to manage production operations at Harvard from 1979-1985. He lives in Boston with his wife and coach, Kathy, whom he claims has tons of Emotional Intelligence, something he says he himself lacks. He is an avid collector of popular music, owning more than 12,000 CDs, that range from Al Jolson to the Spice Girls.
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