The Managing Genius

A CEO hired me as for his $5M retail business in Seattle.  During the interview process he had expressed how much he needed me to help lead and change his company. I found it interesting what he wanted me to do in the first week.

Sanjay gets a text message from Ashley, one of his sales engineers.  It says: “Is that with a please”?  He can see Ashley across the room—she is texting him from the same conference room. Oops, he forgot to ask nicely.

Steven is one of those employees who will join any committee.  He is an extravert and loves interacting with people over work issues.  Because of his volunteer spirit, he is often tapped by senior management and HR for special initiatives. 

Jack tells me he’s a “hands-off” manager. He believes that you “just hire good people and get out of the way. You need to trust your employees to do their jobs.”  Is this your managing philosophy?

Naomi is one of those employees who seem to be a different person on any given day. One day she seems totally engaged, and the next she seems to be pulling away. So you're left wondering what she’s thinking and what you can do to turn her around. You want happy employees.

Steph has an employee who loves to talk. Walk down the hall to get a coffee and you’ll see her in a cube talking with a colleague.  See her at your office door and you know you won’t have a short conversation.  She defines the words team participation. 

Have you ever felt some employees are not “with you”?  You hear them complaining about senior management, or the direction of the company, or even you. You wonder if they’re committed to what we’re doing.

My first job after college was at an open pit mining operation in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan.  As a first-time manager, it felt uncomfortable to assign unpopular work.

Jack's calling you again, he needs your quick help.  Can you do him a favor? 

Jack is one of your sales managers, and he called you last week from Chicago...can you FedEx his sales packet, it's on his desk, and he needs it for the sales presentation tomorrow morning.  While you’re at it, could you send his laptop charger, it's in the top right drawer.  You stop and ask, is it a good thing to keep rescuing Jack?

Sarah manages a large IT services organization for a wireless carrier. Sarah is a likeable manager, but she has an annoying passion for organization, and she expects her employees to adopt her work style.

Jeff is a clown in a big-name traveling circus show, and he’s the administrative manager for a group of performers—that’s right, he’s says he’s the head clown.  Jeff shares that his Cherry Pie job is to “walk elephants in and out of the arenas".

Doris Kearns Goodwin writes, in her book Team of Rivals, that President Abraham Lincoln “was out-generaled” in the early years of the American Civil War. Lincoln was depending on the leadership abilities of General George B. McClellan who had a habit of over-estimating the enemy’s strength. He favored preparation over action, and he loved military parade and pomp."  In the early years of the Civil Way President Lincoln wavered over how to manage McClellan's performance.

Ken Griffey, Jr. is a popular sports hero in Seattle. In 2008 we were elated when he decided to return for the finishing years of his career. We’d all get the opportunity to watch him wind down his professional baseball career where he started.