Re: Process, not bureaucracy

[Cam Whetstone <camw -at- rocketmail -dot- com>]

Steve wrote:

> From my perspective as a manager, process helps me ensure that when  
> someone does good work, everyone can learn to do as well. It also  
> means if I know what works, I can ensure everyone does it. This  
> doesn't preclude improvementor creativity, but it does promote 
> consistency and solid results.
> 
>           -- Steve
> 

The down side of this, Steve, is that what works well for some is not
the same as what works well for me.  I am an early person.  I like to
get to work at 5 to 6 am rather than 10 am.  If I work 8 hours, I
leave at 2 to 3 pm.  If I work overtime I leave at 5 or 6.   It works
for me!

Also some managers use process as a ruler to manage.  If I learned one
thing from having three kids is it that no two people are the same and
the same thing does not work for any two of the three.  

Nothing helps a manager manage more than knowing what the managed
employee is doing.  I have had a manager that knew my job better than
I did.  He was excellent.  When I work for someone who doesn't have a
clue (and I have) I can usually snow them a little, but they really
don't manage me, I give them the cues and if they pick up on it, they
re-inforce my 'self management.'  

As an example, I worked with a verygood technical writer.  He had a
problem with getting up in the morning, but he had no problem with
working into the evenings.  he put in his 8 hours and did his job very
well.  I came in very early and did my job--maybe not as well, because
he had been there longer.  The manager did not know what we did.  We
told him the metrics and he measured to them.  He loved me (I came in
early) he hated the other writer (he came in late).  I tried to say
good things about him, but it was taken as loyalty to a friend.  It
wasn't.  I knew the manager would dump the other writer if he got a
chance and he did.  When warned, the other writer came back with,
'well I do my job.'

Management is not easy.  There are no short cuts to knowing what you
are managing.

C. R. (Cam) Whetstone


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