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Management Practices Tactics Guide This tactics guide provides ideas for action to improve each of the management practices in the six dimensions Our recommendation is to review the tactics you would like to use moving forward with your team We hope the combination of these resources will empower you on your development path towards becoming the best manager you can be

STRUCTURE The quality of an organization can never exceed the quality of the minds that make it up UNKNOWN

Establishing clear specific performance goals for your direct reports jobs A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You don t sit down with your direct reports and develop annual or periodic goals You aren t spending adequate time explaining the details of your expectations You are assuming your direct reports know what you want and toward which goals they should be working What you say is important differs substantially from week to week or from project to project You never spend time with your to write out performance objectives The goals that have been set are vague and general S T R U C T U R E You are very hands off forcing direct reports to create their own performance goals and plans 3

IDEAS FOR ACTION Develop SMART goals with your direct reports Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely Remember to use an action verb in each goal statement i e Assess Perform Develop Implement Build Work with your direct reports to put their performance goals in writing Make sure to discuss which actions are priorities and develop parameters for progress follow up Ensure direct reports know exactly what constitutes a job well done Ask them to summarize their understanding to you check for clarity Focus on established benchmark dates What dates have passed Were the outlined expectations met If no why not What benchmark dates are coming up What additional support resources knowledge are needed for the individual to keep to the schedule ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Clarifying who is responsible for what within the team A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE People are overwhelmed by the pace of change in the organization They are confused or anxious You have a number of new players on the team Roles and relationships need to be sorted out Lines of authority and responsibility are confusing and you are unwilling or unable to clarify things You aren t sorting out projects and helping people understand their jobs You give the same task or assignment to two different people There are few if any written job descriptions or accountability statements that describe what people Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it DWIGHT D EISENHOWER S T R U C T U R E really do in your workgroup 5

IDEAS FOR ACTION When assigning roles and responsibilities facilitate a discussion with the direct report s involved about their understanding of the expectations ASK direct reports to share their understanding PROBE to make sure you are understanding them correctly STATE your expectations clearly INVITE dialogue SEEK mutual agreement Publish an organization chart for your workgroup that includes a brief description of each person s primary duties and responsibilities Ask and encourage your employees to identify areas of responsibility or role overlap confusion Clarify your direct reports questions or concerns with everyone affected ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Making sure tasks and projects are clearly and thoroughly explained and understood when they are assigned A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You have people who are new and are in need of a more directive and involved management approach You don t take the time to explain what it is you want You tend to overload people with too many projects and fail to clarify which ones are most important You don t ask for feedback when you give an assignment to your direct report You have too many ideas you are always giving your direct reports ideas and they often assume these are instructions S T R U C T U R E Your group is understaffed and people are stretched too thin 7

IDEAS FOR ACTION Whenever possible write out the key tasks and deliverables involved in the completion of an assignment Make sure you and your direct reports understand and are aware of these expectations Ask direct reports to create a brief project plan before they undertake an assignment Use this to clarify areas of potential confusion Slow down Don t give important assignments on the run Make sure this sentence can be completed for all major project assignments The primary goal of this assignment is Arrange consistent weekly or monthly meeting times with direct reports to review his or her assignments and answer questions or concerns that arise ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Working effectively with other internal departments to create value for clients A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You seem unavailable when important questions or issues arise You think people need to learn how to get along with other departments on their own When interacting with people from other departments you focus on accomplishing your agenda not theirs You are removed from your direct reports day to day activities and cant provide the help they require in No problem is insurmountable With a little courage teamwork and determination a person can overcome anything ANONYMOUS S T R U C T U R E working with other departments 9

IDEAS FOR ACTION When someone from another department asks for help provide it but then make a point of asking whether they felt helped Share your experiences and best practices in getting to know other departments with your direct reports Coach them to do the same Get around the company regularly Be available to talk with managers from other departments in an informal way You seem unavailable when important questions or issues arise with other departments tell people how you prefer to communicate i e email office phone cell phone etc ADDITIONAL IDEAS

S T R U C T U R E Notes 11

STANDARDS The man who starts out going nowhere generally gets there D A L E CARNEGIE

Setting challenging performance goals and standards for your direct reports A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You underestimate the capabilities of your people You are not challenging them to achieve their potential and meet the highest standards possible for their abilities People don t know what your expectations and standards really are You set standards that appear to be impossible to achieve You fail to set high personal standards and act as a role model for your direct reports You are seen as reserved quiet or withdrawn and people have difficulty reading you and understanding S T A N D A R D S your expectations 13

IDEAS FOR ACTION Clarify your expectations Review the goals and performance standards with each of your direct reports Don t hand out gratuitous praise When performance is poor make sure you clearly communicate your opinion and insist on improvement Accept only standard and above standard work Coach direct reports on improving their work habits Be more open and spontaneous with your people Engage them in discussions about work their performance and your personal goals Hold frequent performance review sessions During meetings summarize specific goals and standards for key projects in writing Use this summary as a control system to measure progress ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Demonstrating personal commitment to achieving goals A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You appear preoccupied and unconcerned with group goals You don t express your enthusiasm for the work of your group You are perceived as being lazy and lack a high sense of urgency about the work of your group You accept failure too easily One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency ARNOLD GLASGOW S T A N D A R D S You don t push yourself or your people to be the best You settle for less than top performance 15

IDEAS FOR ACTION Demonstrate your enthusiasm and confidence in your group s ability to achieve goals Ask direct reports to tell you how you can help Discuss organizational goals frequently and reinforce the importance and relevance in your day to day contact with your people Increase the number of your visible actions provide rewards post wall charts pass around symbolic tokens contribute to a project in the morning at night or on a weekend Work on showing everyone how you feel about what counts Publicly state your commitment to your group s goals emphasizing the negative consequences if the goals aren t achieved as well as the benefits if the goals are met ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Giving direct reports feedback on how they are doing on their job A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You are too distant and removed from the day to day work of your people What feedback you give is too general nice job rather than specific and clear I especially liked how you insert action here You send mixed messages your direct reports don t know what your feelings or opinions about their work really are You do not put feedback in writing S T A N D A R D S You assume your people already know how they are doing and how you evaluate their performance 17

IDEAS FOR ACTION To be most effective make sure your feedback is FAST Frequent Accurate Specific Timely Complement feedback with leading questions to facilitate a discussion on possible solutions Give constructive feedback by sandwiching criticism between relevant praise Praise in public Criticize in private Base feedback on behavior not character attitude or personality Describe the behavior and how it specifically has affected projects coworkers and Ascend When performance problems come to your attention verify that they are real before taking action Once you have the facts communicate effectively by monitoring your body language tone of voice and use of terms ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Taking the time to visit clients to gather first hand information A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You do not have enough time Some of your clients feel strongly about one or more issues and you feel safer standing on the sidelines uncommitted The way a team plays as a whole determines its success You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world but if they don t play together the club won t be worth a dime BABE RUTH S T A N D A R D S Your direct reports do not believe you will aggressively stand up for their interests if they take you along on client visits 19

IDEAS FOR ACTION Meet with your team members to plan joint client visits Focus on when with whom and what you will be covering In client meetings concentrate on listening not defending a point of view Be more of an advocate and champion of your client s ideas Take more risks with the higher ups in the company Get better organized Seeing clients regularly is critical to your work group s success ADDITIONAL IDEAS

S T A N D A R D S Notes 21

Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him and to let him know that you trust him RESPONSIBILITY BOOKER T WA S H I N G T O N

Encouraging your direct reports to initiate tasks or projects they think are important A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You do not delegate enough decision making authority You are too detailed in your instructions and discourage people from taking any liberty When direct reports try things on their own you are not supportive There are too many rules in the workplace People feel over regulated and constrained Your direct reports are afraid to take any initiative without your explicit approval Leadership is a combination of strategy and character If you must be without one be without the strategy GENERAL H N O R M A N S C H WA R Z K O P F R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y You try to fill up each person s work day with your projects rather than allowing direct reports to manage their own time 23

IDEAS FOR ACTION With direct reports review current projects and those that they would like to work on Develop a list of top priorities See how many items can be approved and made part of your peoples responsibilities Hold planning meetings where your direct reports can share their plan with you and discuss follow up times Probe Ask questions to prompt solid strategies for achievement Make sure to stay out of the way until follow up meetings Have you set up a system that can be effective without your intervention Check to see are People are correctly matched to tasks Have follow up meetings been arranged to create a warning system if problems arise Are you making the time to discuss the assignment and or questions with your direct reports Hold brainstorming sessions with your workgroup to increase idea generation Consider asking members to write ideas on post it notes and place them on the wall or instruct small teams to list ideas on a flip chart and post it on the wall Encourage direct reports to take the lead on priority ideas that develop ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Expecting your direct reports to find and correct their own errors rather than doing this for them A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You do not have confidence in your people You only trust your own judgment You enjoy being personally involved in the details of your direct reports work You micromanage taking control and power of projects you have delegated out R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y You do not make time to discuss solutions for improvements You think it is faster to always improve the product for them 25

IDEAS FOR ACTION Before your people begin a project discuss errors that concern you the most Share your knowledge and experience and encourage them to contribute possible solutions Step back and allow them to self correct for 60 to 90 days Challenge them to find the important errors Spell out your expectations and performance standards clearly Put them in writing and gain agreement Identify your most trusted direct report and have him or her do more supervising of the technical or project work This tactic may increase everyone s sense of responsibility ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Encouraging innovation and calculated taking in others A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You believe only in yourself or people who are not on your team You do not believe that new ideas can come from your people You emphasize zero defects and are viewed as having a low tolerance for mistakes of any kind Innovation is not a priority for you or your organization One important key to success is self confidence An important key to self confidence is preparation ARTHUR ASHE R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y You have too many ideas Your aggressive inventiveness discourages others from pushing their own new ideas 27

IDEAS FOR ACTION Specify areas in which direct reports may act freely to try new ideas or resolve performance problems Clarify your own role in the process and the actual amount of freedom you want direct reports to have Define the approval process you want them to follow if one exists Praise the next person who tries something new and fails Go out of your way to avoid criticizing when your people deviate from normal practices Hold a meeting to identify areas where your operations need to be changed or where innovations would add the most value Begin the brainstorming as a group Encourage certain individuals to proceed with certain ideas ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Taking initiative to eliminate activities that do not add client value A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE Individual employees have a lot of latitude and may decide to spend time on activities that don t add client value There is a weak pay for performance philosophy operating in your organization The criteria for effective client service and loyalty are not understood and accepted You are perceived to be as a technical expert rather than a client focused leader You are too formal Everything is by the book and people don t feel you care enough about meeting client needs that R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y may require you to break the rules 29

IDEAS FOR ACTION Provide each of your direct reports with a detailed explanation of your criteria for excellent client service and relationship building Allow time for a discussion If there are questions you can t answer see that someone from top management provides an answer Go out of your way to explain the reasons people get ahead at Ascend in terms of providing client value Avoid discussions of what was done in the past and focus on the requirements of today Be aggressive and unrelenting in upgrading your team s commitment to building loyal relationships that will last when competition increases Be willing to eliminate or reduce activities that add no perceivable client value Remove or demote people who are consistently under performing at the client level and who can t be developed Try using more team or group rewards for client excellence ADDITIONAL IDEAS

R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y Notes 31

RECOGNITION In the arena of human life the honors and rewards fall to those who show their good qualities in action ARISTOTLE

Recognizing direct reports for good performance more often than criticizing them for poor performance A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You are overly critical Your performance standards are so high that your direct reports rarely if ever meet your expectations You do not highlight good performance You are unaware of what is involved in doing good work at the level below you Your people therefore feel you do not appreciate their performance Your positive reinforcement is not timely Your impatience and dissatisfaction with some of your direct reports performance are widely known R E C O G N I T I O N Your criticism tends therefore to be more public than your recognition 33

IDEAS FOR ACTION Consciously use positive reinforcement for employee wins Use creative non monetary rewards Examples include plaques thank you emails certificates small gifts assignment of special projects that carry high visibility and or responsibility memo to senior leadership nominations of high performers for special development Make time for your people Show interest by inquiring about what was involved in getting the product to the current state Avoid always having to raise the bar by finding something wrong Be more accepting and communicate appreciation Clarify your performance expectations Have a candid discussion with each direct report about his or her current level of performance so that realistic reward criteria can be developed ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Utilizing recognition praise and similar methods to reward people for excellent performance A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You fail to identify and single out truly excellent performance You rely on only the formal reward system and under leverage opportunities to provide individualized awards There is little formal interaction between you and your people You are unaware of their successful performance Nobody who reports to you does excellent work The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength not a lack of knowledge but rather a lack of will V I N C E LOMBARDI R E C O G N I T I O N You don t communicate your excitement for your direct reports achievements 35

IDEAS FOR ACTION Brainstorm creative awards with your people Create your own reward system with descriptions and known standards Consider Visible recognition to encourage certain behaviors actions plaques certificates small symbolic tokens Possible assignments or opportunities to provide an increase in responsibility providing recognition through acknowledging trust and belief in the direct report s ability Methods to communicate a job well done to higher level management Using e mail memo or phone copy someone more senior to ultimately increase the visibility of direct report Find out about your peoples interests and individualized goals to better understand what will motivate each individual towards achievement Create a reward visibility wall where projects that are significant accomplishments are posted as examples This will help to reward individuals as well as communicate what the standard of excellence looks like ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Relating reward and recognition to the excellence of performance rather than to other factors i e seniority personal relationships A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You play favorites Your people feel reward is unrelated to quality of performance The criteria for rewards and recognition is not clearly defined understood or accepted R E C O G N I T I O N You are spending inordinate amount of time with a few of your direct reports leaving others to feel less important 37

IDEAS FOR ACTION Make sure you spend adequate personal time with each of your people Avoid the appearance of having favorites Communicate reasons behind a decision to reward recognize or promote an individual This will help clarify the reasoning as well as more clearly define the criteria that is worthy of such accomplishments Be aggressive and unrelenting in upgrading your organization Remove or demote people who are consistently under performing and who can t be developed Create improvement plans for underachievers who have potential ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Recognizing people who go above and beyond to serve clients and partners A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE Your department s goals aren t properly coordinated with those of other groups or functions It is possible that a person could be recognized by one supervisor and criticized by another You are busy with other matters You are unaware of the work your direct reports are putting into developing the account relationship You are too formal You seldom have informal discussions with people about what you are looking for or what you would consider remarkable Motivation is what gets you started Habit is what keeps you going JIM RYUN R E C O G N I T I O N Assignments are changed without involving people or considering their relationship to the client 39

IDEAS FOR ACTION Get involved with your people and their work Host more informal discussions over coffee or lunch Find out about the status of a client relationship Inquire about what has been done to build or maintain that status Recognize appropriately Make a point of pushing back against arbitrarily imposed assignments given to your group that may disrupt important client relationships ADDITIONAL IDEAS

R E C O G N I T I O N Notes 41

SUPPORT Note how good you feel after you have encouraged someone else No other argument is necessary to suggest that never miss the opportunity to give encouragement GEORGE ADAMS

Supporting your people in day to day activities A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You appear too busy and direct reports feel discouraged from approaching you with questions or concerns You do not ask your people about what help resources or assistance they need You think people learn best when it is trial by fire Success will not lower its standard to us We must raise our standard to success R E V RANDALL R MCBRIDE JR S U P P O R T When interacting with direct reports you do all the talking You focus on your agenda and not theirs 43

IDEAS FOR ACTION If possible discuss how the direct reports views support Agree on a type of support that you can commit to and they will respond to What types of resources training encouragement and communication do they need to be successful in their every day job Reach out Have one on one meetings to get to know your employees Acknowledge their work Reward work that is worthy of recognition in a timely manner this means when or soon after you see it Get around the office regularly Be approachable Leave your office door open have available chairs for direct reports to sit in walk around the office etc ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Representing the ideas and actions of your direct reports in front of superiors A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE Your people don t believe you will aggressively stand up for their interests You shy away from unpopular positions and are prone to go along with what more senior people want You have failed to explain the reasons why you have not actively supported your direct reports positions Your people feel very strongly about one or more issues that you are unclear about S U P P O R T You do not realize the degree of importance 45

IDEAS FOR ACTION Meet with your people often When meeting identify those issues where advocacy is important In this meeting concentrate on effective listening not defending a point of view or explaining why something can t be done If you do not buy in make sure to say so and provide the direct report an opportunity to further support their point Communicate fully the reasons why you haven t supported your direct reports positions in the past Be more open with your people Give them more information about the decision making process in the organization Explain the strategies and priorities of the senior leadership Providing them with this context will make your positions more understandable Be more of an advocate and a champion of your direct reports ideas Take more risks with the higher ups in your company ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Conducting team and individual meetings in a way that builds trust and mutual respect A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You dominate meetings Meetings focus on your own personal agenda You fail to let people participate You pay inadequate attention to the process and see concerned only with the content or results You are overly critical in meetings You criticize others and their new ideas or spend time arguing your own position You are unable to facilitate productive arguments between your people You allow discussions to become more Ability is what you re capable of doing Motivation determines what you do Attitude determines how well you do it LOU H O LT Z S U P P O R T focused on personalities rather than results 47

IDEAS FOR ACTION Run better meetings Here are a few ideas Before a meeting begins always make sure you can complete these fill ins The purpose of this meeting is to When we leave I would like us to be able to Stop the meeting from time to time and ask How are we doing Where are we on the agenda Show interest Take notes and restate ideas that are shared Make sure to have all conclusions and action items written down Check for understanding and agreement around these items Note the person who is responsible Encourage people to share their perspectives When an idea is shared thank the contributor Do not immediately reveal your opinion about what was said If it is not aligned with what you were asking kindly restate your question and refocus the answers If team members have different goals explain the positive outcome that can transcend from multiple ideas Focus people s attention on the importance of collaboration not competition ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Reacting in a non defensive manner when others disagree A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You react negatively when another perspective is offered You have a hard time listening to people You prefer to interrupt them and insert your own view S U P P O R T You feel you have to strongly defend your decisions rather than having a conversation to clarify the problem or concern 49

IDEAS FOR ACTION Take time to listen to people rather than interrupting Write down any important notes wait for them to finish and then calmly respond Stop defending your decisions Find out where the resistance stems from Remind those involved including yourself what the desired outcome of the conversation is Align ideas and progress with that outcome Be aware of the nonverbal signals you send This includes facial expressions eye contact and body language If you feel yourself getting angry or defensive take a few deep breathes or excuse yourself until you are ready to complete the conversation ADDITIONAL IDEAS

S U P P O R T Notes 51

COMMITMENT Individual commitment to a group effort that is what makes a team work a company work a society work a civilization work V I N C E LOMBARDI

Communicating excitement and enthusiasm for the work of your people A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You are quiet and reserved People don t know how you feel about the group s work or its performance You are cynical People view you as being frustrated and having a negative attitude You are discouraged Each time you are honest and conduct yourself with honesty a success force will drive you toward greater success Each time you lie even with a little white lie there are strong forces pushing you toward failure JOSEPH SUGARMAN C O M M I T M E N T Your direct reports believe they are giving 110 and you haven t provided adequate recognition to demonstrate your support 53

IDEAS FOR ACTION Be more expressive Acknowledge the work your employees are doing As specifically as possible point out how their work has a very real impact on the company and your clients Take a vacation Sort out any personal problems or internal conflicts that might be getting in the way of your enthusiasm for the job Write notes or emails to employees in the spirit of genuine thanks or encouragement ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Involving people in setting goals A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE Individual or departmental goals are imposed on people from above People feel there are not any clear goals In goal setting discussions you do all the talking C O M M I T M E N T You are so busy that you pay inadequate attention to goal setting and getting people s real input on goals and priorities 55

IDEAS FOR ACTION Invite your people to share how they feel about their personal goals Clarify those that appear vague or confusing Encourage your people to ask questions and contribute their own point of view Agree on the final goal Make a point of pushing back against goals that are imposed on your group that you feel are inappropriate Emphasize where goals are flexible and where they re not Allow people to negotiate and discuss those goals and areas where there is flexibility Be clear about areas where there is no flexibility ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Encouraging direct reports to participate in making important decisions A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You intimidate your direct reports and they shy away from confronting you or arguing with you You are perceived to be secretive Many decisions are made behind closed doors and your people are informed only after they have been finalized One or more of your direct reports tend to dominate group meetings This reduces others sense of participation You are too action oriented In your desire to get things done you are viewed as being autocratic and uninterested in Integrity is crucial for business success once you can fake that you ve got it made HENRY FORD C O M M I T M E N T others opinions and input 57

IDEAS FOR ACTION Involve the right people as early as possible when major decisions must be made State how the decision will be made before ideas are discussed e g will you be making the final decision or is this up for complete group consensus Listen to other people s views and ideas encouragingly Lead the group to a final conclusion Even if your people can t participate in making the decision try to work through detailed action plans on important implementation issues with all involved Work to be clearer in explaining your point of view and the method and reasoning behind your decisions and approach to problems Ask direct reports to challenge your logic and reasoning Engage teams of direct reports in discussion by asking for their opinions If they are hesitant to share make it so everyone will share their own perspective Do this aloud or have them do it anonymously and post a sticky note response on the front wall ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Encouraging direct reports to have frequent contact with clients both formal and informal A LOW SCORE MAY INDICATE You are spending an inordinate amount of time with a few of your team members making it impossible to keep track of what each of the others does with their time You pay inadequate attention to the process of building relationships Your direct reports perceive that you are only concerned with content and results You don t ask people if you can go along on their next client visit You are overly critical of the planning and paperwork causing others to spend a lot of time meeting your needs instead of focusing on seeing clients You use meetings to push your own personal agenda and fail to make time for your people to talk about C O M M I T M E N T their contact with recent clients 59

IDEAS FOR ACTION Focus your direct reports attention on the importance of regular ongoing contact with clients Improve your understanding of each of your people s objectives in making a client visit Find out if there are any obstacles or issues with achieving these objectives Keep a visible chart with each person s contacts Inquire about client visits ADDITIONAL IDEAS

C O M M I T M E N T Notes 61

SUPPORTING COMMENTS Follow effective action with quiet reflection From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action P E T E R F D R U C K E R

S U P P O R T I N G C O M M E N T S Notes 63