Ask the Leadership Expert

June 2003

How should business executives handle sudden increases in responsibility? How can employees worried about layoffs due to mergers and acquisitions be reassured? When do you find time to work on long-term goals and strategize? These are a few of the questions facing business managers about management issues. See how the leadership expert responds.

by Wendy Capland
Vision Quest Consulting

In this article, frequently asked questions from business managers are posed and answered.

The managers reporting to me have strong technical skills and many years of experience in underwriting and IT. How can I help them improve their people management skills?

Over the years, I have heard many managers lament, “John is technically brilliant, but people can't stand working for him.” People with good, solid technical skills are frequently promoted to management positions, often without receiving any management development or training. Once on the job, some learn how to manage, mentor, develop, and train their employees through trial and error, but the vast majority don't have that innate ability. Promoting a skilled underwriter or IT expert with less than optimal interpersonal skills is a disservice to the manager and the people they manage.

If you have a manager that fits this description and is underperforming, you may want to consider that he or she is better suited to their previous role. On the flip side, however, you should not rule out all technical people for management positions. Many can be developed into great managers through training and development. It's your role to give them the tools to acquire interpersonal skills, communication, and management development skills just as you'd give them technical training on a new product.

Our senior managers need to drive both business and leadership development down in the organization. How can we do both effectively?

Senior managers need to have a vision for the future, the ability to develop long-term strategic plans and to execute short-term goals and objectives in order to drive their business development goals down through the organization. Effective managers accomplish these business initiatives through their people. The stronger the leaders are in your organization, the stronger your business and results.

Your leadership and management team will execute results more rapidly if you have made the investment in their development. Why? Because they'll know what it takes to effectively work together as well as interdependently, to problem solve issues, and to align their styles. It takes an unwavering focus and commitment, and about 2 to 3 years to achieve these goals.

The majority of our managers have worked in commercial or personal lines of underwriting which focus on day-to-day business issues. They are not accustomed to working on strategy and long-term planning issues and find it difficult to find the time. What can I do to help them?

Most managers are focused on the day-to-day issues, attending meetings, and checking e-mail. Unless time is blocked out for strategic long-term planning, many, when asked if they have recently given any thought to long-term planning, would say, “I don’t have time to get my job done as it is!”

I recommend you take your management team or employees off-site for 2 or 3 days once a quarter. On the first day, you can focus on how you are doing as a company, team, or department by reviewing the results of the previous quarter. You can spend the next day planning for the upcoming quarter and the following day thinking about creative and innovative ways to approach business development, new market penetration, and long-term planning strategies.

To increase the effectiveness of these sessions, have someone outside your group facilitate the meeting so that everyone stays focused and directed.

My management team usually works well together, but they occasionally become territorial and defensive. What can we do improve our relationships so that we are more effective when we work together as a team?

There are many types of working teams. They range from polite to confrontative and aggressive. If you are concerned because the individuals on the team fight while problem-solving, but the issues get resolved without anyone feeling damaged, I say, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it!” However, if your managers withhold information in a group setting or are not open to new ideas that impact their domains, then the problem could be caused by low trust or low self-confidence. Addressing how the team is working together might flush out issues about effectiveness.

The next time the team gets together, ask the following questions.

• What specific things should we start doing to increase our effectiveness when we work together?
• What should we stop doing that impedes our effectiveness?
• What should we continue doing because it helps us?

Although it may be difficult to get people to talk about these topics, it's very rewarding when everyone has had an opportunity to "come clean." People want to be part of the solution, especially when it affects them personally.

The constant upheaval at our company caused by acquisitions, mergers, and reorganizations has left our employees feeling nervous about their jobs and consequently less productive. What can I do to help stabilize our workforce?

You are not alone. Many companies—especially in the insurance industry—are going through a similar upheaval. It's a challenge to keep your employees' morale up and their energy focused on work rather than discussing their anxieties with their coworkers. Here are several actions you can take to help stabilize the situation and reduce the gossip around the water cooler.

• Act like a politician—hold town meetings with your employees. Some CEOs and presidents hold monthly or quarterly information meetings during times of massive organizational change. Allow time for questions.
• As often as possible, repeat why and how these changes are positive and part of a carefully considered strategy that will make the company stronger and more competitive in the marketplace.
• Carefully outline changes in structure and peoples' responsibilities in as few e-mail messages as possible to diminish employees' perception that changes are occurring too often.
• Hold weekly staff meetings describing the stability of the company's future. Be enthusiastic about the positive impact changes will have on the company.
• Give your managers a list of the key messages you want them to communicate so that a consistent message is conveyed.
• Acknowledge and reward top performers since retaining key talent during times of organizational change is critical.

Honest, two-way communication is key to keeping your employees' doubts in check.

There are so many changes in our company. I keep getting more and more responsibility added to my plate. I just got promoted to vice president of C/L small business and now have 50 people reporting to me. A few months ago, I had 10 employees in my department. Although I know the business inside and out, I am a little overwhelmed with the number of people I now manage. Any tips?

Take control of your own growth and development by adopting one or more of the following ideas.

• Start with your human resources representative and find out what types of resources your company has available to support the development and promotion of new managers. Your inquiry may inspire the company to explore and/or broaden this type of training.
• Find someone in the organization who has successfully managed the same size or larger group and ask them to mentor you. Pick someone who you respect and can trust to keep your concerns and questions confidential. It should also be someone you emulate and that the organization views as successful and has rewarded for his or her performance.
• Look into outside management development training courses offered by private vendors, colleges, and universities (i.e., Boston University Corporate Education Center in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, or the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina). Sometimes these types of courses will include a certificate of completion which is a bonus and great résumé addition.
• Hire an executive coach to help create a more tailored plan specific to your management situation and business goals on topics such as managing change, managing and developing employees, and improving productivity and profits. Look for a coach who is an expert in managing excellence in organizations. These coaches have years of experience helping managers become more effective as their roles and responsibilities increase.

The fact that you are acknowledging the challenges of increased responsibility is a sign of your potential to be a strong leader. Any actions you take will only be seen in a positive light by your superiors, employees, and human resources team.

Opinions expressed in Expert Commentary articles are those of the author and are not necessarily held by the author’s employer or IRMI. This article does not purport to provide legal, accounting, or other professional advice or opinion. If such advice is needed, consult with your attorney, accountant, or other qualified adviser.