Chris asked, "What would a manager who is potentially flaming out see in others that would enable them to respond before a full tailspin?" Chris’ question is right on the money. He’s looking for the “telltale” signs a new manager can look for to help avoid the crash and burn many experience.
Most new managers have the skills to lead, but just don’t know how to manage the situation, especially when problems start popping up that they’ve never experienced.
Telltales are warning devices. On a sailboat they are little ribbons or pieces of yarn attached to a sail or rigging that show the sailor how well the wind is moving over both sides of the sail. They are very sensitive and by watching telltales, the sailor can steer or trim the sails to maximize boat speed.
Eventually, sailors can learn to “sail by feel” rather than constantly watching the tell tails. Even so, they look at telltales from time to time to make sure they haven’t missed anything.
How you maneuver in business is somewhat like sailing. When you are new to a position, as you would on a new boat; you need to learn where the telltales are and how to read them. You will watch telltales until you get the feel of the boat.
There are lots of “telltales” in business that can indicate when things aren’t going well. As Chris suggests, the new manager needs to be aware of what they might be and how to get back on course without causing other more complex problems. Some of common telltales for managers include:
- Declining team performance
- People unexpectedly “checking out” on the job.
- Solemn meetings and getting people to speak up is like pulling teeth.
- Rumors of top performers considering leaving
- You have to do the work the your team should be doing
As I said, telltales indicate something is not working well. The sooner you recognize there is something out of whack, the better. In some case you may know immediately what is out of order.
Beware, organizations are complex, what appears to be the cause of a problem may actually only be a symptom. Picking the right “solution” is tough and often the right solution is NOT the most obvious solution. As a new manager it is crucial to get to the real issue and address it as quickly and effectively as possible.
In the next posting, I will talk about one strategy for getting on top of the issues.
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