Thanks to Ryan Money (Junto 2005), I got a copy of the handouts Will and Amy used in today\’s UITA breakfast.
Keys to Management Success – Will West, Control4
Hire right.
In fact, hire people that are better than you are. If you don\’t you
can\’t grow an exceptional organization. Do this right, and 80% of your
job is done. Do this wrong, and you\’ll sink.
Be yourself. Don\’t try to be the manager you read in a
book. Use those learningÂ?s to mold your approach, but don\’t try to
become someone else. You aren\’t, and you probably won\’t do it well.
Create passion. Retention, extra hours, loyalty to the
business, etc. are all easier when your management team believes in a
vision. Help your team understand why you are going to change your
little comer of the world.
Measure. No matter how good your people are, you can\’t
be successful without finding the critical drivers for your business
and measuring them. Find data that shows you the heart of your
business, and make sure each department is watching those vital signs
on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
The Executive Team is
the single greatest factor that determines Success or Failure for any Company – Amy Rees Lewis, Mediconnect.net
Hire the Right People for the Management Team:
. Different Skill Sets (area of expertise)
. Same Core Values
Examples of Core Values:
Hardworking
Integrity
Willing to say what they think (w/out fear of being wrong)
Willing to admit when someone else has a better way or idea
Genuinely Humble yet Confident
Loyal
Optimistic about the future and the people they lead
Respectful of all others
Willingness to make decisions (even if they\’re wrong) – has guts!
Exec Team operates with Total Trust in One Another
- Absolute and total Honesty and Open Communication (no back channel conversations or clandestine meetings about one another)
- Willing to confront one another w/ disagreements
- Always resolve an issue (no unspoken resentments)
- Complete commitment to the Team
Exec Team Meetings
- Passionate, intense, exhausting, and never boring
- Keep meetings efficient (only discuss critical issues)
- Openly hold each other accountable for individual performance
- Fight about issues, not personalities
- Challenge each others ideas
- Ultimately
arrive at decisions that everyone agrees to support (total buy in) . No
one walks out of the meeting with bad feelings or resentment
Responsibility of CEO to Exec Team:
- Embody the values you look for in hiring the exec team
- Do what you say you will and Live _what you believe
- Create the atmosphere that allows honesty wlout punishment or backlash
- Make sure every exec understands exactly where the company is headed
- Clearly define both your expectations and your success measurements for each exec on an individual basis
- Make sure every exec knows the boundaries they can operate within (what they can do on their own with and w/out CEO approval)
- Get out of their way and let them do the job you hired them to do
- Always give credit to your exec team for every success
- Commit to allow and encourage a balanced lifestyle for your execs
- Remember that leadership isn\’t about you; it\’s about the people you serve.
