I recently spoke with author and consultant Bruce Tulgan, a former attorney, about his book, It’s Okay to Be the Boss: The Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming the Manager Your Employees Need.
In any law firm, regardless of size, when it comes to raising profits, serving clients more effectively, upgrading your client base, and keeping employees happy, there is no getting around the fact that you are as good as your people. Bruce Tulgan agrees unequivocally: It takes hard work and an investment of time, “but there’s a concrete return on your investment in managing people more effectively.”
If you feel as if you’re always fixing someone else’s work, the firm’s resources are being squandered, low performers are receiving high pay, and you’re losing high performers, you may be taking on responsibilities that should be delegated. Effective management skills are the key to eliciting more and better work out of fewer people. If you’ve ever “written down” a bill because a job took too long, you’ll want to think about how you’re managing your people.
The way to increase your productive capacity is to leverage the productive capacity of employees. You owe it to them and to yourself, as well as your clients, to run an efficient operation that yields the highest quality work. That means getting in the habit of providing good, clear guidance and support for your team so you can help people avoid common pitfalls and solve problems before they get out of control.
The consequences of not managing properly are huge. Mistakes go unnoticed and problems escalate. “You don’t have time not to manage people,” says Tulgan.
Take The Time To Manage Well
Tulgan’s book offers a step-by-step process for effective management. He’s a big believer in regular one-on-one meetings to meet the unique needs that every individual brings.
Tulgan generally recommends allotting an hour a day or every other day for these meetings, depending on your team size—about a quarter hour per person. He likens the process to getting in shape. Time invested upfront saves you from spending hours of management time in crisis mode later.
As a rule, those who think they have no time to manage spend more time managing than anyone. “They just spend all their management time solving problems that never had to happen in the first place,” says Tulgan.
He explains the need to talk like a performance coach, but that doesn’t mean cheerleading: “It means you talking to your team members about their performance on a regular basis, eyeball to eyeball.”
Use descriptive language, he says, and break assignments into smaller pieces; in other words, don’t say, “You’re too slow.” Say, “Well, the deadline was yesterday, and it’s not done yet. Let’s go over the steps and how long each will take.”
Don’t waste your breath on questions like, “How’s everything going?” The right questions, the ones most people need, Tulgan says, are those that guide and direct, moving individuals step-by-step toward best practices.
If you’re changing your management style, tell them: ”I haven’t been a good enough manager, and I’m going to try to be better.” Let them know that it’s nothing they did wrong. Then, work with them, one person at a time, every day.
The preparation time for these one-on-ones will be gradually reduced. Each conversation will help you prepare for the next. In your preparations, remember to return to six questions—who, why, what, where, when and how. Never forget that every person has different needs and issues. “You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘How should I talk with this person?’”
Then, establish a regular protocol according to which you meet or talk on the telephone regularly. Send an email in advance, saying, “Here’s exactly what I want to discuss.” Follow up with an email: “Here’s exactly what we agreed.”
Preparation for these calls also involves posing these types of questions about each person to yourself. The answers will continually change: as you manage the person more closely, you’re going to clarify your answers; also, answers will change as the person’s work improves and your goals shift.
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