Eliminating Crisis
Management
Changing your leadership style
If we were to walk into your
shop today, we would probably find you very busy at work. The
question is whether you were doing the things that you had planned
to do, or if you were busy putting out the "fires" that
often occur with being a retailer.
A contemporary definition
of management by crisis is "making decisions according to
the problems at hand, many of which did not exist when you go
to work each morning."
As a unit of measure, if you
are spending 15% to 20% or more, of your day handling today's problems,
then you are performing crisis management. And, if you are in that position,
you are often unable to perform your other duties. As
managers and owners, you are the individuals with the responsibility
of planning for the short and long term future of your business.
One of the currently popular management books says that a manager
that is constantly putting out fires in his business, is probably
the one that is carrying the matches to start the fires.
If
you are the owner or manager, there are three responsibilities
that are a part of your written, or unwritten job description;
You are a worker, a manager, and a planner.
As a worker, you
will find yourself performing many of the same duties that even
the newest employee is performing. And in your shop, this could
include such duties as cleaning a window, stocking the shelves
with parts, assembling equipment, or even waiting on the customers.
Most owners and managers would agree that it is very hard to have
your workday exclude these types of jobs, and that it is also important
from a morale perspective that you be seen performing these duties.
But if the owner or manager
is spending a large percentage of the day doing the same tasks as
the employees, then the second responsibility, management, is being
neglected. You may own a shop that utilizes a manager. Most owners
would agree that if they utilize a manager, it is a job that the
owner is also well qualified to perform. And as the owner, you do
have to 'manage the manager'.
Which ever is your situation,
you have the option of managing in primary style, secondary style,
or a combination of the two. Primary management can be demonstrated
by the type of manager that has the employee perform a task, return
to the manager for approval of the task, and then wait to be assigned
a second task. Sometimes this type of management is referred to
as 'gopher management', which is a paraphrasing of the instruction, "Go
for this. Return to me and then I will send you to go for something
else."
This type of management has
a tendency of becoming very exhausting to the manager. The secondary
style of management requires
education and information being given to the employee.
This style is apt to be developed as a result of a manager or
owner sitting with the employees in a staff meeting, and outlining
the goals - immediate, midrange and long term - to his staff.
Goals
are created and assigned, as compared to tasks being assigned,
because you have the confidence in the employee to determine the
detailed tasks that need to be accomplished so that the goals
are achieved. Deadlines are established with intermediate goal
posts being provided so that the progress can be checked along
the way.
As you can see the advantages,
and disadvantages, to each of these management styles, you will
also see the need to blend
the two. For, as the situations and individuals involved
will vary, so will the technique that you will utilize.
Leadership
is the hardest task for any owner or manager to perform. Perhaps
the difficulty comes in attempting to define the need for leadership.
Dr. Steven Covey provides this explanation: a worker does 'it',
the manager sees that 'it' gets done, and the leader defines what
'it' is. Being the leader shouldn't involve a lot of your time.
You may even go days or weeks without performing leadership tasks.
If you have been a good leader, you will find that you are able
to spend more of your time in a management mode because of the goals you have established.
It is impossible to determine
for you, the quantitative amount of your time that should be spent
with each of these three levels. Depending on the size of your shop,
and the number of employees, you will find the majority of your
time in one of the first two. And if you are spending too much
time in crisis management, then it is time to reread this article
and examine how duties are divided among you and your employees.
Resolving crisis management
in your shop can generally fall into one of three categories: situations
of which you are the individual that can resolve them, situations
that you can delegate to others, and situations in which you will
need outside assistance.
The first two of these categories
will be resolved much in line with the information that we have
already discussed. It is the third area in which you want to make
sure that you have the necessary assistance ready. If you are an
owner, the most likely candidates for outside assistance would be
an attorney, banker, accountant, and an individual within the retail
trade. It is with these people that you will want to share information
such as personal and business financial's, long term goals, concerns,
and any other information that could possibly influence the way
that they would advise you on matters.
Walt Disney used to say
that his company would work for five years, plan for ten years,
and dream forever. That may be too long range for your business,
but the idea is right.
