Articles By Hal
Perfect Manager Flies a Starship
If you have been to a bookstore lately, you have
probably noticed there are more books on management than there have ever been.
Obviously, if there was one way to do it, there would only
be one book.
Management varies by technique, style, personality and
method. One thing that holds true is a great manager achieves results by having the team
perform above and beyond expectations without resentment or ill feeling.
Beyond the bookstore, there are a multitude of courses and
seminars that purport to teach the "key secrets" of how to become the world's
greatest manager.
But, believe it or not, the best of the best is right under
your nose, or actually in front of you on your television set.
The show that I am about to mention was the most expensive
TV show ever produced and one of the most widely syndicated in TV history. The producers
of the series spent a sizable sum on management consultants to assist in the writing and
concepts.
Yes, for those of you who have not already guessed, I am
talking about "Star Trek: The Next Generation ."
If you have never seen the series (several local stations
currently air reruns), it is not bang, bang, shoot 'em up stuff. Rather, it is serious
topical issues of today portrayed in the future.
The ranking officer of the ship is Capt. Picard, one of the
finest managers you will ever watch, study or hope to become. He possesses all the
necessary talents and skills to manage anything from a starship to General Motors Corp.
Here are some of the many traits he displays that can be
applied to any manager of any company.
- He knows the ship inside and out: in fact, as well or better
than most of the crew. A well informed or knowledgeable manager can transmit this to
their team.
- He doesn't care about being liked, but he commands respect
(this, of course, is earned and takes time).
- When a problem arises, he calls his staff into the
conference room and they discuss the situation, and invites and listens to the staff's
comments.
- When a member of the crew does something that falls out of
line, he calls the crew member to his office (in private) and gives a one minute reprimand
and does not belabor the point.
- If a member of the crew has a problem or needs to see the
captain, he always has an open door, where again he listens to the person and gives them
an honest response . . . period.
Picard is the "perfect manager." He is close to
his people without getting too personal with them. He keeps his distance from them, and
keeps his personal life to himself and one or two senior staff people.
He is a great listener, and is not afraid to make a
mistake. If he does take a chance and it is the wrong decision, it is a learning
experience.
Finally, it seems he is a subscriber to the theory,
"once ignorant, twice stupid." If a staff or crew member makes a mistake, that
is OK as long as it does not happen again.
And you will never hear him say, "I told you so."
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Hal. |
