Category Archives: Tips for Managers

Questions and Answers

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Questions and Answers

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”

Voltaire

One of the biggest mistakes  we can make  as managers is to talk too much and  ask too few enough questions.

Are you a manager who suffers from “I” strain? – I did this, I do this, I, I, I, …

Furthermore, if we do ask questions do we listen to the answer?

Asking questions is one of the most effective ways of gaining information and eliciting team co-operation. It is therefore one of the best tools available to managers.

The skill in asking questions is to know what type of question to ask, when to ask it and how to ask it.

There are 2 main types of Questions:

  1. Closed Questions – these are those questions that require a yes  no, or one word answer. They should be avoided unless you are clarifying a position or answer
  2. Open Questions – these are questions that elicit an open response where if handled carefully you can obtain valuable information and opinions and have your staff committed to the organisation.

A useful technique in asking questions is to start the question with one of the following………Why, Where, When, Who, What, and How

You can continue a conversation and explore ideas by rolling through the five Ws and H:

‘where’ did it happen?

‘when’ did it happen?

‘who’ was involved?

‘what’ happened?

‘why’ did it happen?

‘how’ did it happen?

Other types of questions include

Direct Questions (can be used to slow down a fast talker, confront an obstructionist or draw out a reluctant participant),

Leading Questions (should be generally avoided  but can be used to gain support or bring a meeting to a close),

Ambiguous Questions (when more than one answer is possible. Can also  be used to provoke a response, slow down a domineering talker, start a discussion or spark some action),

Provocative Questions (should be used with care and often used to provoke a response or defend a position),

Rhetorical Questions (very effective in putting an issue ‘to bed’ and moving on)

and

Re-directed Questions (used by politicians to avoid answering the question).

Questions are good tools to have when conducting a meeting.

More importantly we should avoid asking questions that are:

  1. Closed questions (yes/no) unless you follow up with a direct or factual question
  2. Invoke antagonisms
  3. Of a personal nature which may embarrass
  4. Sarcastic

So now the question I ask is “how active is your listening?”

Are you getting the feedback desired and does the person you are questioning feel that you are interested and actively listening to their answers?

Technology

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Technology

“Men have become the tools of their tools”
Henry David Thoreau

Today in business we are confronted with a mass of technological innovation that has become increasingly more sophisticated, expensive and difficult to keep up with; iPhones, iPads, tablets, GPS and so on. We often we become so intoxicated with new technology – its speed, power, gadgetry and the potential to solve our business problems that we neglect to solve problems in a simple and cost effective way.

Have you heard of the story about NASA in the 1960s when the space astronauts found pens would not work in space? NASA spent tens of thousands of dollars to develop a space pen while the Russian cosmonauts used a pencil! This is actually an ‘urban myth’, however it illustrates the need to try and solve problems in a simple, practical and cost effective way. In the first Gulf War, the fleeing Iraqi army set fire to hundreds of oil wells creating an environmental disaster. Red Adair the famous Texan oil fire expert was called in by the Kuwaiti government to ‘solve’ the problem. The solution was a complex technique of explosives to remove the oxygen from the flames thereby putting out the flames. It was complex, costly and dangerous and would take many years to complete the task. Instead, a team of Bulgarians were contracted. Their solution was simple, practical and cost effective. Using large bulldozers being driven by men in fire resistant suits they covered the burning oil well heads with sand in a fraction of the time and cost compared to the solution as advocated by Red Adair.

So next time you are confronted with a problem or the latest technology – stop and think. Can the problem be solved simply and cost effectively without technology that can often be unnecessarily complicated and expensive?

Problems

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Problems

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

Albert Einstein

Many of us in business are confronted with problems;  whether it is the business failing, parts of the business not performing or relationships at work deteriorating. I suspect that you have agonised about the reasons for the problem.  These reasons are likely to be complex and there are probably no simple solutions.

However, the first step is to admit there is problem.  I have seen many leaders in business refusing to admit that there they have a problem, even though it is obvious to everybody around them (and often to themselves although they refuse to confront it). This problem can be due to ego, ignorance, incompetence or an unwillingness to face reality. It is highly unlikely to go away and is probably only going to get worse and become more complicated as staff and customers begin questioning your judgement and leadership.

Admitting that you have a problem either to yourself, your family or your staff is essential. The second step is critical.  This is where you either become a success or continue to fail to resolve the problem. The failing business person tries to justify the failure – it’s the market, it’s the internet and so on.

As a manager or business owner it is only a problem or a failure if it continues. Like the Albert Einstein quote above which implies we must change something to get the desired result, the status quo is not an option. Do not identify an external reason for the problem as this is a ‘cop out’. You are disowning the problem – ‘it’s the economy’, ‘it’s the high exchange rate’, ‘it’s poor staff’.

The key to success is to take a few steps that will not allow you to justify the problem. The first step is to take action, even if it is just one small step. Using personal fitness as an example, the hardest step in improving your fitness is putting on your gym gear. By taking the first step you are on the way to solving the problem. Momentum has now commenced and this will help solve other problems, both now and in the future.

There is no shame in recognising a problem or failure, providing you do something about it. Learning from mistakes is only common sense. That’s what good leaders do !

Measuring

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Measuring

“What gets measured gets done” – Peter Drucker

This is a great quote for business or life, if you want to achieve your objectives or improve performance. As the saying goes “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”.

In business this means all areas from people, processes to performance. However in business it is important to identify the main ‘things’ that will ensure your business’ success. These are often called Key Performance Indicators – KPIs for those that wish to use 3 letter acronyms. I shy away from using so called management jargon as it is often pretentious, arrogant and only serves to complicate simple processes, ideas and concepts.

The identification of KPIs that drive the success of your business should not exceed 3 to 5 measures or benchmarks otherwise it becomes too complicated and difficult to maintain. KPIs need to be SMART :

  1. SPECIFIC – must be clear and concise so that everybody understands it
  2. MEASURABLE – must be based on performance or behaviour that can be measured objectively
  3. ACHEIVABLE – must be attainable and what is required
  4. REALISTIC – must be a goal that can be realistically achieved and should represent significant progress from the status quo
  5. TIMELY – a goal must have time line to be achieved (e.g. by a certain date)

If we use a transport business for example, a KPI could be the number of kilometres travelled per truck per week to ensure an acceptable return on investment. It could look something like this :

By 30th June, the average kilometres travelled per week must be 8,000 kilometres per week. Currently the average is 5,000 kilometres per week.

  1. SPECIFIC – 8,000 kilometres per week
  2. MEASURABLE – kilometres per week is measurable objectively on a weekly basis
  3. ACHEIVABLE – 8,000 kilometres per week is achievable if the truck works 2 shifts per day and/or 6 days per week
  4. REALISTIC – it is realistic and is greater than the status quo of 5,000 kilometres per week
  5. TIMELY – must be achieved by 30th June

By implementing this KPI, performance can be measured on a weekly basis and compared week by week. The weekly KPI can be used to implement a plan of action to achieve the required objectives.

In conclusion, using SMART indicators your business objectives can be achieved providing you act on the KPIs to ensure you meet the required objectives. With no objective measurement system in place and no management then the status quo will remain and more than likely performance will deteriorate. So determine the key drivers of your business, start measuring them so you can improve your business’ performance.