It Ain’t Easy Being Green

One of my favorite quotes about learning comes from Major League baseball pitcher Vernon Sanders Law: "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." It seems not so long ago that I was a young manager in manufacturing - or more appropriately stated, I was green - and many of the lessons I learned came the hard way.

One of the toughest challenges with being green is that you simply don't know any better but have the mistaken impression that you do. Now that I am a bit older (and, I hope, a bit wiser), it seems like a good time to pass along some of the most common mistakes new managers make.

Impatience. Probably the hardest thing about taking on your new leadership role is wanting to show what you can do. You have big plans, big ideas, and feel compelled to prove yourself worthy of your new assignment. The sad truth is that most of your people won't share your enthusiasm. It's important to remember that, no matter how many degrees you have or how talented you are, your direct reports are going to wait to see what you are made of before they take a chance on following you.

Patience means you have to take the time to build rapport, really get to know people, and most importantly, listen. You've heard the saying, People don't care what you know until they know you care? This is where patience will serve you well. Most workers who have been with a company for a while jot down secrets to success. If you don't believe this, watch a machine operator some time. If you pay attention, you will see he has a small notebook tucked in a pocket or toolbox that is worth 10 times its weight in gold.

Take the time to get to know these experienced workers and listen - you might learn a few things. But rush in and make too many sudden movements, and the employee and her little notebook of secrets will retire or transfer, leaving you in the dark.

Thinking you have to have all the answers. Your direct reports are the subject matter experts and will quickly resent a greenie coming in and shouting orders without learning the ropes himself. A good leader brings out the best in people, and your people have the answers. Being a manager means having the sense to know what to ask and who to go to. Thinking you have all the answers falls into the category of micromanaging. Do that a few times and you will rapidly see your workers' contributions grind to a screeching halt. If you do their jobs for them and don't listen to what they have to say then why are they going to waste their time?

Unequal treatment. It is hard when you take on a new crew or department. Not only do you have to learn new processes and equipment, you also have to learn about the people. Understand that the bell shaped curve applies to human performance. Eighty percent of your people will do the right thing and perform on an average level with minimal instruction. Where you need to be cautious is on the curve's ends. About 2.5 percent of your people will always do the right thing faster and better than anyone else in the same role. Another 2.5 percent will never do the right thing and will be a constant source of irritation. Avoid the urge to give more work to the top performers and less to the poor performers. This is a big mistake and an easy habit to get into. It is hard to confront poor performers because they might also be confrontational or just plain difficult to deal with. Often, they actually know this about themselves, and it's how they get out of taking on assignments. This contributes to unequal treatment, however, and in the end you punish the top performers by giving them extra work.

Another mistake that green managers make is listening only to a few key employees or allowing people to spy on their peers. This is a bad situation all the way around because it breeds gossip and destroys trust. There will be times when your direct reports tell you about behavior that needs to be addressed, but do not encourage tattletales. It's best to treat everyone with the same open door and to investigate all employee concerns with the same level of confidentiality.

Abuse of power. A collaborative work group is more productive than a directed work group. If you start out giving orders then be prepared to continue, because people will not accept ownership if they feel they are working for a dictator. None of us likes to hear, "Because I said so" - not when we were children and certainly not now. We especially do not want to hear it from someone with less experience. People are more forthcoming with information and generally helpful if they sense that you value their knowledge and respect their history with the company. Here again is why building rapport is important. It is much harder for people to treat you disrespectfully if you take time to talk about their children's latest school project or a favorite hobby.

Confusing motivation with manipulation. Motivation is an inside job. Leaders do not motivate people - they inspire people. Don't allow yourself to be fooled into believing you have found the magic vocabulary to motivate your troops. Overuse of words or phrases with emotional impact - "I am disappointed with your performance," or "Are you telling me that what your project is more important than the company goal?" - are not motivational; they're emotional coercion.

Inappropriate behavior. Once you take on the role of leader, your behavior has to change. You are no longer one of the guys, and you have to begin acting the part of a manager. If you are going to lead a work crew, for instance, you need to command their respect. This means you dress appropriately - your clothes need to be neat and clean and all your body parts need to be adequately covered. You want to stand out from the crowd just enough so that if a visitor walked in they would recognize you as the manager. This also means using appropriate language. One of the commonalities of most manufacturing environments is we tend to talk loudly and sometimes a bit harshly. Once you take on the role of leader, you need to temper your words.

A sad reality about being a manager is that, no matter what you do, your employees may still find fault with you. This is normal, but don't set yourself up. To illustrate this point think about our latest presidential election. Think about what you heard the days after the election. What did you hear most about? Was it about policy or behavior?

The good news about being green is that you are flexible and still have room to bend and grow. Take time to get to know all of your people. Learn who they are and what they do. Listen to their ideas and take time to really hear what they have to say. You are undoubtedly surrounded by talented people who can only bring you and your company success.