The Last 5 Management Zingers
October 23, 2007 by David Zinger
Filed under Business
What would be the last 5 statements you would voice to other managers if you knew those statements were the last 5 things you could say?
This was a very thoughtful and emotional post to write. It builds upon Phil’s post: The 5 things to say at your last team meeting.
The Last 5 Zingers:
1. People are people not human resources. You manage people. Living, breathing, feeling, imperfect, lovable, exasperating people. People will enliven you, deaden you, excite you, disappoint you, thrill you, and contort you into many different shapes. In short people will have a profound impact on you. As a leader, always remember you are also doing this to them.
2. Be strong. Tap into your own deep well of strengths and make sure you bring them to the surface. Your strengths are your gift to your community. They say we only use about 10% of our brain, I don’t know about that but I do know we only use about 10% of the full strength of the workplace. Be strong enough to pull the strengths out of the people you manage. List your strengths. Love your strengths. Live your strengths. Leverage your strengths in the service of the people you manage.
3. Plan and improvise. By all means have goals and develop plans. Work on strategies and tactics. Also learn to improvise as the world of work is changing faster than the color changes a chameleon experiences walking across a kaleidoscope. Here are some quick lessons from improviser, Patricia Madson:
- say yes,
- start anywhere,
- just show up,
- pay attention,
- make mistakes please,
- enjoy the ride.
Balance GTD (Getting Things Done) with CPC (Conscious Playful Collaboration).
4. Let me level with you, you can’t do this alone.The organizational pyramid is ancient, crumbling, transforming, and inverting. Always be on the level with the people you manage even if you have different responsibilities. The old dictum: if it is to be it is up to me has transformed into if it is to be it is up to we. Strive for the highest quality of interactions with everyone you meet.
5. Live now. This is the moment. This is the only moment. Don’t wait for some magic promotion or milestone to make you feel alive. Bring your living into the moment. It is never too early. It is never too late. Always remember: you only have moments to live.
David Zinger is managing in the moment!
Photo Credit: Navigation by http://flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/147288906/
Great points David. I especially like your spin on the old me quote. I like “If it’s going to be, it’s up to we.”
I would add one to your list:
Build on your strengths, and don’t worry so much about your weaknesses. Do the same with your team.
Thanks for the simple, but not easy, reminders for all of us managers.
Thanks Phil:
I agree with the strenght perspective: Be strong. Sometimes it is quite helpful to keep things brief as if it is the last few things you can say. Make it Great today Phil.
David
David,
Really great points, and thanks for including number 1. I also agree with Phil’s point about building and focusing on strengths.
Mike
Mike:
A sincere thank you for the postiive feedback and we are all in agreement about the importance of strengths!
Be strong, human, and caring.
David
This is a fabulous exercise, David.
I’d add a few things:
• Don’t be offended by the feedback you receive. Listen with courage and act on it.
• Speak up, even when no one else is willing to. It’s the only way to create real safety for yourself and others.
• Really care about other human beings. Care about specific people, not just ‘care” in some general, cerebral way. Without care, why should anyone listen to what’s real anyway? (Not so different from your first zinger)
If a person does this, maybe he or she can help create a workplace that is truly able to sustain the truth. That’s a leadership thing.
And that’s a big deal.
Best to you.
Dan,
I love what you said and would feel comfortable writing this myself. I think caring is such a key. We also need to be careful – deliberate at times while still full-of-care. I found that I could also be couragous to voice things to others when I switched from confronting them to care-fronting them. This means out of a stance of caring I need to put something in front of them rather than trying to “put them in their place.”
Carry on caring,
David
Truth and care, the two cardinal values and virtues…Without truth, we disable growth, without genuine care for another human being, who can hear it? Thanks much, David.
Dan:
I do care for your truth!
David