Domain 6: Management | Achieving Balance
Posted by Communications2 on Jun. 8, 2023 / Member Resource / Subscribe 0
When Do I Step In? Achieving Balance in Management
Written by Eric Larson | Marketing and Proposal Manager | CRS Engineering and Surveying
I recently saw a funny quote about management. It said, "There are two types of a good manager. 1) Those who take a keen interest in your personal development, meet with you regularly, keep their door open, walk the floor routinely, and delegate appropriately, and 2) Those who leave you alone."
While I like the point, a good manager must be able to do both at the appropriate time. In the recently updated Markendium book series, the Domain Six book on management states, "Managing people may be as much an art as it is a science." An effective manager needs to know when to be involved and when to step back and let people work, even if it means they will make mistakes. When employees know their manager is ready and willing to help but will also give them space when needed, that helps create trust and a positive culture within the organization.
This trust—and the improved relationships earned through effective management—provide a lot of benefits. One of the biggest benefits becomes evident when working on creating a positive business development culture, as discussed in section seven of the previously mentioned Markendium book on management.
Business development requires a lot of effort early in the process, and people rarely see results for months or even years later. The business development process can be challenging, and a good manager oftentimes is the difference between long-term success or failure.
Since most people work with the mentality that an hour's effort should result in an hour's results, it can be hard for them to understand when business development efforts don't initially pay off. When people don't see results after consistent effort, they can quickly enter what's referred to as the "Valley of Death" mentality discussed in section seven of the Domain Six book. This mindset is where enthusiasm turns to discouragement and frustration when their early efforts produce little to no results.
Unfortunately, in many cases, the firm's management can be one of the main contributors to people falling into the "Valley of Death" mentality. The Markendium books point out that a firm's management often pressures technical professionals to bring in business. They tend to ignore business development when times are good but pressure professionals when there is an urgent need.
This method goes directly against effective management techniques discussed earlier, creating unrealistic expectations and unnecessary pressure. Instead, firms should continue focusing on business development with management providing steady support. Consistent business development efforts are more challenging the busier a firm is, but that is an ideal time to see the best results.
The busier a firm is, the more regularly they meet with clients. Those familiar with the 80/20 rule know that 80 percent of your work will come from 20 percent of your clients, making client meetings an excellent time to take an extra five to ten minutes to discuss potential future projects in a low-pressure environment. The information gathered during these discussions, commonly called the middle game, gives firms an edge once in a proposal—or even allows them to bypass the proposal process by being directly selected.
An effective manager supports their team by being involved in the client meeting when helpful but allowing the technical staff to develop relationships independently. Another way a manager can help with business development is by establishing a plan that includes clear, measurable goals. Going one step further, the manager needs to assist as the plan is carried out, but also understand it will take time. Acknowledging business development takes time means balancing when to be involved and when to step back, encouraging individuals.
To learn more about creating a business development plan, see section seven of the updated Markendium domain six book on management or see section eight of the previous version of the same book.
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