Saving a Failing Manager
Sometimes it's just a missing tool
There was this particularly high-potential manager that just couldn’t keep things going with any consistency. One day his store looked great, another it was a dumpster fire. Daily sales told the tale.
He worked hard, he cared, and he wasn’t afraid of making tough decisions.
But, dumpster fire.
One day in particular when I stopped by, it wasn’t even worth walking the facility with him, issues were everywhere. The back room was the worst of all. Had a Fire Marshall showed up they would have likely shut us down. He saw it too, just couldn’t fix it. He was overwhelmed and he knew it.
Two issues jumped out at me. He was keeping everything in his head and he was trying to do too many things himself. One was feeding the other.
With a notepad and pen, I had him walk every part of the store listing everything great and small he saw that needed to be done. He was not allowed to fix anything unless it was a safety hazard. I took his keys and the manager calls so he could do that one thing.
Eventually, he came back with pages and pages of notes even more dejected than when I arrived.
Progress, we had a list!
The issues weren’t really complicated, the sales floor was in disarray and space was not being used well. It looked full the way a closet of junk looks full.
Clean up the sales floor and there would be plenty of room to get stuff out of the back room. It’s a little oversimplified, but you get the idea. We talked through the concepts at a high-level with what needed to happen.
Next, I had him prioritize, Safety issues, things that must be done, should be done, can be done, and would be nice to do.
For example, Unblocking fire exits, and safety issues, now. Condensing and reworking displays must be done. Updating the signs should be done.
I personally like the Franklin Covey A, B, C then 1, 2, 3 prioritizing system. "A" items are top of the list, then number the A items 1 through, whatever, and so on.
Many years ago I attended a then Franklin planing system seminar. It was truly life changing. My life got easier as did the lives of everyone that worked with and for me.
Then we sat down and assigned people to the first batch of tasks based on priority, work hours available, and individual skills. As he verified things were done they were crossed off the list and the next thing was assigned.
In some ways, this was like repairing an airplane while it’s flying. Despite the issues, it was a busy store.
His assignment was to get things done through his staff and to rewrite his list each morning. For one week he was not allowed to touch anything except for safety, customer service, and the few things only he could do as the store manager. That may have been the hardest part.
I left.
Conventional corporate wisdom was to stay and put out the dumpster fire, clear out the ashes and fix things up before moving on.
Corporate stop drop and roll.
I had already done that several times. That hadn’t gotten rid of the matches and kindling.
The morning after my visit I called to see if he was OK. He said he had the best night's sleep in a long time. He felt he had a way forward.
I waited a couple of weeks before visiting again to give him time to set things in place. I barely called him and didn’t call on him during conference calls. After two weeks things would be a lot better, or not. If not, well, he was a smart guy, he knew the stakes.
Sales were already trending up nicely so I wasn’t surprised at what I found.
The change was amazing. From the sales floor to the back door it was transformed. Employees were happier, he stood taller, and everyone’s stress level was way down. Even his office was clean.
The only thing that looked the same was the name of the building. He was setting priorities, delegating, and following up. He was no longer trying to carry the place on his shoulders alone.
As long as we worked together after that, he was never without his notepad, taking and passing out notes throughout each day.
He went on to a successful career at that company, Last I heard he was running a high-volume Supercenter. I am sure to this day he has a notepad or its digital equivalent at the ready.
A notepad and pen is still the most powerful management tool in the history of civilization. Sam Walton, Founder of Wal Mart, carried one everywhere, made notes, and acted on those notes. Kinda worked out for him.
It was really simple, “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The trick is the right utensils.