Management Bites: the book

Billed as offering practical management training and techniques in bite-size chunks for anyone who manages, or wants to manage, people, Management Bites is self-study guide which can be worked through as and when needed.
Broken into 24 ‘bites’ from job descriptions, team building and delegation to meetings, discipline and restructuring, each section contains real-life examples, discussion of options and questions for readers/managers to work through on their way to finding solutions.
The book takes ‘common sense’ rather than theoretical or academic approach to becoming better manager but this is no bad thing. As New Zealand written book, it also contains useful local information which makes refreshing change from overseas content and contexts.

A lot has been written on staff management. How to recruit, motivate and incentivise good staff. In our work the first thing we do is ask the director to rank their staff, starting at the best and working down. We then fire the bottom 20%. This has never resulted in a fall-off in output or sales. It always results in improved performance and never fails to reduce the company’s overhead.

Successful firms also invest heavily in their staff. Law school produces graduates. Law firms produce lawyers, and the best invest hundreds if not thousands of hours on their new employees. But here is the brutal truth. You cannot teach a dog algebra. Do not try. You will frustrate yourself and make the dog feel stupid. There is a risk that the dog may endure an unnecessary and unwarranted beating.

Get rid of the non-performers. But remember, successful firms do not just ruthlessly expel dead-wood. They invest in turning good staff into great staff. The real value in rank and yank is the ranking. Invest in your staff and you will get better staff. If your employment policy is simply firing the no-hopers, you will be left with a hollowed shell of a business with resentful staff suffering from survivor guilt.

Recently I read Angela Atkins’ book, Management Bites. Atkins may not agree with much of what I have said but her book is an excellent guide to improving staff, and every New Zealand manager should read it. And then sack a few laggards.