Early one recent morning, I was
sitting in a cafe in relative peace and quiet reading the morning paper. Close to me slowly gathered a team of 10
people for what turned out to be a weekly sales meeting. One of these classic out-of-the-office breakfast
meetings with free coffee and croissant as token compensation for everyone
turning up earlier than the normal starting time ….
Like it or not, I was to be a
passive observer to the meeting.
The
abrupt change in conversational tone marked the start of the meeting - to the second of 8 o'clock. The informal discussions between arriving team
members suddenly were replaced with something best described as ‘glazed resignation’. I soon learnt why.
The
sales manager launched into action speaking decisively in facts and figures,
providing information and rapidly issuing instructions. Confident, no room for uncertainty. Every word and mannerism reinforcing the sense
of a man in control – of himself and of his team. In doing so, he was respectful; wasn’t rude,
abusive, or arrogant. Better
described as tunnel-visioned, linear, well-intentioned, driven.
The
meeting moved efficiently through its agenda: basically a series of 9
individual reports to the sales manager. Each subordinate in turn endured what felt like to me to be a
ritual, weekly, public humiliation of justifying their last week’s activity as well as their proposed schedule for the week ahead.
Whilst one reported, eight others sat
silently, redundant to the immediate conversation, not drawing attention, mentally hibernating, eyes
awake, until it was their turn under the sales manager's microscope.
Hang on! I remember meetings like this!
In
asking for comments, the sales manager paused for a brief moment before
answering himself, speaking quickly, to the point. No time for debate that might lengthen the
meeting and delay the day ahead …. Responses
by staff were confined to providing specific information or asking questions of
what he thought they should do … in effect, seeking additional instructions. And our action man seemed very happy to issue
them.
His
comments were relevant, certainly. But, throughout the meeting there was hardly an opinion that wasn’t his. Nine people who attended the meeting were
taught, once again I would guess, attendance was compulsory but their thinking certainly wasn’t.
In fact, I have very bad memories of meetings like this…
At
its end as staff rose to go, conversation again slowly restarted - the earlier chatter could now be better described
as quiet mutterings typical after any such meeting,
"Thank heavens that's over for another week. When it's not my turn to sit up and perform, I end up drinking so much coffee to stay awake."
Or
the one I really liked because it summed it up so well,
“He’s [sales manager] like a broken record … we could have taped last week's meeting, blindfolded everyone this week and spent the time guessing when we were using the tape or when he was speaking …"
General
laughter. And a concerned look from the sales
manager from across the collection of café tables, “were they laughing at
him?”
Yep, they were - I remember those
post-meeting mutterings; the derogatory humour at the manager’s expense (that’s
compulsory); and the plotting how to generate a plausible excuse to get out of next
week’s meeting …
So, let me, as a conscript observer, describe the atmosphere and style of the meeting.
- atmosphere – depowering, disengaging, demotivating; a defensive culture based on justification.
- management style - autocratic; authoritarian; marginalising.
- knowledge management - linear; repetitive; information/fact based; redundant.
From the
sales manager’s behaviour and choice of words, what might we conclude
regarding his beliefs of himself, and his perceptions of his role and status?
What attitudes did I hear embedded
in almost every comment he made throughout the meeting? Impressions were,
“I am the boss; listen and you will learn from
your superior…”
“My ideas work” from which we might infer that
everyone else’s thoughts are less valuable, less relevant ….
“It is more
efficient (read: faster) to listen to me as I know what is important ….”
“Learn to
do what I say, not think for yourself; you will be slower and you might be
wrong. I am confident I will not.”
Well, given
attitudes like those, what fundamental lessons did the sales manager appear, however inadvertently, to be teaching his
staff?
Learned helplessness – “take the problem to the boss, he works it out.”
“The boss prefers to make decisions.”
"My opinion doesn’t count ...”
“Good performance is doing what you are told to do and not anything else.”
"Initiative is frowned upon.”
And of course, “Tuesday mornings are an absolute pain …”
What has
the sales manager perhaps taught himself?
“I have to make all the decisions as my staff can’t.”
“The best way to run a sales meeting so as to keep to schedule and keep control is the way we do it.”
“If I don’t keep on their backs, they won’t do the work and sales will drop.”
“The best way to teach staff is to tell them until they get it.”
“I can summarise most issues faster than any of the others, so for the sake of efficient meetings, it makes sense for me to do most of the talking.”
Based on my
observations and interpretation of his behaviour, what would I have liked to
ask the sales manager?
Three areas to explore,
- What does he believe is essential in a good manager? Get him to describe examples of great managers he has worked with, and identify the factors and behaviours that made them so good ….
- What does he believe he does well and what could he do better? How could he find out? What else could he do that would support his staff to do the best they can?
- The sales manager needs certain information from his staff. What options does he have that doesn't require nine staff to be lined up each week for their turn to justify themselves? How could he, in turn, add value to individual team members so that they are both well informed and learn from interactions with him?
Yes, this might mean a radical new approach to sales meetings!!
Oh yes, I remember
meetings just like this one. It summarised
perfectly what my then manager didn’t understand what my colleagues and I needed,
- to be led not
‘administrated’,
- to be motivated not
constrained,
- to pool our collective
ideas to create something greater, not have the same information, the same
maxims presented week after week …
He never
listened, never got it. It was a significant
reason why I and others eventually left.
Oh yes, I
remember meetings just like this one very well …
Cheers
Nic
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