Management Myth Busting

by Ruth D Schwartz

In an Oakland Warehouse the TV show MythBusters blows up, smashes up, crashes into, and lights on fire prevailing cultural myths. I don’t have a warehouse, but I still plan to smash up and otherwise burn up three prevailing management myths.

Recognize any of these?

Myth #1: “If only I knew how to manage better, my employees would do what I want them to do.”

Myth #2: “I know my life would be easier if only I were a better delegator.”

Myth #3: “If I was better at motivating people, my employees would do a better job.”

Ready to be relieved? Let’s bust these @#)*&)#*$ myths!

Myth #1: “If only I knew how to manage better, my employees would do what I want them to do.”

People do not want to be managed. That is an uphill battle you cannot win. People want input. They want feedback, and sometimes they want help. But most of us are quite able to manage ourselves and our work. The reason we often look inept at managing ourselves and our output is because we are not led to see the expected result.

My experience is that the prevailing culture of micromanagement, disrespect, or under appreciation, matched with a lack of vision or purpose, is what leads to people failing to reach the proverbial bar of job management success.

If you want to set the bar higher, shift from managing people to leading people and let them manage their results. When given a vision, a mission, a purpose, and, most importantly, a sense of value and respect, most people will rise to the bar.

Stop managing and start leading. Myth #1 BUSTED.

Myth #2: “I know my life would be easier if only I were a better delegator.”

You can never stop the need to delegate with delegation. Delegation is telling people what to do. While people may need some instruction, your job is to stop telling people what to do and support them by becoming a great communicator.

My experience is that managers (by having all the answers and holding all the decision making in their hands) hold employees hostage to constant oversight. This creates the inability to solve problems when they occur and makes managers believe that their charges can’t think for themselves.

If you want people to have higher authority and the ability to “think on their feet” you need to stop solving all the problems and making all the decisions and start asking great questions and allowing others a higher level of authority.

Stop delegating and start communicating. Myth #2 BUSTED.

Myth #3: “If I was better at motivating people, my employees would do a better job.”

Guess what? You can’t motivate anyone. Motivation is an inside job. Like the proverbial horse and water. So what can you do? Put the right person in the right job. Find out what unique talents people bring to your organization and let them do it. Figure out what behavior styles each job takes so that you aren’t putting round pegs into square holes. And lastly, understand what drives and motivates each person and provide that intrinsic value to them.

My experience is that managers hire people into jobs based only on prior work history. They promote people who are successful in one area without thinking about if they can be as successful in the new position. They don’t look at the behavioral requirements of the job before they look for the right person to fill it.

If you want to motivate people, find out what they love and let them do it. Create a team that enjoys each other and the value they bring. Look for alignment, not carrots and sticks.

Stop motivating and start aligning. Myth #3 BUSTED