Do you have a philosophy for management

[utopian]

So I have my little restaurant job, and though I could do better for myself, I kinda like it here. I am not in any management position, but I have a certain authority with seniority, and I am looking at moving into management. 

 

There are a lot of people at my job who love to sit around and talk when there is work to be done. They don't like when I push them around and tell them what to do, but they also don't like when I take a well deserved break and leave them scrambling to serve customers. I pick up a lot of work that these slackers don't do, and when I am gone, they notice. I like working. I like seeing the place run well and the customers satisfied. I don't like these lazy ass people failing my restaurant. No one there really likes me, and while I am mostly unconcerned with this, a large part of it is because I do a good enough job to show everyone up. I sometimes feel like giving up on everything and quitting. I know the place would fall apart if I did. My boss has me working night shift six days a week because he knows they can't handle the influx of customers when I am not there. A big part of what I have to do, is pushing around these lazy asses and making sure they are doing something in their proper areas.

 

 

 

And so I have perhaps a conundrum if I do move into management. I know I am going to be handing out write ups and clock outs like candy on Halloween. I know people are not going to be employed here for very long with all the back talk and laziness I am going to be fighting against. Really, the place is lucky its still operating, except for a few good key workers. I often think I should quit for a better job like I know I deserve and can get. The part of me that still wants to stay, is the part that likes seeing the place succeed despite all the unnecessary activity.

 

 

Unfortunately, without these people, as ineffective as they can be, I still need them. Normally I would be ok with just knocking people off left and right, but unfortunately our general manager left months ago, and the only person with hiring powers is the district manager, which severely lengthens the process. The remaining management is somewhat powerless, as we don't have that many skilled, dependable and available people to choose from, and so our management can't just be knocking people off. They even end up putting up with disrespect, more disrespect than I would be putting up with. If I move into management, I can't be the usual dictator I naturally am, and it has already gotten to the point where barely anyone wants to talk to me so I could not lead by charisma. 

 

 

 

 

So I want to see if anyone here has management experience, and how they go about running their businesses, and what you might do in this situation if you moved into management. 

[shirgall]

Actually, yes. I recommend the following site for a good discussion on effective management, with a firehose of material to learn:

 

http://www.manager-tools.com/

[utopian]

Hmmm, interesting stuff. There is a lot to look through in this little universe link you have here. Thank you, I will look through it.

[shirgall]

Hmmm, interesting stuff. There is a lot to look through in this little universe link you have here. Thank you, I will look through it.

 

Let me underscore that their theory is that early and effective feedback (and in general all communications) is the key to good management. A lot of their stuff is about cutting through BS to what actually works, which appeals a great deal to the empiricist in me.

[NumberSix]

Not a philosophy, but some observations from experience.
There are 3 types of workers:
1. Overachievers or workaholics: for these types you don’t need to manage them, just point them in the right direction and make sure they have everything they need.
2. Regular people: they want to do a good job, but aren’t going to take initiative or go the extra mile.
3. Slackers: they won’t work unless you are standing on top of them and yelling at them.

The key is hiring the right people. If it isn’t your business you are constrained by how much you can pay. You aren’t going to get many overachievers applying to work at McDonalds. To overcome low pay you can try to inspire people to work for you, but you would need to have a business is actually inspiring (think Apple).

To motivate slackers you have to intimidate them through aggression, and fear. Since it isn’t your business I wouldn’t even try. You could to hire a 6 foot tall guerilla as a manager and tell him he gets a bonus for improved performance metrics. Your best bet is to hire a new employee every month, and when you find a good worker, fire your worst performer.

 

There is a certain amount of ruthlessness necessary to be a leader. Your workers are not your friends and you may have to force them to do things they don’t want to. You should try to help them develop professionally and pay them fairly, but your objectives come first. The bottom line is they are there to make the business money.