The Key to Success

On a plane ride to the East Coast, I was seated next to an engineering manager from a well-known high tech company. We started talking about what I do, and he asked me the question I dread most: What is the key to being a successful manager?

I dread this question for obvious reasons (how do I distill all I’ve learned and believe into one line?) and for marketing ones (he could be a potential client, and I wasn’t sure I could answer him).  So I thought for a moment, and it came to me:

“Be explicit and be flexible.”

This one line summarizes the heart of good management.

“Be explicit” captures the power of being clear about what you want and don’t want and being specific about what you see.  Direct reports need to know what is expected and how they are doing.

At the same time, managers need to be flexible. Start with a point of view, but be open to others.  Have a perspective on a person, but pay attention to what’s really going on and be ready to flex.  Use models and techniques that encourage openness to the individual and the situation not a rigid “one size fits all.”

Of course, this one piece of advice led us to a longer, richer conversation about management. And this kind of conversation is the real key to success!