| The Managers’ Meeting: (Sequel to the Staff Meeting) |
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| Written by Ndigo Naka | |
| Thursday, 17 April 2008 | |
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For the benefit of those of you who I haven’t had the pleasure of shaking hands with, I’m Jammin Jusso. Folks call me The Fixer. You know I was hired by your firm to help fix some leaky areas, and remove weak links that are handicapping the corporation in these times. Each of you had to submit a proposal for your respective departments to present to the Board of Directors meeting coming up soon. So far I’ve only collected a few, less than half, as a matter of fact. And I’m wondering if managers can’t make time in their busy schedules to ensure that vital documents are prepared and presented on time. I haven’t had a single explanation from anyone as to why their proposals were not submitted by the deadline. However, if any of you have yours ready, I’ll collect at the end of the meeting. Others can arrange to see me after the meeting to discuss any difficulties you’re having. Those who’ve presented their proposals demonstrate there’s hope for Best-In-The Business. One particular manager’s proposal stood out for the simple reason that it was straight-forward and states the challenges as well as the opportunities that the corporation has to deal with effectively in order to hold up the competitive market. That manager has a clear understanding of what needs to be done. So I asked if the other managers as well as the staff he supervises were involved in the process, and he said he was waiting until after the Board had reviewed the proposal to inform the other members of his unit and his colleagues about it. That’s a recipe for defeat, trust me! Based on that, and other observations regarding communication, I’m focusing this meeting on the importance of Organisational Communication. Regardless of the nature of your business, how large or small your staff is, or how skilled or unskilled your workers might be, don’t underestimate their value. Some of you may not want to have a drink with me on the weekend, but that’s no problem. This problem of lack of proper or effective communication has to change. Some managers seem to have a grandiose image of themselves that works against their effectiveness. Too often it’s the bad news they’re quick to share; like reduction of benefits and such things. How do you expect your people to feel connected to what’s going on here when after all the shu-shuing the have to hear your grand plans on the radio first? How will you get them to cooperate with you if they feel stepped-over and left out? I’m putting it plain and simple. You’re all employed to ensure that the corporation’s strategic goals and mission are promoted internally, first and foremost. Your job descriptions tell you what your functions are. It shouldn’t have to spell out that you MUST efficiently communicate with your staff. Any commander-in-chief knows that it’s a vital part of leadership. You have to listen, and you have to share information. Listening is most important because you get information that you can use to improve your plans. You must create opportunities for staff to participate in the decision-making process. You all have impressive Résumés. You’re all highly paid people and to be frank, much more is expected from not only the Board of Directors, but from those below you. You must understand that you’re in a critical position. You’re accountable to your Board and you’re responsible to those you supervise. You have to be a transparent filter allowing information to flow back and forth, and not just what you want to flow, but what should be flowing- like innovative ideas, customer feedback, etc. You all aren’t supposed to be operating like diaphragms choking off access to the communications flow from the top down, and blocking the channels that should flow from the bottom up. I’ve seen some cosmetic jobs during the past few weeks. Some are too busy making a good impression, but I’m too experienced to be fooled by this old trick. A consultant comes in and you give him your version, and try to limit his access to critical information because you don’t want certain things to come to light. The growth of any organisation begins from the ground. Keep that in mind. It’s not practical to plot and plan for change when you’re not including your vital workers in the process. Those who are bigging-up themselves with their position and not serving the corporation as you should are easy targets. I could recommend that such persons be replaced. But I like to give everyone a fair chance. I expect those outstanding reports on my desk by tomorrow morning. Call my secretary if you need an appointment. Meeting adjourned. Thank you. Have a good day. (The Board Meeting will follow in next edition). Contact email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Copyright © 2008 by CMS Literary Service Comments (0)
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Good morning ladies and gentlemen. As you know, the purpose of this meeting is to report on how the staff meeting went as well as to give you feedback on observations and findings from the various departments for which you are responsible here at Best-In-The-Business Corporation.
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