Learn to manage things and lead people

BY MICHAEL CORCORAN

Special to The Wholesaler

One of the most rewarding -- but also challenging -- aspects of our role in running a wholesaling operation is managing our staff. There always seem to be too many issues and too little time. There is often a disconnect between what we want people to do and what actually gets done. When we think of our team as individuals, we think of them fondly. When we think of them as a group, frustration often sets in.

What is the reason for this? Why do we -- and they -- often have great intentions, but then good ideas don’t get implemented? Where is the disconnect? How does it happen? Why does it happen? It often comes down to one fundamental issue that most give little or no thought to:

We can manage things, but we can’t manage people.

Think about it for a moment. When someone “tells” us what to do, what is our initial reaction? For most it is to push back, to resist or simply not to do it. If that were our initial reaction, why would the reaction of our staff be any different?

Most of us grew up in a time where “whatever the boss says goes.” Well, truthfully, that didn’t work then (think back to some of the comments you used to make about your boss), and it certainly doesn’t work now. Tell someone under 30 to “do this because I said so,” and they will look at you as if you are from another planet. It just won’t happen. If it does, it will be done half-right, take longer than it should, and come with such an attitude that it really isn’t worth the trouble. You’d rather do it yourself.

Therein lies the problem. You have too much to do, not enough time and too few people you can depend on to get things done and done right. How to escape this vicious cycle?

Change your mind-set of what it takes to “manage” people.

In short, you cannot “manage” people. You “manage” things: paperwork, reports, e-mails, meetings, conference calls, expenses, budgets, inventory etc., but you cannot “manage” people.

You lead people. You teach them. You coach them. You guide them. You inspire them. But “manage” them? It simply doesn’t work.

Think of the best bosses you ever had. They set clear goals and expectations —and then held you to them. They taught you things you didn’t know. You learned from them. You left them with more knowledge and practical experience than when you started with them. They made you better. They told you what was expected and then got out of your way and let you do your job.

You gained independence and were taught to think things through on your own. You were allowed to try new ideas. Some worked, some didn’t. The ones that worked were implemented while the ones that didn’t you learned from and moved on.

These bosses didn’t seem like a boss at all. They were someone you trusted, believed in, wanted to do a great job for. They made you want to come in to work every day, and because of them you loved your job.

There are many lessons here, but they all come back to a simple concept. One that, when implemented, can change not only the way you do business, but also the way your staff does business. Learn to manage things and lead people. This will not only delight your customers and your members, but ultimately, you and your bottom line.

Michael Corcoran has 25 years of experience leading sales, service and management teams to consistently meet and exceed organizational goals and expectations. Over the last 12 years,  he has built a consulting, training and speaking firm that works with companies in the areas of leadership management, customer service and development, and sales to position them as leaders in their industries. He can be contacted at Corcoran Consulting Inc., Denver, Colo., at 303/324-9704, e-mail michael@mindsetmatters.com, or website www.mindsetmatters.com.