The first three steps in this series dealt with drawing up a plan and deciding how, and by whom, it was going to be implemented. In this article I tackle the thorny issue of how to get other people to co-operate and assist you in putting your plan into action.
Step 4: Handle
Actually, the full title of this step is "Handling Employees and other Helpers".
There's an old saying: No man is an island. No woman is an island either, for that matter. In every task you manage in business, sooner or later you're going to have to get other people involved, delegate tasks to them, and get them to co-operate and do what you want them to do.
Some people are good at it; others are total failures. Many workers "at the sharp end" have the ability, knowledge and experience which qualify them for a job as a foreman, supervisor or manager, but they can't hold down a boss's job because they don't have the knack of getting wholehearted co-operation from others.
Why? Because they fail to take into account one crucial fact:
Everyone is in business because they want something!
People like doing things that help them to get what they want; and conversely, they dislike doing things that hinder them getting what they want.
What you have to do as a manager or supervisor is strike a balance (find common ground, if you like) between what you're willing to give, and what they're willing to take that will leave both parties satisfied.
When the people in question are in your employ, the compensation - what you can give and they can take, leaving both parties satisfied - usually comes in the form of a paycheck or rate of commission. That said, money ISN'T the only or best way of getting other people to co-operate. Lots of people take jobs partly because they want experience or knowledge, or like to take on a challenge that leaves them fulfilled.
When the person in question is not in your direct employ, then the compensation is regulated by what effect performing the service you require is going to have on the success of that person's regular day's work, how doing (or not doing) what you want makes them feel, or the effect it is going to have on their life in general.
Quite often the simplest way of determining what people want is simply to ASK!
About the author.
This article is abridged from Shaun Pearce's latest report: 5 Steps to Managing Anything. You can download the full report for free in PDF format from http://www.knackofmanaging.com/5steps.html
This author of this Article has choosen to make this article available with free reprint rights. Click here to copy this article.
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