As many of you regular show listeners know, I first became a poppa seven years ago at age 50. And just to show that,” nobody pushes the envelope more recklessly than an entrepreneur”, I went and did it again … this time at age 52.

AND YOU THINK MANAGING EMPLOYEES IS TOUGH?

(I can hear all of you parents out there now … laughing at the expense of non-parents who THINK they have worked hard in their lifetimes!)

At one point early on, my wife and I discussed the fact that Jaxon (aforementioned first born) might just be getting a little out of hand. Nothing horrendous, but things like not obeying. And, mouthing back. And, screaming. And stuff like that.

And as such, I was nominated, campaigned for, and then quickly elected to the position of “Hammer” in our family. Something about, “the male influence”, I think my wife said. But between the lines, we both know what it is that I had to do. I had to discipline him somewhat better than I had previously been doing.

The rest is personal, and thus private to our family. But suffice it to say that, and once I “ratcheted-up” the pressure, the boy straightened up and flew right. It was still very early in the game, but in at least this one instance, it would seem that he actually exhibited a sea change in personality.

And, not a minute too soon, either.

It’s the same thing with the people you must manage. If you make things “soft” for them, you’ll get just that --- “soft people” --- (and, angry customers). But if you let them know that they are accountable for their actions and, most importantly, for RESULTS, then you’ll get employees who “carry the party line”, instead.

So how is this done? Well, that’s the “art”, is it not? The “Art of Management” is to be understanding and compassionate; but at the same time relentless and unyielding in terms of making sure that deadlines are met and quality is never a victim.

And so, this means a lot of teaching and directing. And, communicating. And, PLANNING!

Let’s start with the last, first. Planning. Plans come up the “food chain”, and not down. And this is probably where most businesses go wrong. And why do you think that executives and founders disregard or not even solicit this vital information?

Simple. Because it’s a shortcut. Less work!

Also, it might not conform to their “model” of how the business should attack its markets (or even define its markets). And that, my friends, is REAL work!

So, plans are formulated without input from the “troops in the trenches”. And probably right here, the war is lost.

(I recently saw this in its fullest glory with a guy who simply hated to speak to his sales force. In fact, he downright hated his sales force, just as he hated ALL sales people … they were, and in his opinion, “lesser lights”. So, he set up his OWN compensation plans and dictated selling strategies that were flawed from the get-go. You know the rest.)

Next is communicating. Again, same company. Communication was almost entirely by e-mail. (“Saves time”, was his rationalization.)

Imagine sending your two-year old an e-mail! Or, your teenager for that matter. (In the case of the guy I’m thinking of, he probably DOES do this!)

No, communications is a two-way street. And you’ll never catch the “non-verbal” by watching a keyboard.

And yes, face-to-face is better than the phone. But you’d be amazed at how much more you can get done via telephone than you can via e-mail. At least a phone requires the use of FOUR senses (you gotta dial, no?) while e-mail employees but two.

I always use the analogy of a soldier. The closer you get, the harder it is to kill a man. Same thing with communications. The further away you are, the more impersonal the communication and thus, the easier it is to eject the “invader”. Salespeople, I urge you to think of this the next time a guys says, “send me something” in the mail. Ninety-eight times out of a hundred, and when someone says, “Send me Something”, you’ve been had!

And so, “distance” simply makes it far easier for the employee or prospective customer to just “blow you off”.

Finally, I give you “Directing and Teaching”. AAHH! The day-to-day stuff!

One of the big problems you’ll have is, “undoing old habits”. Or, dealing with NO habits. Here, I’m talking about both the younger and the older employees. You see, younger people almost always come to you having learned that “results don’t really matter”. This is because there is no real downside to NOT producing, since dad or mom (or some lightweight professor who doesn’t want to hear the whining) will always whip out the old credit card and “clean things up” FOR them!

(Unfortunately, I once employed a kid like this. HE has a step-father who came up very hard and so I’m sure that he would put the hammer down if he could … but remember this guy’s “rank” … step-father … and so the largesse goes on and the kid never gets tough.)

So, why produce?

It’s the same reason why I’m always reluctant to hire fresh college graduates. Their perceptions of the world are so whacked out! I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m better off letting some other sucker(s) punch themselves out while these kids begin to get the idea! It generally takes two or even three jobs.

And oldsters? Well, these guys have learned all the tricks! They can make you think they are working and dying to achieve the company goals.

But they’re not. Which is all the more reason why you have to really work closely with them. Either to “smoke them out”, or find out why they have been so unproductive. Oftentimes, these are NOT “bad” employees. Instead, they are guys who simply are not used to being taught OR directed.

And in these cases, a little bit of teaching and directing goes a long, long way! After all, these guys are married and they see the calendar. They KNOW that time is short, and so they also know that it’s time to be serious and productive.

So, Guess Who is Ultimately at Fault?

Been to the mirror lately?

Been out of your OFFICE lately?

Because this is the way to success. Solicit opinions. Communicate like hell! And, “walk around” and/or talk on the phone. Find out the real scoop. You’ll probably be amazed!

And be fair and pay only for results, and not efforts. Almost everyone needs direction and feedback. And everyone needs to know what behavior is expected of him or her.

Just like my son.

Only a very small percentage of companies ever “get this right”, and thus go on to an IPO or some other manifestation of success. The people who ran these organizations must be congratulated, for they were the ones who set the goals and then enforced those goals until final victory was achieved.

And this in turn meant that these owners, entrepreneurs, and managers worked hard. They planned and executed according to plan. And, they lead from the middle of the pack. Neither pulling nor pushing their colleagues, but rather showing them what to do, why it was important, and then how it must be done.

And if the employees of these leaders needed a cheering up, they got it.

But if they needed a soupspoon to the butt, that was applied, too. But let me remind all managers and owners to always make sure you let your people know why they were “spooned”, and then, and at some appropriate time in the future when circumstances permit (and do NOT “contrive” such a situation!) give them a pat on the back and tell them how important they are to you and your company.

That, my friends, is how it works.

Now, go and DO it!