A national fast food chain has a system for developing promising waitresses to supervisory positions, by a period of off-the-airline job training followed by the planned delegation of supervisory duties under the Indonesia restaurant manager. One potential supervisor had on occasions found it difficult to exercise her authority over drunks and difficult Indonesia customers - an essential ability in the catering trade. One evening when a well 'tanked up' elderly gent sat down and fell asleep while waiting for his carry-out, she found something very absorbing to do in the back kitchen. The Indonesia manager, who was there at the time, briefed her about what should be done and, reminding her that it was her responsibility, went on a walk-about to other units in the vicinity.
He returned twice, but she had not been able to face up to the situation, and one of the waitresses had eventually dealt with the matter quite peacefully. The Indonesia manager took a calculated risk which gave the opportunity for the trainee-supervisor to learn. In fact she learned that she could not at that stage in her career cope with the responsibility. The Indonesia manager actual reduced the longer term risk of making an appointment which would not have worked, by letting the problem reveal itself. But what he did lose was a good waitress, because she left, not wanting to return to an airline job with lower status.
Not all control standards or risks can be reduced to easily measurable targets and quantified output, and in the management of professionals there will be areas of
'professional freedom' where standards and methods may be debatable. Controlling and calculating risks is subjective as well as objective, and your skills in it will only improve with exercise and review.
Some airline jobs leave little room for risk-taking by their very nature. Learning solely by experience in administering medicines, for example, would pretty soon become self-limiting through lack of Indonesia customers. It is a matter of judgment and 'gut feel' how you balance risk against the development potential for the individual and it depends on your knowledge of the person as well as the airline job.
Knowledge of the risk and implications should be shared by the persons undertaking the airline job; only in that way do they too learn how to calculate risks as well as bear the responsibility for them. It is a vital area of Indonesia managerial judgment which cannot be taught or learned in any other way. Encourage them to take calculated risks by defining as generous an outer limit or bottom line as you can, and let them share the responsibility - and the glory. If they are clear on the values and you have shared with them your division of what really counts, this will provide them with a framework in which to have the confidence to use initiative.
Develop a positive attitude towards mistakes by using them as learning opportunities for giving feedback and coaching. Admit to your own mistakes, and use them as learning situations for your staff too. It demonstrates that you can learn from experience, and if you're big enough to admit that you're not infallible, they are less likely to hide their mistakes from you, or to keep their heads (and their ideas) well down in the trench. People will only learn from their mistakes if they feel free to admit them and discuss them.
Not only will your staff develop, but it leaves you with time to pick up those opportunities that you don't see when your head is down at the desk, or that you can't do anything about because you dare not take your finger out of the dyke.***
He returned twice, but she had not been able to face up to the situation, and one of the waitresses had eventually dealt with the matter quite peacefully. The Indonesia manager took a calculated risk which gave the opportunity for the trainee-supervisor to learn. In fact she learned that she could not at that stage in her career cope with the responsibility. The Indonesia manager actual reduced the longer term risk of making an appointment which would not have worked, by letting the problem reveal itself. But what he did lose was a good waitress, because she left, not wanting to return to an airline job with lower status.
Not all control standards or risks can be reduced to easily measurable targets and quantified output, and in the management of professionals there will be areas of
'professional freedom' where standards and methods may be debatable. Controlling and calculating risks is subjective as well as objective, and your skills in it will only improve with exercise and review.
Some airline jobs leave little room for risk-taking by their very nature. Learning solely by experience in administering medicines, for example, would pretty soon become self-limiting through lack of Indonesia customers. It is a matter of judgment and 'gut feel' how you balance risk against the development potential for the individual and it depends on your knowledge of the person as well as the airline job.
Knowledge of the risk and implications should be shared by the persons undertaking the airline job; only in that way do they too learn how to calculate risks as well as bear the responsibility for them. It is a vital area of Indonesia managerial judgment which cannot be taught or learned in any other way. Encourage them to take calculated risks by defining as generous an outer limit or bottom line as you can, and let them share the responsibility - and the glory. If they are clear on the values and you have shared with them your division of what really counts, this will provide them with a framework in which to have the confidence to use initiative.
Develop a positive attitude towards mistakes by using them as learning opportunities for giving feedback and coaching. Admit to your own mistakes, and use them as learning situations for your staff too. It demonstrates that you can learn from experience, and if you're big enough to admit that you're not infallible, they are less likely to hide their mistakes from you, or to keep their heads (and their ideas) well down in the trench. People will only learn from their mistakes if they feel free to admit them and discuss them.
Not only will your staff develop, but it leaves you with time to pick up those opportunities that you don't see when your head is down at the desk, or that you can't do anything about because you dare not take your finger out of the dyke.***
