Give you a company, see how you manage

Chapter 51 "Everything speaks with numbers" and "Only ask about the result, not about the process"

As long as the "process" is the inevitable premise of "numbers" and "results", it is impossible for you to truly ignore the "process". "Only ask about the result, not about the process", "Everything speaks with numbers".These two sentences are the classic "mantras" that many Chinese entrepreneurs like to say.These words sound very bold at first glance, and there is a sense of "competence" in the words.But after careful consideration, there is a huge "crisis" hidden. "Everything speaks with numbers" and "only ask about the results, not about the process" are some specific manifestations of the popular "management by objectives" system.This management system constrains the behavior of "people" by binding "people" to "numbers" (results), so as to finally achieve the goal of maximizing "results" (numbers).

This kind of assumption can be called "idealization". It would be great if it can be realized, but it has a fatal flaw - it ignores a major problem, that is, where does the "number" come from and where does the "result" come from? come the question.Whether you like it or not, you can't deceive yourself, because there is only one answer to this question—the process, which is the thing you most "don't want to ask".That is to say, as long as you pursue "numbers", as long as you pursue "results", it is absolutely impossible for you to bypass the link of "process".In this sense, the "process" is far more important than "numbers" and "results".But unfortunately, "process", such a key management element, is precisely the element that many of our managers threaten to "abandon".Maybe some managers want to refute - I don't think the "process" is unimportant, of course I understand the truth that "there will be no pie in the sky", and all the "results" come from the "process".

I just want to emphasize that for a manager like me, it is enough to only pay attention to "results" and "numbers". As for the "process" of obtaining these "results" and "numbers", it is not my concern Son.These should be the people who implement it—my subordinates should care about it.Otherwise, what do you want them to do?I can handle it all by myself, isn't it over?Don't worry, I agree with your point of view.I never want to deny the importance of "hierarchical management", and I am extremely disgusted and opposed to the excessive "overstepping" by managers and excessive involvement in the specific work of subordinates.However, when I say this, it does not mean that I agree that the manager should just be a "hands-off shopkeeper" and just wait for the employees to bring the "results" and "numbers" to their desks.Such a manager is either a manager who is extremely lacking in responsibility, or is simply a waste snack.In a word, managers must "intervene" in the "process" of employees' work.It's just that this kind of "intervention" has a problem of method, skill and degree.First of all, as a manager, you must pay great attention to the "working status" of your employees.The reason is very simple, without a good "status", there will be no good "process", and of course it is impossible to have a good "result".Therefore, it is a duty-bound responsibility of a manager to manage the "working status" of employees.

Regrettably, in the real world, this is largely ignored by the vast majority of our managers in their day-to-day work.What's more, when the employees' working conditions are not good, instead of showing the necessary attention and concern, our managers tend to adopt a simple and rough method (such as accusing, punishing, criticizing or even swearing, etc.) ) treat our employees.The result can be imagined, employees who are already "absent" will become even more "absent", and the "numbers" and "results" you want will become "the moon in the sky", getting closer and closer to you. Far.Therefore, paying attention to and caring about the "state" of employees in their daily work is definitely not a waste of time and energy.On the contrary, this should be a "compulsory course" for every manager every day. It is an extremely important job and an extremely important task.

Therefore, a moderate and appropriate concern for the "private life" of employees, attention to the physical and mental health of employees, frequent conversations with employees, sincere and in-depth communication with them, listening to their voices, and communicating with them To be friends, etc., for a manager, it is all work, all responsibilities, and all obligations.Abandoning these is tantamount to giving up the duties of managers, so it is a kind of "dereliction of duty".Not to mention beautifying this kind of "dereliction of duty" behavior with gorgeous rhetoric such as "fulfilling their responsibilities", "efficiency", and "professional managers".Secondly, to ensure the good working conditions of the employees, we must further pay attention to some important details in their "working process".For example, managers should be good at inspiring the wisdom of employees, inducing them to maximize their subjective initiative, think proactively, and find the best way to do things; Lessons learned, in order to maximize the relatively "perfect" work results.

Only by doing so can you expect your employees to bring you the maximum "numbers" and "results".In fact, the process of paying attention to the "working process" of employees is a process of helping employees "grow up", that is, it is also a process of "educating people".That is to say, for a manager, "employing people" is certainly an important job, and "educating people" is also a duty that must be performed.Throughout the ages, great managers in all walks of life are invariably a great "educator". "Cultivating talents" is always a major topic and sacred duty for a manager.However, as an important system of enterprise management, the "management by objectives" method should not be completely abolished, at least the basic distribution principle of "more pay for more work" is not wrong.

It just means that it is necessary to make some necessary improvements to it, and appropriately add some elements for evaluating employees' "working status" and "working process".For example, according to the current "management by objectives system", managers only focus on "numerical results", but in the real world, employees who are in good condition, strong ability, and good process may not always be successful. Bring good "numbers and results"; on the contrary, the arrival of a good "numbers and results" may also have some unpredictable chance, such as good luck and so on.Therefore, no matter how correct the employee's attitude is, how correct the method is, how hard the "process" is, and how hard he works, if you don't give employees a positive evaluation or even give them a negative evaluation just because of the poor "results", you will Break the heart of an employee, and it is difficult for an employee who has been heartbroken to make achievements at work, which means that you may lose virtually what this employee may bring to you in the future "Good result".

This is really a "stupid method" of "killing the chicken and taking the egg".At the same time, as I have repeatedly emphasized in this article, since the "result" is bound to be affected and restricted by the "process", "not asking about the process" is just a way of "self-deception" for a manager. lift.A good manager should not only pay attention to the "process" of employees, but even take the initiative to study their "process" (reasonably assign different jobs by paying attention to and studying the different characteristics of different employees and ways of doing things), and to a certain extent Participate in this "process" (through consultation, prompting, education, supervision, spot checks, assisting in summarizing, etc.), so as to truly ensure that employees get back the "results" you want, and effectively ensure that this "process " and the "sustainability" of "results".

Therefore, in order to "treat both symptoms and root causes", the "evaluation scale" of the "management by objectives system" must be placed not only on "numbers", but also on "processes".That is to say, the "evaluation criteria" of management by objectives should not only be aimed at the "numerical results", but also the "process" to achieve these numerical results—that is, working attitudes, working methods and other elements.Only in this way can those employees who have both working ability, correct attitude and correct working methods, but temporarily fail to achieve good "digital results" due to various reasons, also be able to receive due incentives. "Result" and "process" are a pair of "twin brothers".They are just like the relationship between "chicken" and "egg". "Egg" and "chicken" are originally two things that cause each other. It was a waste of effort.

(End of this chapter)