Expert Interview 3 – Anna Johnson  

            What should a manager / owner delegate?

A manager or business owner should only spend his or her time on activities that generate the highest overall value (however you measure value - typically profits); everything else should be delegated or outsourced. Even if the manager or owner is *better* at something than someone else, the manager or owner should still delegate that activity if there is something else they can do that would be more valuable to the business as a whole.

 How often should performance reviews be given and what amount of time should be spent with the employees in discussing the review?

Employees should be informally reviewed as often as is required to keep them motivated and productive... whenever it's important to give them feedback on their work (e.g. after the completion of an assignment or project)... and whenever they request it. Formal performance reviews can be yearly or twice a year. Yearly is pretty standard. The time can be as long as it takes for the manager and employee to fully discuss the employee's performance, but is typically 1-2 hours.

What is the difference between managing and coaching employees?

Managing is more about organizing someone to do something; coaching is more about inspiring and empowering them to do it. Also, while managing is usually focused on the employee doing a specific job, coaching is often associated with helping the employee grow and develop in their career, beyond a specific job. The exception to this is where the coaching is specific to a job or project.

  When should you not promote your best employees?

You should never *promote* an employee to a job to which they aren't suited and/or dislike. This often happens when star employees are promoted to management positions: for example, just because someone excels at selling does not mean they will excel at managing salespeople. Selling and managing are entirely different skillsets. Employees should be rewarded for doing a good job... and new challenges, bonuses and raises can be part of this... but they shouldn't necessarily be promoted into management or any other positions, unless they have the desire and aptitude for those positions.

 What steps should a control freak take in order to become a better manager?

Control freaks, like anyone, should learn and develop their management skills. But, in particular, control freaks need to:

1. Overcome any tendencies not to delegate enough or to

micromanage; and

2. Focus on controlling the framework/systems in which people work, not the people who do the work.

            What are the most important issues facing owners / managers today?

The main issues are the issue managers have always faced: hiring the best people and managing and motivating them to bring out their best. Beyond this, today's "hot issues" are how to manage teams, managing conflict and managing change.

 When should managers use teams for increase productivity?

When it makes sense. A group of people should be managed as a "team" when the whole is greater than the sum of its constituent parts. Otherwise, it's probably best not to build a team as such. Using teams does not always make sense - especially when it may in fact undermine performance. On the other hand a team can yield much better results than individuals working in isolation, then a team approach should be taken.

 What mistake do many companies make in hiring employees?

They do not hire the right person for the job. Companies often focus on the wrong criteria, and are often too quick to hire someone without truly knowing whether they have the talent and passion for the role.

How can you use the principle of leverage to improve productivity of your employees?

By organizing people to do the jobs they're best at, and minimizing the time they spend on jobs they aren't good at, with the result that they add greater overall value to the business. For example, if you have someone who is great at selling and not so good at stock-taking... let them spend more time selling, rather than stock-taking.

Anna Johnson is the author of the How To Manage People System, including her book, How To Manage People (Even If You're A Control Freak!). Get Anna's FREE 12-page report, How To Be An Outstanding Manager - The 8 Vital Keys To Managing People Effectively:  

http://www.howtomanagepeople.com/report