Smart Business Magazine, October 2017

38 Smart Business Pittsburgh October 2017 Visit Michael Feuers website www TipsFromTheTop info to learn more about his columns watch videos and purchase his books The Benevolent Dictator and Tips From The Top MICHAEL FEUER Co founded OfficeMax and in 16 years as CEO grew the retailer to sales of 5 billion in 1000 stores worldwide Today as founder CEO of Max Ventures his firm invests in and consults for retail businesses Serving on a number of boards Michael is a frequent national speaker and author of the business books The Benevolent Dictator and his newest book Tips from the Top His long running nationally syndicated Smart Business magazine column has received more than 10 awards for excellence mfeuer@ max ventures com MICHAEL FEUER TIPS FROM THE TOP The office is on fire Should we call a meeting to discuss next steps Ridiculous yes but Although my fire example is ludicrous it should provoke an assessment by every executive to ensure that associates in the organization reporting to them from the janitor changing light bulbs to VPs understand the scope of their authority and have clearly defined parameters that spell out what each unilaterally can and cannot do Too many employees reach out to colleagues and superiors to make decisions that should be perfunctory This results in meeting after meeting to decide or to discuss matters that dont require unanimity To ensure your direct reports arent operating in a nebulous state of ambiguity it is essential to spell out in writing guidelines as to what each employee is responsible for and expected to handle without collaboration This includes the amount of money one can commit to without running the gory details up the flagpole As a persons responsibility increases the amount of his or her latitude should also increase proportionately The most critical aspect of assigning responsibilities and parameters is that they are clearly communicated to all involved not just the individual responsible for carrying out the actual task Failing to do so is akin to sending a soldier into combat without giving him the appropriate orders weapons and ammunition to carry out the mission A good boss also provides support when an employee feels he or she is entering a gray area and needs advice or affirmation of authority on thornier matters This is a growing process and after a subordinate does it solo a few times and begins to feel more comfortable in his or her own skin the speed and efficiency in making decisions accelerates Those who micromanage and want to be involved in every decision are not effective managers because they fail to accomplish objectives through others and instead become babysitters and nose wipers at every turn When this type of culture exists productivity plummets new ideas are stifled and people spend inordinate amounts of time discussing woulda coulda shoulda scenarios This is how the proverbial horse is turned into a camel in laborious mind numbing meetings not to mention the huge damper that this puts on others taking the initiative Meetings are a necessary part of every organization with two or more people but should be reserved for exploring better ways and methods to perform activities ferreting out new ideas and exchanging thoughts on more lofty subjects than those that have only one obvious answer To close the loop in case of fire call 911 and then run like hell In building your business give your people the authority and let them run like hell and get the job done The yes but in the headline speaks to the amount of time energy and more importantly diversion from other tasks that people waste in meetings discussing the obvious Instead employees too frequently hesitate and look for reassurance that they are making the right decision or they simply arent sure if the decision falls within their purview The safest fallback for the insecure is to democratize and adjudicate the action by calling a meeting