Andrew Rondeau

Andrew is the owner of this website and has been a Leader, Manager, Coach and Consultant for the last twenty-five years.

The Managers Most Useful Tool

By Andrew Rondeau
Published 05/14/2008

Many, many years ago, I remember my mum saying to me:

“Whatever you end up doing son, always ensure you buy the best shoes you can afford and keep them clean. You can tell a lot about someone through their shoes.”

That statement has stuck with me for the past 30 years and I adhere to it, even today.

Photo coutesy of JakoJellema

I clean all my shoes weekly without fail.

I keep them in their original boxes.

I never wear the same shoes for two days running.

At the weekend my favourite shoes were repaired; new sole and new heal. The cost of the repair was higher than buying a new pair of shoes (well some shoes, anyway) but they are my favourite and they are so comfortable.

Then I thought…this is the second time the shoes have been in for repair in only a few months.

Why?

Well it is plain and simple.

I Manage My Teams And Staff By Walking About

I go and visit the teams throughout the organisation.

I talk with the staff.

How Much Time Do You Spend With Your Staff?

Whatever your answer was – it was not enough.

You need to double the time.

Your staff expect you to be available for them and you have to ensure you are, as often as possible. Obviously, there are times when you cannot be, such as holidays and meetings, but the rest of the time, you should make sure you are available.

Accolade Or Complaint

Every morning I go out and talk to my staff, listen to them and see how things are. Before hand, I find out if any particular member of staff has delivered a great piece of work to a customer, or has received a customer accolade or complaint.

If someone has, I mention it.

If it is a complaint or a bad service, still support the member of staff. Find out how to improve the service next time and ensure it does not happen again.

The last thing they need is the Manager reprimanding them, unless it is a performance issue and it keeps happening, then that is different, you do need to act.

Make Your Shoes Work As Well

Sometimes you will be accountable for staff that are in a different location to you. No problem. Firstly ring them, talk to them, and secondly, when you visit the site, make sure you visit the staff.

Another time my shoes do their stuff is when I ‘go back to the floor’.

Learn from your staff by seeing what they do each day. Shadow them and see what tools and processes they have to work with. See the tasks they have to do. You will be astonished with what they have to put up with. Then put a plan together to remove their frustrations and obstacles they have to deal with each day.

As a Manager, you need to be present for your staff. They will want to see you and they will want to ask you questions.

Therefore, get yourself a great pair of shoes and start walking and talking.

What is your most useful Manager's tool?

By the way, my First-Class Managers Course now includes a 10-week Audio Management Coaching Course as an added bonus and is cheaper than a pair of shoes!