Rules Of Management

RULE 22 - Fight for your team

“It’s a very difficult job and the only what through it is we all work together as a team. And that means you do everything I say.”

Michael Caine in The Italian Job

At some point you’ll have to fight for more resources, extra staff, more money, bigger and better offices, better facilities, more flexible hours, bigger doughnuts, whatever it takes to keep your team happy and content. And that means you have to be possessed with lots of self-confidence because you are going to have to go to your boss and ask – nay, demand – that your team is the best, deserves the best, needs the best, will carry on giving of its best if it gets given the best and you aren’t going until they agree to provide the best.

And boy had you better be able to back this up. This means you have to have a great team delivering great results. You have to be one brilliant manager. And that’s why most managers don’t fight for their teams. Not because they don’t think the team deserves it but because they don’t have the confidence in themselves to demand it. They frightened they will have to justify it and they can’t.

First build your team, then build your case, and then you can go and demand better and bigger. You have to be able to back up your demands – sorry, polite requests. Better still, have the figures to justify them.

If you don’t get what you ask for, don’t sulk – merely ask, ‘So what do I have to do to get this?’ if they say, ‘Increase productivity by 10 per cent’ you’ve got them. All you have to do then is make those figures and you’ve got what you wanted. To fight for your team means you have to get your team fight for itself.

“First build your team, then build your case, and then you can go and demand better and bigger.”

posted by Right Ranger @ 6:25 PM