Smart Staffing: Replacing a Key Manager

Have you been in this situation? One of your top managers left suddenly and you're under the gun to replace her quickly. So you promoted her assistant. That was a disaster. You now need to replace him but want to do it right this time and avoid another costly mistake.

This is an example of the hundreds of 'management staffing gone wrong' disasters that I've witnessed in working with many companies. In today's hurry-up and get-it-done work world, many people are unwisely promoted to management positions. Basically, their abilities do not match or are insufficient for the new job role. Before you place someone in a management or supervisory position, take heed of these three key staffing principles:

Not all competent employees make good supervisors or managers.

Some might be more valuable by continuing in their role as the top salesperson, or the great programmer or the most sensitive counselor.

Interviews must be focused with targeted questions. For a management position, develop specific behavioral based questions to decide if the person has good people skills? (Managing is working with people to get results.); Communicates well? (Managing is dealing with people up, down and sideways in an organization.); Knows how to handle conflict? (Managing is confronting and solving people problems.)

Finally, in selecting the best candidate, determine the best fit. Can this person do the job? That's the technical fit ? the basic skills to do the job. Does the person have the desire to do the job? That's the motivation fit ? the commitment to perform well. Does the person fit into the team? That's the culture fit ? an important barometer for success.

Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ­ to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ­ resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ­ fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

In The News:

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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT: What Brokers Should Know Before They Go
CNNMoney.com - 2 hours ago
( Kristen McNamara writes Practice Management, a column that looks at ways financial advisers can build and improve their business. ...

MedaSorb Technologies Corporation Announces Management Changes
CNNMoney.com - 2 hours ago
These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. ...

HE-5 Resources, Corp. Announces Reorganizational Changes Are ...
CNNMoney.com - 6 hours ago
New Management stated the following: "We are very pleased to begin our new operations and to share our visions and exclusive development program whit HE-5 ...

University of California regents may freeze management pay
Bizjournals.com, NC - 3 hours ago
A pay freeze for senior management of the University of California system will be considered by the UC Board of Regents during a Jan. 14 teleconference. ...

stv.tv
Lehman Private-Equity Arm Gains New Investment
Wall Street Journal - 20 hours ago
The business has $4.5 billion under management, and holds stakes in more than a dozen portfolio companies including a Spanish railcar manufacturer to a US ...
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times
Lehman deal on private equity close Reuters
Lehman Said to Be in Talks to Sell Fund to Managers, Reinet Bloomberg
FINalternatives - RTT Newsall 114 news articles

National Post
Management Consulting in the Government?
Newsweek - Jan 8, 2009
In the world of management consulting, high-powered and often expensive contractors infiltrate all levels of a company to determine how it can run more ...
Chief Performance Officer: Nancy Killefer TIME
Obama Appoints Government Performance Officer Washington Post
Obama's performance czar has tried to improve IRS The Associated Press
CFO.com Magazine - GovExec.comall 487 news articles

Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold Network Management Gives Back in 2009
MSNBC - 10 hours ago
LEXINGTON, MA - Ipswitch, Inc.'s Network Management division, the leading developer of affordable and easy to use network management software, WhatsUp Gold, ...

Amazon’s New Management Console Treads Lightly
GigaOm, CA - 2 hours ago
Today, Amazon ( s AMZN) Web Services announced a management console that illustrates how carefully Amazon is playing its role as a platform provider. ...
Amazon Web Services Launches Management Console CMSWire
Amazon Web Services releases web-based EC2 console CNET News
Amazon EC2 launches Web-based management console Examiner.com
ReadWriteWeb - PC Worldall 28 news articles

Peregrine management drops buyout plan, shares fall
Reuters - 7 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 9 (Reuters) - South African wealth and asset management firm Peregrine Holdings Limited (PGRJ.J) said on Friday a management buyout plan ...

JPMorgan Asset Management's Bull SA Stake Falls To 1.72%
CNNMoney.com - 3 hours ago
PARIS -(Dow Jones)- JPMorgan Asset Management's stake in French IT company Bull SA (BULL.FR) has fallen through the 5% threshold to 1.72%, according to a ...

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