I had a revelation recently that I wish I could have had some time ago, like years. It may have made me a better employee, and in my forays at lead and manager roles would have made me better at both.
While my thoughts here probably don't rise to the level of great writing that can be found for the betterment of leaders everywhere, it represents the sum of experience and belief demonstrated by many managers and leads I have worked for and with. I trust that some may find it useful and help them manage testers perhaps better than they might without such thoughts.
1. Encourage Learning. This is important. There is a significant difference between "training" and "learning." Encourage your staff to look for ideas new to them and try things they have read about. Don't bog them down with mandated, "This is the only way things are done" type of rote memorization. Allow them to explore areas of interest to them, then gently guide them with how these can be applied to their current and future work.
2. Discourage Self-limiting Behavior. Kind of a contradiction, eh? But really - anyone who has been around the block more than once has seen more than one person set themselves up for failure. Maybe they like it. Maybe they don't know any other way of doing things. Help them discover what they are good at, what they enjoy doing and what they want to do and maybe other ways of doing things.
3. Encourage Participation. I have found that one great way for people to learn and appreciate things, is to have a hand in the doing of it. I know everyone is busy and is scheduled at 110%. Well manager, MANAGE - encourage your staff to get involved - then make sure they have the time to do it without missing their kids school programs and family vacations and trips away and holidays and... right. You get the idea. The hard part about being a boss is telling other people "No." And yet, we need to do that all the time, right? This is just one more reason why you must tell someone "No," or if that makes you uncomfortable, try my favorite alternative "We can not work on that right now. We should be able to start on it by ..."
4. Discourage Lockstep Conformity. I know we must all follow the process or whatever is in place at the company. Sometimes it takes people with a lot more pull than we have to change the rules. Well, sometimes bending the rules to let your people flourish is important too. Allow them the space to be creative in approaching problems. Allow them time to THINK. Remember when you'd think about something deep and technical? I still find a proper cup of tea, with a bit of sugar and a little milk, just sitting and sipping it, can help my brain unravel a problem that is in my way. Allow your people the same room for creativity and innovation - particularly if there is no Time Reporting Code for that on their time sheets.
5. Encourage Innovation. I find this tends to flow from what happens in number 4. Sometimes thinking leads to a new approach. This approach can take a little tinkering to get sorted just to see if it will work. Give your people, that's what they are after all, people, the flexibility they need. Don't force it on them, but if they want to try - let them. Then help them learn and clear the path of roadblocks in ways only a Manager can.
6. Discourage Disparaging Comments. Negativity can be a serious drain on energy and morale and productivity. If one of your people is down, a lot - see if you can help. It might be nothing you can fix, but maybe just letting them know you are concerned is a help. Then lighten their load, if possible, so they have the energy to deal with whatever is weighing them down. If they are just being, well, negative for the sake of being negative, talk with them about that too. Everyone gets down. Everyone has a bad day (sometimes a week!) Everyone has times when they'd rather be at the beach or the woods or... whatever. We just need to get the job done. Then let them go to the woods or beach or wherever. Just keep an eye on folks - If they know you have their well-being in mind, more than just what they do at work, they may turn around and surprise you.
7. Encourage Growth. This one is a mix of "mentor" and "coach." I know some people look to mentors for some level of guidance and teaching. If you can do that for your people - fantastic! Otherwise, keep an eye out for people who CAN do that - then get the mentors and students connected and allow things to happen - don't force them. One thing I have learned is this. Most technical professional types have a failing, somewhere. One common one I have found is how they relate to other people - technical peers and non-technical as well. It is amusing that so many people consider testers "non-technical" still, compared to some, most of us are. Compared to others, we're technical rock stars. Help them to navigate these waters. Help them to learn to do them better. Help them to learn to be a better team, and give them transferable skills they can use anywhere.
8. Don't be the Control freak. Like this guy. If you're my boss and you do those things, I'll quit. Promise.
Lessons Learned - I've seen these ideas applied often at various shops. Where two or three are used effectively, the result has been stupendous. The staff revel from one positive experience to another, the software gets better from one project to another, practices improve and, surprisingly at some shops, customer satisfaction went up - way up.
Remember: Managers are the oracles of the Truth, but the people working for them are the spirit that make that truth relevant. My wife used to say (when the kids were younger, at least, not in their 30's) "If Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy." You can set the tone - will you be happy and uplifting or a burden to be endured? By setting an example in attitude, work, learning and life balance, a good manager can do more than simply qualify for stock options and large bonus checks.
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motivation. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
On Controlling Testing, or Being the Boss
I had a revelation recently that I wish I could have had some time ago, like years. It may have made me a better employee, and in my forays at boss-dom would have made me a better boss.
While my humble outline here may not be enshrined amongst the great writings on leadership that are available for the betterment of leaders everywhere, it certainly represents the sum of experience and belief demonstrated by many boss-types I have worked for and with. I therefore submit this for consideration toward your professional success as a controlling boss and the success of the group (we'll call them a team) over which you have control.
1. Encourage Training. This is important. This is really important. You want your testers (they like being called testers better than being called them peons of serfs) to believe that you want them to get better at what they do. Make sure they know that training is important to their career development. You want to make sure that the training they get is company sponsored training. Other stuff like, well, that encourages them to think is to be avoided, discouraged and downplayed.
2. Discourage Outside, Corrupting Influences. We want the people working for us to only consider the information we present to them as being relevant. When people express an interest in something they read about, maybe on the web somewhere, let them know that it is important they "get all the facts" before deciding to learn about it. Have them go looking for examples of companies where these wild, new-fangled ideas have actually worked. When they come back with some examples, make sure they know that these are not really solid examples because they are from outside the industry you are in, or are multi-national, not multi-continental (other way around works as well!) or they are in environments that are regulated differently than the environment we are in or... any number of reasons why "that won't work here."
3. Encourage Engagement. This is important, too. You want them to feel warm-fuzzy thoughts in their tummies when they think of the company. They want them to think, "Wow. The bosses at TLA* really DO have my best interest at heart when they tell me to do something and I'll be rewarded later. I hope I get a pony as my reward." This is particularly effective in large urban areas where the belief that a pony might be the "reward"is a complete impossibility where the large urban area does not permit ponies within the city. The idea is similar to "A rising tide lifts all boats." That is true, as long as the boats in question have plenty of slack where they are tied-up or moored. We want to be certain there is no slack at all for thepeople doing our bidding team, before the tide starts rising.
*TLA: Three Letter Acronym (thanks to Matt Heusser from whom I blatantly stole that concept.)
4. Discourage Uncomfortable Questions. Well, not really discourage them, just redirect them to be discussed "off-line" so people are not side-tracked by "side issues like this." The beauty is that when people ask questions you don't want asked, you can appear to be concerned with addressing their concerns completely, and at the same time keep those questions, and the discussion around them, from causing discomfort to the rest of the laborers. This allows the quick-thinking manager to isolate the trouble, and trouble-maker, pat their hand and say "there, there" and reassure them that everything will be fine. The upside for the manager is the next round of "synergy actions"/"staff rationalization"/ happy-sizing / down-sizing, you already have at least one candidate for "change agent" status.
5. Encourage "Extra Effort". Getting people to get things done when most people looking at on schedules that simply can not be achieved at a mere 45 or 50 hours per week per person can be a particular management challenge. One effective technique is to make the "casual" observation that contracts are tied to these dates and the delivery must be made on time. Of course, if the delivery cannot be made on time, well, "other options" will need to be considered. Then, this leaves open the carrot of the "stretch goal" set a week or two ahead of the "mandated goal" - where completing the project early may get recognized with a raise (or at least not a pay cut) IF all the other projects get done on time or early as well. (Notice the subtle conditional statement slipped in there, its a possibility, not a certainty.)
6. Discourage Process Questions. Yeah, this is kind of a big deal, too. The Process is sacrosanct. You are not in a position to suggest improvements to the process until you have moved through it completely, successfully at least once. Well, maybe twice or three times (because success is a habit, after all.) If people are having problems working through the process, it is because they are not doing it right. If they do it right, they have no problems.
7. Encourage Participation. This one is important, too. One way to handle trouble-makers is to get them involved. If someone asks questions, like a lot of questions, ask if they'd be willing to participate in a study group that has been created to look into that very issue they ask questions about. It is a great way to get all the people you need to keep an eye on in one place. Additionally, because this must be done in addition to the project work (see number 5 above) it will be one more way to drain them of extra energy to make trouble. If they still complain, ask if they have been "participating" with the study group on the issues they are complaining about. If not, you just transferred blame to them! That is good leadership.
8. Discourage Independent Thought. This is a hard one and it may take all the previous lessons to pull this one off. You want people who can do decent testing. That means you may have to hire people from outside the company. That also means you may need to hire people with some level of experience. This experience may have given them ideas of their own, or at least carried the lessons they learned from previous jobs with them. Encourage them to "observe and learn" how things are done at your company. Then, use the ideas from number 6 above to get them to become fully assimilated into the mindset of the company. This will, hopefully, keep them from thinking something is wrong with the company by reinforcing the image that the problem is with them (after all, they left their old job because of why?)
Lessons Learned - I've seen these ideas applied often at various shops. Where two or three are used effectively, the result has been promotion for the manager who did such fine work. Of course, the fodder complained and whined until they were replaced or learned that complaining led to them "seeking new opportunities" - which pretty sell stopped the complaining. In public. Which is as good as stopping complaining altogether.
Remember: Managers are the keepers of the Truth. The Guardians of the Holy Flame of Knowledge. Facts can change and shift and using these techniques what the Manager agreed to on Monday, on Tuesday, if you are effective, you can disagree with and explain that the staff misunderstood. This technique is good for keeping them from ever really understanding what is expected, which is even better because the money set aside for raises and bonuses will go into your pocket.
While my humble outline here may not be enshrined amongst the great writings on leadership that are available for the betterment of leaders everywhere, it certainly represents the sum of experience and belief demonstrated by many boss-types I have worked for and with. I therefore submit this for consideration toward your professional success as a controlling boss and the success of the group (we'll call them a team) over which you have control.
1. Encourage Training. This is important. This is really important. You want your testers (they like being called testers better than being called them peons of serfs) to believe that you want them to get better at what they do. Make sure they know that training is important to their career development. You want to make sure that the training they get is company sponsored training. Other stuff like, well, that encourages them to think is to be avoided, discouraged and downplayed.
2. Discourage Outside, Corrupting Influences. We want the people working for us to only consider the information we present to them as being relevant. When people express an interest in something they read about, maybe on the web somewhere, let them know that it is important they "get all the facts" before deciding to learn about it. Have them go looking for examples of companies where these wild, new-fangled ideas have actually worked. When they come back with some examples, make sure they know that these are not really solid examples because they are from outside the industry you are in, or are multi-national, not multi-continental (other way around works as well!) or they are in environments that are regulated differently than the environment we are in or... any number of reasons why "that won't work here."
3. Encourage Engagement. This is important, too. You want them to feel warm-fuzzy thoughts in their tummies when they think of the company. They want them to think, "Wow. The bosses at TLA* really DO have my best interest at heart when they tell me to do something and I'll be rewarded later. I hope I get a pony as my reward." This is particularly effective in large urban areas where the belief that a pony might be the "reward"is a complete impossibility where the large urban area does not permit ponies within the city. The idea is similar to "A rising tide lifts all boats." That is true, as long as the boats in question have plenty of slack where they are tied-up or moored. We want to be certain there is no slack at all for the
*TLA: Three Letter Acronym (thanks to Matt Heusser from whom I blatantly stole that concept.)
4. Discourage Uncomfortable Questions. Well, not really discourage them, just redirect them to be discussed "off-line" so people are not side-tracked by "side issues like this." The beauty is that when people ask questions you don't want asked, you can appear to be concerned with addressing their concerns completely, and at the same time keep those questions, and the discussion around them, from causing discomfort to the rest of the laborers. This allows the quick-thinking manager to isolate the trouble, and trouble-maker, pat their hand and say "there, there" and reassure them that everything will be fine. The upside for the manager is the next round of "synergy actions"/"staff rationalization"/ happy-sizing / down-sizing, you already have at least one candidate for "change agent" status.
5. Encourage "Extra Effort". Getting people to get things done when most people looking at on schedules that simply can not be achieved at a mere 45 or 50 hours per week per person can be a particular management challenge. One effective technique is to make the "casual" observation that contracts are tied to these dates and the delivery must be made on time. Of course, if the delivery cannot be made on time, well, "other options" will need to be considered. Then, this leaves open the carrot of the "stretch goal" set a week or two ahead of the "mandated goal" - where completing the project early may get recognized with a raise (or at least not a pay cut) IF all the other projects get done on time or early as well. (Notice the subtle conditional statement slipped in there, its a possibility, not a certainty.)
6. Discourage Process Questions. Yeah, this is kind of a big deal, too. The Process is sacrosanct. You are not in a position to suggest improvements to the process until you have moved through it completely, successfully at least once. Well, maybe twice or three times (because success is a habit, after all.) If people are having problems working through the process, it is because they are not doing it right. If they do it right, they have no problems.
7. Encourage Participation. This one is important, too. One way to handle trouble-makers is to get them involved. If someone asks questions, like a lot of questions, ask if they'd be willing to participate in a study group that has been created to look into that very issue they ask questions about. It is a great way to get all the people you need to keep an eye on in one place. Additionally, because this must be done in addition to the project work (see number 5 above) it will be one more way to drain them of extra energy to make trouble. If they still complain, ask if they have been "participating" with the study group on the issues they are complaining about. If not, you just transferred blame to them! That is good leadership.
8. Discourage Independent Thought. This is a hard one and it may take all the previous lessons to pull this one off. You want people who can do decent testing. That means you may have to hire people from outside the company. That also means you may need to hire people with some level of experience. This experience may have given them ideas of their own, or at least carried the lessons they learned from previous jobs with them. Encourage them to "observe and learn" how things are done at your company. Then, use the ideas from number 6 above to get them to become fully assimilated into the mindset of the company. This will, hopefully, keep them from thinking something is wrong with the company by reinforcing the image that the problem is with them (after all, they left their old job because of why?)
Lessons Learned - I've seen these ideas applied often at various shops. Where two or three are used effectively, the result has been promotion for the manager who did such fine work. Of course, the fodder complained and whined until they were replaced or learned that complaining led to them "seeking new opportunities" - which pretty sell stopped the complaining. In public. Which is as good as stopping complaining altogether.
Remember: Managers are the keepers of the Truth. The Guardians of the Holy Flame of Knowledge. Facts can change and shift and using these techniques what the Manager agreed to on Monday, on Tuesday, if you are effective, you can disagree with and explain that the staff misunderstood. This technique is good for keeping them from ever really understanding what is expected, which is even better because the money set aside for raises and bonuses will go into your pocket.
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