Managing People And Puppies

Managing People And Puppies

Judy Olian

(Judy Olian is Dean of Penn State's Smeal College of Business and a leading expert in strategic human resources management.)

Training new puppies is a challenge. I can attest to it -- I have a new puppy. I've been reading about methods to manage and train puppies and it strikes me that there are similarities between good management, and good puppy management. Don't get me wrong, the nuances of managing people far exceed the sensitivities associated with managing a puppy, but there are some commonalities.

1. Select your employees (and puppy) very carefully. Much of what happens after the selection decision is pre-ordained. There are limits to tranformations that can be achieved through learning if the core skill set, attitude, or disposition are not suited to the needs. The old saying, "you can't teach a dog new tricks" is true, bounded by existing features.

2. Take the context into account. Deciding whether a new employee (or puppy) will fit within the context of the business needs and culture can't be done in isolation. It depends on business conditions and the dynamics and skill mix among current employees (or kids and animals).

3. All employees (and puppies) need an intensive initiation period to break them into their new role and environment. It can't just happen via osmosis. It takes managerial attention, patience, and sensitivity.

4. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Make it clear and simple, but let your people (puppy) know where you stand about behavior--good and bad.

5. Be consistent -- react the same way to the same behaviors, and don't waffle. If you reward certain types of performance for one employee (e.g., closing sales), reward other employees in a similar fashion. If curt customer behaviors are critiqued for one employee, reprimand it for all. The same message, and reaction, every time.

6. Tone is important and often conveys the message more clearly than the content. The same words can be delivered authoritatively, suggestively, or amusedly, and they mean different things depending on the tone.

7. Don't miss the chance to recognize and reward positive behavior. People, as well as puppies, react to "attaboys" as the most powerful tool that shapes behavior.

8. Provide negative feedback as soon as it happens. Don't load the cannons, waiting several weeks or months to inform your employee that a behavior wasn't acceptable. Time lags diminish the learning power and informational value of negative feedback. Do it thoughtfully but immediately, or don't do it.

9. Stimulate and challenge your employees (puppy), engage them and help expand their skill set by offering new learning opportunities. That helps keep employees motivated and attached.

10. Managing (people or your puppy) is not for the faint-hearted or uncommitted. Don't take on this role unless you're willing to sweat the details, invest concerted effort, and attend to the managerial role as a significant commitment in your job/life. Reluctance in management often translates into careless management.

Forgive me for drawing analogies between managing employees and puppies. This is not intended to minimize or denigrate the competencies of managers, or the respect deserved by employees. The challenge of managing people can be astoundingly complex in ways that even the most sensitive and smart dogs can't touch, with apologies to their owners. However, there are some similarities that suggest simple principles that generalize across both contexts. Just one request. Please don't ask your employees to heel.