Brilliant Manager, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 5

Managing

different types

of people

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S

houldn’t a manager treat everyone the same? Your innate

sense of decency and fairness will push you in this direc-

tion but over time I have come to realise that a brilliant

manager needs to understand the particular characteristics and

hang-ups of different professions.

In this chapter I will be looking at a number of different pro-

fessions and analysing what makes people who do these jobs

tick. I will describe a number of techniques for having a good

managerial relationship with these different professions, from

very specific professions such as lawyers and software engineers,

to more generic types such as support staff, sales people and

creative people.

Before getting down to the details of the different types of people

you have to manage and interact with, here are some funda-

mental principles that apply across the board.

When dealing with other professions, you need to respect their

professionalism. There is absolutely no point in consulting a

lawyer and then constantly arguing with them or ignoring their

advice. On the other hand, professionals can often forget that

their principal role is to support the manager in making a deci-

sion. In many cases it will be you who has to make the decision

on business grounds, and it is for your experts to advise you of

different possibilities and relevant implications. For example,

if a creative person proposes a new product idea then you will

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94 brilliant manager

probably have to take the lead in exploring how their idea could

be adapted to bring it to market; you will pose market scenarios,

but the creative person will be the one who knows best how to

adapt their idea to those scenarios.

Interacting with people who are experts in different areas from

yourself is a bit of an art. Here are the key points to remember.

Never show disrespect for an expert’s professionalism

Many experts can try the patience of a saint! No matter how

annoyed you get, you must never make the mistake of allowing

your annoyance to be expressed in a disrespectful manner. For

many experts, the worst of all insults is to accuse them of being

unprofessional.

Do not allow yourself to be blinded by jargon

The best professionals can make themselves understood to

laymen. There is a very common tendency for experts to hide

behind a veneer of ‘professional mystique’. Do not allow your

experts to intimidate you. It is not only acceptable, it is essential

that you require that experts explain

their points to you in language that

you can understand. If this means

asking question after question after

question – so be it. They will eventu-

ally get the message that you insist on understanding the issues

that are relevant to the decisions you have to take.

Explain your problems to your experts

I have found that it is nearly always very productive for you to

explain your problem area to your experts. It is obviously much

easier for them to help you if they understand the nature of the

problems you face. Experts are usually fascinated to find out

how your business works. I would, however, remind you that you

should not use jargon on them!

do not allow your

experts to intimidate

you

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