Two lawsuits further demonstrate how much some practitioners of law are willing to debase their profession.
In the first, a glamor photographer brought suit against a Web site because it contained a link to another site, which in turn linked to a third site that had illegally published one of his photographs. The judge wisely dismissed the suit.
In the second, an attorney brought a class-action suit against Intuit for damages its customers might experience in the future should it not provide them with a fix for year-2000 problems in older versions of Quicken. The courts found in favor of Intuit, figuring no lawsuit should precede experience of damage.
In both cases the courts made the right decision, but only after the court system accepted a ridiculous suit in the first place. How hard can it be to institute a screening mechanism to prevent this clutter?
Clearly, we rely excessively on a single tool — the law — to resolve disputes. Legal action has replaced scolding, public humiliation, sending to the principal’s office, sarcasm, slaps in the face, lecturing, telling Mommy, and working together to resolve our differences in far too many situations.
Anytime someone relies excessively on a single tool it’s unhealthy, whether they’re using a spreadsheet to write memos, Cobol to write expert systems, a lawnmower to trim hedges, or lawsuits to handle … well, most of what lawsuits are being used for these days.
As a manager, you’re susceptible to the same syndrome — the use of a single tool to handle all situations. Perhaps it’s the threat of termination (remember how often George Steinbrenner fired Billy Martin?). Or maybe you give compliments too freely, expecting a constant flow of praise to energize your staff regardless of their actual performance. Whatever the tool, overuse will blunt it, and using it for the wrong job will ruin it for the right one.
As a manager you have a wide variety of tools at your disposal: encouragement, private warnings, public reprimands, one-on-one coaching, spot bonuses, raises, the cookie penalty, team-building events … the list is, if not endless, at least very long. Just for giggles, make a list of every one you can think of. Then estimate how many times you’ve used each of them in the past year.
I’m guessing you’ve ignored most of them … you’re in a rut.
The next time you’re faced with a “management opportunity” take a moment to plan:
1. Define the problem: What exactly are you trying to solve? Imagine your boss is challenging you, and you have to explain why it’s an issue. Too often, what managers are really trying to solve is, “I don’t like it.” Make sure you’re clear on what the problem is.
2. Define your goals: What constitutes a solution or resolution? Remember, the proper sequence isn’t “Ready … Fire!” If you don’t take a moment to define your goals you’re skipping “Aim”. At times, this means deciding whether you’re going to do what’s best for the company or for yourself. If, for example, you have a talented but insubordinate employee, you have to decide if your goal is to salvage the employee or to get rid of him. Salvaging may be best for the company — this is a talented individual, after all — but getting rid of him maybe the best choice for you since it eliminates a distraction and clearly establishes some boundaries for everyone else.
3. Choose the tool best suited to achieving your goals: Once you’ve defined your goal, choosing a good tool is pretty easy. Since we’re getting you out of a rut, though, choose a tool you haven’t used for a while … or ever. Don’t choose something completely alien to your nature, of course. We’re expanding your range, not turning you into a phony.
Back when I taught people to use software I’d advise them to learn one new technique with every project as a way of painlessly building a big bag o’tricks. It’s just a good an idea when it comes to improving as a manager.