Thought I'd get away from the practical for a little bit and talk a little bit more about big picture stuff. I'm in the process of hiring a part time law clerk and it got me to thinking about management, about who I want on my team, and about how I'm going to cultivate the people I hire and manipulate the environment I work in to maximize the return of my and my employees' effort.
And then I stumbled across this great article on Mack Brown.
One thing about me before we get going too far. I'm a huge sports fan. Huge. In particular I love college football and college basketball. I'm a Kansas Jayhawk at heart, but will watch whatever's on TV. This is what first drew me to this article on Mack Brown. Mack Brown is the head football coach of the Texas Longhorns. And he is a great manager.
What is he managing, you might ask? This isn't completely accurate, but he's got a budget in the millions, a coaching staff of at least 25, 70 or so football players, he's constantly recruiting a new batch of players, constantly cultivating relationships with people, and then game planning each week for what might as well be considered a trial.
So, here are some of the lessons I took from the article.
1. He's Not Always Nice. He's Not Mean. He's Not Browbeating. Not Profane or Insulting or Bullying. But He's Not Always Nice.
If you take no other lessons out of this post, that is probably the best. Being a manager isn't easy. Being a business owner isn't easy. As another quote in the article goes "I own the restaurant. There are a lot of cooks, waiters, and waitresses in this restaurant. They worry about their problems. I worry about all the problems." But you are not going to get everything you can out of yourself, out of your business, and out of your employees if you are a dick.
Be demanding, expect excellence, and let people know when they can do better. But do it in a way that makes them want to be better, not hate you. I've seen bosses that are dicks. People do their job and nothing more. I've also seen people that expect excellence and push people to reach that. Their employees tend to love their jobs and reach for the sky.
2. "We separate what we do in there (the film room and practice field) with what we do out here."
Bottom line, care about your employees. Get to know them. Not because it's good for your business (it is) but because it's good for you. You are going to spend a lot of time with these people. And the more you know and trust them, the better.
3. Being a film freak is part of the Texas football coach's job. So is being the bad guy. And the father figure. And the motivator. And the face of the program to recruits, boosters, media and fans.
This one's short and sweet. Your jog is tough. You've got a lot of balls in the air. Figure out how to deal with it before they all fall down. The faster you do it the more successful you'll be.
4. "Coaches need to understand I'm paying attention, and players need to know I'm watching."
Replace coaches with clients and players with employees. Nuff said.
5. "I try to make my job look really easy. If something arises, take care of it and keep smiling."
You're the boss. Your employees are your employees. If they see you sweat they are going to sweat. It is not their job to worry about your business. It is not their job to worry about things that are not their responsibilities. So, if you have a problem, fix it.
Even though I know you'll read the article I linked to, here's the example. While this guy was cruising with Mack Brown they get a call that their hotel had a fire and their rooms are gone. Know what Mack did? He didn't make a big announcement to the players and get them all worked up worrying about something out of their control. He put someone on it (the guy in charge of travel who'd done this before) and let him take care of it. They did an extra walk through to kill some time, and they went to the new hotel they found. Remember that the next time an unexpected problem arises.
6. "Their isn't a day that goes by that we don't talk about recruiting."
They recruit football players like we recruit clients. If you aren't working on it every day you're falling behind the guy that is (me).
7. "Mack is the ultimate leader. We haven't lost a whole lot of ballgames, but if we do, it's all on him. He doesn't point fingers, takes total responsibility. That to me is what a leader does."
Not much to say about that one. The great thing about being the boss is you get the glory. The bad thing is you get to be the goat.
That's probably enough lessons for the day. Take some time to think about these things. They'll pay off for you in the end.
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