Summary of a book “The Manager’s Dilemma” by Irial O’Farrell

This book talks about the Manager’s qualities that are applicable to a wide variety of cases. It does this by presenting concrete examples that are eye-opening.

The dichotomy between a manager and an engineer is about their approach when unexpected problems arise. People wearing both hats often jump into problem solving mode and are instead advised to be managing. Managers must decide whether they need to be Fix-It champs or to help their team members develop their own problem-solving skills. Irial O’Farrell is the author of this book and an executive coach who advises the second choice. Managers must teach their reports how to handle problems as they surface so that they can focus on their immediate and ongoing managerial tasks. She advises managers on how to coach their team members and delegate problem solving to them.

The key takeaways from this book include:

1.       Most employees can identify problems, but few can solve them

2.       Employees may want the manager to solve the problem, but they must instead be taught how.

3.       Employees must have three reasons to escalate problems to their managers.

4.       Employees must do the necessary groundwork before bringing a problem to their managers.

5.       The manager’s mindset must be to favor managing rather than fixing things.

6.       Managers who become popular for problem solving while leading their teams are at risk of burnout.

7.       Both managers and employees must learn to solve a problem in eight steps.

8.       Both must use the SMART system to achieve their goals

9.       Managers not only empower their employees but also empower themselves to become effective coaches.

When managers are presented with problems, there is a high chance that the employees identified the problem but could not solve it. The manager has a few tradeoffs at this point. They can focus on problem solving to get promoted or they can invest in an unproven approach to empower the team’s problem solving. The difference is in observing the hidden cost of an employee’s inability to solve a problem. Team members may waste their manager’s time or expect the boss to set aside their priorities and ride to the rescue. This creates an impediment in the team’s ability to attain their goal. If the manager and the team discussed and developed problem-solving skills, they ca tackle the current and the next issues themselves. So, a manager must just change the employees expectations for her to solve problems and instead teach them how to do it.

There are other inefficiencies that occur when the proposed approach is not taken. Staff members who rely on their manager to solve the problem never take ownership of the issues they encounter. It may even get worse as others, including the manager, must invest time to pick up where they left off, which hurts the manager’s and the team’s efficiency and productiveness. Coaching fulfils the manager’s responsibilities and contributes to the professional development of their reports.

When employees escalate problems to their supervisor, they might do so because they are lazy, or they have tried unsuccessfully to fix it, or they want to make sure their managers know about it. The first reason is invalid but the remaining two are valid reasons.

Employees must always do the necessary groundwork before bringing a problem to their manager. Before they can coach their employees to solve their own problems, a manager must persuade them to share that goal. The motivation to escalate must be included with the problem presentation. It must also show what approaches for problem solving were attempted and how far they were carried out.

The employees must demonstrate they are not passing the buck as part of “signposting” where he or she indicates that a problem exists but is beyond his or her ability to solve. At this point, the employee wants the manager to ask what needs to be done and how she can help.

Signposting is a clear indicator that the proposed approach is warranted. When coaching takes place, it simultaneously relieves the manager who might be at risk of burnout. The manager must change their mind-set to manage, not fix things. She must focus on her work and responsibilities and not put out fires. This enlightened mindset might be counter-intuitive to their habit that put them in the position of the manager in the first place but it pays over time. Companies do promote managers who solve problems but managers who grow their reports to do the same provide a greater value. This is the “manager’s dilemma”.

A team’s new and improved problem solving resulting from the manager’s coaching may also meet with some resistance initially, but it will provide an opportunity to reduce the escalations in the future. The manager is left with more time and concentration to lead. This is indeed a long-term solution that is better than the tactical problem-solving habit.

There are eight steps to problem solving and these are: 1. Determine the problem, 2. Assess the problem’s reach, 3. Research the problem’s causes, 4. Determine the various options, 5. Evaluate all options. 6. Figure out the ideal solution, 7. Implement this solution, and 8. Review your results.

The SMART system is geared to achieving managerial goals including the coaching of team members to solve their problems. It is a framework for goal-attainment and a performance management tool. A SMART system focuses on Specific goals to achieve, Measurable progress, Attainable goals, Relevant alignments with organization’s objectives and the Timed response to reach the goal.

Coaching is not restricted to team members. Managers must also empower themselves to become effective coaches. Self-awareness is a cornerstone of effective management and leadership.