Management constantly struggles to figure out what the heck their company is actually DOING all the time, while also trying to figure out what the competition is doing, what customers want but can't articulate, whether or not they have the right organization and management structure to effectively execute, etc. They have to predict the future direction of our customers, and figure out how to steer the corporation so that it is best positioned to deliver value to our customers both today and in the future.

It's hard to get to where you want to go if you don't know where you are at. That's why they want transparency.

Or at least, that's what my Management Team wants. I know this because I've asked them. And when they can't articulate what it is that they want, I study them. I study their line of questioning. I study their decision making style.

This is what my Managers think (all the time):
Should we be developing this application at all? Can we buy or license a solution instead? Are we in the right business? Are there other ways to squeeze more out of our value chain? Competitor XYZ is repositioning itself -- what new threats and what new advantages are there of this shift?

Folks, what I'm trying to say is that your Management Team is simply another customer. People that meet customer needs are a more successful that people that don't.

Did you ever have a customer try to dictate Design Details to you? Of course. Did you accept what the customer said, or did you dig a little deeper and determine their true, hidden requirements, that they weren't able to articulate?

Treat "Management" the same way. Do they demand weekly schedule updates? Did you ever ask them why? Have you sat down with your Management Customer to find out what their needs are, and how you can best fulfill them?

Sure, my Management Team suffers from Dashboard-of-the-Month Syndrome, where they keep changing the format and content of the "1 page project snapshot" evey 4 weeks. I live with it, just like I live with the customer that we've all had that keeps changing their minds about what they want. It takes me just 5 minutes to fill out my dashboard, regardless of the format, because my manager's already know what's going on with my project.

We're Agile, right? So doesn't that mean we're all about delivering value in the face of uncertain requirements? ASK YOUR MANAGER WHAT HE REALLY WANTS. I don't have problems with my Management Team, because they always KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW about my project. They don't know this through the Dashboards, I don't delay important updates until the next Stage-Gate meeting, or wait until the next Monthly Review to request additional resources. I make sure I know what is important to them and deliver exactly that.

Because of this, I've earned their trust, and they rarely micromanage. I never deliver what was promised, instead, I deliver what they need. Sound familiar?

When I've come across a pointy-haired middle manager that REALLY wants to control, again, I treat them just like any other customer. I observe them to determine what their real needs are.

Do they need to be in control, or do they need to APPEAR to be in control? If its appearance, then I can go ahead and get the key decisions agreed upon ahead of time, and run it through the middle manager for official approval, with the appropriate deference to the Alpha Male Manager.

Do they just want to be informed of bad news 24 hours before upper management, because they've been burned by the grapevine before and looked stupid when upper management knew more than they did? If so, then absolutely make sure they never look stupid because of you or your team.

Do they think that they are the Savior, and therefore I need to find a crisis that they can save us from? (Golly gee, there's this one vendor that we're just having a lot of trouble with, and I hate to ask with how busy you are and all, but I know that with your experience...)

Please don't take this as a cynical view of human behavior; I've managed to successfully work with some real jerks just by finding out what made them act like jerks, and finding ways to address their legitimate concerns and insecurities.

Watch. Listen. Then deliver value.

Pat Baird
pat_baird@hotmail.com