Mistake 1 in my newest book is "acting like a weenie!" Truth be told – I wanted to use a stronger descriptor for this mistake but, in the end, I let better judgment prevail.

 

Speaking of better judgment, it was nowhere to be found in the following example.

 

A sales professional at one of my distributors was called in by his team leader to deliver some POS to a customer, despite the fact that he (the sales professional) was on vacation. It wasn’t a popular move around the office, and even less popular when the team leader’s car was spotted parked outside an off-track betting parlor – for several hours. I hope he won big that day because, clearly, the team leader had more important things to do than to help his guy out. He broke a bond of trust, choosing to play the thoroughbreds instead of taking care of his own thoroughbreds. Hopefully, he took Secretariat in the 7th. Seemed like a shoe-in to me.

 

Was he a weenie or what?

 

Do you commit any of the following "weenie" acts with your professionals?

 

1. Getting upset with them over things they can’t control?

2. Not taking their opinion into consideration?

3. Micromanaging them on all aspects of their jobs and telling them that you don’t pay them to think? (Note: life is too short to work for someone who would say that.)

4. Giving them the pleasure of a 60-minute rant at the end of the day, during family time, dictating how they should have handled an execution issue that wasn’t clearly explained in the first place?

5. Making them beg to get important information in a timely manner?

6. Showing impatience when they don’t understand directions?

7. Waiting until the absolute last minute to tell them what’s going on?

8. Focusing on one negative instead of all the positives?

9. Calling them out (and embarrassing) them in front of customers or clients?

10. Telling them you’ll take it under advisement?

 

That last one comes with a follow-up question. What does taking it under advisement really mean anyway? Well, according to an article I read online in Bloomberg Business Week, it may be your manager suggesting, "I’m not going to do whatever you just suggested I do, and I want you to know that I value your opinion less than I can tell you!" Wow, that’s productive!

 

A good litmus test might be – if you wouldn’t say that to your spouse, don’t say it to your professionals. There are just certain words we don’t use in real life! (Your current spouse, not the one you discarded!)

 

So what can you do?

 

I’d look at the list above and in the mirror. (A real mirror, not an imaginary mirror.) Be honest! Do you have professionals who go home and tell their spouses you said or did any of the examples above?

 

Even if you were in the right, is there anything you could’ve done differently?

 

In 2012, don’t make what is perhaps the worst (dumb) mistake that smart managers don’t make. You’ll have a more cohesive and engaged team, and good people won’t seek greener pastures elsewhere. (Plus, weenies usually get cooked, and you don’t want that! That grill can get awfully hot.)

 

That’s just the way it works.

 

Praise for Table for Three