Be detailed

By GamdAi Management ◦ March 16, 2020

Management

Be detailed

Over the course of a year, you will spend more time with your employees than you will with your family. You will know more about them than you will about your friends and neighbors. You will have a greater impact on their long-term success than you will on your children’s. In other words, you will have a huge responsibility to these people, and there’s no room for error.

Great managers make sure they have the right details about the people on their team. They know when each person was born, where he grew up, and when and where he got married or divorced. They know each person’s passions and pet peeves. They know how each person prefers to receive praise and other rewards, as well as how to give it. They know each person’s family members, friends, and hobbies. They know each person’s quirks, from the number of times he leaves the house each day to the number of times he stops at the water cooler in the afternoon.

It’s not enough to know the basics, such as the names and titles of each individual on the team and how to pronounce them. Nor is it enough to know each person’s strengths and weaknesses. The best managers also know what makes each person unique. They have a broad, nuanced understanding of each individual’s background, skills, and interests. They know each person’s passions and pet peeves, his favorite books and movies, and the professional goals that drive him. The best managers know each person’s quirks, from the number of times he leaves the house each day to the number of times he stops at the water cooler in the afternoon.

How do you get the details? Ask. The best managers are relentless in their pursuit of information about their employees. They know that details about the people on their team are crucial to making the right decisions about their careers. The right decision about a person’s career can change his life. The wrong decision can ruin it.

How do you know which details are important? Some are obvious; others are not.

The best managers also know what makes each person unique. They have a broad, nuanced understanding of each individual’s background, skills, and interests.