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Management Corner

Companies Typically Underinvest in Managers A Dozen Ways to Invest in Yourself

W e all know managers do crucial work. They shape culture, improve employee performance, drive creativity and innovation. And yet, fewer training dollars are typically earmarked for managers than for people at other levels. This makes little sense, but don’t despair, says David Deacon. There’s a lot that you, the individual manager, can do to improve your effect on those you lead and on the company.

“I’m not saying you don’t need training in the tech- nical skills of management,” says Deacon, author of The Self-Determined Manager: A Manifesto for Exceptional People Managers. “Of course, you do. But what makes a great manager has far more to do with your attitude than anything else.”

“While you may not get to choose the training your company invests in, you can choose your attitude,” he adds. “You can choose your intention. In this way, you invest in yourself.”

“While you may not get to choose the training your company invests in, you can choose your attitude,” he adds.

“You can choose your intention. In this way, you invest in yourself.”

Attitude and intention. Deacon says they are the cornerstones of becoming what he calls a self-deter- mined manager—one who constantly and intention- ally creates environments of over-achievement, where people thrive and produce great work.

“Bad managers are so focused on their own needs, or their own fears, or their own performance that they lose sight of the negative, unproductive, demoti- vating, or destructive environment they are creating,” he says. “It’s like they think it happens accidentally.

On the other hand, the best managers intentionally choose the environment they hope to create.”

Making this deliberate and intentional choice is the most powerful thing you can do to become an exceptional manager. Everything else you do will flow from this decision, and, without question, you’ll be a better manager regardless of any skills training your com- pany may or may not offer. That said, here are a dozen pieces of advice from Deacon.

Get hyper-focused on the power of amplifica- tion. By virtue of being a manager, your words and actions are amplified. You cannot stop this, because it is inherent in the way organizations are shaped. Every pronouncement you make may be repeated many times by your direct reports, every action you take may be emulated many times, and every expectation you set will be reflected in the work of your team. Amplification can be good or bad, so make sure that you remain aware of how anything you are “putting out there” is being received and interpreted.

Set your own standards (and make them high!). Self-determined managers never look outside them- selves for the standards of their work. So, set your own very high standards and strive to live up to them as far as possible. You are the one who defines profession- alism and sets benchmarks—and when you do this, you will be recognized as a role model. Remember, however, that recognition is a by-product, not a goal. Your intention should be to do a great job because that is the point.

If you need training in a certain area, ask for it. There are certain things all managers need to be able to do: give feedback, coach employees, hold tough conversations, communicate clearly, manage time and tasks, and so forth. If you’re lacking in a critical area—and, yes, you’re most likely aware of this—ask for training. If your company can’t or won’t provide

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it, you must seek it out yourself. Be proactive about developing the skills that will help you create the best environment possible for your team.

Start treating employees like adults. Work is not school. Adults do their best work when they are treated as adults. Therefore, great managers don’t bully, shout, patronize, belittle, name-call, behave aggressively, or condescend. To generate trust and respect, you must create an environment where adults can do great things.

Stop playing favorites. Some managers give certain people time and attention, but offer little contact or guidance to others, based on personal preferences rather than business or project rea- sons. Those in favor can do no wrong regardless of how much (or little) they do or the quality of their work. Those out of favor learn to moderate their efforts and simply do enough to stay out of trou- ble. The result? People direct their efforts toward staying in favor; there is no focus on performing well. Resist any urge to have favorites among your team.

Be more restless. Each week ask yourself and your team: What can we do better? The best manag- ers have impatience (if something is worth doing, why wait?), an instinct for continuous improvement (good enough is never good enough), and a linger- ing sense of constructive dissatisfaction (how can we do this better next time?). They set themselves and others very high standards of performance and conduct.

“This demanding impatience for ever-greater impact and ever-higher standards can make self-de- termined managers very difficult to work for,” admits Deacon. “Just be sure to always balance the high expectations with encouragement and a positive approach.”

Have a plan in mind for your people. The best managers have a good sense of where they believe each of their people should be headed. For each employee, look forward and ponder three thoughts: 1. Where might they be in a few years’ time: perhaps a bigger job, a different role, or a larger team? 2. Do you have a clear view of what they need to learn now and what they need to learn next that will support their future growth? 3. Do you have a sense of respon- sibility and accountability for helping them make that progress?

“With great managers, the plan is mainly in their heads, and they can tell you instantly what it is,” says Deacon. “Not in the language of career frameworks and competency models, but in words that show what they see and appreciate and hope for and worry about for each of their people.”

Manage your own energy. Self-determined man- agers know that maintaining their energy and enthu- siasm is their own responsibility. Pay attention to your energy levels and develop habits that help you sustain them. Focus on fitness, nutrition, and stress management and be alert to signs of burnout, to taking on too much (or too little), and to giving yourself breaks.

“Remember, one of the most powerful outcomes of maintaining your energy is how it enables you to be positive,” says Deacon. “If you feel good, you will show it and transmit it!”

Learn something new. Take a class, master a new skill, even take up a new hobby outside work. The best managers are interested, curious, open, and alert. They are forever seeking knowledge. This extends far beyond their professional work and reflects their interests, passions, pastimes, and preoccupations.

“First, thinking ‘widely’ opens possibilities by help- ing you foster connections, recognize new opportuni- ties, and find better ways to do things,” says Deacon. “Secondly, broad knowledge and curiosity make you adaptable; a key part of career success is about apply- ing what you have learned in new situations.”

Learn to like the people you work with (even the unlikeable ones). If you deal with someone who is unlikeable, find something to appreciate about them. First, it changes the nature of all interactions and maximizes the chance that you’ll be successful. You get a less cooperative, less inventive, and less engaged relationship with someone you do not like. Secondly, it furthers the chance that your team members will overlook your unlikeable qualities and focus on your best traits as well. Finally, everyone responds well to being treated well.

Figure out why the work of the team matters and articulate this to them. Without a sense of purpose, it’s hard for people to make a greater effort, direct their energies, and self-correct. Furthermore, they will struggle to relate their actions to their employer’s performance, substituting instead other purposes,

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such as pleasing their boss or doing only work that interests them.

Don’t expect perfection but do keep working toward it. It’s virtually impossible to be self-deter- mined 24/7, says Deacon, especially when you lose your focus because other things get in the way. Maybe your boss makes an unreasonable request or creates a firestorm you must pay attention to, or the CEO is cre- ating a negative environment, or you have a problem in your personal life. These kinds of things happen to everyone—even self-determined managers. During these times, it’s important to stay conscious and deter- mined, catch people doing things right, articulate clearly, and find meaning and purpose to transmit to your people.

“Until you believe that you are worth investing in, you can’t be a self-determined manager,” says

Deacon. “Decide right now that you not only deserve to become the best manager you can possibly be, but that you are capable of reaching this achievement on your own. Once you do this, you’ll be unstoppable.”

Reader’s ResourceReader’s Resource David Deacon is the author of The Self-Determined Manager: A Manifesto for Exceptional People Managers. He has been a human resources pro- fessional for over thirty years and passionate about how managers manage for almost as long. Recognized by the Best Practice Institute as a “Best Organizational Practitioner” in 2014, he continues to lead world-class talent management approaches in the companies where he works. For more information, please visit www.selfdeter- minedmanager.com. ■

Front Office Role in Reimbursement Remains Important

B    eyond being the positive, helpful public face of   your facility or practice, the front desk or access staff has a big role in the reimbursement process. One of the important objectives, as noted in the previous article by HealthWide Solutions, is pursuing co-pays, deductibles, and noncovered service fees at the time of service.

If your staff understands its role in reimbursement, it’s far more likely to perform it well. Even though your billers actually use the information, your desk staff must understand it enough to know why it’s important. Your manager or lead biller could lead a lunch-hour training session on the topic.

Back in the days of the $2 co-pay, you could argue that it wasn’t financially worth the effort to collect those small amounts—even though your managed care contract obligates you to do so. But co-pays are rising steadily as insurers and employers try to partially offset rising health insurance costs. There’s

nothing unusual about $20 or higher primary care co-pays or more for specialists. If a primary care doc- tor sees two managed care patients per hour, even a $10 co-pay translates to $25,000 yearly revenue.

Also, once you train your staff to pursue these amounts— and your patients to expect the effort—they’re fairly easy to collect. You’ll still hear some of those I-don’t-have-my-wallet- with-me excuses from some patients, but most will allow such an embarrassing situation to occur only once.

Instructing your staff to tactfully insist on payment trains patients to see you only when they really need care. It sends your staff the message that these dollars matter too. Also, don’t forget about those “non-covered services” that aren’t part of your managed care contracts.

Collection Tools Give your staff the tools to collect. That means your

front desk people may need cash in some settings, and

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