Last week, we provided a structured management solution on how to encourage subordinates to actively provide feedback to you. This was the first question, and the core was how to track progress. However, as a manager, it is often the case that just when things have been resolved, problems arise again within the team. This week, we will discuss how to use structured management to address the issue of improving team capabilities.
Another manager asked a similar question, stating: “I have many subordinates, and I really want to train them well. However, providing individualized counseling for each of them is becoming increasingly difficult. The current approach is to provide subordinates with a review template and have them regularly write review materials, but the results are mediocre. Is there another way to drive team growth?”
This is the second typical problem for managers, which is how to train people. Developing people is a mandatory course for all managers. Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric Group, once said: “Before you become a leader, success is only related to your own growth; after you become a leader, success is related to the growth of others.”
However, the reality is like what this manager said: (1) There are too many subordinates to provide one-on-one counseling; (2) Problems are often repeated, making it difficult to teach effectively; and (3) Time constraints prevent providing individual attention to each subordinate.
The manager who asked the question is already very experienced and thought of having subordinates write reviews and reflect on their own work first. However, this approach is clearly not enough. In response to this problem, there is a powerful tool in management that many people overlook: peer pressure.
In the workplace, our real pressure often comes not from our superiors, but from our peers. A superior face 10 subordinates and can only distribute 1/10 of the pressure on each subordinate. However, if there are 10 levels, each level will give you 100% pressure.
How can peer pressure work? This requires a structured review. What does a typical review look like? A template is given, and everyone writes it, and then hands it to the leader for feedback. Regardless of how responsible the leader is, they still have limited energy and the guidance and pressure they can give to each subordinate is limited.
What does a structured review look like? Managers who understand structured management will hold review meetings every month, gather their subordinates, use the same dimensions for review, and have everyone complete a review report. This approach has two advantages:
First, it consolidates information. For example, a middle-level manager has 10 direct subordinates, and these subordinates lead their own small teams. They are like more than 10 distributed computing computers. If they are not connected, then everyone’s information, algorithms, and execution actions will not be compatible. So the most effective way is to have all 10 people present. 10 people listen 10 times and each other sees how other peers manage.
At the review meeting, everyone uses the same review structure: how is the business doing, how is the team managing, and whether the values meet the company’s standards. In these three dimensions, business is the result and appearance, and the team and values can often reveal the real level of the manager below the surface.
The second benefit is peer pressure. After each review and debriefing, mutual evaluation and scoring are required. For example: Did the work report of the team leader today bring me insight and inspiration? Did the experience of their group answer my concerns? Which of their questions are relevant to me? After scoring, the top three and bottom three performers will be identified. Yes, all performers. After 12 rounds a year, everyone knows who performed well and who performed poorly.
This kind of review method actually uses people’s competitiveness and sense of honor as incentives. If you want the team to grow, remember to use the leverage of peer pressure to conduct structured reviews. With this type of stimulation and feedback, managers can greatly reduce the time spent micromanaging. Next week, we will continue to discuss the third question: How can managers balance their workload and avoid being pulled in too many directions with effective structured time management?