Oxymoron: A combination of contradictory words
In our last post we discussed the Oxymoronic Community Bank Employee. Today we are taking a look at the oxymoronic community bank manager. Here are a few more examples of the oxymoron… Bitter Sweet, Plastic Glasses, Student Teacher, and Pretty Ugly. As we look at some managers and the actions they take, it becomes quite evident that their actions can be clearly seen as nothing more than oxymoronic. Keep in mind, the definition of management is the process of turning talents into performance. As a manager, anything you do in the name of managing that contradicts this definition now becomes an oxymoron, hence, the oxymoronic manager. Get the picture? Here are three of the many oxymoronic things we have seen from community bank managers over the years…
Team Meeting Manager
A Team Meeting is about the team not about Managing individuals or individual issues, but this type of manager will attempt to do just that. There’s nothing effective about this person. “Meeting” managers are the primary cause of a 20-minute meeting turning into a 2-hour time drain. Many of us have been to one of these meetings and odds are that some of you have been to one in the past week! Usually the important things, or the things that apply to the entire team, that are discussed in a 2-hour meeting could have been covered in a matter of 20 minutes or less. We’re not saying there should never be a 2-hour meeting but when it comes to effectively managing your team, ditch the long meetings and go for short, (2 to 5 minute) individual, daily meetings with each person that reports to you. Save the 2-hour meetings for the leadership-type strategic planning sessions. The rest of us have work to do!
Non-Negotiable Compromiser
We believe every community bank should have a set of non-negotiables as boundaries that all employees must operate within. This is not micromanaging. It is simply setting guidelines for minimum expectations in order to work in your bank. Compliance is an obvious non-negotiable. If you’re not compliant, you can’t work in a bank. Attitude should be non-negotiable. If you can’t come to work in a professional mood, you shouldn’t work in a bank. Communication standards should be non-negotiable. There’s nothing worse than a gossip in a community bank. It shouldn’t be allowed. However, far too many managers will compromise the non-negotiables. Compromise and Non-Negotiable don’t match. Once you compromise, you now have negotiables. If you compromise on compliance, the regulators will take care of you. If you compromise on communication, attitude, or basic standards then you lose all credibility as a manager to those who matter the most… your engaged employees.
Mismatching Organizer
This manager is the root cause of failing teams and departments in your community bank. When bringing an employee into your team, the first step in the management process is selecting. Selecting the right person for the right job. It sounds pretty easy and overly basic but it’s amazing how often employees are placed in the wrong role and left there. We even see some banks allowing the human resources department to make the hiring decisions without the input and approval of the team manager. This is a major mistake. If an employee doesn’t have the talent for his particular role on the team then no amount of training, motivation and developing will “fix” him because he’s not actually broken. He’s just in the wrong job. Watch this last season of American Idol and you’ll see a stage full of people that have been told they can sing and now they’re making idiots of themselves on national tv. All the voice training in the world and encouraging words from friends over the years couldn’t fix these people. They don’t have a talent to sing, but they do have a talent for something. Sadly, they’ve wasted years pursuing a dream that doesn’t match their talents. Community bank managers do this when not dealing with non-performance and not matching the right person to the right job.
Community banks and harmonious discord
If any of the these three oxymorons describes you, then here’s your bonus group… Harmonious Discord. In your mind, things are going along just fine. You’re not rocking the boat or causing stress by holding anyone accountable. You’re in essence a manager in name only. While you may think things are great, what is actually happening is your best employees are carrying the weight of your worst. Your best tend not to complain but will become more and more disengaged. Your worst are happy because there is no accountability and they’re able to punch a time clock and collect a check. All may seem well but all is not. If you continue to let this so-called harmony go unmanaged, the discord will eventually show, beginning with a lack of production and employees struggling to meet basic standards. Good news! It’s not too late to get out of the rut and move your team into a new culture of productiveness. Focus on the four basics of managing. Selecting the right people; Setting expectations; Motivating based on the employee; and Developing talents. Hold your team accountable and recognize your heroes.
