The Effective Manager

by Mark Horstman

Reachable and reasonable deadlines drive behavior better than anything else.

Also notice the use of tasks that are not done until they are reported on as “being done.” Yes, work is “done” in the mind of the doer when she finishes the task, but the work has no value to the organization until the organization knows it's done. That's the difference between assigning a task and assigning a deliverable.

The answer is the direct, for two reasons. First, the direct is the first to know, and reporting is always easier for the one who did the work. Second, the direct can do the report on it in less time than the manager can find out that it's done, at a lower labor cost per minute, too.

The way this process is set up, we're getting daily or at least regular updates in the form of task completion e-mails, and we are briefly discussing the direct's progress each week during our One On One. If we are coaching one of our directs, we expect the direct to brief us during the One On One on his or her progress for the week.