CHAPTER 1

"PLAY BY THE RULES": AMANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY

If you are a manager and don't want to be regarded as a great boss, youshould not be a manager in the first place. Regardless of the profession,you have the opportunity to inspire those under your purview to thepoint where they feel privileged to have you as their leader. Much workmay be necessary for you to get there, but in not aspiring to be the bestmanager possible, you do a disservice to the organization, to yourself,and most important, to those you agreed to lead.

MANAGEMENT: A PROFESSION ALL BY ITSELF

Whether I was an administrator at a hospital or the president of asoftware company, I always looked forward to going to work each day.It was exciting to be able to work with people from all walks of life.My job was to provide a work environment conducive to their happyand effective efforts toward accomplishing the goals of the company.Throughout the years, I had the opportunity to witness and becomeinvolved with many different types of managers from around thecountry. Some were very experienced and some were brand new totheir field; many of them were very good, and some were not goodat all. Some were well educated, good at their jobs, and easy to workwith, while others were just educated idiots. Often the managers witha limited education were among the best, while others managed withthe attitude "It's just a job." This type of attitude was referred to inthe military as being on the ROAD (Retired while On Active Duty).Unfortunately, it's also found in the civilian sector.

Have you ever had a boss you despised, one who made you think,If I ever find myself in a position of authority, unlike this boss, I will doeverything possible to inspire my employees? I had such an experience earlyin my career, which gave me the motivation to learn all I could aboutbeing a good manager.

Managers are in a unique position. They are in control, some more sothan others. Unfortunately, many managers—especially new ones—donot know where to begin, which oftentimes relates to a lack of selfconfidenceor simply not knowing what it means to be in control. Thesemanagers are in a tough position; they got the job all right, but they arein need of some direction. Having been there myself and then havingthe responsibility for leading other managers, I believe it doesn't hurt tohave some rules to follow as one develops management skills.

Although I have been a manager for many years, I never imaginedthat I would ever find myself in a position where I would be writingabout a management philosophy of my own. There are two reasons Ieven dare to share this philosophy:

1. My professor (Dr. Croy) for the final class of my graduateprogram at USC gave us the assignment to write our ownmanagement philosophy or expound on our thoughts aboutothers'. I chose to write my own. After I submitted the paper,entitled "Play by the Rules: A Management Philosophy," hereturned it to me with the question, "Would you considercoauthoring a book with me?" I never answered him becausewhen I graduated two weeks later, I received orders from theair force reassigning me to a base in Florida. I found myselfextremely busy at a new job and getting settled with my familyin a new home. Dr. Croy has since retired, and I have alwaysfelt guilty about not responding to his request; I guess this ismy way of trying to clear my conscience.

2. When our company began to show relative success, I was askedessentially the same question by three hospital administrators:"As a vendor, how are you able to successfully manage mymaterials manager without having any line or staff authority,and do so with such positive outcomes?"

Instead of giving them a detailed answer, I simply thanked themfor their comments. Unfortunately, the answer is not a simple one.Instead, it requires a rather detailed explanation. I apologize in advance,as many pages in this chapter will read like a textbook. Nevertheless,the philosophy is included for review. Many personal anecdotes of myown experiences as a manager are included throughout the text; thesewere events that had significant impact on my management beliefs andpractices that formed throughout the years.

A COMPLEX MANAGEMENT SCENARIO

At our company, we were doing more than just selling an expensivepiece of software; we were selling a solution to a problem impactingthe way materials managers ran their departments. It was an absoluterush to work with the majority of the managers—they recognizedthe need for change and were willing to do whatever it took to makethe transition to the new system a success. The majority of our clientsbecame showcase examples who took advantage of all of the features oursoftware had to offer, and eventually we were able to proudly use themas references for future potential clients. Through their own...