Management by Exception

MANAGEMENT BY exception is an excellent time saver and people builder. Here's how it works: Once you have given an assignment and you have made it clear, measurable, and time-bounded, you then tell the person, “Only come back to me if there is a variance from what we have agreed on.” In using management by exception, “No news is good news.” If you don't hear anything from the employee, then you can safely assume that all is well and that the job is on schedule.

You can use management by exception in other areas as well. When I am on the phone with someone who is reluctant to set an appointment at a certain time, I say, “Let's manage by exception. Let us agree to meet or talk at three o'clock on Thursday afternoon. If something comes up and this timing does not work for you, you can call me back and we can change the time to a more convenient one. But if I don't hear from you, I will assume that we will be talking/meeting at 3:00 p.m.”

This practice gives maximum freedom to people, frees you from “telephone tag” and the need to be in continual communication with the other person, and signals a high level of trust in the ability of the other person do the job.

Freedom and Responsibility

Two of the best motivators in business are freedom and responsibility. People want to enjoy the maximum of freedom in performing their tasks and getting their jobs done. At the same time, making people responsible for successful completion of tasks can raise their self-esteem and self-confidence. The two go hand-in-hand.

As a manager, you can multiply and leverage your effectiveness times the number of people who can take on complete tasks and do them without your direct supervision and involvement. Always be looking for ways to hand off a task by using management by objectives or management by exception, or both of them at the same time.

The more work that can be completed by other people without your direct effort or involvement, the more you can get done. Simultaneously, you will have more time to perform those tasks that only you can do, which are the tasks that are essential to your success in your position.