“Anything and everything you can do to develop and learn management leadership skills as early as possible is critical because nobody's a born manager, and there aren't that many born leaders.”

— Bryan Stolle

What makes some leaders better than others? What does it take to manage operations and employees to optimize the value of your business? How do you guide people in the middle of a global pandemic?

Good management is the bedrock of high-performing organizations. And with so much going on in the world, managers are in a particularly difficult position of keeping organizations running amid unprecedented circumstances. 

While there are copious resources out there for harnessing management skills, some of the best learning comes from taking advice from people who have been doing it for decades. We’ve pulled together these perspectives and tips from guests on the Strategic Momentum Podcast to help leaders break through management challenges and drive businesses forward.

Managing Planning and Process

1. “The world is going so fast today...we want to be agile, we want to do as many things that we can. But sometimes, we forget about the basics, which is plan, do, check, act.” — Pierre Hadaya

2. “[Companies] start to implement not knowing or checking to make sure that what they currently have in place has been optimized.” — Kareen Walsh

3. “Agile is all about speed, both in thinking and doing, and doing things that are of high value.”— Will Choi

4. “Companies forget to really look at what they've done and really make sure that what they did in the past is still a fit for right now.” — Kareen Walsh

5. “Each environment has its own unique culture, communication style, and energy… and sometimes, if you have the wrong fit, you can’t leverage the whole.” — Kareen Walsh

6. “Challenges vary, but it always falls within one of the three buckets: people, process, or technology.”— Kareen Walsh

7. “There’s a cost to maintaining what no longer works.” — Kareen Walsh

8. “If a person is not a fit, if the process is too laborious, and if the tech is dated… that's an anchor to your business.”— Kareen Walsh

Managing People and Teams

1. “[Management] is not about what you can do, it's about what you can get others to do, it's about how you can teach them.” — Beth Freedman

2. “When you empower people, and you give them the feeling that they are important in a pursuit of the higher revenue and so forth, they will continue to contribute for you.” — Anita John

3. “You should always try to get the naysayers on your side at first, but you also have to be honest enough with yourself when you recognize that it isn't going to happen - this is just somebody that you need to work around, or you need to take into account how you manage up.” — Jim Brady

4. “Solutions come from anywhere. And that just means anyone, the janitor may have a solution here. It can come from anywhere because we're not valuing -- we're looking for the solution, not who said it.”— Michael Wilkinson

5. “When you're willing to get out there and give people the time they deserve, a lot of other problems get solved. If you sit in your office and complain you're too busy to solve problems, you're just going to have more of them.”— Jim Brady

6. “Management is making sure they get the most out of you between nine and five. Leadership is having people working 20 hours a day and loving it.” — Bryan Stolle

Do you have more tips to add? Share in the comments below! 👇