KEEP IT SIMPLE FOR YOUR TEAM…Be the “Strainer”

“What happened to keeping this simple?” In the age of information overload, it’s easy to be consumed by data, analytics, key performance indicators and so on. However, that is not how great managers think. Great managers think about how to filter all the noise coming at their team and make life as simple as possible for them. They realize very quickly that consuming their team with too much information can inhibit their ability to do their jobs effectively.

A great manager acts like a strainer, filtering out the unnecessary and allowing only the essential to flow through to the team.

We have all heard of the phrase “paralysis by analysis”. Well, there is a reason this phrase exists. Now, there’s nothing wrong with using the information at hand to make an informed decision. But even the most educated individual can go off the deep end regarding the amount of information they use to make their decision. Great managers think differently about using information. They make decisions that focus their attention only on the most vital information. Let’s look at an example of how this works in the business world:

When I managed the Region Trainers at Speedway, the powers-that-be decided to roll out 19 key performance indicators to the operations team. This was to serve as the basis for the Store Managers monthly bonus. Now, you must keep in mind that many of these Store Managers have GED level education. Most of them grew up through the ranks as hard-working operations folks and do not place much stock into data analytics. It was no surprise that the Store Managers did not like the 19 KPI’s and were confused as to how they worked as well as their relevance to the job.

There was a Divisional Vice President in Michigan, Steve, who recognized the confusion and frustration right away and decided to take his division in a different direction and simplify the Store Managers lives. Steve sent out a directive to all division leaders including Store Managers. The directive was to set aside the 19 KPIs and have the Store Managers concentrate on 4 key areas of their store. He told them to keep their employees happy, keep their customers happy, keep their stores clean and keep their stores stocked. He let them know that if they focused on these four areas, everything else would take care of itself. Steve was right!

At the annual awards ceremony for the operations team, Steve swept just about every major performance category. While all the other divisions were chasing their tails trying to figure out the 19 KPIs, Steve made life simple for his team and had them focus their effort on what really mattered to their business. The results spoke for themselves. He thought differently and it paid huge dividends.

I refer to what Steve did as the “strainer mentality.” Whenever a directive, new initiative, or even an e-mail is sent from above I never just forward it “as is.” I scrub it, simplify it, and then rewrite it in terms my staff can easily understand. I believe a great manager sees him/herself as a strainer. They catch all the garbage and only let the necessary stuff get through to their team. A great manager knows that a major part of their job is to protect their team and take every measure possible to allow the team to focus on the job at hand and not be distracted by the garbage that is caught in the “strainer.” Be the “strainer” and keep it simple for your team.