Page 131 - Becoming a Successful Manager

122 ESTABLISHING A SOLID DEPARTMENTAL FOUNDATION

• Respond to any other weed by taking ownership yourself
for fi nding a solution. Excuses or someone to blame pro-
vides fertile ground for weeds to grow. Removing excuses or
power from a weedy situation is a step toward eliminating
the source.

In a weed-infested culture, decisions are reactive: based on
fear, adverse judgments, personal opinions, and limiting beliefs
about how things have to be. However, in a culture that’s reason-
ably weed-free, ideas flourish, productivity is high, quality perfor-

mance is a source of pride, and collaboration delivers innovative
solutions.
These enticing benefits should spur you to create such a cul-

ture. Therefore, pay attention and recognize weeds when you see
them, prevent them from spreading, and discourage new ones
from growing.

Building a Weed-Free Department

When you accepted the responsibility of departmental manager,
you made certain implied promises that you must now fulfi ll. The
most important implied promise was to create a culture in which
each employee has an opportunity to realize his or her potential.
That opportunity grows out of meaningful challenges, a coop-
erative and positive atmosphere, encouragement and appropri-
ate direction from you, and freedom from negative forces—or
weeds—that can interfere with employees’ effectiveness.
Creating a totally weed-free departmental culture is idealis-
tic and, therefore, impossible. People are imperfect and often are

influenced by their nonrational emotions. Nevertheless, you can
strive to create a culture similar to the one that your own “best
manager” developed.