Good Cop Bad Cop

By Stephen Bucaro

Are you a manager who's wondering why other department managers don't have the same personnel problems you have? Are you a supervisor whose manager thinks you can't control the workers under you? In this article, I reveal a technique used by shrewd managers and their supervisors to maximize the performance of the personnel in their department.

 Note, if your rank is below the supervisory level, please discontinue reading this article. This information is for managers and supervisors eyes only.

First, let's put a foundation under the information you about to receive.

 The most difficult, complex, and critical resource to control in any organization is not the business process, not the materials, not the technology -- it's the people. People are much more complicated to deal with than even the most advanced technology. The biggest budget item for any business is labor costs and the cost of employee benefits. A business that doesn't get maximum performance from their people resources has little chance of survival.

 If you're a manager who thinks you have the power in your department, let me educate you right now - the workers can make or break you. The workers have the power in your department. I have seen a situation where the department supervisor and manager didn't get along. The supervisor conspired with the workers to make the manager look bad. Eventually, the manager was fired.

As a manager, if you don't have rapport and complete trust in your supervisor, you had better sit down with that individual and come to an understanding, or get rid of them immediately. A manager and supervisor must work together like a well oiled machine or the employees, not the manager, will be running the department.

Where the manager and supervisor fit into the organizational structure.

A manager looks after the interests of the company. The company allocates resources to the manager and the manager uses those resources to accomplish the company's objectives. A manager needs to be diligent in the use of the company's resources.

A manager might say to the workers, "Tardiness and absenteeism are too high in this department. We are going to start issuing reprimands to anyone with an unexcused absence or anyone who comes in late for work. There are also too many mistakes coming out of this department and if the work doesn't improve, someone will be fired."

A supervisor develops a rapport with, and looks after the interests of, the workers. The supervisor becomes coach, protector, friend, and nurturer of the workers. A supervisor needs to be diligent in the use of the workers physical and emotional resources.

A supervisor might say to the workers,"The company is on a tangent to come down on anybody who misses work or comes in late, so I'm asking everyone to make an extra effort to get to work on time until this blows over. They have also been complaining about a few mistakes we made, so can anyone think of a way we can double check our work to keep them off our back?"

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