Mike Frisbie is the Chief Operations Officer for San Antonio Water System. Mike manages the project management, construction, operations & maintenance for the water systems of San Antonio.  He leads over 1000 employees and he loves it! But how does he do it?

Start with organizational purpose (mission) and goals

Providing services and/or productsEarn a profit or maybe non-profitGrow or not grow?

Can your organization be successful with current staffing?

If “yes” – go for itIf “no” – hire well

Add subconsultant – outsource portion of business (example – masonry contractor – financial bookkeeping) Or, add staff – determine job descriptions & # employees needed

Hire well: Recruitment, interviews, looking for:

Education, experience, Character, work ethicPeople skills, teamwork, coachableResearch them – Google, Facebook, etcInterviews – include personality assessments (DISC), writing samples, hands-on exercise (backhoe, spreadsheet, letter writing, database, masonry, etc.)

Current employees – do all to help them be successful but if they aren’t successful they need to move on.  

Happy, satisfied employees – stay, better work, better teamwork

So, what makes employees happy?

Employees Like

Good cause – purpose Good training Trust Freedom to be innovativeFeedback & interactionRespect – everyone wants to be respected (work vs person)Encouragement

Dislike

MicromanagementCriticismBeing embarrassed

In my experience micromanagement is the killer of culture and successMike Frisbie

We Need Culture of “Leaders at all Levels”

Leadership vs Management

Good business management is needed to ensure organizational goals are met.  Management typically tied to positions – supervisors, managers, etc.Leadership can occur with any position:

Dedicated to the causeStrong work ethicBringing own ideas forwardPersonal growth through training, education, research, experienceListening

“A leader’s communication must be consistent, clear, and courteous. But leaders must also be good listeners…ultimately, poor listening leads to hostility, miscommunications, and a breakdown of team cohesion. How are your listening skills?”John Maxwell – leadership author, motivational speaker

Picture everyone becoming leaders – “Leaders at all Levels”

Maximum effectiveness individually and organizationally

Team diversity – not divisive but beneficial

EthnicityGenderBackgroundsEducation, skill setsPersonalitiesIdeas

The best teams are diverse in all ways.Mike Frisbie

Successful Delegation

Goal – spread the workload around so volume can be executed well and growth can occur.

Defining role – job descriptionProper hiringProper trainingEmpowerment – not micromanagementReview task with employee or volunteerListen for feedbackMutually agreeable approachMutually agreeable timelineMethod of delegation – verbal, email, memo?Clear communication of expectations

Example – meet deadline or talk about it ahead of timeAsk Qs and get updates from employee along the wayProgram management – ways to track milestones, deadlines, goals – mechanisms to track several or many tasks, etc.

“Trust, but verify” – Russian proverb

Other ways to foster effective communication – aids in delegation

No horizontal or vertical silos

Leaders at all levels need to mingle at all levels

Share success – celebrate togetherShare the failure – mistakes happen – allow growth to occurBe accessibleEat together (author Bob Briner – “Management Methods of Jesus”)Organizational bowling team – non-profit supportHallway or break room connections

Delegate effectively and Foster a safe, innovative, enjoyable culture.