Insomnia: May 2006

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Great Expectations

By Georgene Waterman

Q I run the West Sacramento branch of a courier service headquartered in the Midwest. Due to the large corporate structure, it is often difficult to move quickly when I need an answer to a request or even just the answer to a question. We have all of the bells and whistles of a strong infrastructure in place. I was promoted to branch manager six months ago, but after having moved to Sacramento from the Midwest, I've been overwhelmed with the duties of my new job. The branch manager before me left the place in a mess.
     I recently received my first formal evaluation. I thought things were going all right, but the feedback I received is that the employees were not following policies and procedures. I just thought they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. I wasn't given much help on how to remedy the problem but rather was told to "fix it." I could use some clear guidance with some real specifics.

A You said your company has a good infrastructure, but it sounds like they didn't realize that to perform your new job you needed a new set of skills and some added knowledge. Managing is not something for which one has innate talent; it calls for ongoing learning. No one should expect a neophyte, such as you, to be great at this job until you learn these new skills.
     Luckily, the process is not complex. Here are the components:
Continued...

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