9780679762881
Andrew S. Grove
Notes
High managerial productivity, I argue, depends largely on choosing to perform tasks that possess high leverage. A team will perform well only if peak performance is elicited from the individuals in it.
A common rule we should always try to heed is to detect and fix any problem in a production process at the lowest-value stage possible…Ideally, inventory should be kept at the lowest-value stage, as we’ve learned before, like raw eggs kept at the breakfast factory…all production flows, whether they “make” breakfasts, college graduates, or software modules, must possess inspection points. To get acceptable quality at the lowest cost, it is vitally important to reject defective material at a stage where its accumulated value is at the lowest possible level…The key principle is to reject the defective “material” at its lowest-value stage.
…a good indicator is that what you measure should be a physical, countable thing…the indicators you choose should be credible, so that you will, in fact, act whenever they flash warning signals.
To implement the actual simplification, you must question why each step is performed. Typically, you will find that many steps exist in your work flow for no good reason. Often they are there by tradition or because formal procedure ordains.
Reports are more a medium of self-discipline than a way to communicate information. Writing the report is important; reading it often is not.
…a manager whose work is largely supervisory should have six to eight subordinates; three or four are too few and ten are too many…I feel that a one-on-one should last an hour at a minimum. Anything less, in my experience, tends to make the subordinate confine himself to simple things that can be handled quickly…I think you should have the meeting in or near the subordinate’s work area if possible…A key point about a one-on-one: It should be regarded as the subordinate’s meeting, with its agenda and tone set by him…What is the role of the supervisor in a one-on-one? He should facilitate the subordinate’s expression of what’s going on and what’s bothering him. The supervisor is there to learn and to coach.
I would recommend four minutes of presentation and discussion time per visual aid…The absolute truth is that if you don’t know what you want, you won’t get it. So before calling a meeting, ask yourself: What am I trying to accomplish? Then ask, is a meeting necessary? Or desirable? Or justifiable? Don’t call a meeting if all the answers aren’t yes…nail down exactly what happened by sending out minutes that summarize the discussion that occurred, the decision made, and the actions to be taken.
A manager’s objectives are supported by an appropriate set of key results. His objectives in turn are tied to his supervisor’s objectives so that if the manager meets his objectives, his supervisor will meet his…a simple mental test: if the person’s life depended on doing the work, could he do it? If the answer is yes, that person is not motivated; if the answer is no, he is not capable…all a manager can do is create an environment in which motivated people can flourish.
In my experience, the best thing to do is to give your subordinate the written review sometime before the face-to-face discussion.
The applicant should do 80 percent of the talking during the interview, and what he talks about should be your main concern.