Generalization: a manager must measure performance
Simplification: a manager must train
The manager’s job isn’t always directly involved with the work. There might be times, for example, when the manger must simply shut the door and do an individual task. But with the door shut, how will a manager ever know if the work is being done well?
The generalized approach makes sense at first. Get a printout of the figures, crunch a couple numbers, and figure out if things are good, right? As is the case with all generalizations, I agree with the logic to an extent.
The problem with this method is that you will need to do this every single time. Otherwise, how could you know if the work is fine? But if you are relying on output to demonstrate competence, you’ll have no choice but to assume the employee was incompetent in the event something goes wrong. A manager concluding an employee is incompetent isn’t a problem… if the employee is incompetent. But getting this one wrong isn’t a proven recipe for managerial success. If you point a finger at an employee based on some printout, all you are doing is demonstrating to the employee that manipulating what goes on the printout is more important than actual performance. You might want to be sure about this one first, hotshot manager, before dishing out the blame.
So – what does training have to do with this? Well, in training, it becomes clear who is ready for show time and who is not. A coach who sees a player perform at a top level every day in practice will overlook a bad performance or two in a game. If a well-trained employee does something poorly, a manager will have a strong sense of whether this is simply a case of performance variation. The only way a manager will know for sure is if he or she conducted the training.
The manager who trains will also use performance measurements differently because he or she will already know how good the employees in the team are. And when something goes wrong, this manager will have a head start in figuring out the issue when compared to a manager who does not know the team. Although training is often framed as an investment in the trainee, in terms of resolving unexpected issues the investment is really made in the trainer because those who train will not waste time learning about the skill levels of the team involved in the issue.
