For some, managing a business, a group, or even themselves, is a struggle. All managers, and especially small business owners, tend to have a lot of frustrations because they just want to get the job done, launch the product, or run the business. For many of us, these frustrations can become major obstacles to our success. Luckily, I came across a wonderful book called Frustration Free Technical Management that spells out a simple method that all managers can use to become frustration free. But don’t be confused by the title. Even if you are not a “technical” manager you will find that most of the book will apply to managers of all types.
The author, Jarie Bolander, is co-founder and VP of R&D at Tagent, a blogger, and fellow SCORE business counselor. As a complete disclosure, we met through LinkedIn many months ago and have become great “virtual” friends since then. I have a great deal of respect for Jarie, his skills, and his knowledge. I am not surprised by the high quality of this small business manager guide. So let me tell you why this book should be on every manager’s desk.
Learning to Deal With Frustrations
Frustration Free Technical Management teaches managers how to become frustration free by applying the POEMS method. POEMS stands for Personal, Organizational, Emotional, Managerial and Sustaining. The first four sections of the book represent the main categories that most management frustrations fall into. The last section addresses how to sustain a frustration free existence once you master the other four. A brief synopsis of the POEMS method is presented below (Taken from the book):
- Personal: Eliminating your frustrations starts on a personal level. This section gives practical tools that you can apply today. No need to get permission from corporate or your boss. These “self-management” techniques are all up to you. You can control what you do. The first step to being frustration free begins by helping yourself to succeed.
- Organizational: Once you have gotten your own house in order, it’s time to take a look around and figure out what organizational structures generate frustration. This step will require a little more help from other people. Don’t worry about it. Once you have gotten your own life is in order, it’s much easier to tackle process, procedural, and people frustrations.
- Emotional: Organizational changes can only get you so far. Humans are emotional beings who don’t always act rationally. Frustrations grow exponentially when tempers flare. Luckily, there are ways to deal with these difficult emotional situations. Although it’s not easy and there are no “quick fixes”, you can deal with emotional frustrations if you have the right interpersonal skills and techniques.
- Managerial: The chief goal of management is to make your staff successful while attaining the goals of the company. Frustrations will abound unless you realize that, contrary to what some may believe, it’s not about you or your career. Most new managers have been promoted due to technical competence. The reality is that successful managers excel, not because of technical “know-how”, but because they help others succeed. Your career is important but your main job is making your staff and company successful. If you learn to demonstrate certain traits you will avoid many frustrations and achieve more than you thought possible through others.
- Sustaining: Remaining frustration free is simple. Now that you understand your frustrations and have successfully dealt with them, there are specific sustaining skills that will allow you to maintain your new frustration free existence. These techniques will eliminate frustrations before they start. By continuously applying these skills, you and your team will be frustration free and more productive.
Management Frustration is Universal
Even though the book focuses on technical managers, any manager can get a lot out of these techniques since we all face common frustrations. Take for instance Frustration #31, Lack of Resources. How many of us have suffered from this frustration when in the midst of developing products/services or any type of project? I would guess, all of us. The solution provided is simple yet elegant – figure out what features (outcomes), schedule and budget you have to work with. This seems obvious but far from it. The art of management is the constant juggling of these three things in order to meet the overall needs of the business. Delay too long (schedule) and your budget grows. Add more features (outcomes) and the schedule extends. Cut the budget or schedule and some features (outcomes) will just have to go.
Another great example of a common frustration is #21, Staff Motivation. As managers and small business people, our staffs are what make us successful. Motivating them to excel and sustain the business takes a lot of effort. The book’s solution is to understand your staff’s strengths, weaknesses, and their work habits. These critical assessments allow the manager to craft a situation where the employee is setup for success instead of failure. That’s a powerful concept that most managers don’t usually get.
Thoughtful Organization
One of the things I like best about this book is how it organizes the content. I like the way the book describes a specific frustration then presents specific solutions. It allows readers to find specific answers to specific problems. Far too often, management books make you read through a lot of content before you get to the meat. With Frustration Free Technical Management, the meat is on every page.
To Inquire Further
If you want to check out what the book is about, head over to the book’s content page on the authors blog. There, you can download some sample chapters and check it out for yourself. You can also download an excerpt of the book at the publishers site.
If you would like to contact Jarie Bolander, you can do so at jarie@thedailymba.com or through his LinkedIn page.
If you would like to contact me, you can do so by emailing me at mike.clough@bestbizpractices.org or visiting my LinkedIn page.
Posted by: Mike Clough
