MASH Management

Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way.

And now for another ride in the wayback machine, let's look at M*A*S*H for another one of my favorite managerial types, and another doctor who has his act together in ways Lisa Cuddy does not.

Like Lisa Cuddy, Col. Sherman Potter has to deal with mavericks and rogues who have no patience for rules or protocol. Like Lisa, he has to keep a lot of plates spinning at the same time.

But where she comes across as overwhelmed and stressed out, he comes across as organized and calm. He knows how to delegate. He knows when to let things go. A Regular Army man, he has a thorough grasp of the system and its foibles (and a number of superior officers with whom he is on first-name basis.

He is also as homespun and folksy as they come. If you read enough of his quotes he sounds like a total hick. And he probably wouldn't argue much with the assessment. But he's a sharp guy. Something to remember about hicks -- they talk and talk, and some of them can talk you right out of your last dollar.

Now, son, none of us wants to be here. I don't want to be here, Radar doesn't want to be here, the doctors, the nurses, certainly the wounded don't want to be here. But we've got to do our best.

Potter embodies much of the best in good managers: integrity, humor, perspective, and an understanding of human nature. He leads mainly by example, always doing his best and encouraging others to do the same. When there is work to be done, he's right there with his team -- first man in, last man out. But he strikes the balance between hard case and humorist, recognizing the need for levity in what is a grim and dismal situation.

I had a still in Guam in World War I. One night it blew up -- that's how I got my Purple Heart.

His is also a human, and humane, character. He recognizes there are bad days, and there are different ways of dealing with them.

This is happy hour. Angry hour starts at ten.

Another thing Potter does right -- he stands up for his guys to  the top brass, no matter what. A manager and a leader has to take ownership of his group. This means shouldering the blame, accepting the responsibility and defending those who have no defenses of their own.

I'm not fond of personal abuse, Colonel. I was in this army when the only thumb you cared about was the one you had in your mouth!

And then, once the coast is clear, if his guys did screw up, he makes damn sure there'll be no repeat offenses. While he will join in the fun on occasion, he is also stern and decisive; if he feels things are getting too carried away he puts his foot down -- often on the necks of staffers who slack in their duties.

Oh, you're a peck of pips, all right. Despite my direct orders you had to put 'Be Stupid' first on your list of 'Things to do Today'!

Potter has a lot to offer as a management role model. He is demanding and exacting, but he is not irrational, nor is he hard-hearted.

Listen, it's too big a world to be in competition with everyone. The only person who I have to be better than is myself. And in your case, that's enough.