Management Lessons: That's What She Said

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.

Holy Hand Grenades!

Father: Guards!  Make sure the Prince doesn't leave this room until I come and get 'im.
Guard:  Not to leave the room even if you come and get him.
Father: No, no.  Until I come and get 'im.
Guard:  Until you come and get him, we're not to enter the room.
Father:  No, no, no.  You stay in the room and make sure 'e doesn't leave.
Guard:  And you'll come and get him.
Father:  Right.
Guard:  We don't need to do anything, apart from just stop him entering the room.
Father:  No, no.  Leaving the room.
Guard:  Leaving the room, yes.
Father:  All right?

This scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail goes on for a good two minutes. And it is probably one a lot of managers writhe while watching, because it is painfully familiar. There is a school of management thought that calls for a manager to issue a set of instructions, then have the employee repeat those instructions back in their own words to make sure everyone is on the same page. Who hasn't had this happen to them?

(Side note: Worse yet are the folks who sit in a meeting doing this. Person A will say, "We should go to the store." Repeater will say, "So, you are saying we should drive to the market." I'm afraid I've never found a nice way to shut down that behavior. You can try gently talking to the person in private, but I've never found a good way to say, "hey, keep your trap shut in meetings," and I've also found that the best way to get them to stop doing it is to have a ringer in the audience who will pipe up with, "Yes, that's what she said. Anyone have a third translation?")

(Side note to side note: That's what she said. Hahaha. OK. Moving on.)

As I said in an earlier post, one of my favorite management quotes is "the obvious merits utterance." The corollary to that is, "It must be uttered in an obvious fashion."

Any teacher can tell you people learn things in different ways, using different senses. Some learn by listening, others by reading. Some can't memorize a word unless they write it down.

A good manager must be a good teacher. You have to figure out which staffers excel at which subjects. You have to figure out the best way to convey information. You can't leave any little slackers behind.

In today's Theatrical Thursday offering,  King Arthur is a benevolent leader of a group of knights. For all the farce, there are a couple  points you can use ....

No, no. Who am I kidding? There's not a lot of managerial wisdom to be gleaned from this flick. But it makes me laugh and if you squint, King Arthur has some strong leadership skills. He watches. He listens. He talks with his knights and heeds their counsel. He learns about earthquake prevention via sheep bladders.

He has to know when to stand and fight, and when to call it a day.

Black Knight: Right, I'll do you for that!
King Arthur: You'll what?
Black Knight: Come here!
King Arthur: What are you gonna do, bleed on me?
Black Knight: I'm invincible!
King Arthur: You're a loony.

He also has to know when to run away -- and who is likeliest to lead the retreat.

Sir Robin: Would it help to confuse it if we run away more?
King Arthur: Oh shut up and go and change your armor.

And he answers to God; how tough a gig is that? And yet, his authority is still questioned.

Dennis the Peasant: Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

But like any good manager, Arthur applies what he learns while maintaining his image.

Bridgekeeper: What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
King Arthur: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?
Bridgekeeper: Huh? I... I don't know that. [Gets thrown off the bridge.] Auuuuuuuugh.
Sir Bedevere: How do know so much about swallows?
King Arthur: Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.

(Actually, this is good image control, but a very bad management technique. Whenever you're doing something correctly after having done it incorrectly in the past, use it as a teaching moment for whoever is watching and explain how you know to do A instead of B because you tried B once and it made a mess of things. That way they'll not only remember they need to do A, they'll also have a better grasp of why B is a bad idea.)

If you haven't ever seen this movie -- or haven't seen it in a while -- check it out. It won't do much to enhance your workplace polish, but it might give you a few quotable lines to throw out in the elevator.  See who gets the jokes. Use that to judge their tastes and character.  Like Arthur, always be watching and listening; you never know when you'll pick up some info that'll make you look smarter down the line.