Firefighters Support Foundation Management Principles for Public Safety

Firefighters Support Foundation Management Principles for Public Safety Agencies v 1. 0

Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this material so long as the Firefighters Support Foundation is credited as the source Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 2

About FSF The Firefighters Support Foundation is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization whose primary mission is to develop, produce and distribute training programs to firefighters and other first responders. All of our programs are distributed free of charge. Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 3

Accompanying video and sister program This Power. Point presentation accompanies the video presentation of the same title. This program on management is a sister program to FSF’s program on leadership. Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 4

What is management? • Many different definitions • Many different perspectives – Practical, academic, sociological, psychological, etc. • This program presents universal principles but is tailored to public safety agencies Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 5

Management: definition Management is the art and the science – the craft – of accomplishing goals though the supervision and direction of other people Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 6

Management v. Supervision • Managers are involved in accomplishing goals • Supervisors are mostly concerned with following procedure – Supervision is more of an administrative activity than a managerial one • These two jobs overlap, of course Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 7

Management: elements 1. Setting goals 2. Formulating plans to achieve them 3. Organizing and directing people 4. Measuring progress Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 8

1. Setting Goals • Goals can be handed down or set by the manager • Goals are measureable statements of something to be accomplished – Must be realistic – Must be specific • Must include a way to determine if the goal has been accomplished – Even “soft” goals can be measured – A concrete, not abstract, statement • Must include time frame Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 9

2. Formulating plans • Define the set of actions that are needed to accomplish the goal • Define their linkages – how they interact – What depends on what? • Resolve contradictions between the actions • Choose the best overall set of actions and linkages – May not be a perfect one Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 10

3. Organizing & directing people • First, organize the tasks and resources • Then assign responsibility for each task to a person or team • Finally, provide the leadership and supervision needed to the responsible parties – Includes motivation • This order is critical! Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 11

4. Measuring progress • Progress towards the goal needs to be measured periodically • Must define intermediate steps and milestones, and measure progress at each of them • Might have to construct the measurement or information tools needed to measure progress Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 12

Decision-making • It’s often said that what managers actually do is make decisions • Look at the previous slides on goal setting, planning, organizing and measuring – While these are all separate activities and skills, ultimately they reduce to making a decision • • • Is the goal correct? Sufficiently defined? Is this the right plan? Are we organized optimally? Are the measurements correct? Do I have the right people? Etc. Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 13

Decisiveness • There is never 100% of the information available that you need to make a decision • Yet they have to be constantly made • A good manager knows when they have enough information to make the call – Bad ones get confused about this or get it wrong • They don’t hesitate to make it, then move on – They don’t second-guess or dither Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 14

Managing vs. doing • Managing a task is clearly not the same thing, nor does it require the same skills, as doing the task • Therefore: the best doer may not make the best manager – In fact, there is often little correlation between how well someone does a task vs. how well they manage the task Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 15

“The team…”, not “I” • The manager’s identity is not longer his/hers – It’s the team’s • The manager never accomplishes anything – It’s always the team that gets the credit • Only a bad manager ever takes credit for something that the team did – Even if the manager actually did it alone! • It’s ALWAYS the team! Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 16

Responsibility The person in charge is the person responsible • There is no blaming subordinates • The manager often chooses his/her people • Even if not, he/she sets up the processes to insure that the jobs of their people are done correctly § There is only one exception… Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 17

Responsibility and authority • Authority must be commensurate with responsibility – You can’t be responsible for something if you can’t affect it • In the public sector, a manager’s authority is often curtailed in ways that it isn’t in the private sector • It’s possible to find yourself in a managerial position in which your authority doesn’t support your responsibility – Hiring/firing decisions – Changing procedure – Etc. Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 18

What to do when authority is less than responsibility • Make your recommendations clear • Define the consequences of not following your recommendations • Document, document! Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 19

Effectiveness/Efficiency • Effectiveness: doing the right things/getting the right results • Efficiency: doing things correctly • Need both in any organization • Management is responsible mostly for efficiency – Defining the right things to do is a primary job of leadership – But note that the two jobs overlap Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 20

Management requires… • • Maturity Rationality Competence Honesty Integrity Fairness Consistency Persistence • Competence o At management o At tasks managed? • • • Some people skills Organizational skills Documentation ability Financial perspective Decision-making ability Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 21

Leadership v. Management Leadership is a process of social influence in which a person enlists the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Management is about setting goals, organizing and directing people to accomplish those goals, and measuring progress towards them. Leadership Management Relationship to people • Influences • Organizes • Enlists support • Directs • Set metrics • Measures Accomplishes Vision Objectives Focus on Opportunities Effectiveness Efficiency Tools Inspiration Measurement Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 22

Must be clear • It is critical – absolutely critical – that managers make perfectly clear to subordinates what is expected of them – Ahead of time – On a regular basis – In detail • It is not fair to not tell someone the rules, then punish them for breaking them • “Do the right thing” is a dereliction of duty Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 23

MBO • If you only know one management technique, this should be it • MBO: Management By Objectives • One of the first true management tools – Stood the test of time – No longer “fashionable “, but… – A foundational, irreplaceable element of effective management Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 24

MBO— 3 steps 1. Manager and subordinate jointly agree on what the subordinate is to accomplish – – 2. Manager and subordinate jointly agree on what resources the subordinate needs to accomplish the goal/task – – 3. What the goal/task is What the time frame is How you know it will be accomplished (how the goal is measured) What the intermediate goals are and how they will be measured Physical resources Personnel resources Organizational support and resources Etc. Manager commits to provide them Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 25

Not “Because I say so…” • New managers often mistakenly believe that they can simply give people orders • And that giving orders is actually their job! NO! • Management is about negotiation with subordinates, as we saw above, and motivating them, not giving orders Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 26

Most used skills • Organization – You are now organizing the efforts and personnel of a team, and you can’t keep it all in your head. – Must have organizational skills and familiarity with the tools necessary • Planning, budgets, scheduling, etc. • Discipline – You have to stick to the process with consistency – not bypass it or act inconsistently Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 27

Rules • Every organization has to have rules, and it’s the manager’s job to enforce and sometimes create them • Rules should be kept to a minimum, because… – They have to be enforced or they are ignored – They have to make sense over time and things change • They should have buy-in from the team – Not always possible • There are rules, and there are RULES. You need to know the difference and communicate it clearly to your team Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 28

Supervision & Administration • Administration is concerned with the implementation of policy, procedure, or process • Is not concerned with the goal – Therefore it’s not really management • Supervisors are generally more concerned with administration than management (or leadership) Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 29

Essentially 3 layers* ØLeaders ØManagers Ø(Supervisors) ØDoers Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 30 *Courtesy of Steve Epner, Brown Smith Wallace LLC

Leaders* • What hill to take • What resources are needed • What time frame * Courtesy of Steve Epner, Brown Smith Wallace LLC Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 31

Managers* • • Needs info from the leader Leads the hill-taking effort Establishes plans and schedules Established metrics and measurement points Keeps people on track and on schedule Organizes tasks and people Measures progress and people *Courtesy of Steve Epner, Brown Smith Wallace LLC Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 32

Doers* • • Requires direction from managers Are experts in their skill area Actually do the tasks Probably have some administrative duties to perform, as well *Courtesy of Steve Epner, Brown Smith Wallace LLC Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 33

Being a good doer • Keep your focus on what the team – and therefore your manager – has to accomplish • Make your manager look good • Handle unfairness and bad management gracefully, but document appropriately – (Whistle blower situations are obviously different) • Make yourself an asset to the team, and therefore to your manager • Obtain some management skills and training Management principles for Public Safety Agencies 34