A conversation with Ankur Singla this weekend set me thinking.
The hardest part about running a company are not the technical issues. Most of those are binary. Capability and perseverance will get you there. If something doesn’t work, you find the solution and fix it. And it mostly works the way you expect.
People don’t work like that.
We are unpredictable. We have varying emotions based on what we had in the morning. We have varying reactions to the same situations. And we expect different things at different times.
Handling people should then be the hardest role of a manager. And it is.
But nothing is codified. There is no Bible. No course. When Singla asked me a few questions, I couldn’t articulate the response despite living those problems everyday (and successfully handling most of them).
And it’s obvious why. Because I am a person myself. The way I handle the same situation is also not standard. It varies.
Crazy!
I wouldn’t pay as much to hear how founders came up with their idea and made it successful
As much as I will pay to hear how they handle people
I totally agree with this. In our business (Executive Search) we are constantly dealing with people. This is probably the only business where the client as well as the product is “LIVE”& either of the two can refuse at any point.
We do everything right. Take a great job spec. Impress our client. Recruit great talent. Make the match. Manage the process. Architect a fitting deal for all parties. Secure a great offer. Get everything agreed and at the last minute our product – the candidate – says, “ Nah, I changed my mind, I will stay where I am”. And that is it.
Each day we learn how to handle people from these unique situations. Each client/candidate has to be handled in a completely different manner. And no matter how experienced you are, you’ll still find yourself in a new, completely different situation at some point. This very challenge makes my job extremely interesting and challenging at the same time.