You have got to get in the habit of managing every single day. The only alternative to managing every day is management by special occasion. Now that's how most managers manage: by special occasion. What's the number one special occasion? It's when things go wrong. Often things go terribly wrong and then you have no choice but to manage. What's the number two special occasion? It's when you have to heap more work onto an employee. What's the number three special occasion? When you have to give news that's come from corporate or it's come from some outside source. We have to communicate a big change. "Yesterday we were doing A, B, and C. Today we don't do A, B, and C we do D, E, and F." And the fourth big special occasion is when somebody has done such a great job on something that you really have to give them a pat on the back. Those are the four special occasions when managers manage.

In the absence of a special occasion, most managers don't manage. And the problem is that management by special occasion doesn't work. You've got to get in the habit of managing every day. See, management by special occasion would be like if you were out of shape and you wanted to get in shape. It would be like you were out of shape and then just one Saturday you decided to go run ten miles. You come limping back. You didn't make yourself stronger, you made yourself weaker. You come back thinking, "I'm never going to do that ever again." The Weekend Warrior exerciser; that's the way most managers manage. They manage by special occasion. But if you wanted to get in shape, what would you do? You would start taking a walk every day. You start taking a walk every day. And then after a couple of weeks maybe you walk a little bit longer, maybe a little faster, maybe you even start jogging.

And the same thing is true of managing. You have got to get in the habit. The hardest thing is having the discipline to get in the habit of managing every day before things go right, wrong or average. What if you spent one hour every day managing, before things go right, wrong or average? One hour a day, how much could you do in one hour a day? Don't make the mistake of spending the hour on team meetings. You have got to meet one on one with people. But what if you had a one on one meeting with four different people every day? That means you could meet with 20 people in a week. One hour a day. And if you have a whole bunch of people you manage you have to make choices every day. Who are you going to focus on today? One on one, take a walk with that person and then move on to the next person. Who are you going to focus on next today? One on one, take a walk with that person.

Get in the habit of managing. It's like taking a walk every day.

BONUS MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICE
HELP your people earn more! Do you currently manage any direct-reports who need your help earning more money or earning some non-financial rewards? That is, do you currently manage any employees whom you could help earn one small reward after another as quid pro quos for working smarter, longer, faster, harder, or better? How many employees can you think of who need your help earning more? (Hint: They all do!)

Make a list of things you think or know that an individual employee really needs or wants that ARE possible in his/her situation. Make a list of anything this person might need/want that YOU MIGHT POSSIBLY be able to help this person earn in this job. Now make a list of all the opportunities for this employee to work smarter, longer, faster, harder, or better. What can this employee do to earn some of the things he/she needs or wants? What can you do to help?