Without you your company would be out of control

I had an amazing experience a while back. I was driving next to a car that had virtually no shock absorbers. How did I know that? Because at ever little bump in the road the car would bounce happily up and down. The kids riding in the car were having a blast and probably contributing to the height of that bounce and they were just laughing and bouncing and bouncing and laughing.

Then a strange thing happened.. we came to a curve in the road and it went under a railroad overpass. Well you know those areas where the road dips quite suddenly? This car turned into the curve and hit that dip at the same time and suddenly the bouncing was completely out of control and for a few heart pounding moments I really thought they were going to lose control and crash into the concrete overpass.

Then they were through it but the driver was hammering his brakes... and pulled off the road and come to a complete stop... as I passed you could see the terror in their eyes because they realized how close they really did come to having a huge accident.

Well, I equate that event to you as a manager. Many managers allow their company to merely bounce along and when it hits a bumpy stretch the company and its employees are in serious trouble.

You see, a GREAT manager is like a good shock absorber. You have this massive weight of the car, in this case your company sitting above you and then you, the shock absorber, and then the wildly erratic happening of the springs and tires underneath it. It is your job to allow enough bounce to make the ride smooth but not enough bounce to make it lose control and crash.

You are that shock absorber. It is your job to balance the weight of the organization above you, maintain control, and accept responsibility for any actions happening at your level or below. It is also your job to absorb all of the shock coming from the springs and road, your people that you watch over and take care of. It is your responsibility to keep them from getting to bouncy wild, to make sure any potholes are absorbed and minimized, that any unforeseen thing that happens can be taken care of by you with little or no attention form the company above you.

A great manager listens to the hums, anticipates the bumps and keeps everything under control so that the organization runs smoothly and in the right direction.

You are the person that helps both of those things come together to make a wonderful working organization stay in control and keep everything moving in the direction it should.

So the next time you wonder… what makes a great manager? Just say…I’m here to absorb all the bumps. Until next time~ Many blessings and success in your managing!  ~Steve Sapato