Manager in the making - 2 :: I start questioning !!

Hi All

After putting down my thrilling experiences on the training program, I would like to pen down some thing significant that happened yesterday at office.....which I as a supervisor had never done earlier.....being a "expressive" personality.....!! Yes... I made by debut as a Questioner with my people at office....!!

Let me introduce myself as the spok of our visteon team for the Quality office - the department who drives all the quality initatives of the company...be it 5S or 6 sigma and these days Kaizen Projects....it is a solid department with a manager (who is a Master Black Belt) and around 4 -5 full time black belts who are supported by close to half dozen (or a full dozen ?? I am not sure)

I am supposed to coordinate with the entire team (not just my own reportees) on the status of various projects that they have taken up with special reference to Kaizen projects which are supposed to be completed within month...The team members who undertake such projects are given incentives in the form of sodexho passes in addition to certification,....mind you...!!

It so happened that after three days of absence from my seat, I had to review three of the kaizen projects that are happening at our department...two by my own reportees and one from American Team....with my murderous mood (I just meant my intensity levels.....dont read lines "as such" and get bewildered...at least when you read MY mails and postings), I looked at the Kaizen Book (the formats and things to be taken care...which is the base material to be presented to our GM after completion)...I was startled to find in one case the team member was showing the blank format to me trusting me that I will fill it up for her....the other one filled up with some glaring mistakes or wrong interpretations of the expectation...while the one from Americal Team was the worst....she came to meet with two of her team members who did this project together perhaps for the first time officially as she is taken care by another peer of mine....She showed me a kaizen book that is supposed to be "nodded" by me and passed on...I was just expected to touch upon or just give some finishing touch for the completed project....!!

There were too many things to be done in all the three projects....and the manner the book was filled up...and I was about to begin the first one in my usual style of telling every thing....My Guru prevailed on me with his mesmerising smile asking me how long I can continue to do this.....particularly when, I have heaps and heaps of work to be done and my overflowing mails, can I keep enjoying my voice so frequently and so long ..... particularly when I have been identified for long term prospects of my wonderful team ??

I decided to ASK.....and with simple questions probed them deeper enough to bring at least few points from my members and just built on with few suggestions from my side...I was shrewd enough to put my new proposals as though it was just "built" based on their original points....Initially I could see some admiration in the eyes of the people when I kept on showing them glimpses of the "tricks" on how to approach a project, gradualy it was substituted with a spark and some element of self confidence.....!!

Yes....I am aware that I am doing myself a great service than to those subordinates of mine.....and feel a bit relieved at this subtle OR drastic change in me.....!! wait wait.....should I have posted this in "Transcendance".....?? Let me make a quick decision here right now to suit this title....NO...it should be only in this series as this is more official decision than a piece of personal transformation.....!!

Thanks and bye for now...

suren