"I've been asked if I was a hands-on manager or an arm's-length type. I think really I'm more of a manager by walking and flying around, and in the process I stick my fingers into everything I can to see how it's coming along. I've let your executives make their decisions - and their mistakes - but I've critiques and advised them. My appreciation for numbers had kept me close to our operational statements, and to all the other information we have pouring in from so many different places. In that sense, I think my style as an executive has been pretty much dictated by my talents. I've played to my strengths and relied on others to make up for my weaknesses." - Sam Walton
I do love so-called "dashboards" of key information as a manager - who wouldn't want to have one when driving a car? - but I haven't arranged them in my new job just yet. As usual, trust has to be built first. In any relationship, it must be proved that you care before much else is taken seriously. At any rate, keeping in the numbers like Sam did is a nice way to show my interest in the work without interfering with it.
And as for strengths - yesterday was a very good day at work. Why? I'm charged with developing the department's annual plan, and since it's a form of writing and facilitating, Hidden Blog readers can understand why it was hardly a problem to power my way through it until 8:00 last night. That type of project fires me up.
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