“Growing Weeders into Leaders — Leadership Lessons from the Ground Level” by Jeff McManus (Morgan James Publishing, $16.95).As the head of the award-winning landscaping department at the University of Mississippi, McManus knows about “dirt under the fingernails.” From his view, he’s not the manager of a department; he’s the CEO (chief engagement officer) of a […]
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“Growing Weeders into Leaders — Leadership Lessons from the Ground Level” by Jeff McManus (Morgan James Publishing, $16.95).
As the head of the award-winning landscaping department at the University of Mississippi, McManus knows about “dirt under the fingernails.” From his view, he's not the manager of a department; he's the CEO (chief engagement officer) of a successful small business. His success formula: “I focus about 20 percent on the technical aspect of the job and 80 percent on staff development.” Here's how he engages workers and turns them into the CEOs (chief executive officers) of their jobs:
It starts with a simple vision statement. His department's: “We are cultivating greatness.” It speaks to the goals of the department and those of its staff. Then comes the overarching goal — at the “Ole Miss” landscaping department, it's creating a campus whose beauty rivals that of Disney World in Orlando. It's a master plan that incorporates numerous small goals that create small wins quickly. Picking some “low-hanging fruit” boosts morale and sets the stage for larger challenges.
McManus made his organization as flat as possible and encourages feedback up, down and sideways.
He relies on staff collaboration to move projects along. When something isn't going as planned, all employees, not just those with a stake in it, pitch in to solve the problem.
He created a training program offers coursework in technical training and leadership development. Supervisors and staff visit other colleges and universities to check out what they're doing and how they're doing it.
McManus also applies his GROW theory: “Every person has within them the potential for greatness, resiliency, opportunity and wisdom.”
