Arriving at the Guest House, I requested the most unappealing
room; the one with the unobstructed view of the kitchen door.
The manager's office was the first door as you entered the
lobby to the right of the front desk.
The Day manager arrived each morning at eight, went directly
into the office, and did not emerge until lunch.
One morning at about nine I heard sounds from the kitchen,
saw the night manager's driver leaving with two large bags.
I phoned the manager's office, told her there was a
disturbance by the kitchen.
After five minutes, I called again.
I gave her ten minutes by the clock, then left my room.
Yes, there was the day manager, hiding in the office moving
papers.
Now whether she was involved in the theft, willfully blind,
or couldn't care less, she has no place in this business.
In fact, she should never occupy any post with any
conjugation of the term "management" attached.
Managers must be the most obstreperous persons in a business.
They must be every where, capable of doing everything and
must know what is going on at every minute of the day.
That is the "terms of reference" for the job. That is the
definition of "managing the day to day operation" of the
business.
Managers should only be in their office when they are in a
meeting, handling correspondence, or doing office tasks.
Unless they are hired to manage an office, not the business,
they should not be found in office.
Too often managers hide. They may claim they are working,
and show mountains of paper. They may indicate they have
supervisiors "on the floor", or even a closed circuit camera,
so they can "watch" what is going on.
This is unacceptable.
A manager can not know what is happening by glancing at a
monitor, sending someone, or making a curtsory inspection.
When employees see the manager, they automatically perform
better. This is because they appreciate they are being
managed.
They can bring concerns directly to the manager, and he or
she can immediately verify, for being there is the true
crucible of management.
