Management & Leadership
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The 2R Manager: When to Relate, When to Require, and How to Do Both Effectively
The 2R Manager will make you a better manager---immediately.Itoffers specific advice tailored to each individual's currentmanagement style. You will take some self-surveys, see the results,and learn the impact you now have on those you manage. You ll learnwhat changes you must make and how to make them.
Managers have naturally either a Relating or a Requiring style.Those who naturally require are weaker at relating---sometimes muchweaker---and vice versa. The best managers possess the ability todo both well and know when to choose one over the other. Mostmanagers miss opportunities. Some try to be their employee's friendwhen they need to be setting priorities and deadlines. Others,thinking they have the answers, miss getting new ideas and destroytheir employees motivation. Having the ability to relate andrequire is fundamental for effective managing.
Whether you want to improve how you now manage people or create amanagement-training alternative that can help reduce time andcosts, you will find what you're looking for in The 2R Manager.
Managers have naturally either a Relating or a Requiring style.Those who naturally require are weaker at relating---sometimes muchweaker---and vice versa. The best managers possess the ability todo both well and know when to choose one over the other. Mostmanagers miss opportunities. Some try to be their employee's friendwhen they need to be setting priorities and deadlines. Others,thinking they have the answers, miss getting new ideas and destroytheir employees motivation. Having the ability to relate andrequire is fundamental for effective managing.
Whether you want to improve how you now manage people or create amanagement-training alternative that can help reduce time andcosts, you will find what you're looking for in The 2R Manager.
Editorial Reviews
"The professional services firm is the best possible laboratory for understanding the concepts of relating and requiring. Because such firms are filled with high-talent individuals, a tilt towards one style vs. the other would fail. Peter Friedes hit the perfect balance at Hewitt Associates¾and this book provides a great service in conveying to others how that balance can (and must) be achieved in high performing organizations." --Leo F. Mullin, chairman and CEO, Delta Air Lines "As a coach and trainer for thousands of managers, I find the 2R approach to be one of the most exciting new ideas around. This book is guaranteed to provide insights to managers of all ages and experience levels." --Lynn Trautmann, cofounder, Collabora Consulting Group, a training consulting firm
"When the former CEO of a highly successful organization writes a book about people management fundamentals, it's no accident&neither is effective leadership at any level. The 2R Manager provides managers personalized roadmaps to success; and for new managers it's a good first look at what really counts in leading others. Not a bad payback for an easy read." --Randy MacDonald, senior vice president, human resources, IBM Corporation
"When the former CEO of a highly successful organization writes a book about people management fundamentals, it's no accident&neither is effective leadership at any level. The 2R Manager provides managers personalized roadmaps to success; and for new managers it's a good first look at what really counts in leading others. Not a bad payback for an easy read." --Randy MacDonald, senior vice president, human resources, IBM Corporation
Readers Top Reviews
Thomas CoxJ. Janssen
I had occasion not only to read this book -- I also interviewed the author for an hour on my radio show Tom on Leadership, discussing the book and its contents. I've had over 100 experts on my program and Pete Friedes brought insights that I've encountered nowhere else. Friedes understands how managers and leaders can get off track, how we can get "caught" in our stories. The Relating manager may feel he's responsible for his people's success, or may say "I want this to be an enjoyable place to work" -- not realizing that all Relating and no Requiring means people don't grow, that under-performers don't get confronted, and thus the good people end up feeling let down. The Requiring manager may feel he's not there to be anybody's friend, and is uncomfortable admitting error or asking questions -- so he doesn't bond with his people, or truly get to know them deeply in ways that would allow him to better motivate them. The book progresses naturally from identifying your dominant style, to getting your mental game shifted, to baby steps toward new behavior, and on to advanced steps. This is a book that will deeply reward any manager who takes the time to apply its lessons.
Blessed One
Quick read -- Not new information, but clarifies what I already know.
Glenda
I found this book to very informative. It was interesting to read and I have found out how to move forward with managing skills.
JeannieBogart
Read book as part of a self development plan for work. Excellent subject that I will recommend to my coworkers.
Short Excerpt Teaser
The 2R ManagerWhen to Relate, When to Require, and How to Do Both EffectivelyBy Peter E. FriedesJohn Wiley & SonsISBN: 0-7879-5893-X
Chapter One2Rs Are Better Than 1
The 3Rs are the foundation of American education. Reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic are the building blocks on which all advanced learning depends. Even if a student is brilliant in math and knows his future is in this field, he is expected to become proficient in reading and writing. No matter what a student's most "natural" R might be, she is taught the other two on the assumption that one way or another, they will be needed. The brilliant mathematician, for instance, may be able to convince his colleagues that his new theorem is correct because he is able to write a clear, persuasive paper on the subject. While he may lean on his math skills to make his reputation, he must also access his reading and writing capabilities to further his career and perform his job more effectively.
The 2R system serves a similar function for managers. To be a good manager today, you need the versatility to relate to the people you manage and to require that they produce results. Of these 2Rs, one is going to be more natural for you than the other. The trick is learning how to use your less natural R, when needed, to acquire the versatility of a 2R manager and the increased effectiveness that comes with it.
THE PROBLEM WITH BEING A 1R MANAGER
Managerial performance suffers when people get locked into one style. All of us are Relaters or Requirers to varying degrees. At the extreme, the Requirer acts like a drill sergeant when she should be collaborating, whereas the Relater is trying to be his subordinate's best friend when he should be setting deadlines and goals. Most managers don't operate at the extreme-they are not 100 percent Relater or Requirer-but they are overly reliant on their natural style. They are so dependent on that style, in fact, that they deny themselves access to a range of problem-solving ideas and effective approaches. Many managers operate at significantly reduced capacity by ignoring or infrequently using their less natural style.
Jack, for instance, was a young brand manager with a Fortune 500 company. He had a sterling pedigree-Harvard M.B.A., two years with a top consulting firm, and three years of glowing performance reviews. Jack was known in the company as someone who met deadlines, brought projects in on budget, and possessed superior marketing skills. During his first three years with the company, he was rotated through a series of staff assignments and consistently came up with problem-solving ideas. Because management had tabbed him as a high-potential employee, he was expected to perform well in his first-time managerial position.
It wasn't that Jack performed poorly in this position. His first assignment, introducing a line extension, went well. Jack crafted an innovative strategy and worked with his people and the company's ad and sales promotion agencies to create a splash. After a solid test-marketing program and rollout, however, a competitor introduced a similar product with lowball pricing that began eroding Jack's company's share. Jack responded by riding his people and his agencies hard to develop a plan to regain market share. When they didn't come up with anything he found suitable after a few days, he took on the assignment himself, working round the clock for a week to devise a new strategy. Although his direct reports liked aspects of Jack's plan, they also noted some glaring flaws. Two of his people, who had worked on the brand for a number of years and were more familiar with the market than Jack was, pointed them out. But Jack brushed them aside and refused to entertain a discussion of the issues they had raised.
When the strategy was implemented, it didn't live up to Jack's or the company's expectations. Just as significant, Jack had quickly created a bad relationship with his direct reports, who were convinced that their boss wouldn't listen to their ideas unless they agreed with his own. His inability to use a Relating style when it was needed damaged his relationships, thereby causing his people to withhold ideas and information in the future. If Jack doesn't learn to use his other R, he won't be on the fast track for long. Either negative feedb...
Chapter One2Rs Are Better Than 1
The 3Rs are the foundation of American education. Reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic are the building blocks on which all advanced learning depends. Even if a student is brilliant in math and knows his future is in this field, he is expected to become proficient in reading and writing. No matter what a student's most "natural" R might be, she is taught the other two on the assumption that one way or another, they will be needed. The brilliant mathematician, for instance, may be able to convince his colleagues that his new theorem is correct because he is able to write a clear, persuasive paper on the subject. While he may lean on his math skills to make his reputation, he must also access his reading and writing capabilities to further his career and perform his job more effectively.
The 2R system serves a similar function for managers. To be a good manager today, you need the versatility to relate to the people you manage and to require that they produce results. Of these 2Rs, one is going to be more natural for you than the other. The trick is learning how to use your less natural R, when needed, to acquire the versatility of a 2R manager and the increased effectiveness that comes with it.
THE PROBLEM WITH BEING A 1R MANAGER
Managerial performance suffers when people get locked into one style. All of us are Relaters or Requirers to varying degrees. At the extreme, the Requirer acts like a drill sergeant when she should be collaborating, whereas the Relater is trying to be his subordinate's best friend when he should be setting deadlines and goals. Most managers don't operate at the extreme-they are not 100 percent Relater or Requirer-but they are overly reliant on their natural style. They are so dependent on that style, in fact, that they deny themselves access to a range of problem-solving ideas and effective approaches. Many managers operate at significantly reduced capacity by ignoring or infrequently using their less natural style.
Jack, for instance, was a young brand manager with a Fortune 500 company. He had a sterling pedigree-Harvard M.B.A., two years with a top consulting firm, and three years of glowing performance reviews. Jack was known in the company as someone who met deadlines, brought projects in on budget, and possessed superior marketing skills. During his first three years with the company, he was rotated through a series of staff assignments and consistently came up with problem-solving ideas. Because management had tabbed him as a high-potential employee, he was expected to perform well in his first-time managerial position.
It wasn't that Jack performed poorly in this position. His first assignment, introducing a line extension, went well. Jack crafted an innovative strategy and worked with his people and the company's ad and sales promotion agencies to create a splash. After a solid test-marketing program and rollout, however, a competitor introduced a similar product with lowball pricing that began eroding Jack's company's share. Jack responded by riding his people and his agencies hard to develop a plan to regain market share. When they didn't come up with anything he found suitable after a few days, he took on the assignment himself, working round the clock for a week to devise a new strategy. Although his direct reports liked aspects of Jack's plan, they also noted some glaring flaws. Two of his people, who had worked on the brand for a number of years and were more familiar with the market than Jack was, pointed them out. But Jack brushed them aside and refused to entertain a discussion of the issues they had raised.
When the strategy was implemented, it didn't live up to Jack's or the company's expectations. Just as significant, Jack had quickly created a bad relationship with his direct reports, who were convinced that their boss wouldn't listen to their ideas unless they agreed with his own. His inability to use a Relating style when it was needed damaged his relationships, thereby causing his people to withhold ideas and information in the future. If Jack doesn't learn to use his other R, he won't be on the fast track for long. Either negative feedb...
