Success Strategies for Managing the Lone Ranger Employee

Chicago, IL September 8, 2004 -- A manager's role is often a thankless position battling the constant challenges of balancing the needs of the organization with those of individual employees. Nowhere is this more challenging than when you are faced with managing a "lone ranger." A lone ranger is a highly technical skilled employee whose interpersonal skills lag behind.

In the new September 2004 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, Stephen Fairley, a Chicago based Small Business Coach is interviewed about his experiences helping entrepreneurs and small business owners successfully manage their lone ranger employees.

"First, get out of the mind-set that they are a bad thing, and help them understand their roles on the team, says Stephen Fairley, president of Today's Leadership Coaching, a Chicago-based executive coaching and leadership development firm. Hand them entire projects, and avoid micromanaging, a strategy that's sure to backfire. Figure out their strengths, and find someone in the company who can connect on some level with this non-people person, at least enough to keep projects moving. ‘Every Lone Ranger needs a Tonto,' Fairley says. ‘And delegating weaknesses—the areas where [The Lone Ranger isn't good—is what Tonto's for.'"

Some of the other strategies Fairley teaches managers to use in this situation are:

1. Focus on the results, not the tasks. Do not weigh lone rangers down with specific tasks, because it's too easy for you to fall into the trap of micromanaging. Instead, create a specific project for them to work on and give them as much authority as you can. Hold them responsible for the results, not the process. When they achieve the desired results, publicly reward them.

2. Reinforce the principle that "with more freedom comes with more accountability." If they want to more authority to make the day-to-day decisions about their project, then they must also accept the accountability that comes with delivering the promised results.

3. Reward them with a coach. Most lone rangers are very high performers. Typically you will only find one or two in a given department or company because they don't like to share the limelight with others. One of the ways you can reward them for their performance is to help them perform at an even higher level. Research indicates a relationship with a strong business coach can increase a person's performance levels by more than 88%. By using coaching as a reward for your top performers, managers and business owners are helping them increase their performance to an even higher level.

4. Center on their core competency. Everyone has a specific core competency. Teach your lone rangers to center their attention on their areas of strength and surround themselves with people who have strengths in other areas. Leverage delegation as a tool to help you increase your performance by staying close to your core competency.

About Stephen Fairley
Stephen Fairley is a Small Business Coach and president of Today's Leadership Coaching, a Chicago based, small business coaching firm. He specializes in helping entrepreneurs and small business owners rapidly increase their revenues and find new customers fast. Stephen is a professional speaker and bestselling author of three books including: Practice Made Perfect: 10 Principles for Marketing Your Services and Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching. For more information, you can contact Stephen Fairley at (888)-588-5891 or Info@TodaysLeadership.com.

To read the online version of the Entrepreneur magazine article featuring Stephen Fairley visit: http://www.entrepreneur.com/Magazines/Copy_of_MA_SegArticle/0,4453,316768,00.html





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