Ask Andi: We have an absentee boss/owner. He’s always out in the field. When he misses appointments, I handle the situation. We have good company. He needs to be more on top of the business. How do I get him to show up more often?
This absentee boss question comes from a manager, who works for a multi-million dollar service company. The writer is correct: it is a good company, profitable, and hard-working. With an owner who is committed to the success of the company. That said, I agree: the owner and company would both benefit if the owner could be in the office more often. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that owners end up out of the office, and what can be done to help with those situations.
Getting the absentee boss to show up
There are lots of reasons that absentee boss owners end up out in the field. To see customers and prospects. To collect payments or to ensure work is complete. They like being out in the field, or they don’t want to be in the office. Perhaps they are stretched too thin with commitments outside the business. Let’s take a look at each of these situations, and see what can be done about it.
An owner’s job includes seeing prospects and customers, which are the lifeblood of the company. Unfortunately, many owners are not organized enough, or predictable enough, in the way they handle their schedules. They end up driving from Yonkers to Danbury. They over-commit, cut things too close, and promise to be in two places at once. You, as a manager, can help. Layout a schedule.
Monday in Westchester, Tuesday in Connecticut, etc. Plan out travel and appointment times. Add in time for delays. If your boss gets ahead of schedule, suggest a drop-in. Be ready with the names of clients or prospects in the neighborhood. Or, suggest your boss come back to the office early, to catch up on things.
For the boss who is out overseeing work, consider this. It is important that the boss is aware of how work is going. One way to know is to go out in the field and inspect. There are other ways. The company can put together a procedure checklist, which employees can check off. Customers can be asked to sign off on work completed. Managers can follow up on completion checklists, calling customers to see if they were satisfied. Many times the owner gets involved before he needs to because he can’t see what’s going on. Try to fix that by using status and job completion reports.
Get what you need from an absentee boss
Often, owners assume involvement in collections when someone else could be doing the job. If your boss is out collecting, suggest that he try to hand over some of that responsibility to other people in the company. Point out that his time is way too valuable to be running around chasing bad accounts. Ask if some of your customers are costing you more time than they are worth because you constantly have to be on them about paying their bills. Whatever you do, try to shift your boss to the big gun calls. Where everything else has failed. Involve someone with authority on your side and the clients.
Some absentee bosses just like being out in the field. They enjoy the freedom. Many owners love the work of the company. They feel poorly equipt to handle problems. Or, they know that changes need to happen. But find the thought of implementing those changes to be overwhelming. In any case, you, as a manager, can work with your boss to find a balance.
Talk with your boss about what has to happen in the office. Suggest your boss make a list of things he does. Prioritize the list and keep only the top priority items. Delegate the rest. When your boss does show up, avoid the temptation to run in with problems and urgent issues. Instead, try to solve problems while your boss is out. How you would handle things if your boss was on vacation for a couple of weeks. Follow through and do it. Bosses enjoy returning to the office to hear what’s working out in their absence.
Know the priorities and what’s critical
Schedule regular time in your boss’ calendar to meet and discuss what’s going on. You are likely to be successful if you have an appointment. Increase your chances of accomplishment with an agenda.
Ask your boss what he or she thinks would be a good balance, between time in the office and time out of the office. Make an agreement to do both, and create a schedule that shows both happening. If your boss disappears for an afternoon, don’t quiz as to where he was, or what she was doing.
Suggest that someone in the company help your boss out by scheduling their calendar. Get a palm pilot that can sync to Outlook every time the boss comes into the office. Make one person the point of contact for putting things onto the boss? calendar. Delegate scheduling to someone who is separate by generation. Someone who can do things efficiently.
Have procedures in place
Occasionally, bosses over-commit with activities outside the business. Ask the boss to discuss with you how he or she would like things to work in his or her absence. Suggest that having other people handle things in the boss? An absence would be preferable to letting pressures build up. Most bosses are looking to find a balance, and may just need someone to talk them through it.
Whatever the reason, there is probably a solution. Start by pointing out that there may be a great outcome: a better running company. Ask if your boss is open to suggestions: taking a load off his or her desk. Then follow through a common calendar, a list of delegated items, actions taken and problems solved when he or she is absent.
Looking for a good book?
Try The Organized Executive: A Program for Productivity – New Ways to Manage Time, Paper, People and the Electronic Office by Stephanie Winston.
