In June, we interrupted this series to bring you the key findings and excerpts from our latest workplace study, THE UNDERMANAGEMENT EPIDEMIC. This month, the series continues...

Are you a 'good guy' manager? Do you...
* try to share authority whenever possible?
* solicit everybody's input and consider all suggestions equally?
* make most decisions by consensus?
* allow direct reports to stay in their comfort zones?
* try not to push employees too hard?
* trust employees to monitor their own results?
* go easy on people when they miss goals and deadlines?
* try to treat all employees the same?

Be careful. If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above, you may suffer from "false good guy syndrome," a leading cause of under-management. If you are, then, please, stop fooling yourself. You are not being a good guy if you refuse to acknowledge your authority and accept the responsibility that goes with it.

By failing to provide clear focused leadership, false good guys are simply taking the easy way out for themselves. But they undermine their ability to actually do more for their direct reports. Teams with false good guy managers are less successful, have lower productivity, lower quality, and attract mediocre employees. False good guy managers spend too much time solving problems that never should have occurred and could have been avoided with up front leadership. Ironically, the false good guys are rarely able to help employees meet their needs.

Here's the funny thing: Based on our research, the only managers who are able consistently to help employees meet their basic needs at work are the hard-nosed results-oriented managers we call HOT (hands-on transactional) Managers. HOT Managers take charge and accept responsibility, gather input but make the tough decisions, push employees outside their comfort zones and cause them to work harder than they ever thought possible. They give every direct report the opportunity to succeed against clearly defined expectations, monitor results closely, and hold every employee accountable to a high standard. These HOT Managers get the results they need and then, precisely because of that success, these managers are able to deliver more rewards (financial and non-financial) to their direct reports… one person at a time, one day at a time, based on performance and nothing else.

Be a real good guy: Be powerful. Provide direction, guidance, and support. Help each person call forth his/her greatness. Hold every person accountable. Do more for people... one person at a time, one day at a time, based on performance and nothing else.