You Can’t Fire Everyone by Hank Gilman
Hank Gilman, the Deputy Managing Editor of Fortune has come out with a new book, You Can’t Fire Everyone, a career reminisce packed with solid advice for all those who are a promoted to management and then find they need to stay ahead of the curve they didn’t know existed. It’s not just aimed at those who have reached the tippy top of management. For journalism buffs, its also offers insights on the recent transformations in the industry.
We caught up with Hank to find out more about his thinking.
There are so many management books available. Yet, few, if any are memoirs, which yours is, in part. How and why did you decide to write this genre?
I WANTED TO TO TRY AND PRODUCE A MANAGEMENT BOOK THAT WAS ACTUALLY ENTERTAINING. I ALWAYS LOVED “THE ONLY INVESTMENT GUIDE YOU’LL EVER NEED” BY ANDREW TOBIAS. A GREAT EXAMPLE OF TAKING A POTENTIALLY DULL SUBJECT AND MAKING IT FUN TO READ ABOUT. HE’S MY DULL SUBJECT HERO. THE MEMOIR APPROACH? WELL, I REALLY NEEDED A DIFFERENT WAY TO TACKLE THE SUBJECT, WHICH IS PAINFULLY BORING IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IF FOR TOO LONG. I’VE HAD A PRETTY GOOD CAREER AT SOME NAME-BRAND PLACES, SO I FIGURED SOMEONE WOULD FIND THAT INTERESTING. MY INDUSTRY IS ALSO IN TURMOIL, WHICH IS ALSO GOOD CASE STUDY FODDER. SO, I GAVE IT A SHOT IN HOPES SOMEONE, ESPECIALLY YOUNG MANAGERS, WOULD GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT.
Journalism is undergoing an almost daily transformation. Even though the book has been out about a month, is there a section, or sections, you wish you could augment now and what would you add?
WELL, IF YOU BLINK, THINGS CHANGE. I’M ACTUALLY OPTIMISTIC. THE NEW YORK TIMES CAME OUT WITH A PAID MODEL, WHICH WAS OVERDUE. I REALLY LIKE THE TABLETS. AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT’S STILL ALL ABOUT REPORTING AND WRITING. SO, WE’RE NOT ALL GOING AWAY. THAT’S A PRETTY POSITIVE MESSAGE. OF COURSE, I’D LIKE TO WRITE HALF THE BOOK ALL OVER AGAIN. BUT I HAVE A DAY JOB.
With all the attention being paid to interim, part-time and contingent workers do you have any advice to managers about how to supervise employees they may rarely see and may not have even met?
YOU STILL NEED HUMAN CONTACT. THIS IS STILL A WATERCOOLER BUSINESS, TO USE AN OLD-MAN EXPRESSION. SO, MAKE SURE YOU MEET WITH THEM REGULARLY. TRAVEL TO THEM; MAKE THEM COME TO YOU. IT DOESN’T MATTER. BE IN TOUCH FREQUENTLY ON THE PHONE, TEXTING, EMAIL, FACEBOOK, WHATEVER. IN MY BUSINESS, WE’RE USED TO DEALING WITH FREELANCERS, SO IT’S NOT A BIG DEAL. JUST MAKE THE EFFORT.
You call yourself an accidental manager. Yet, perhaps there was a turning point where “accidental” became “deliberate.” Can you recall what that turning point was and what you learned from it?
WELL, I’M NOT SURE I PUT IT THIS WAY IN THE BOOK, BUT I BECAME A MANAGER BECAUSE I WAS BORED BEING A WRITER. I ALSO WANTED, AS I SAID IN THE BOOK, TO HAVE ANOTHER ARROW IN MY QUIVER. TO HAVE ANY SORT OF SUCCESSFUL CAREER, YOU HAVE TO BE VERSITILE—UNLESS YOU’RE A SUPERSTAR. AND I AM NOT A SUPERSTAR. BUT HERE’S WHERE MY CAREER WAS ‘ACCIDENTAL.” AN EDITOR’S JOB CAME UP AT THE GLOBE AND I QUICKLY DECIDED TO TAKE IT. I HAD NO TRAINING AND WAS GIVEN NO TRAINING. REALLY DIDN’T THINK ABOUT IT AT ALL UNTIL THE JOB OPENED UP. MAYBE IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I BECAME PRETTY GOOD AT IT. DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK, THOUGH, ON THE ‘PRETTY GOOD’ PART.
You sing the praises of many of your bosses. Yet, what encouragement can you give employees who inherit a manager that they just can’t seem to click with and for whom they can’t seem to do good work?
SERIOUSLY, FIND ANOTHER JOB. LIFE IS WAY TOO SHORT. IF YOU CAN’T FOR FINANCIAL REASONS, AT LEAST RIGHT AWAY, FIND OUT WHAT THE NEW BOSS’ EXPECTATIONS ARE AND TRY TO EXECUTE. BUT REALLY, FIND ANOTHER JOB WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THE COMPANY YOU’RE WORKING FOR.
You seem to err on the side of humility in many of your descriptions about how to manage. What role models did you have (do you have) to guide you in this approach? We all know of bosses, have had bosses, who didn’t support their employees. Have you suggestions about how to deal with this kind of manager?
ONE OF MY CURRENT BOSSES, JOHN HUEY, HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREAT AT BEING TOUGH, BUT HUMANE AT THE SAME TIME. I THINK ANDY SERWER, WHO I DIRECTLY REPORT TO, IS MUCH THE SAME WAY. NOTHING IS PERSONAL WITH THESE GUYS. THEY CAN TELL YOU JUST PRODUCED SOMETHING REALLY DUMB—AND TO FIX IT. FIVE MINUTES LATER THEY’LL BE JOKING WITH YOU. I’VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WEREN’T SUPPORTIVE. I NEVER HAD A BIG PROBLEM WITH THAT BECAUSE I RECOGNIZED WHO THEY WERE AND HOW THEY OPERATED. I DID MY JOB AND DIDN’T EXPECT ANYTHING FROM THEM IN TERMS OF, FOR EXAMPLE, CAREER ADVICE OR PROMOTION WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. YOU GET INTO TROUBLE WHEN YOU DRIVE YOURSELF CRAZY ABOUT THAT STUFF. SERIOUSLY, IF IT BOTHERS YOU THAT MUCH, YOU HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER JOB.
You write, “Never blow off the small roles.” What is the difference between a small role and being marginalized and how do you know the difference?
THAT’S A TOUGH ONE. IT MOSTLY APPLIES TO THE EARLY PORTION OF YOUR CAREER. BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS: YOU MAY BE MARGINALIZED—OR THINK YOU’RE BEING MARGINALIZED—BUT DO THE JOB WELL ANYWAY. I’VE SEEN SOME PRETTY AMAZING COMEBACKS WHEN PEOPLE JUST PUT THEIR HEADS DOWN AND DO WHAT THEY’RE ASKED TO DO. BUT AGAIN, IF IT REALLY BOTHERS YOU, TALK TO YOUR BOSS. ASK THEM IF THEY WANT YOU ON THE JOB OR NOT? IF THEY DON’T, ASK THEM IF THEY’LL GIVE YOU TIME TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE. MOST WILL OUT OF RELIEF. CAN YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SMALL ROLE AND BEING MARGINALIZED? ANOTHER TOUGH ONE. WHEN I HAVE TO GIVE SOMEONE A TASK THAT SEEMS A BIT BELOW THEM, I LET MY EMPLOYEE KNOW THEY’RE DOING ME A BIG FAVOR FOR DOING IT. AND I OWE THEM. IF YOU DON’T GET SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IT’S TIME FOR A REAL TALK.
What is the best piece of management advice you were ever given and why do you consider it so? WHEN I WAS AT NEWSWEEK, THE LATE MAYNARD PARKER AND MY DIRECT BOSS MARK WHITAKER ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT CASTING WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF EDITING. THEY WERE RIGHT. MOST OF MY MISTAKES IN MANAGEMENT CAN BE TRACED TO BAD CASTING. GIVING PEOPLE THE WRONG PROJECTS; PUTTING THEM IN THE WRONG ROLES. I THINK I’M A LITTLE BIT BETTER AT IT NOW, BUT NOT ENTIRELY SURE.
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Tags: employee attitudes, leadership, management, mentoring, unemployment
