My friend, Jean, is in the habit of taking an early morning run every Saturday. Until recently, she used to stop afterward for a leisurely cup of coffee at her neighborhood coffee shop.

The scheduled opening time is 7 AM, but the woman who opens the coffee shop on Saturday is consistently late. She wanders in a few minutes after 7, turns on the lights and starts the coffee before welcoming the waiting customers. Then she sets out the fresh bakery items. Customers are annoyed and grumble, but apparently, she’s not supervised. The Monday-through-Friday manager is never present and it’s obvious the owners don’t monitor her performance.

Her story reminded me of a very different scenario. I took a tour of a large manufacturing company with the Senior VP of Manufacturing. Along the way, he stopped twice to have a conversation with the department supervisors. When I asked if there was a problem, he replied: “Whenever I see someone not doing their job, I take it up with their manager because that’s often the cause of the problem.”

Two very different styles of management, two very different results.

How do you manage your company?

The road is easier together,