Stevea Robbins here. Welcome to the Get It Done Guys quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

Dennis called with a provocative question.

This is Dennis from Savannah. I'm having trouble with an employee of mine who also happens to be a friend.

He's very unorganized. He's very unproductive. I have to check behind

him to make sure things are getting done. What can I do to make sure that the work that he's

responsible for gets done and gets done timely? I've tried micromanaging him. I've tried getting

upset with him. I've tried letting him do his own schedule,

and nothing just seems to work. Any advice you can give me on how to get him to be more productive

without me losing all of my hair would be very beneficial. Wow, you want all that in one six-minute

podcast? Okay, here we go. I have three quick and dirty tips. First, shave your head so if you do lose your hair, no one will notice. Second, you manage outcomes and let your employee manage process. Keep him focused with a daily check-it. His job is doing, your job is clearing obstacles for him. Give him responsibility for the consequences if he misses a goal.

Third, get clear about your role. Decide if you're a friend first or manager. Then act like it.

Sometimes lack of progress doesn't come from incompetence. It comes from unclear expectations.

I once had a boss who clearly told us what he wanted in our weekly team

meetings, or so we thought. It seemed clear when he was in the room, but within five minutes

of his leaving, we'd be confused. We'd look around sheepishly and say, I kind of think he wants,

well, maybe he wants, um, Do you know what he wants?

His charisma, which was wonderful, actually blinded us to noticing we weren't in sync.

Make sure your employee knows what you expect by asking him to describe it back to you.

Just because you know doesn't mean he knows.

If he thinks that a focus group is a support group for

eye doctors, he won't give you results when you make him chief marketing officer. What to expect

also includes the quality level. A presentation scribbled on a napkin might be good enough. Or maybe

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