Feed forward: Control is a poor excuse for leaders

Beyond The Buzzwords

Reylito A.H. Elbo

HAVE you heard about the farmer who walked into a car dealer’s showroom with a bayong (native bag) full of one thousand peso bills and tried to buy a brand new 4X4 sports utility vehicle? The trouble was the salesman could only tell him the monthly payments because he didn’t know the cash price. And the bookkeeper was at a loss because she didn’t know how to record the transaction. The biggest trouble was when the sales manager rejected the sale because the poor farmer didn’t have a credit background, in the first place.

Some managers are just like that. They’re focused much on control without reason, except for the love of controlling the process and results at all costs. “I’m the boss, and you’re only a follower. Let’s stick to the rules. Do what I’m trying to say,” or so they say.

True leaders are different from command-and-control managers. Leaders are charismatic. They can easily develop special leader-follower relationships and inspire their followers in extraordinary ways, while autocratic managers alienate their followers.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about here. Many of us hate bosses who treat people like mechanical robots. This is because by nature, we want to be independent-minded and we’d like to work in an environment where we are allowed to participate in decision-making with full responsibility: 

“Tell us the goals, our budget, and our level of authority and we’ll surely get you there.”

Some people call this as empowerment. But empowerment is too vague.

I’d rather call it as the “feed forward” control which is part of the PLOC (planning, leading, organizing, and controlling) functions of management. A leader and his followers should not have any trouble if there’s a clear understanding on how to do “feed forward” control that must take place before a work activity begins. 

This means that the objectives are clear, proper directions are established and that the right resources are available to accomplish them between the leader and his followers. The goal is to solve problems before they occur by asking an important but often-neglected question: 

“What needs to be done before we begin?” This is forward thinking and proactive approach to control. In many dynamic organizations, say in the case of Toyota, they ensure there’s a preliminary control of raw materials and specifications that it requires its suppliers to ensure a consistent satisfaction of quality standards in car manufacturing.

Toyota requires its thousands of suppliers to produce their supplies to exact specifications, covering everything from quality to delivering the right amount, just-in- time. More than this, Toyota teaches their suppliers about the basic implementation of 5S good housekeeping and factory layout, among others, to ensure an efficient and productive workplace.

But what would you do if you’re stuck working for a toxic boss? The answer is simple and easy, according to Noel (not his real name), my nosy neighbor in Parañaque. “You’ve to be an optimist just the same. If you happen to be an 80-year old man who luckily marries a 30-year old woman, then you’ve to build your house near a grade school.” 

OK, fine! But what if a toxic boss would shamelessly grab credit from his people like this golfer?

He hit a drive straight down the middle and longer than his usual distance. Pleased, he strode off after the ball, but found another golfer about to hit it. “Pardon me,” he said, “but that’s my ball.” The other insisted—“This is my ball.”

The first golfer persisted, “If you pick up the ball you will see that it has my name on it.” The stranger scooped up the ball, examined it, and haughtily said: “And what is your name doing on my ball?” 

Simply telling the workers in a meeting—“This is what I want you to do and how I want it done”—is not even a guarantee that they’ll actually do it or even that they are listening to the dictator at all. If managers would come to work with a persistent command-and-control style, people would lose interest because we are biologically programmed to zone out of a toxic boss’s reach as soon as there’s a chance of moving.

Understood? So, feed forward control is an imperative tool, alongside with “concurrent” and “feedback” control which could be our future topics next time. It is indispensable in all forms of organization, whether for profit or not-for-profit. But let’s make one thing perfectly clear. Control has its place. So does respect for people who want to contribute more than the yes-men and spineless creatures around us.

Rey Elbo is a business consultant specializing in human resources and total quality management as a fused interest. Send feedback to elbonomics@gmail.com or follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter for his random management thoughts.