Are you really lazy enough to be a great manager? Managers who cross-train staff effectively can kick back, relax and get to work on the big picture.

When apartment professionals first see them together, the words "lazy" and "great manager" may not look like a logical fit--but they are.

When employees are so well-trained that they can do whatever needs to be done, when it needs to be done and without a manager asking, the manager can be lazy.

When the apartment community runs so smoothly that problems decrease or are easy to handle quickly, the manager can be lazy.

And when emergencies don't happen, managers can spend the time they used to spend handling them being lazy. Of course, in this context, "lazy" doesn't really mean "lazy." It means having more time to complete high-level tasks--such as focusing on developing the business--instead of being embroiled in day-to-day operations issues.

HOW TO GET LAZY

Reaching the point at which managers can be lazy enough to be a great manager is simple. Just teach everyone who works in the community how to do his or her job and every other job possible. This kind of cross training expands employees' skills, boosts their confidence levels, reduces the amount of time and effort spent managing people and keeps them motivated and on-board.

Studies repeatedly show that most people, when offered a choice between making more money or learning new skills and doing more interesting work, invariably choose the latter. And the simplest way to create a more interesting learning environment is to teach people new skills and to give them more responsibility.

Managers sometimes say they are concerned that training their employees this extensively will cause employees to leave for better paying-jobs. Although this may happen occasionally, well-trained employees tend to stay, not leave. Of the few who do move on, it is because they are ready to become managers themselves or because their supervisors are moving up the corporate ladder because they have done such a great job managing the staff and the property.

While cross-training is not likely to cause people to leave, performing the same repetitive tasks day in and day out certainly will. Boredom inevitably leads to employee turnover. It is a manager's responsibility to maximize the use and value of the company's assets. Cross-training the staff is an excellent way to do just that.

Managers who are resistant to cross-training probably assume:

* Most of their people have limited skills and abilities;

* Their employees would not be interested in and challenged by new responsibilities; or

* Employees don't have enough time each day to handle their current workloads effectively.

By asking employees what they think, doing a little research and asking some hypothetical questions, managers might be surprised by what they learn.

Becoming a great "lazy manager" does require effort on the manager's part up front. And even when everyone is trained to do every other task possible, managers must still remain in touch daily with what employees need to get their jobs done. But cross training creates a more flexible and responsive organization and makes a manager's job a lot less stressful--the ultimate reward of being lazy.

Mel Kleiman, CSP, is President of Humetrics, LP. Kleiman is the author of "Hire Tough, Manage Easy--How to Find and Hire the Best Hourly Employees." For information, visit www.melkleiman.com or call 713/771-4401.