#17 Managing Employees - The 4 bucket approach

The "CEO Bros Podcast After Hours" is a casual, conversational podcast featuring brothers Brian Balduf and Brad Balduf as well as host Matt Croke, discussing business topics, experiences, and offering advice. This particular episode focuses on employee management and time management, with Brad presenting tactical approaches he has developed and used throughout his career. The planned host, Matt Croak, is unexpectedly absent, leading Brian and Brad to improvise the hosting duties.

Main Themes and Key Ideas:

• Unexpected Absence of Host: The episode opens with the realization that the planned host, Matt Croak, is not present. 

• Personal Anecdotes and Observations: 

• Focus on Employee Management: 

• Lack of Training for Managers: 

• Need for Tactical Approaches: 

• The "Four Boxes" Framework: 

• Competency (Vertical Axis): 

• Attitude (Horizontal Axis): 

• Categorization is Key to Management Style: 

• Framework for Managers, Not Employees: 

• Framework is Fluid: 

• Specific Management Styles for Each Box: 

• High Competency / Great Attitude: 

• High Competency / Poor Attitude: 

• Low Competency / Great Attitude: 

• Low Competency / Poor Attitude: 

• Common Managerial Error: 

• Not a "Cookie-Cutter" Approach: 

• Applicability Across Levels: 

• Time Management Framework (Eisenhower Grid): 

• Axes: The grid uses two axes: Importance (vertical) and Urgency (horizontal) (28:08).

• Four Quadrants and Actions:

• Important / Urgent: Do it now. 

• Less Important / Urgent: 

• Important / Less Urgent: 

• Not Urgent / Not Important: 

• Efficiency Gain: 

• Connection to Employee Management: 

• Value of Simple, Proven Frameworks: 

Most Important Ideas/Facts:

• The core idea is that effective employee management is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it requires categorizing employees based on their competency and attitude to determine the appropriate management style.

• Brad Balduf's "Four Boxes" employee management framework uses axes of Competency (low/high) and Attitude (low/high).

• The four categories and recommended approaches are:

• High Competency / Great Attitude: Leave them alone (primarily encouragement).

• High Competency / Poor Attitude: Figure out their motivation.

• Low Competency / Great Attitude: Direct them specifically.

• Low Competency / Poor Attitude: Exit them quickly.

• A common managerial mistake is spending too much time on the highest-performing employees instead of those who need guidance or motivation.

• The framework is a tool for managers, is fluid, and applies to all levels of employees.

• Brad also uses a similar four-box system (Eisenhower Grid) for time management based on Importance and Urgency, with recommended actions: Do, Delegate, Schedule, Delete.

• These simple, tactical frameworks have been highly effective for Brad over his extensive career and are recommended for new managers and business owners looking for a practical guide.