Management is hard. Like Atlas, you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.
You’ve worked your butt off to climb the corporate ladder – maybe you’re already eyeballing the next rung – and now juggle client issues, meetings, travel, conference calls and staffing issues.
Speaking of staff, it's been said that to be a great manager you need to have the traits of great leaders. You have to be their guide, nudge them towards the goal, motivate and inspire, and have that office door open, whether literally or figuratively (in the case of remote staff), so your team has a safe space in which to air complaints or merely bash an idea or two around.
Failing Up
Although one friend liked to say people 'failed up' at his company, and it's not unheard of for people to achieve management roles through attrition or nepotism (hello, new Rolling Stone magazine leader Gus Wenner!) I like to think that's the exception and not the rule. In order to rise through the ranks, you must be intelligent, creative, driven and dedicated – but many senior leaders with all of the above positive attributes are still terrible managers.
Five Things To Think About
Personally, I have worked with many phenomenal mentors, managers and senior leaders, and some not so phenomenal. And sadly, if I were being honest, there were more of the latter variety.
So, aside from the everyday leadership skills, and based on personal experience, here are a few things managers in all industries, and at all levels, should consider.
1. Build the team you want: Assuming that you have hiring authority, or at least a fairly healthy say in who ends up on your team, please build the team you want. It's unfair hire someone, and then belittle what they bring to the table. You knew their skill levels, traits, and experience – presumably they went through numerous interviews and not a few hoops to land the job – before you hired them. Work with them if you need change or growth. But don't blame them if you hired wrong.
2. Team members don't have to be best friends: Most of us over the age of 20 understand that everyone doesn't have to like everyone else. And that's ok. Professionals can usually set aside personal differences and work towards the greater good of getting the job done, and making the company stronger. If you have a solid team of respectful, seasoned pros working towards the success of your organization, don’t worry if they’re not having weekly dinners or sharing private jokes, or if a little friction creeps in every now and again. Sometimes friction is the spark that starts a fire of creativity.
3. Watch out for favoritism: When you're best pals on the job, there are a number of things that can happen. Inevitably someone is going to be favored. Perhaps said person is privy to insider info – which their team mates have no access to – or simply 'can do no wrong'. Either way, it's a dangerous situation for management to juggle. Obviously, there's no way to stop people from becoming close or sharing gossip, but it's up to management to be acutely aware of these relationships, and ensure they don't upset the apple cart. Also, if you're a manager with an obvious close personal relationship with a subordinate staff member, it behooves you to be extra sure the rest of the team doesn't feel passed over or unfairly treated because of it.
4. Don't hoard – share: You have a team – use them! You have the ear of the C-Suite, probably sit in executive level meetings, and have been tasked with achieving quarterly goals, and/or hitting certain performance benchmarks. But if you hoard all that high-level information, you won't hit any of those goals and benchmarks. And it's not because you have a team of lazy do nothings. It's because you have a team of human beings, not mind readers! If you've built a team of professionals, then trust them to be professionals. Share company information and look ahead projections, and allow your team to work with you.
5. You are not a super-hero: How many managers do I know who actually sleep with their smart phones under their pillows…? A lot. Ugh. I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick. A dull stick even. Stop trying to be a super-hero. Many of those super type A types, who flail around doing it all (see hoarding above), are not looked at with admiration. Share the work load. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Give credit where credit is due. And let your senior executives know what a great team you have. You will soon be basking in the golden glow of achievement and end of year bonuses.
And you will have a motivated team who feels respected, responsible, and ridiculously loyal. To YOU!
What do you think? Have you worked with great managers? Not so great? Are you in management yourself and have anything to add, good or bad?
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