Being a Manager is so much more than turning up and doing ’the job’. Great managers coach their people and great managers take this responsibility above everything else.
How many of us are leading people with little or no support? Let’s face it when you take on the selfless task of managing people you don’t get given a manual on ‘how to manage’ on day one of your new job.
As an executive coach I have the pleasure of working with all types of leaders, managers and aspiring managers across all sizes of business. Some are working with me to build their confidence in managing people, some are working out who they are as a manager and some are focusing on a plan that will allow them to step up into a bigger leadership role.
It takes a certain type of person to expose themselves to management, sometimes people share with me it’s like being the ‘meat between the bread’, being squashed from above and squeezed from below, so todays leadership & career coaching blog we are going to focus in on ways to become A Great Manager.
Welcome and lets get into it shall we!
Ok, full disclosure – we are not going to get all the answers from this blog today. We are not going to wake up tomorrow and be the very best manager in the world. What I encourage you to do as you read over todays blog start is to look at yourself and ask yourself those really hard questions.
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Am I doing that, or
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How can I improve this, or
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How might that look and feel if I approach it this way.
Take your time – the great thing about working with me and also reading these leadership & career blogs is time has no barrier, we are not in a race, we can pause for a moment and take stock, we are allowed to try things out and see how things might play out.
Part of the work we do here at Roud Career Coaching is with individuals who have been indicted by the leadership team as future leaders or future management potential. They work with me over a number of months as they take on managing others, If you would like to understand more about our accredited global management programs then take a look here
How we go about managing people can make or break an organisation. Organisations spend a great deal of time and money trying to attract the very best talent into organisations. But what happens when you have attracted that (manager or leader), well, typically once you are in you are left with very little or no support to actually successfully manage not only yourself but those you are tasked with managing.
A Deloitte Human Capital Trends Report stated that
44% of Millennials are now in leadership positions, but most believe they are receiving little to no development in their roles managing people
If we want our current and future leaders to stick around and continue to add value to an organisation then we must help them in their development.
When coaching mangers and observing them in the workplace here are some things I would like to ask
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Are you building strong healthy relationships?
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Are you coaching your people (including your boss) or are you just facilitating things?
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If you are coaching them are you taking the opportunity to invest in their growth or are you just wanting them to do the job they have been hired to do?
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Do you regularly hold 1-on-1s with all your people? If so,
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do they actually happen?
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when and where do these meetings happen?
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are they structured?
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do they focus on the person (and not you the manger)?
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what actions are coming from these 1-on-1s?
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Why are performance reviews done once a year?
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elite sports people have regualr reviews (if not weekly then at least 2 times a month) – so why would you wait for that 1 time in the year to review your people?
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What is your tone or style of managing others?
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How do your people actually engage with you is it out of fear or because they actually believe in you (not your title)
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Do your people actually know you (who you are and what you stand for)?
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Do you seek feedback from your people – from your peers and from those who manage you? Again if not how do you understand or appreciate what you are doing?
Very few of us are given the opportunity to manage people, it should come with a huge amount of respect that you have been asked to be responsible for others. In my experience great managers build confidence and trust. Poor managers miss meetings with their staff and don’t invest time in their people. Great management is a form of coaching (not mentoring) see last weeks blog on Mentoring vs Coaching. As a manager truly great things happen when teams work together – and – as a manager its your responsibility to bring (all) people together not just the individuals who you like!! Some of the very best people to have in your team are the quiet ones, the ones who go about their business with very little fuss, stick close to those (super-stars…) Great managers I see do not avoid the tough conversations, they ensure these are taking place. And, good managers are able to ask for help from others and not to take everything on themselves.
What is the future of great management? Well to me as a coach I believe its all about empathy and compassion. Those with it or working on that will succeed. They will have market appeal and the amazing leaders will want you in their teams.
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“To be a great manager of people you need to be a great listener & a great motivator, beating someone with a stick will only bring pain and resentment. ”
Look after yourself and each other, thanks for taking the time to read my blog.
Nick x
Roud Career Coaching
‘Unleash Your Most Authentic-Self’
About your Coach
Nick is a Master Certified Executive Coach (MCEC) and one of the Top 3 Executive Coaches in the world on Intelligent Leadership (IL) Executive Coaching, was personally coached and trained by the #1 Executive Coach in the world. He is married to Nicola and they have 2 kids, Louie (4) and Willow (2). Nick has personally coached over 600+ professionals (as at June 2020), he coaches on the EMBA program at one of New Zealand leading business university. More information on working with Nick can be found here
To discuss your management potential contact Nick on +6421375630 or email nick@roudcareers.co.nz