The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You

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Hiring is a manager’s responsibility. Work closely with the recruiting team and build an awesome relationship with them In this role, every manager has to perform some duties of a ceremonial nature, such as greeting the touring dignitaries, attending the wedding of an employee, taking an important customer to lunch, and so on.

This is a big thing for my attitude toward my own managers (more on that later), but I’d never consciously considered it for my team towards me. If you’ve been left out of a meeting, you might think you weren’t invited because your teammates don’t like you or don’t think you are useful. You should be having weekly 1:1 meetings with all your direct reports (where possible). “The most precious resource you have is your own time and energy, and when you spend it on your team, it goes a long way toward building healthy relationships.” Purpose – Why are you doing the things you’re doing? What’s the team working towards? What’s the point? Everyone on the team should have a similar picture. When I [heard/observed/reflected on] your [action/behavior/output], I felt concerned because… I’d like to understand your perspective and talk about how we can resolve this.”The ideal 1:1 leaves your report feeling that it was useful for her. If she thinks that the conversation was pleasant but largely unmemorable, then you can do better. “ Build simple tests that help you understand which options you should double down on and which things you should.

When we are going through tough times, the thing that’s often the most helpful isn’t advice or answers but empathy. This wasn’t intuitive to me at first because I assumed that leaders always showed up with confidence and know-how.” Managing Innovation 7. Managing Pressure Groups 8. Managing PR (Public Relations) 9. Managing Information 10. Managing Globalisation. But now, with nearly a decade of management experience behind her, Zhuo believes that the answer to what a manager does is far more concise than either of her previous lists capture. The job of a manager, as it turns out, is to achieve improved outcomes from your team. As you work toward this goal, you’ll begin to recognize the difference between a good manager and a mediocre one. I recognize that you may not agree with my decision, but I’m asking for your cooperation in moving forward.”If people disagree and want to be there, consider a different meeting to communicate this rather than the full discussion. The author draws on her own experiences as well as interviews with managers and employees from various companies to share advice on how to become an effective manager.

Instead of trying to keep every plate spinning, I abandon a few and focus on the most important ones.

Synopsis:

Another key aspect of managing a larger team is learning to support managers who may struggle in their roles.

Process – How does your team work together? Who should do what by when? What principles should govern decision-making?To get the work done, managers have to make decisions. In performing the decision-making role, man­agers act as entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator. In playing the entrepreneurial role, managers actively design and initiate changes within the organization. It involves some improvements. Staying honest is also critical. But to make honesty less harsh, says Zhuo, you will have to develop trust: Imagine you go shopping with your best friend and she comes out in an unflattering green-and-yellow sweater. “How do I look?” she asks you. “Like a caterpillar,” you say. You’re not worried about insulting her because she’s your best friend and she’ll know you said it out of affection rather than spite. You do not hire a personal trainer and then say, “oh, I’m pretty fit; I’ve got this under control”. Build habits, traditions and ceremonies that celebrate your values. e.g. “Fail of the Week” to share mistakes in a safe space. Morning yoga to promote wellness, Q&A to be transparent with the wider team, “lunch ’n’ learn” to share knowledge across the team. This weekly 1-to-1 is something I’ve taken onboard and, thankfully, something that is expected from managers at ClearBank.