Different Management Roles
Our new manager training programs typically teach managers the basics that were introduced decades ago: how to plan, organize, coordinate, and control as a manager. But our people manager assessment center finds that managers tend to spend their time doing many activities that may not fit conveniently into these categories. Do your managers know how to navigate different management roles?
What do managers really do at work?
What Our Clients Tell Us
When we assess organizational cultures, one thing is certainly clear: Most managers are overwhelmed by a lack of resources and the volume of immediate issues that they must actively deal with at an ever-increasing pace. That does not leave a lot of time for strategic thinking or planning or organizing.
No matter what your previous corporate role, area of expertise, or professional background, once you become a people manager you need to master a number of different roles and be able to transition smoothly among them. When you have direct reports, you are at once a team member, coach, and leader. The key to success is to be able to operate effectively in each of the roles and to know which is the best role to play in each situation.
What It Takes to Navigate Different Management Roles to Succeed
The best people managers are adept at shifting from role to role depending upon who they’re working with and what the situation demands. Let’s think through what it takes to excel in each of these leadership roles. To operate effectively as a:
- Member of the Team
Most managers today are expected to be a player-coach at work. Managers need to do their part as a consistent and visible contributor to the team effort. Whatever team members depend upon you to deliver, you must perform and produce as expected. You are a cog in a wheel without which the team falters. - Manager of the Team
As a leader, your success is now dependent upon your ability to get work done through your team. In the role of manager, you are expected to set the conditions for success by prioritizing the work of others, holding the team accountable, and ensuring that the team meets and exceeds the expectations of your key stakeholders. - Coach of the Team
As a coach, your job is to motivate, teach, and guide for higher performance and employee engagement. Managers as Coach do this by asking questions instead of giving answers, providing support instead of expecting individual heroics, giving frequent feedback instead of waiting until year-end, and co-creating shared visions for success instead of dictating changes. - Leader of the Team
As team leader, a manager’s role is to create strategic clarity in terms of team goals and accountabilities, roles, team norms, business practices, and interpersonal expectations in a way that aligns with the overall company’s strategic priorities and corporate values. Look at your team as a whole within the framework of the organization and align team deliverables with organizational goals. It is up to you to create a team charter that puts everyone on the right path to success..
The Bottom Line
As a manager, be conscious of your immediate context and adapt to the circumstances. When you can focus on the best part to play according to the situation, you will be more effective in your multiple leadership roles.
To learn more about how to navigate different management roles to succeed, download 7 Immediate Management Actions to Create Team Alignment