We all know there isn’t anything easy about being a manager.
There are more bad manager stories than there are good manager stories.
There are more examples of terrible managers who are either micromanaging their teams or not managing their teams at all.
I actually think we like to hear stories of “horrible bosses.”
Think of movies like 9 to 5, Office Space, and Horrible Bosses. I think it’s because it’s so easy to create shared experiences around bad management.
If prompted (or unprompted), almost anyone you know can provide you with a page-long list of bad experiences with managers that they have had in their careers.
So, why is it so tough to be a good manager?
- I think that we all lack the skill sets and discipline necessary to create a favorable environment for our teams.
- I think that we all get too bogged down in political in-fighting instead of maintaining our true north (our purpose).
So, how can we combat this? How can we become “good managers”?
We can develop our skill sets as leaders to help build a positive approach to managing our team.
I’ve got a few books for you to start—welcome to Change Agents’ book club.
In her book, “The Making Of A Manager,” Julie Zhuo describes several of her challenges in becoming a great manager.
She talks about the importance of aligning our People, Process, and Purpose with our work.
What does this mean?
When you create good processes, your people will thrive.
When you demonstrate a shared purpose that is meaningful, your people will thrive.
Zhuo isn’t far off from Daniel Pink in his book, “Drive”.
Pink shares the challenges that we have in motivating our teams as managers.
His solution is: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose
What does this mean?
If you can create autonomy for your team members, they will be able to perform the work without asking for help.
If you can challenge your team to be the best in the business, they will become masters in their field.
And if there is a clear purpose lined up with your work, your team will be motivated to give their all every day.
Both Zhou and Pink’s books are great guiding posts to help direct our compass as managers.
The challenge that I see over and over again is our inability to solve the solvable problems and our lack of an approach to the unsolvable.
With that, I have another book for you: ”Leadership On The Line” by Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky.
This book offers a myriad of approaches to help with the unsolvable problems we face as managers.
Heifetz and Linsky push us to move past office politics and confront our own fears as leaders and managers so that we can take stock in them.
They also illustrate the importance of getting perspective from others when we reach a roadblock (i.e., an unsolvable problem).
Overcoming the narrative of bad management is hard work, and these books are a great starting point to develop your skill set.
As a response to the challenges that we face as managers, Chris Herndon from the Herndon Leadership Institute and I recently partnered to create a new training that we’ve called the “Adaptive and Tactical Leadership Program.”
This dual approach leadership program teaches adaptive and tactical skill sets that can help you drive change in your organization as an effective leader.
Want to learn how to develop your skill set as a leader? Drop me a line here for a free consultation.