First time manager series - Part 2

The four lenses

Have you ever sat on a train and watch the world go by? Did you notice how the land nearer to the train moves quicker than the horizon? In the early days of filming this was a conundrum until someone used four different lenses to film the scene.

The first lens picked up the foreground which whizzes past and graduates to the horizon which barely seems to move. I used to love watching my daughters eyes flicking at a dazzling rate trying to keep up with the view up close. Then, the further away the focus, the longer is stays in your line of sight.

I believe that this analogy is relevant to modern day work. If you look at most performance management set-ups such as appraisals, there is usually a section that considers the work you perform through to the organisations values and such.

When it comes to the first time manager, I firmly believe that the impact can be incredible. However, more often than not, it is rarely considered.

The difference between a senior leader and a first-time manager I believe, is as follows.

A senior manager/leader is expected to be experienced enough to view the following:

• Lens 1 - Observe the tactical / understanding of who does what
• Lens 2 - Review, discuss team outputs considering improvements and efficiency
• Lens 3 - Collectively guide the teams within the department and track the workflow and productivity
• Lens 4 - Ensure all the above are meeting the strategic goals while observing emergent strategic themes both internal and external

We can see from the above what it is to be a senior manager / leader, how is this applicable to first-time managers? There is no expectation for first-time managers to operate at this level but it is worth considering for your future journey.

If we relate the 4 lenses to first-time managers, it could look something like the following:

• Lens 1 - Manage the tactical / build relationships with your people and teams, remove the barriers to aid their performance. Then review with them
• Lens 2 - Involve yourself and manage the team outputs. Review and reflect how the outputs connect to others teams work. Work with the team to review efficiency and effectiveness
• Lens 3 - Departmental recognition. Here, you consider the department outputs and the link from our work and performance. Widen the lens to let your team see where their work goes and its importance to the organisation as a whole
• Lens 4 - Appreciate the link to the organisational strategy. While you may not be able to directly affect it, it provides ownership, organisational responsibility and accountability - after all, that's what management is all about.

Barriers and Traps

There is no doubt a plethora of people willing to tell you how difficult xy and z is. The desire of first-time managers to 'get stuck in' will be tempting enough. Many managers use the saying 'I wouldn't ask someone to do something I won't do myself'. Admirable and well meaning, the reason you hire people is because they have high levels of competence in that area. No one really expects you to do it!

I wouldn't ask someone to do somehting I can't do myself... why not?          

This approach can lead to getting our heads turned by immersing ourselves in the tactical work, sometimes of others. Just managing an inbox of emails isn't really managing. The true art here is to action and give credence to the ones that will ultimately aid the meet the organiational goals and aims.

Remember, the reason the organisation placed a managerial role was for you to manage, not to take over others peoples work and certainly not be a constant slave to emails.

True management adds value to the organisation through accountability, ownership, responsibility and striving to achieve high performance. You are an overseer of people and performance. Your role is to remove barriers and let people get on with deploying their art.

If you crack this, people will come to you with issues which is absolutely right. They have faith in you to listen intently, discuss options and action. You won't win every time. You will become more experienced in understanding what is possible, where creativity might need to play a part and who to work with for great solutions.

Being a first-time manager is tough. Look up through the organisation to see where your outputs flow. Appreciate and discuss with your team the importance of their work and the quality of it.

If you understand what you are aiming for, things make much more sense!

Will Clement is the founder and Director of Clement Leadership Development. He works with a range of organisations developing leaders and future leaders through authenticity.

For a discussion of how Will can aid develop your people, please contact him at [email protected] or direct message him through Linkedin.