It's up for grabs now!

Cast your mind back to May 1989 (if you are old enough to remember that date). What were you doing? I was nervously awaiting that final, epic game of the ’88-’89 football season when Arsenal won 2-0 at Anfield to clinch the title from the mighty Liverpool.

I was also excited by a recent promotion at work; I had just been made ‘Assistant Manager’ at the local branch of a well-known off-licence chain that disappeared from our high streets many years ago (the two events were not, as far as I am aware, connected in any way!). I remember very clearly being told by my Manager, “The work starts here, son. You can’t run with the hares anymore; you have to hunt with the hounds”. What did that mean, I wondered? Did I have to change? Did I have to stop being friends with people? Was I expected to become some ruthless overlord?

Fast forward three months and I was ready to quit the job. I had no support from my manager, who largely saw my promotion as an opportunity to focus more and more on wine-tasting (purely in the interests of customer research apparently). Everyone treated me differently too. I was no longer asked to come for a drink after work and was treated with suspicion and mistrust. Luckily for me the Area Director dropped by one day and asked how I was getting on. She could see I was anxious and unhappy and suggested the company sent me on some management training (words that struck terror into my heart) and that I spent a fortnight shadowing “one of our better branch managers” at another shop. It made a world of difference to my confidence and for the first time I discovered that ‘management’ meant more than just shouting at people who were late for work. It was much more about being a leader of people.

Now, wind the clock forward to 2024 and ask yourself what’s changed. Do we still promote people into management without helping them to understand what being an effective manager means and for them to be confident in their role? The role of the modern manager is more complex, subtle and nuanced than ever. Today it’s much, much more about people management than process management. I’d argue that 90% of the modern manager’s time should be spent managing their people.

?What do I mean by ‘managing people’? Quite simply, it’s about creating an environment where individual employees are able to be at their best every day and make measurable and telling contributions towards the business goals. This requires time, effort, trust and a fairly deep understanding of the people in your team. What inspires and motivates them? What is going on in their personal life that might be impacting them at work? What adjustments do they need to thrive? What can you do to help them succeed?

A coaching style of management, that relies on deep listening skills and being able to ask powerful questions is the way forward. I was recently talking to a business owner who told me his company have done away with job descriptions and annual appraisals. They have migrated to ‘work I do’ and managers have regular 121s with their team members instead. At their 121 the employee is always asked two questions:?

• Tell me about your achievements and what has made you proud this week?
• What have you found challenging and what help do you need from me to change this?

It’s very much a coaching model that is endorsed by Mark Fritz in his ‘Nose In, Fingers Out’ model that leads to people owning their personal achievements and successes. It’s not a manager’s job to control people and tell them what to do all the time; that’s only likely to slow them down and shatter their self-confidence.

?At People Puzzles we recognise that helping middle managers to quit micromanaging and become more focused on being ‘people enablers’ can be transformational for both the individuals and the business. We have a trusted and proven training programme for middle managers that focuses on three key areas: managing yourself, managing people and managing the business. Many of our clients have seen positive long-term behavioural change as a result of investing in our ‘Power 90’ programme. One of my clients, Kendra Energy Solutions Ltd , recently rolled Power 90 out to their middle managers with the training delivered by their People Director James Montgomery . Initial feedback from their Divisional Directors is very encouraging:

“Yesterday was superb! The subject matter was very insightful, and the conversation bespoke to our business and added real value. Thanks again for using the “WE” language and a MASSIVE thank you for your first-class delivery and tailored approach.”

?If you run or own a business and would like to find out more about the transformational impact of our Power 90 management training please get in touch with me via [email protected] or book a call via the link in my profile.

It’s never too late (or too soon!) to invest in your people. It's up for grabs!

?