The Management Trap

I constantly see articles on LinkedIn about what makes a great leader and in even more abundance, what makes a bad manager. There are tons of info graphics about what "good" leaders should do and cute pictures condemning the actions of "bad" ones.

The problem with most of these is that they don't address the root cause of why some managers/leaders aren't good and why others are good. They simply list out the things that you should do, but don't ever go the next level down and and lend any insight into how to do those things. If you google "how to be a good manager", the following bullet points are the first result that you get:

1. Delegate wisely.
2. Set goals.
3. Communicate.
4. Make time for employees.
5. Recognize achievements.
6. Think about lasting solutions.
7. Don't take It all too seriously.

Those are all great and valid bullet points that no one would argue with. However, the problem with those is that it's the equivalent of trying to become a better basketball player and someone giving you a list that says things like below:

1. Make your open three pointers
2. Shoot foul shots well
3. Dribble the ball between your legs and drive to the hoop...

You can see where those are things you should be able to do if you are going to be a good basketball player, but that doesn't help you understand HOW to get better at those skills.

There is a presumption that people in the business world automatically know how to be good managers and leaders the moment that they are promoted to those positions but that isn't always the case. The main reason for this is that often a promotion to a management position is a reward for being an outstanding individual contributor. However, the skill-sets aren't always the same, and sometimes it's even more frustrating for the new manager and their employees because the manager has a set of expectations in their head based on their own performance in the role.

This can be especially true for entrepreneurs that are growing and adding staff. You started your business from scratch and grew it to the point where you now need to start delegating responsibilities and you're going to have expectations about how those jobs should be done. The problem is that initially these may not be totally reasonable expectations. And the key to learning to manage and lead people is understanding that they aren't going to automatically know everything you know or necessarily see things how you do.

Learning to delegate and to trust can be a hard thing to do, but is the first step in becoming a good manager/leader. As an example, my first job as a teenager was at a Wendy's and eventually I was promoted to a shift manager position. One day I noticed that the cracker bin was empty and I started to the back to refill it. My Store Manager stopped me and she told me to tell someone else to go fill up the crackers. It was a small thing, but an important lesson. It was faster and more efficient for me to just do it myself, but it was more important to train my brain that filling up the crackers wasn't part of my duties any more.

As a small business owner or first time manager it's as important to focus on your personal growth as it is to focus on the growth of your employees. This article doesn't contain all the answers, but the main takeaway is that it's important for you to map out a plan for yourself to become the manager that you want to be. Things like "micro managing" result from and inability to let go of the details. Work on changing your focus from the micro to the macro and set goals and manage toward those things.

Growth isn't always an easy thing, but understanding that stepping outside of your comfort zone is when big things start to happen makes all the difference.

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About the author:

David Dozer is a founder of Blaze IT, a web development and design company that brings enterprise level solutions to small businesses. His background ranges from IT Management, Quality Assurance, Accounting, Enterprise Consulting Services, ERP Product Management and web development/design.

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