Managers EASE out bumpy career paths

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Let’s imagine you were to travel 500km by road and you were given an option to travel either by truck, state transport bus, auto rickshaw, bullock cart or a luxury car and let us assume that each could ride at the same speed, which one would you prefer?

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Most of us would, undoubtedly, prefer a car, because we want to have a smooth ride. And if I were to ask you the reason for it most of you would say it’s because of the comfortable seating that the car offers.

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However, the main differentiating factors that allows us experience a smooth ride is a great suspension system which ensures the comfort of passengers by absorbing and dampening shock, providing steering stability, avoid skidding and evenly supporting the weight of the vehicle. In an organizational setup a manager’s role is analogous to a suspension system.

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Myths about Manager’s Roles and Responsibilities

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Sadly, we are still using yesterday’s solutions to solve tomorrow’s problem. We still stick by the old text books definitions that describe manager’s role as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. No doubt these are important but today there are merely hygiene factors, today’s problems cannot be solved solely sticking to these principles. New problems need new solutions with new perspective.

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1.???? Managers can make people do things: I’m at a higher designation, my team owes to do what I say because I am the BOSS.

2.???? Manager means Leader and vice a versa: I’m a titular manager so I am their leader and can decide for my team.

3.???? Delegation means to pass on: Delegation means simply pushing down things received from top and create a waterfall effect. If I’m scolded by my boss I pass it on to my team.

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Manager’s role is to EASE out work

1.???? (E)motional stability – It’s the ability to stay calm and manage own emotions as well as those of others during stressful periods.

Great managers neither get bogged down by the targets and deadlines received from top management nor entangle their personal toxic emotions like anger, worry, anxiety, overwhelmingness with work-related pressure.

They don’t let their mood affect team’s morale.

2.???? (A)ccountability – Great managers lead by examples, they take accountability for the work of their team irrespective of the results and consequences.

Manager's accountability promotes a reciprocal effect of accountability i.e. the team members start taking accountability for their own work, without the manager having to hold them personally responsible.

3.???? (S)hield: Delegation is an important role of a manager, but the delegations cannot be a waterfall effect, at each level it needs to be filtered.

Great managers shield their team members from toxicity. They need to filter the inputs received from top, dampen the distortions and disturbances and pass on the action items that can bring positive results without disturbing the harmony and affecting the productivity.

4.???? (E)nable: An organization is mainly run by 3 types of people i.e. Thinkers (Leaders), Implementors (Executives) and Enablers (Managers). A manager’s role is be an enabler and not a dictator.

They need to set the right environment to navigate their team in right direction and enable them achieve the targets efficiently.

People love doing meaningful work, so manager’s job is not simply to get work done but also to make it meaningful and fulfilling.

Let's simplify the bumpy career roads ahead our team and make the journey smooth!

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