Posted under Career Management on April 15th, 2008
Many of the people I see have had some level of senior or executive management responsibility. They all shared a common set of duties which included a people supervision component, project management needs, measurable goals and objectives, and some administrative procedures and tasks. Most approached their responsibilities with diligence, reflect a clear understanding of the assignment, and could articulate concrete accomplishments. Yet something was missing and they seem to have hit a wall.
The career coaching profession, including myself, has long articulated a set of principles revolving around the idea that the world of work has radically changed. Everyone must take responsibility for their own career, adopt new techniques and practices and engage in more aggressive self-promotion built on a long term strategy of career development. In addition, once employed, every position must be viewed from a perspective that goes well beyond the initial job description for which the candidate was hired.
This is also true at every level of management. Any professional who sees himself or herself in some sort of senior management track must understand that every management position today extends well beyond the assigned tasks and goals and administrative processes. This is especially true of senior managers who have a operational responsibilities for the success of an organization and the employees who support it.
One way of looking at the new standard for the successful manager is by contrasting the manager as administrator with the manager as leader.
The manager who views the job as an administrator generally focuses on deadlines, too often at the expense of quality. They also focus too much on process, expending unnecessary time and effort on explaining and insisting that some tasks must be accomplished in a certain way, consistent with an established procedure. Here the focus is on means not ends.
The challenge for the manager as leader is to view the process as the enabler for results and to constantly question the process for turning out the work. The leader must seek ways to inspire the team to deliver better quality and do it more efficiently. Most importantly, for career growth the leader must be able to articulate a vision that addresses the continually evolving needs of their responsibilities in ways that complement the dynamics of the larger organization.
The pressures of competition, the need for constantly improved productivity and the challenges of fostering creativity influence every organization, including government and non-profits. Companies and other organizations are determined to find, develop and promote leaders, and minimize the impact of managers whose slavish focus on process or short term goals that add little value and can be a real hindrance over the long term.
One way to measure management effectiveness is by examining what is new or streamlined from a year earlier. Consider the problems that existed and identify how creative solutions contributed to resolution. Think about how the greater organization has changed or evolved and how specific actions by the manager helped facilitate that change.
A client, who recently got caught in a corporate downsizing, was explaining his management philosophy. He made sure that everyone in his organization was aware of the overall goals of the group, including financial metrics. When I asked what each of these employees were required to do that was different or better in order to achieve their new goals, he indicated that everyone simply had to “work smarter not harder”, a common cliché.
I pointed out that when everyone is responsible, no one is responsible. Rather, it was essential that the manager articulate a vision of how the group could succeed. Then armed with the vision, help each member of the team clearly articulate how they could contribute to that vision. The manager must both inspire the team members, but make sure that inspiration fits a logical approach that makes sense for the group as a whole.
My client did not understand the importance of re-evaluating his own job based on the evolving needs, build a vision to accomplish the new goals, articulate the vision clearly and ensure the vision was understood and built into the activities of each team member. Clearly, he did not understand the difference between the manager as administrator and manager as leader.
My experience working with executives leads me to believe there are very few secrets in a company. Everyone knows who the leaders are and which departments or divisions add value. If a manager knows his department is redundant or can be done more efficiently outsourced, he can be sure that upper management knows it as well.
The day to day pressures often obscure the role a manager plays in the overall scheme of activity in an organization. Nevertheless, either when starting a new job or working in the present one, re-evaluating your role and how you do contribute versus how you should contribute may be critical in solidifying your standing.
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