“You’re a new manager, here. How many days on the job?” I started.
Nathan didn’t have to think on this one. “Six weeks,” he said.
“So, tell me. What do you think a manager does?”
Nathan took his time on this response, now less sure what he should say instead of what he really thought. “Keep people in line. Tell people what to do. Make sure things don’t get out of hand. You know, keep control.”
“Nathan, we have been in here for fifteen minutes. Right now, your team is working productively without you. Do you think they are getting out of line without you?”
“Well, no, but it has only been fifteen minutes,” Nathan replied, clearly uncomfortable.
“And what if I kept you in here the rest of the day? How would they know what to do?”
“Well, I guess pretty much, they would do more of the same thing they did the day before.”
“Yes, they would. And how long could they keep that up, and what does the company really need a manager for?” -TF
You’ve hid the button there for many employees,Tom. Can’t wait to hear how this story turns out…
Greetings,
I lead a team of twenty something souls toward acheiving.
The role of a manager is varied and quintessential.
I see my role as a support role and as a representative role to and for those above me and below me.
This means that I have to wear many anecdotal hats.
The issue with many types of managers is that they see themselves as separated from others and placed in to their positions to maintain control, possibly a left over trait from older management styles in organisations.
This clearly is not a sustainable form of management “art”, and does nothing for the personal development of the manager in question nor the myriad of possibilities that can be gained from the gifts that staff are able to bring to the work place.