As we progress in our careers, typically, we either grow into managing people, clients and projects or develop specialised skills in a particular subject. There’s no right or wrong way, and sometimes we like to settle for where we are, taking time to reflect on the good work we’re doing without a need to feel like we are “moving forward”.
But for those that look to take on that manager role, what does that look like, and how do we manage well? A lot of the time, it will come down to people’s personal preferences and learning to adjust your management style depending on who you are managing. Some people like to have managers who keep them focused and accountable and allow for growth opportunities, whereas some workers want managers they consider their friends; they are gentle, relatable and just like another colleague and will enable you to have open and honest conversations. Hitting the right balance between these vibes will allow your colleagues to feel like they can speak to you about issues or problems yet still be accountable and deliver high-quality work.
So, let’s look at an example where we can adjust our behaviour to improve our work relationships and become better managers.
You ask a colleague to deliver a proposal to you by the end of the day on Friday for a new prospecting client, which you plan to deliver the following week. You outline the brief, explain the requirements and know the task will take approximately 1-2 hours to complete. After asking if they need anything else or anything additional from you, they say no and go off to complete the task.
4 pm is quickly approaching with no update on the proposal; you ask to look at the first draft and mention the requirement that it’s needed by EOD and its radio silence. 4.30 pm comes around, and this time, you pick up the phone to a colleague in tears, explaining they have yet to start it due to other work they had on and work that’s been assigned to them. What is evident at this moment is your colleague is overwhelmed, unable to prioritise their workload and feels unable to reach out to you to ask for support. Shouting or expressing disappointment at this moment will not help you to achieve your end goal, IE, the proposal you need for Monday.
At this stage, we need to get the work done, so whilst on the phone, you look at their calendar, update due dates on tasks that aren’t required this week and work alongside them to create this proposal. Once sorted, you acknowledge their work for staying late on a Friday and book a catch-up on Monday to review the situation. There are many different factors, such as how they may act towards you as they may have personal things going on at home, so they are not quite themselves, which could affect how the responses work for you. Start the conversation by asking how they are, how the weekend was and if they have time to reflect and review the issue themselves. As a manager, we need to offer support and guidance, but we also have to hold colleagues (and ourselves) accountable. Ask why they felt they couldn’t reach out to you earlier in the day, ask why they didn’t mention the overwhelming workload before taking the task on, and lastly, the consequences of not delivering on time, which had a knock-on effect on your colleagues.
Working through these issues will help you to diagnose a communication problem and, therefore, resolve potential issues in the future. The next time you ask them to create a new proposal, they reply with of course, I can complete this to the deadline set, but it does mean X piece of work will be pushed. Can you confirm this is okay? By opening up an honest conversation, we can look at potential roadblocks and create solutions as a team.
Some other top tips for being a good manager
- Allow for open and honest communication
- Ensure you support your team through the good and the bad
- Ensure your team knows their values, ideas, and opinions are valid
- Set boundaries and relate clear expectations
- Continue to develop yourself whilst allowing your team to grow and develop
- Push for team collaboration and bonding
Taking a step back and going through this checklist will help you to review whether there are some areas where you can improve. Just because we gain a new title or promotion does not mean we are not part of the team.
“Leadership means setting an example. When you find yourself in a position of leadership, people follow your every move.” – Lee Iacocca.
Perhaps you’ve just jumped into your first managing role, and you need some additional support. Whether that’s digital, design or development, we’re always here and happy to help with no business too small or too big.
