Why Managers Struggle To Manage

If someone is promoted into a management role you would assume it happened because they were seen as good at it or showed the potential to be good at it.

Yet in truth people often find themselves in management roles because:

It is the only option for progressing and getting more money
They had a reputation for being the person who got things done
Their boss liked them and asked them to take on a management role when they got promoted.

While many managers do a great job, many struggle. Why?

They Don’t Promote Themselves

By that I mean that they try to do all of the things that they did previously and think that they will find a way of finding time for managing in a schedule that is already packed full.

They Won’t Let Go

This is a particular issue if you are the type of person who likes doing stuff and has a lot of resistance to delegating to others

They Think They Need To Have All The Answers

Trust me you don’t. The reason why you have a team of people working with you is so that they can bring their expertise to the team and help provide solutions.

They Don’t Make It A Priority

I hear people say things like they don’t have time to manage. No one is handed extra time for managing. The way we spend our time is determined by the decisions we make about how we use it.

They Don’t Want To Upset Anyone

As a result they play it safe and never push the boundaries. The reality is that whatever you do you will upset someone. You will never please everyone and if you try to you are doomed.

They Don’t Adapt

Forget the one style of management fits all situations idea. This is a complete myth. You need to adapt your management style taking a count of the context or situation you face.

The Bottom Line: Getting better at managing is ongoing work in progress. Embrace this idea and chances are you will start to see improvements in the success you achieve when it comes to managing.

Duncan Brodie helps teams of professionals in medium to large organisations to become highly effective managers. Learn more here

About the Author Duncan Brodie

Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.

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Clare Evans says 8 May 2013

Very good points Duncan.

Many of the managers/business leaders are suffering from a few of these. In particular, not letting go and trying to do too much, which often results from either not delegating or not delegating well and micro-managing or worse.

I’ve seen people promoted just because they were the most senior person but didn’t necessarily have or get the management and leadership skills they needed to do their job effectively.

Duncan Brodie says 8 May 2013

Thanks for your comment Clare. Great points you make.

I notice people having to take on management roles as it is the only way to get a pay increase.

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Why Managers Struggle To Manage

About the Author Duncan Brodie

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7 comments

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