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