MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL AND CAPABILITY, FOR GENERATIONS, WAS TOO OFTEN PREDICATED ON INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, KNOWHOW, CHARISMA, TOUGHNESS AND AIR OF AUTHORITY. RARELY, IF EVER, WAS EMPATHY, PRAGMATISM, FAIRNESS AND UNDERSTANDING CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES. CONSEQUENTLY, THE OLD CLICHÉ “PEOPLE JOIN A COMPANY BUT LEAVE A MANAGER” CAME INTO HR PARLANCE. NOW, BARELY AN OUTLINE REMAINS FROM THE DEEPLY-DEFINED AND FOREBODING LINES OF COMMAND-AND-CONTROL.
“COMBINED WITH THE BRITTLE VENEER OF PLAY-ACTING ‘BUSINESS BAD COP’, TECHNICAL FAULT-FINDING AND PRESSURE TO SUCCEED, IT’S EASY TO SEE HOW A ‘GRIND MINDSET’ AND ‘HUSTLE CULTURE’ CAN MANIFEST” Despite all the fearmongering about robots taking over jobs, the skills we will value even more in the future are, how to be human. In fact, the future’s so bright, we’ve gotta wear shades, as our new roles will be about being more creative and innovative, as we leave the drudgery behind. Line managers are the catalyst to unlocking the potential in people and, ergo, their performance. So why are they so notoriously underdeveloped, illsupported and lonely? A radical rethink is required.
Line managers are going to need a different set of skills to match the demands of the modern workforce. Technical prowess doesn’t prepare for managing a team and many managers are not ‘people people’. Combined with the brittle veneer of play-acting ‘business bad cop’, technical fault-finding and pressure to succeed, it’s easy to see how a ‘grind mindset’ and ‘hustle culture’ can manifest. In this fast-changing working era now, more than ever before, organisations must be extremely clear on what they expect from their people leaders, make sure those expectations are fully communicated and offer support to achieve them. Fail to do this and the so-called ‘sticky middle’ will render any business with weak characters in positions of power, delivering little and stressing everyone out. So, what makes a great people leader? They have a passion for progress, a deep interest in people and crucially, an eye for potential. Line managers need to be focused on achievement, see the vision and have a thirst for strategic direction with a determination to deliver. As a multi-directional lynchpin, it’s their role to interpret what’s coming down from the business and empower their teams to deliver it. Managers also play a key part in helping people understand how their role contributes to the success of the business and rewarding them when they do well.
Strong communications skills matter – but that doesn’t mean spoon feeding – rather, it’s about making sure people have the insight they need to make smart decisions. Managers who invest time to help their teams understand the direction of the organisation and make their contribution to the strategy clear, will reap the rewards of a more motivated team with a purpose. So, giving them the knowledge to align with the corporate strategy is key, as are regular updates, support and praise from the senior leadership team. It’s not a selfless mindset, but managers do need a fascination for what makes people tick and to know how to motivate someone to perform at their best. Everyone is different and diversityof-thought makes for stronger outcomes. But that does mean effort on the part of the line manager, to shift focus from solely delivering, onto who their people truly are. They need to understand their people’s strengths and help them play to them to shine, while making sure their team is well-rounded enough to sustain itself. As long as the team is hitting the objectives it has been set in the agreed timeframe, that’s what managers should be judged by. Managers must lead with connection, be open to everyone’s perspective, avoid blame and treat everyone with respect and fairness.
Equally, caring about a team as people cannot diminish the standards they expect, it’s an intrinsic part of motivation and reward, but their team is being paid to do an excellent job. So caring about people can also mean challenging them when they are not achieving what you know they can. While the old ways of working were unsustainable, business will no longer function if work is a walk in the park. While new generations expect managers to be impartial, consistent and have a keen sense of integrity, that all has to be in service of the business strategy, otherwise, what’s the point? Fairness can also mean firmness. Expectations must be high on both sides and a rewarding job comes from a sense of achievement, progress and growth. So line managers need to help their people achieve, expect that they do and challenge them when they don’t. Coming to work for an easy ride won’t make people happy in the long-term and if they choose to coast, perhaps they are not in the right role and company for them.
If line managers have an interest in people, they are more likely to spot their potential. But they need to have an optimistic mindset, to look for the best in people and situations and spot opportunities as well as talent. They should also consider, what makes people ‘light up’. Are they showing extra interest in a topic or asking more questions? If so, it’s time to innovate and flex to drive the best outcomes. That means giving teams the freedom, permission and autonomy to play to their strengths and seek out ways to propel, not only the team, but the individuals within it. All this requires the confidence to be surrounded with talented people, knowingly providing them with development opportunities that will stretch them. Managers are a crucial pillar of any organisation. But over time they’ve earned a reputation – sometimes unfairly – for mediocrity and ineffectuality at best, or as perpetuators of undue pressure at worst. At middle management level, the job can be extremely reactive and there’s a lot they can’t control, that they then have the strain of dealing with repercussions from. They have less control over the direction of travel and often fall prey to changing headwinds from above. Yet, just imagine the size of the opportunity and the dials you could turn if you empower your managers and create an environment where they are rewarded for their team’s success. So how do we give people the value they deserve? What’s the environment for success? It’s time for a rethink. We need to promote, develop and hire line managers who are interested in people, partnering and performance. We need to trust them to deliver, empower them with the tools and training to nurture collaborative, high-performing teams that are unafraid of failure and set clear expectations around the role they can play in the business. That will result in the confidence to inspire and enable people to flourish and, while we might argue that this is the true reward of management, let us not forget to compensate their efforts fulsomely.
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