A good Manager is a delegator, a carer, a doer, an inspiration, a leader, all rolled into one!Wow do they really make Human Beings like these? Can I please buy the mould – can someone tell me where they sell the mould for such Human Beings?
Well luckily for us, we don’t need a mould – because no one really comes to this earth in a
ready-made, all-in-one package. It is not something that happens by chance. A successful Manager is not born; a successful Manager is created.
If a good Manager can be created, then there must be some rules that make a good Manager. If there are rules then …anyone can learn the rules. And that’s the good news! It means that anyone can become a good Manager – because it is not by right of birth – it is a skill acquired by right of knowledge!
So let’s look at each attribute individually:
Delegator:
One of the first lessons I learnt when I became a Manager was to never assign any tasks to myself. Whenever I assigned tasks for myself, I became a bottle neck. I soon realised, my role was to plan and then execute the plan via my team. I am nothing without my team. The value I add to the team is not by doing the task, but by planning and ensuring I have matched each task with the person having the required skillset.
A good Manager knows that they are not indispensable. In fact, they pride themselves in becoming dispensable, because they have set their team up to run as a well-oiled machine.
A good Manager’s focus is on the delivery. Their focus is not on making themselves indispensable. Gaining importance by becoming indispensable is an immature person’s way of seeking significance. It is very short lived.
Power is not in working long hours. Power is in working smart by effectively and efficiently utilising the resources on hand.
Carer:
A Manager’s team is their biggest asset. As any financial investor will point out, assets are to be looked after and grown. As soon as you stop paying attention to your asset, you are on a sure spiral … downward. A smart Manager invests in their Human Resources just as a financial investor invests in their share and property portfolio. Looking after your Human resources achieves two targets:
- It up-skills your team, increasing their capability and hence your productivity
- It earns you the loyalty of your team because they know you care. Their support will take you a long way on those occasions when what you need is a miracle to get through. And a miracle you will get – your loyal team will make it happen!
Doer:
“So is this not the opposite you Delegator?” you ask – and rightly so! While a successful Manager is an excellent delegator, they are not afraid of rolling up their sleeves and joining the force when required. They are not afraid of carrying out tasks themselves when the team calls upon them. They are knowledgeable on every aspect of the work their team carries out – to the point where they can easily step into the team member’s shoes when required. A successful Manager takes time to understand each team member’s role and responsibility, to the extent where the team member feels confident in seeking the Manager’s advice.
The team knows that this is a Manager who leads by example.
Inspiration:
Is there any doubt then that a Manager – who is an effective Delegator; who knows how to care about their team and is fully equipped to tackle any task that they expect of their team – becomes an inspiration to their team?
This is the person the team wants to work for … this is the person they want to be …
… this is their LEADER!
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