Should You Be A Manager?

In working with my client base, it’s always so fascinating to learn how each person landed in their managerial role. Some found themselves in management as a byproduct of working their way up the ladder (common). Others knew they wanted to manage people and were keen to become a people manager. Still, there are others who find themselves in management and find the daily push/pull of being both a producer of work and managing a team challenging. If we know anything about people we know this summary resonates: everyone is a little bit different.

But what’s so telling to me is when an, now-manager, shares his or her success as an individual contributor. Leaders of organizations assume that high performers should be capable of teaching their new team members how to be just like them. But what leaders fail at, at times, is assessing the personality profile of these individuals. Do they have the empathy it takes to be a people manager? Do they know how to listen? Do they have the patience to teach someone something when there’s a learning curve? 

Often high performers are just that: high performers. They are exceptional at their trade but have a hard time transitioning those skills to management. They’re promoted regardless and this is when rubber hits the road. Senior leadership will be served well if they not only provide education to new managers, but will also benefit from learning individual career aspirations. Perhaps an individual contributor should remain just that. Organizations that can create different pathways for upward mobility which do not all revolve around managerial requirements are poised to increase engagement and retention. 

Idea in brief: If you are considering a promotion for a stellar individual contributor, learn what they ultimately want to do at the organization. If they never managed before, but have interest in building a cohesive team, be sure you are providing them with the education to succeed.

Your Team is Fatiguing You. Now What?

Sometimes it hits us: We are pretty tired of managing our team. They each have needs, career aspirations, and opinions (strong or not), make mistakes, and need feedback. This, in part, defines the aspects that a manager can expect. We often focus on how to be grounded, to help you provide the necessary assistance your team needs and wants. But, sometimes, focusing on everyone but yourself leads to burnout. Especially when you are still responsible for your own deliverables and work streams.

What’s more, blurred boundaries and increased workloads cause stress. Additional stress seldom causes us to be the best versions of ourselves, as described in my last post. So what gives? How can you re-energize yourself to feel less fatigued and show up for your team?

First, you need to understand burnout. Burnout is a sure way to feel not only out of juice but will contribute to sparking additional conflict on your team. Next, you need to employ tactics to defuse burnout.

• Overcome your need (or desire) to micromanage.
  Surely you must set expectations and follow through on accountability. But you must also remember that if you are seeking perfection, micromanagement is its close friend. To counter micromanagement, one study suggests a decrease in meeting time. A weekly check-in is more than reasonable, but a daily run down to look at your team’s work through a microscope will only fuel the micromanagement bug.

• Make time for yourself.
  What does rest look like for you? You must make the time to rejuvenate in order to put your best foot forth for your team. Take a walk, go to the gym, spend time with friends, etc. Keep these plans in the diary each week.

Managing People, Under Pressure

I naturally can’t help but think of Bowie and Queen when I consider being “under pressure” – and what a relevant description for many working people. We are often under pressure whether that pressure is because of a deadline or the amount of work we need to accomplish. 

What has become commonplace in most of Corporate America is high pressure and high stress. It’s no surprise that Americans work long hours, increase revenue goals YOY, and mandate higher work output (in less time). 

But how does being under pressure affect your ability to manage? It won’t take us long to think of an example when we were pressed for time and reacted poorly to a colleague or subordinate in response to the external stress factor. Stressors can leave you with a short fuse, and will inadvertently create an environment where your team may fear your inconsistency in mood. If you are fostering an environment of fear, trust will be hard to come by and collaboration/idea sharing will slow. 

Since KPIs, deadlines, and aggressive goals aren’t going away any time soon, what can you do to balance the pressures of work while also managing well? 

First, a great practice is being able to acknowledge your feelings without judgment. If you need pointers, revisit my post about mindfulness in management. When you observe that you are mad or anxious about something, you will be more likely to communicate your concern and not misplace your angst on a team member. 

Second, answer what is the worst outcome of the situation you are facing. When you work through worst-case circumstances, you are better equipped to deal with them, according to Hendrie Weisinger and J. P. Pawliw-Fry.

Third, and this may be counterintuitive but it’s proven, slow down. We are more likely to make mistakes when we are in a rush, and are most certainly more likely to make a mess both interpersonally and with the task at hand when we are only processing in our emotional brain (thank you amygdala). By pausing, breathing, and engaging our prefrontal cortex (the most developed part of our brain) we will be poised to solve problems, reason soundly, and even be more creative. 

Mindfulness in Leadership

If we all implemented mindfulness in daily life – whether at work or at home – I have no doubt we would see the benefits as a collective. We might observe a decrease in reactivity, an increase in listening, and likely a shift in focus. As I take clients through my initial 15-session series for individual coaching, we address mindfulness as a self-regulation practice. This methodology is intended to help leaders take a brief pause, assessing feelings throughout the day, especially when feeling “overwhelmed.” It’s efficient to say “overwhelmed” or “busy” but in actuality, we might feel anger, embarrassment, sadness, or even fear. Such feelings might emerge when your team has made a sizable mistake, when you have a tight deadline, when you’ve worked a 13-hour day, when there’s legal trouble, or when there are pending layoffs… the list goes on.

The reason mindfulness can be a powerful tool in a leader’s toolbelt is two-fold. First, it does not require the allocation of funds (no apps or technology needed!). Second, it changes behavior over time; managers will become more behaviorally predictable and anger less readily. With a simple practice each day we can rewire our brains and it will have an immediate effect on those around us. 

In fact, there was a 2019 German study with almost 60 organizational teams. The researchers found that leaders who participated in mindfulness practice (or “intervention”) demonstrated lower aggression (when rated by their employees) and stronger transformational leadership behaviors than compared to the control group. While reading a book on management can surely shed light on topics managers know not of, the practice of mindfulness is just that: A practice. And you will improve over time. 

Ultimately, mindfulness will support you (as a manager, leader, or even individual contributor) to become a more effective communicator. When we are aware of our feelings, we have improved self-regulation which allows for more purposeful discourse and this allows space for diffusing conflict. 

If you’re interested in learning more and want a “how to” on mindfulness, drop me a note here.

First published on LinkedIn