“Managers keep an eye on the bottom line; leaders have their eyes on the horizon.”
-Warren Bennis
We had a really engaging session last week with some business executives from Long Island where we brainstormed ideas about developing leaders and managers. There are a lot of interesting challenges we face in this area and it was nice to learn that no matter what industry we are in, we all have a lot in common and we are not alone.
We discussed how difficult it is to get managers to delegate tasks. It seems many managers are insecure and feel their job might be threatened if someone below them could do their job as good as or better than them. The challenge is to make them feel secure enough to develop their people. When managers keep everything so close to the vest, it leads to dysfunctional teams and lower productivity. So the question remained, “How do we make managers feel secure enough to let go and develop their people?’
We discussed rewarding managers who do that. Is employee development a cultural value and is that behavior modeled? It’s one thing to say we value employee development; it’s another to walk the walk and talk the talk. The group suggested making employee development a key competency in the manager’s evaluation process so they are truly not successful unless their people are successful. Great incentive for managers to, “Let it go….”
Another participant spoke about the challenges in getting people motivated to do more than they have become used to doing. Upon further discussion, we found out that this relatively new manager to the company had never actually done the jobs of the people who worked for him. One suggestion was to work with the employees, down in the trenches of their jobs to see what really goes on. Imagine the change that can be inspired when people feel the big boss really takes an interest in their job and really understands what they go through on a day to day basis. Not to mention the perks of the education you can get when you get your hands dirty.
Janine Friedman, reminded us that, “The word manage comes from the root “manus”, which means hand. So managers handle things: budgets, forecasting, day-to-day performance, scheduling, etc. The root of the word leader is to go, guide or travel. It means taking an employee, department or organization from where they are to where they need to be.”
If you were not able to attend the breakfast, we encourage you to check out the management and leadership programs on our website. The Manager’s Toolbox and /or The Leadership Challenge may be just what you need to get yourself or your team moving in the right direction. Start investing in yourself and the talent you already have working for you and make your organizational or departmental vision a reality with TEC.