Great managers have to work on developing their skills and understanding over the course of an entire career. It can be a challenging role but also very rewarding.
Let's take a look at what first-line managers do. I'm generalising quite heavily, but let's take a look:
Transcript
Managers are representatives of their organisation. This means it falls to them to implement the policies and processes that help their organisation to function.
Managers are responsible for setting objectives for their team. The team's objectives help deliver the strategy of the department. It's down to the manager to make sure they keep the two connected. It's important that the work of the team helps deliver the strategy of the department which in turns delivers the vision and strategy of the organisation.
Within their team, it's the manager's responsibility to:
- deliver their team's objectives
- share information
- build, develop and enable the team
- develop and support individuals at all levels
Managers must also work to build positive and productive relationships with their team's stakeholders and collaborators. They may also work horizontally with peers to help improve the culture of their departments.
It can be a good idea for managers to make an effort to really understand their wider organisation. This can help reveal hidden opportunities to make a bigger impact. Managers may also benefit from keeping an eye on the external landscape. New and emerging trends in the outside world may influence what their organisation and team is doing and how it's working in the future.
In this blog, I'm going to dive into the detail of each of these areas. I'll share what I've learned over the course of the last 18 years working as a manager in the charity, public and private sectors. Please join me as we explore how to Think Like A Manager!
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