Managerial challenges
Individuals that become managers are faced with difficulties throughout their managerial careers. Those challenges are sometimes unavoidable, but all they need to do is stay strong in such situations while finding ways to make changes to avoid misunderstandings in the organization. Challenges may include: becoming a new manager, teaching self-management, managing performance, managing employee altitude, undermanaging and micromanaging. These challenges can be avoided in various ways.
Becoming a manager
While becoming a new manager can be intimidating, it also provides the chance to grow professionally and personally. The new role comes with the opportunity to inspire other team members to develop (Jackson). In case one feels anxious about the new position, it is normal. However, a new manager should remember that they earned the promotion. The managers saw potential in leading the team; hence one should embrace their support and determine what kind of manager they want to be. Maintaining strong relationships with former peers will require the manager to manage themselves with social engagements wisely, especially non-business social interactions. One can call a meeting with former peers and discuss how the relationship will change, and the new manager is now tasked with performance and productivity appraisal. Meetings can also be used to clarify performance expectations from new members. To build a trusting relationship with the new boss, the new manager should focus on their needs and responsibilities and determine ways to support them. One can ask questions on how the new role interfaces with the managers’ role. One can also ask their new manager how best to support them. Motivating team members will require the new manager to provide them with opportunities for growth and development, Give positive feedbacks and rewards, encourage teamwork and create a healthy office environment. Clear and measurable goals aligned to the managers’ vision should be set to track progress as a way of motivating them and holding them accountable. Maintaining a strong working relationship with the manager will require a demonstration of one’s innovation and initiatives and also establish open communication to the new manager to create a trusting relationship.
Teaching self-management
As a leader, a manager will need to coach team members on prioritizing their work and provide insights they need on managing time while avoiding building bad relationships. Establishing clear expectations and timelines will help solve the failure to meet targets and deadlines (Linman, and Broflowski). Weekly time tracking should be randomized through logging and time-tracking tools to ensure employees are punctual and do not sneak out early. Embracing technology will help with organizational skills and keeping track of the calendar Machine learning can review a business meeting history through the calendar and also help track files and documents faster. Team members should also be provided with flexible working schedules to ensure timely completion of works. Effective problem-solving skills and open communication will be achieved if the leader creates an open dialogue with the team members. They should be made to feel they are in a safe environment that does not threaten their job or expose the errors made to improve sharing and communication.
Managing performance
Employee performance is directly linked to the success and performance of a business. A manager is required to set trends and be a role model for the employees in the entire process (Gallo). The manager should seek leadership and management support from other leader and managers. They will provide guidance, help and support for the employees to encourage employees to work harder. The manager should also establish a well-planned process for rewarding and promoting accomplishments, behaviours and actions that affect the success of the business. The manager can regularly attend training and coaching programs to improve performance management skills.
Managing employee altitudes
The effectiveness of a manager depends on how they create the appropriate attitudes and behaviours in employees. Activities concerning employee welfare and recognition programs should be used to ensure employee satisfaction, a mediating factor for positive employee attitudes. Three-part assessment can be used to deal with toxic employees. It involves discussing the employee with the manager and then reaching out to the employee directly, to discuss situation, behaviour and its effect. At times, some employee does not fit within the working unit; hence if they do not show behaviour change, the manager should let them go. Open communication should be established in that employee can raise any issue with the manager to help establish and motivate those with negative attitudes. The manager can discuss with employees on the impacts personal altitudes on the whole workforce and provide recommendations on eliminating them. Employees should be challenged and encouraged to create a synergistic workplace and working as a team
Undermanaging
A manager should resolve a conflict by tackling the issue immediately. It is important to listen to the employees and ask questions and guide team members towards a solution (Tank). Employees struggling to deliver results means the manager is not providing guidance structure and support required by the team to succeed. Regular training for the manager may help correct the problem. Supporting initiative changes and encouraging team members to support the same is important for positive results delivery. Not holding the employee accountable will make them miss deadlines. They should be aware of the managers’ expectations. Hold performance conversation with the employees to make a change in behaviour to give a positive performance.
Micromanagement
While micromanaging may lead to results in the short-term, it negatively affects team members and the organization. Team members become demoralized, and their development is restricted. (Tank). A manager should be aware of both the benefits and disadvantages of micro-management. They should learn to assign responsibilities to other members as a way of empowering them. Direct discussions with other reports regarding the level of detail to engage in and where you are needed is important to avoid conflicts. Sharing expectations is okay, but dictating ways of getting the result will not yield good results from team members.
Becoming a successful manager is among the hardest challenges a new manager faces. Successful leadership is not necessarily based on the skills that help one reach management level (Stine). However, a manager has a lot to learn from other team members through feedback since every interaction is a moment to learn. Training and leadership management plays a vital role for a leader. Seeking support, mentorship, and new opportunities increase managerial performance.
Conclusion
Managers are faced with challenges throughout their managerial careers. One of the most difficult challenges is becoming a successful leader for a new manager. However, it provides the chance to grow personally and professionally. Effective problem-solving skills and open communication will be achieved if a leader can create an open dialogue with the team members to improve on self-management. A manager can regularly attend training and coaching programs to improve performance management skills. Employees should be challenged and encouraged to create a synergistic workplace that attracts external employees. Employees should also be held accountable to enable meet targets and deadlines. A leader should continuously seek support and mentorship to improve managerial skills to achieve managerial success.
Works cited
Gallo, Amy. “Role Of Managers In Performance Management”. Managementstudyguide.Com, 2020, https://www.managementstudyguide.com/role-of-managers-in-performance-management.htm.
Jackson, Rachel. “How To Motivate And Inspire Your Team To Achieve Better Results | Impraise”. Impraise, 2020, https://www.impraise.com/blog/how-to-motivate-and-inspire-your-team-to-achieve-better-results.
Linman, Daniel, and Jennifer Broflowski. “Self-Management Skills For Employees, Or How To Be A Productive Employee”. Mymanagementguide.Com, 2020, https://mymanagementguide.com/self-management-skills-for-employees-or-how-to-be-a-productive-employee/.
Stine, Jennifer. “How Self-Awareness Makes You A Better Manager”. Blog.Dce.Harvard.Edu, 2020, https://blog.dce.harvard.edu/professional-development/how-self-awareness-makes-you-better-manager.
Tank, Aytekin. “How To Strike A Balance Between Micromanaging And Under-Managing”. Entrepreneur, 2020, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/342433.