What is the job of a manager? Conventional wisdom says that managers hire and fire, assign work, coordinate work across the team and between teams, ensure team members are present and working on assigned work, and handle unusual situations, special requests, and other emergencies.
If our work were repetitive grunt work, then a conventional manager would be fine. But there is no more grunt work. We and our work have enjoyed a broad evolution over the past half-century. Today, every job demands people who think and act for themselves.
Our conventional understanding of management hasn’t evolved to keep up. Today, managers get to set the goals and standards. They still hire and fire. They coach. Mostly, managers must build and sustain an environment where the rest of the team members succeed. The team members do the rest.
In your corner,
Mike
Today’s photo credit: Stuart Chalmers via photopin cc