Copyright National Research Bureau Aug 2004Managerial success requires more than knowing what to do. It also requires knowing those behaviors to avoid - the pitfalls that can hinder the path to success. The astute manager must consciously decide to avoid these common missteps to increase the probability of successful performance.
Failure to Delegate
Some management experts have indicated a failure to delegate is the single most critical reason for the failure of managers. The astute manager realizes that his or her success depends upon effectively delegating. The manager confident in his or her ability to surround himself or herself with skilled people, will then delegate to those individuals. A failure to delegate says a great deal more about the manager than the subordinates. It is actually a poor reflection on the manager's abilities and selfconfidence. There is a ripple effect experienced. Effective delegation enables the manager to accomplish more and develops subordinates simultaneously. Today's organizations thrive on empowered workforces. This goes hand-in-hand with delegation. To delegate effectively means first determining which tasks can be handed off to subordinates and who should actually perform those tasks. While everything should not be delegated (which comprises another critical managerial error), a careful assessment of any manager's tasks no doubt reveals some routine tasks that can be performed by others. This, then, frees up the manager's time to perform higher level tasks that can not be delegated.
When delegating, it is important to avoid micromanaging. That is, once the task is delegated, the manager must delegate the authority to achieve the task and then let the employee go. While the manager must follow-up, some degree of freedom must be afforded the employee to perform the task. Micromanaging doesn't buy the manager any more time and usually frustrates the employee.
Failure To Keep Learning
Today's managers must be committed to continuously learn. In an information age with a workforce of knowledge workers, the constant pursuit of knowledge is essential for success. Building learning organizations requires a workforce comprised of life-long learners. Skills can quickly become obsolete if one is not constantly updating them. The skill set that made a manager effective ten years ago has changed. Only those managers who constantly update their skills will remain successful. This pursuit of knowledge extends beyond one's own training and development to the training of others. Effective managers, then, are committed to the investment in the training and development of others. Just as companies must invest in their physical assets, they must also invest in their human resources. Employees must also be continually learning and it is the manager's responsibility to present these learning opportunities. Development of one's workforce requires an investment in the continual updating of their skills.
Underestimate the Power of Interpersonal Skills
Management is defined as getting things done through others. This means, then, that effective managers must be able to get alone well with others. Strong interpersonal skills are essential to managerial effectiveness. This includes upward, downward and lateral relationships.
Oftentimes, managers think only of cultivating relationships with their superiors. Equally important are those relationships with subordinates and peers. Subordinates can make or break the manager. The manager's successful performance depends (and is evaluated on) the successful performance of his or her subordinates as well. And lateral relationships with peers are critical to the cooperative environment " necessary today. A failure to cultivate the relationships with' peers dooms the manager's ability to work as a team.
With the move away from legitimate power and the traditional organizational hierarchy, interpersonal skills have taken on added importance. This has also been reflected in the growing attention to emotional intelligence in the workplace. Managers must not only have a handle on their own emotions but must be able to read the emotions of others. This enables the manager to better interact with others and to build more effective relationships.
Lack of Accountability
The ineffective manager will constantly pass the buck and rarely if ever stand up to be counted. Those managers who fail to be accountable generally have short-lived management careers or reach a plateau very quickly. They spend inordinate amounts of time focusing on self-preservation strategies and being "right" - instead of being effective. Making excuses is not the mark of a strong and effective manager. When wrong, the strong manager admits the error, learns from it and moves on. The manager who fails to accept accountability sets a poor example for his or her employees. Even more, the astute manager must also hold his or her employees accountable for their actions.
Failure to be accountable often equates to lack of visibility as well. These managers who avoid accountability are often hiding in the background and avoiding the limelight. Accountability cuts both ways. It can create strong, positive visibility for the manager who stands up to be held accountable.
Failure to "Walk the Talk"
Those managers giving lip service to any policy and then failing to set an example are ineffective. What managers do is truly more important than what they say. The old adage "Do as I say, not as I do" doesn't work in today's business environment. Managers are thrust into leadership roles and are expected to become role models for their employees. The very culture of the organization and the values embraced are shaped by the actions of managers - more so than their words.
Managers can quickly lose credibility if they fail to walk their own talk. As ethical issues have once again become the focus of many business discussions, the role models provided in organizations have taken on added importance. Subordinates throughout the organization will model the behaviors they see in their managers - regardless of the "company line" that is communicated. Actions really do speak louder than words.
Lack of Knowledge of the Business
Today's successful manager must possess more than just functional area skills. It is no longer sufficient to just have strong technical skills. Without full knowledge of the business, the manager cannot possibly understand how best to contribute to the strategic objectives of the firm. And the manager cannot assist his or her employees in contributing to the company's goals without in depth knowledge of how the business operates.
The strategic thinking critical to organizations requires a full understanding of the operation of the business. Recognizing the importance of this knowledge, more companies are using lateral transfers to ensure managers gain a better overall understanding of the entire business. This knowledge includes understanding the industry within which the business operates as well.
Inability to Communicate
It simply doesn't matter how good a manager is and how much he or she knows if this knowledge cannot be clearly articulated to others. The best ideas poorly communicated generally will remain just that good ideas that are never implemented. Only through effective communication skills can the organizational vision be articulated to others for buy-in.
These communication skills include both verbal and written abilities. To fulfill many of the managerial roles, effective communication is essential. Poor public speaking skills can doom a manager's career. Since management is all about getting things done through others, an inability to effectively communicate ties the hands of the manager and limits what can be accomplished.
Lack of Vision
Managers today must be transformational leaders. These are the leaders who possess vision. The manager who sees the future state of the organization is said to possess this vision. Without a vision of the company, how can the, workforce know in which direction they are moving? How can they know how to contribute?
Inability to Build Teams
It is critical that managers be exceptional team players. This team building ability also involves knowing how to compose a team. Effective managers must combat the inclination to surround themselves with others who are just like them. It is critical that managers surround themselves with good people who complement their skill sets. Research has proven that the most effective and most creative teams are diverse in nature. That is, heterogeneous team composition is critical to building a high performance team.
Failure to Make Decisions
Generally, it is a lack of confidence in one's ability or a fear of being wrong thatihinders some managers from making decisions. They erroneously believe that if they don't make a decision, they cannot be wrong. Unfortunately, this reasoning is flawed since not making a decision IS a decision - an extremely poor one that often hurts the manager more in the long run.
Today's organizations require decisive individuals who can take risks. While on the surface a failure to make decisions may seem "safe," it can derail a career. Management is about decision-making on a daily basis. Failure to make decisions is a failure to manage.
Knowing some of the pitfalls to managerial success enables the astute manager to sidestep these problems. He or she can then take proactive steps to avoid them.
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