It’s not just about you anymore
There is more to being successful in a management role than personal ambition and star quality
Top performers may rake in the results and smash targets, but does this make great managers? Not necessarily. Though star players often attract the attention of their seniors, there is more to management than ambition and the drive to succeed.
Human resources experts will tell you that sometimes strong performers can crash and burn under the pressure of managing others.
“When people are promoted up the ranks, it is usually thanks to their strong technical skills,” says Jason Walker, managing director of Hays in New Zealand.
“But as any successful manager knows, there’s a whole new set of skills required at this level — which only grows if an employee will also be managing people.”
So how do you know if someone has the skills and attitude to start managing people?
A recent survey of companies around New Zealand and Australia reported that 80 per cent of employers scrutinised potential managers using a variety of observational and assessment tools.
They were looking for a wide range of competencies, which those who are wanting to move into management should take note of.
Walker says that being a team player and a strong cheerleader for the company are vital attributes em- ployers look for in potential managers. Credibility is important, as are communication skills.
“Managers also need to have genuine compassion — be caring and authentic,” he says. Emotional intelligence is vital. “They need to be able to walk into a room and read the feeling of the situation. This can stop managers from making bad decisions based on misunderstanding of staff morale.”
Many ambitious employees don’t think about the sacrifices they will have to make if they are to move up the chain.
Walker says that this can trip people up if they aren’t prepared.
Managers have far more time pressures than less senior staff — longer hours, more time in meetings and potentially time spent travelling. This can mean stress on family life and less time for leisure activities.
Then there’s the issue of conflict. Conflict management is a key component of any management role; and you need to be prepared to say ‘ no’.
“You can’t really be a peoplepleaser if you’re in a management role,” says Walker.
Resilience is vital — you won’t always be popular — and you need to be able to see the overall picture when making hard decisions.
One of the key challenges high achievers face when promoted to a management role is the relegation of their own ambition to the back burner.
This is especially true of people in sales roles — a promotion from sales to management roles sometimes means a drop in salary and this can be hard to adjust to.
Walker says managing the ambition of top performers who are promoted into management roles can be tricky. “High achievers have proved that they can work hard, but often they aren’t prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to help others improve their own performance,” he says.
Managers who value their own career more than the business as a whole can lead to staff disengagement. Sometimes these high achievers want the title and the money, but aren’t prepared to accept the accountability and sacrifice the role requires.
Though top performers often seem like the logical people for management roles, given their level of expertise and understanding of the requirements of the business, the best mana- gers aren’t always the shining stars.
All managers need to have some level of credibility — good performance is important — but empathy, passion for the company and ability to see the big picture can be just as important.
But there needs to be proven success in the current role. “Anyone who is promoted needs to have proven that they can achieve certain targets that are in place,” says Walker.
“If they have proven themselves capable of reaching these targets they will have achieved the standards needed to give them credibility.”
Training is a key component of the rise to management. If an employee is resistant to constructive criticism and new learning, it can be detrimental to their rise up the ranks.
“They need to show they have the ability to accept instruction and balance their credibility with empathy and ability,” says Walker.
He says New Zealanders are some of the least ambitious people in the world. Many are resistant to promotion as it will change the relationship they have to their mates at work.
“Workmates become your actual mates; if someone is promoted this changes and it becomes a ‘them and us’ situation.”
But if someone has the gumption to take on the challenges and sacrifices of management, he says it can yield fantastic rewards. “Even an incremental increase in performance by one of the staff you manage and make the job worthwhile.”