When you are just one of the team, managing others can seem like a stroll in the park. Yet in truth when people move into a management roles they often discover just how challenging it can be.
So what are 6 key barriers to effective management?
Barrier 1: Putting It At The Bottom of The List
So often I come across managers who, despite being clear that a key part of their role is managing, fill 100% of their schedule doing things. Inevitably managing which is near the bottom never gets a look in because people are too busy doing. Only you can make it priority.
Barrier 2: Refusing To Learn How To Manage
No matter what it is, you have to be willing to set time aside to learn how to manage. Yet some people feel that it is something you can just pick up. The reality is that there a huge cost to organisations financially and otherwise as a result of having managers who cannot manage.
Barrier 3: Not Delegating
You probably got promoted because you were good at doing. As a result you might try to keep doing everything by yourself. The trouble is that if you ever want to deliver great results you have start delegating.
Barrier 4: Failing To Motivate
People don’t just get motivated because your job title has “manager” in it. You need to actively take steps to find out what it is that motivates people and then actively seek to provide opportunities that allows them the chance to do what makes them tick most of the time.
Barrier 5: Ignoring Performance Problems
Sooner or later some sort of performance problem will arise. It might be tempting to try and ignore these in the hope that they will go away. What I have found is that when you do this small issues end up being blown out of proportion. If you want to stand out as a manager, develop a habit of acting on performance problems.
Barrier 6: Procrastinating
People might not like every decision you take but in reality they would rather you take decisions rather than procrastinate. If you find yourself procrastinating, stand back and ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen if I decided and acted?” The truth is, probably nothing major.
The Bottom Line: Management will always present some challenges and quite often small changes can make a huge difference to your success.