Who am I – Manager or Men-ager?
Most of us claim to be good managers – or we would no longer be in our position. A great moment to reflect this self-assessment, maybe backed on feedback. When is a manager a manager and when is a manager great? To manage an organization provides direction and leadership. The relevant direction can be deducted from the actual situation an organization is in (and we may name it strategy or strategic direction), while leadership is something connected to time, culture and the individuals working for an organization.
We all have seen great, average, and poor managers in our life. What made the difference? Poor managers tend not to care about the organization, even they may claim to do so. Poor managers may talk about being careful with resources, but do not respect time, change priorities like socks, bring more work in an organization and force people to a certain behavior which is not healthy. They age the organization they are working with, believe people are tools one can easily change, and cause talent to leave. They may be called Men-agers.
To change an organization is always a massive task. Restructuring always travels with concerns, sometimes with fear. To improve organizational performance can only happen when many people working in an organization are willing to understand, contribute and accept the need for change. Or when a minority is willing to react hard and to erase opposition, resistance, different ideas. Managers will be strategy sound, motivators are translators, leaders. Men-agers use hierarchy, power, and force. Both types of people claim to act as they do for the benefit of all.
It´s always worth to ask yourself what you are – a manager or a men-ager. And what you want to be. An indication may be whether you work with or against the organization. With then 5P methodology we have developed a tool to support change and innovation. It´s working well, proven in various turnaround situations and multiple restructurings.