How to Be More of a Manager and Less of a Technician
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Most entrepreneurs know the importance of working “…ON your business and not IN it,” an important business point Michael Gerber Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone film Bundy: An American Icon film download Scar dvd Charlie Wilson’s War ipod made in his book The E-Myth Revisited. But managers are also guilty of being too much of a technician—bogged down with details and doing too many of the tasks they should have delegated to others.
This is due to not having the necessary infrasture in place, but it’s also due to having insufficient confidence in your employees or team members. Technical skills are necessary, but not if you find yourself too often handling many details of your job, in which case you’ve created yourself as indispensable to the project getting done. This makes it pretty tough when you want to take a vacation or turn the project loose. You’ve created yourself as the team and the team leader. So, why should others rise to the occasion and be as enthusiastic or generative as you?
Talking to a client recently who had this work problem, it wasn’t surprising to learn that in her personal relationship she complained that her husband doesn’t come up with any of the plans for what to do, that “she” has to handle the whole social calendar. Do you find yourself in this situation, wanting support but still needing the control because your view is that no one else can help you with the organization or implementation as well as you can do it? Get over it and delegate, but you may need to put your attention into how you communicate your needs.
Communication requires a certain finesse in how you ask for what you want and also in how you empower others to think for themselves. Consider if it’s time to take a course in this or hire a coach to assist you in developing keen oral, written and nonverbal communication skills. Andrew Sherwood, president and CEO of Goodrich & Sherwood Company said, “…when most people move into middle management or beyond, performance criteria begin to shift and style becomes more important.” The “how” of doing your job. To maintain proficiency as someone who manages projects and people then, your communication skills are essential.
Ask yourself whether you’re too busy being engaged in making your work happen to get out from under all the details of it. Use four of Gerber’s questions, rewritten to apply to you as manager:
1. How can I get my business to work, but without me?
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2. How can I get my people to work, but without my micromanaging?
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3. How can I manage my business, still be free of it?
4. How can I spend my time doing the work I love to do, rather than the work I have to do?
Need help? Contact Laurie @creatingatwill.com
310.645.2874 (read our other blogs and articles for Managers)
Tags: communication, delegate, E-Myth, employee morale, well-being
