The manager as a team player
(This post written by rebeccat)
At work, I exist in this weird role where I’m not quite one of the teachers, but I’m not quite part of the management. For the most part, it works. When I need to be a teacher, I’m a teacher. When I need to be more mangerial, I’m a manager.
One day, I got to thinking about this situation, thinking about how often this has been the case for me. At school. In volunteer positions. I seems to often find myself walking this fine line between manager and grunt (if you’ll pardon my expression). It occurred to me that people have long responded well to my managerial style, and as I sat there trying to reflect on my current situation, it dawned on me why.
When I was in leadership development in high school, one of the lessons drilled into our head was that you should never ask someone to do something you yourself aren’t willing to do. I embraced that theory as a teenager, and it’s still very much a critical part of my leadership style. I make a point of working right alongside those I lead.
In a lot of ways, it’s very freeing. Everyone can see I’m in there trying to get the job done, and so they feel encouraged to get the job done. Because I’m busy trying to pull my weight, I delegate tasks to people and then trust them to follow through. It’s amazing how that encourages my team to try just a bit harder, because they feel they have a say, that their say counts.
I hear horror stories about people working with managers who stay removed from the team for fear of losing that sense of who’s in charge. I just can’t do it. I need to be not only visible, but an active part of my team.
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POSTED IN: management
3 opinions for The manager as a team player
Ben
Aug 26, 2006 at 6:06 am
Thats the golden rule of management. It needs to be said more often. Thanks.
Andre
Aug 28, 2006 at 5:09 am
I wholeheartedly agree…as I dive into the world of work (recent college grad) and strive to become a leader, I really think this is the best way to do things and I think this is my leadership style as well. Loving the blog
jack
Sep 1, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I’ve somehow morphed into the mana-grunt myself. My situation is one of leading a small team on a short-term projects, then upon complettion the team disbands and I’m strictly a grunt. When a new mission arise, it is then back to a team leader. Rinse and repeat. Maybe it isn’t managerial work exactly, but close.
The difference, I think with your situation, is that I don’t have much — if any — leeway when it comes to not doing the work The other drawback to this is when I’m in a position of having to “order” certain work be done when I’m not present and with which the team member disagrees. (It’s complicated.)
Here’s where the foot in both words becomes kind of a kick in the arse — mostly mine. I’m, fortunately, always backed by supervisors, but not after a bit of fire and brimstone.
Because of this, I’ve really been working to extricate myself from “leading”, but while our team members are very talented at their jobs, they’re not exactly the type to run a project, so I’m stuck for the time being. I hold out hope of being just a grunt though…
oh, and I don’t see any extra $ for the “managing” which is a bite.