Help for Managers

Yes, even managers need help! 

(In some situations they need more help than their employees.)

Managaging employees is a tough job and most managers don't get the resources and help they need to do the best they could.

Frankly, some people aren't suited to be a manager.  And some, shouldn't be.  And others could be great managers if they got the right training and were developed properly.

But most managers get very little training or help.

Like Rodney Dangerfield, managers never get any respect.

And the position of manager doesn't get the respect that, perhaps, it should.  Why?  Because the position of manager is generally considered to be a rung on the career ladder to something higher. 

Managers don't get respect from employees. They figure managers just hang around all day, doing nothing except figuring out how make employees work harder and/or make their work harder.

Managers don't get respect from directors and vice-presidents/business owners because they are just one step up from employees and don't get have to do the really hard stuff like the directors and V-Ps do.

Finally, managers usually don't even get respect from their fellow-managers or from themselves, because they are considered to either be "just passing through" on their way to a higer level in the company or they have been promoted to their level of incompetency (the Peter Principle)... neither of which generates respect for the position or the person in the position.

Managing — The "Junior Officer Corps"

No one in the military strives to be a junior officer.  When someone enters the officer ranks, they start as some variant of a lieutenant (the title of the rank varies depending on the service so we will just use the term "lieutenant" to mean any of them.)  The whole system is designed to start an officer at that level and move them up the ranks.  Even enlisted men who aspire to be officers don't see lieutenant as their end goal, it is just a stepping stone on their way up.

In a similar way, no one (okay, almost no one) aspires to be a manager!  They either aspire to be something lower or something higher, but not the position of manager. 

Nobody who is a manager can truthfully say, "When I was a child, I wanted to grow up and be a (mid-level) manager."  He dreamed of being a cowboy, an astronaut, a CEO, a business owner or a movie star.  She dreamed of being a princess, a mother, a CEO, a business owner or a movie star.  But not a manager.

Ask any current manager, "Is this your dream job?"  I suspect the answer will be "no". 

So What's a Manager To Do?

1) Realize that you are in an intermediate position—one that carries small authority and little respect.

2) Decide whether you are going to be happy staying in what is considered to be an intermediate position.

3) If the answer to #2 is "No!", then use your time as a manager to prepare for the next step up the ladder... or start planning a career change.

4) If the answer to #2 is "Yes", then begin looking for training and resources that understand the unique nature of your position and that are geared to helping you be successful in it.  (Most books and training don't come with that outlook in mind.)

5) Consider engaging a career counseling service or a management coach to help you plan out the most effective strategy for your choices.

Some of the articles I have on this website may be of help to you.  I invite you to browse through them.  If there is something you think is missing or would like more information on, please use the feedback form.  I would be happy to hear from you.

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