Managers: Why most screw up
Everyone has a boss. Someone said this, and is true.
You are likely to manage people and be managed by someone. If you are a freelancer, it could be your clients. If you are an entrepreneur, it could be your board. Since we will all share this fate, we must try to understand the kind of managers that you might encounter and more importantly, understand the type of manager you want to be.
Four kind of managers exist in the wild.
Task Managers: These obsess over the task at hand and their key objective is to get the task done. They are focussed on the “what” and not the “why”. Most managers tend to fall into this bucket. Task orientation helps young talent crush individual tasks and get promoted to management. These managers are not great for their teams. They can be very effective on short timelines and narrow set of objectives. They get some things done, but normally miss the year for the quarter and don’t increase the value of their team over time.
Process Managers: These obsess over process, they like control on how its done. They believe the right process with the right people will lead to consistent results. They like order and structure, these are great managers for staying the course and executing on a known motion. Most people who thrive at large organizations, tend to really good at this form of management. They design the people around the process, and usually aren’t great when there is chaos, new product development or crisis. If you like their process, it is smooth sailing for you. But if you don’t, you will be in severe pain.
People Managers: These obsess over their people, understand what drives them and take time explaining the why of what the collective should aim for. They spend hours aligning people’s why around the collective why. They over-index on transparency and communication, they believe great people need direction and coaching, not management. They play that role. They are great for managing through chaos or long term objectives. They are less likely to shine on short-term projects and narrow mandates.
Dream Managers: These people do something unique, they build and sell a grand vision. A vision so grand and compelling, that people are drawn to it. People feel this inner desire to be a part of it, to prove themselves worthy of this mission and drive themselves to length to achieve this vision. These managers are rare breed, but they draw into our deepest insecurities, desire to prove and be a part of something important to bring the best out from us. But they can be terrible for your mental sanity, they rarely care about the feelings of their people, and strike out against anyone who is not aligned to the “dream” or the “vision”. For the believers, they will painfully but very often take them to the promised land. For the non-believers, their version of truth will clash with your reality and leave you distorted. To them everyone and every hour is a sacrifice for this greater objective. So dream big with them, work hard but be prepared to pay the price.
Most managers or leaders are a combination of two or more. Imagine a four way intersecting venn diagram. Task managers and process managers are in abundance as these are easy styles to learn at most companies. People managers learn their craft either by having a great people manager or having high EQ or empathy. All these 3 styles of management can be learnt by osmosis and coaching, but the fourth is like charisma, you either have the inclination or instinct for it, or you don’t. You still have to work on it, but you must have a certain inclination or instinct.
