How happy do you think your team is? Would it surprise you that around 80 percent of employees worldwide are not engaged or are actively disengaged in their job? (Gallup 2021).
Now let me share some other statistics. The Bute Group (2020) runs three ongoing surveys; they have hosted these surveys since 2017. The question recipients are asked: to the general workforce, would you re-employ your manager as your manager if you had the option? As of July 2020, the response was 81 percent would not re-employ their manager.
This same question was posted to the first-line managers: would you re-employ your manager as your manager if you had the option? 88 percent responded that they would not re-employ their manager.
The question targeted at senior managers: if you had the opportunity on Monday to re-employ your existing direct reports or employ a new team, which would you choose? 79 percent responded that they would like to employ a new team of their choice.
All of the above statistics show that many people are not engaged in their roles. It is also interesting that employees are not happy with their managers, and managers are not happy with their teams. Go figure!
So, what is the issue?
It is more than just lousy management; however, lousy management plays a big part in this. From empirical observation, it is clear that managers and leaders can turn a happy, confident individual into a stressed, underperforming, and lacking individual. In addition, managers can also create a platform of harmony and productivity within toxic companies.
Whose responsibility is this to correct? The reality is the responsibility lies with you, the manager. An inexperienced manager will always look to blame external sources for issues around motivation and productivity, and the external source is often the team. I hope as you read this that you consider your team to be a valuable resource, and they do you.
A like for like response
There is typically one of three paths of engagement a new senior manager will take upon promotion.
- Too involved – An inexperienced and non-confident manager will become overly involved with day-to-day operations. This will reduce your direct reports’ perceived level of authority amongst their team, your peers, and your senior leadership team. If this carries on for an extended period of time, it will be perceived that you, the manager, are unable to manage the promotion. If this was an internal promotion, it will be vital that you learn to delegate your previous responsibilities and find your happy medium in terms of engagement, delegation, and stepping back.
- Cutting ties – Not acknowledging your extended team at all suggests a lack of caring. Again, this can be perceived as an inexperienced manager not having the time or recognizing the importance of engaging, being open, and being friendly.
- Balancing their engagement – The ideal path is to find a workable balance between engagement and delegation. This includes having conversations with your extended team and ensuring that you effectively utilize your direct reports to communicate your instructions and wishes to their team.
A question of trust
Do not underestimate how much your team will value your perceived level of trust in them. If you are still holding on to your previous responsibilities due to a lack of resources, you do not have the confidence to commit to the new role. Continuing to hold on to previous responsibilities after a promotion highlights several other points; most notably, you do not trust your new team to carry out your previous responsibilities.
Ask yourself why you are not passing these on? It may be that you don’t trust your team to carry out the responsibilities; you may consider them inferior in terms of skill set, maybe their attitude isn’t up to scratch, maybe their standards aren’t the same as yours, or they won’t do it the same way as you did it. These are just excuses to hold on to a task that comforts and is reassuring for the most part. If it is true, compare existing abilities with required capabilities. A great move would be to engage HR, and your manager should recognize this as a positive intervention by you as someone looking to develop their team and themselves and get the best ROI for the business.
A further KPI of a successful manager is the level of trust they place on their team. If you can trust your team, it is time to carry out an exploratory exercise based on facts and explores what your team can carry out. This exploratory exercise often leads to the manager noting that their perception of the team’s capabilities was incorrect. It was their own bias against the team and not the team’s inability to carry out the work,
The team is mirroring you
As you become more integrated within your role, you will find your style; ensure that this reflects your ideal personal reputation and brand. If your team is simply not getting things right, stop looking at your communication style.
It is not the team’s responsibility to know your style and work accordingly; it is your responsibility as a manager that you recognize others’ communication styles and act accordingly. If the team’s behavior and attitudes aren’t as you wish, it is likely they are mirroring your behavior. Or perhaps it is a hangover from their previous manager.
Be open with your team on what and why you measure and benchmark. Ensure that you demonstrate the culture, values, and guiding principles that you wish to see and measure within your team. Food for thought, also ask your team what they believe you, as their manager, should be measured on; it may be eye-opening.
In summary, the root cause of many team troubles lies firmly at the feet of the senior manager. Whether historical behavior from a former manager has set the wrong precedent, or you are bringing some poor management baggage with you into your new role, it is vital that you take an urgent, comprehensive, and honest look at the issues which are present within your team (this includes in your management approach). Understand your role in enabling these issues to persist, determine what actions you can take to change any negative behaviors, and find ways to empower direct reports to take over some of your previous responsibilities. Only then will you be able to give your new role the attention it needs and deliver the first-class leadership that your team deserves.
