Leading People

The 10 Things Successful Managers Know and Do (2nd Edition)

The role of the manager is to achieve the business goals set for them and at the same time to provide an environment that allows their team members to be effective and satisfied with their work while developing their full potential. It is not a balance between work and people as both outcomes must be achieved.

The ‘10 things successful managers know and do’ is based a coherent framework for managing people in the context of an organisation i.e. the ‘Leadership Framework’. It addresses leadership at the individual, team and organisational levels. It’s based not just on management customs but is underpinned by solid research combining sociology and psychology with management science.

At the Frameworks core is a strong manager - employee relationship. This is a two-way, trusting, productive, working relationship focused on achieving business goals with team members working to their full potential. For managers to be a successful manager they must:

1. Understand their role. The role of the manager is to achieve the business goals set for them and at the same time, provide an environment that allows their team members to be effective and satisfied with their work while developing their full potential.
2. Understand the role of others. Organisations have extensive networks of people working together and unless there is a clear understanding of the accountabilities and authorities of other roles and strong understanding of the legitimate nature of these working relationships, work will be inefficient and conflict can occur.
3. Build a team that works together to deliver business outcomes bringing together the full capability of team members. There must be a shared understanding of why the team exists and what they are expected to deliver. The manager creates a work environment that encourages a good flow of information and advice in all directions – top down, bottom up, across the team and the organisation.
4. Build mutual trust and a strong, two-way, trusting, working relationship with each team member. The focus of the relationship is to achieve business goals and the employee working to their full potential. Productive work is enabled by systemic trust and fairness and is reduced by fear.
5. Have integrated models for people and work. Without a clear and integrated framework managers will not have a theoretical or practical base of knowledge for what they do or how they do it. This can result in poor decision making and inconsistent treatment of team members, work will be inefficient and conflict can occur.
6. Create effective roles and put with good people in them. Effectively designed roles fill with capable people is the foundation to building a successful team.
7. Effectively assign work to team members and then assess this work to ensure it has been performed at the required standard. Effectively assigning and assessing work enables managers to achieve their business outcomes and at the same time allows team members to be satisfied with their work and helps build strong manager - employee working relationships.
8. Build an effective team, so that each member is fully committed to and capable of moving in the direction set. They create opportunities to coach team members on how to be more effective.
9. Recognize and reward team members appropriately and fairly. The ideal state is where the employee can say ‘I feel I am working at a level suited to my capability and I am fairly rewarded for that work. I feel I am contributing to the success of the organisation and I can see a clear link between my performance and my remuneration’.
10. Identify ways to improve how work can be done more effectively and efficiently and implement the necessary changes for this to occur. When the direction of the team or organisation changes, managers lead their team in the direction set.
11. Performing these ‘10 things’ effectively will make managers and create a work environment where people feel productive and valued.