The Making of a Manager – Methods and approaches to becoming a great boss. This is an important topic because being a good boss is not easy. Many people who used to be good and capable subordinates, but when they became a boss, they failed. And some people even gave up and did not want to be a boss anymore.
Promotion is the advancement that every employee is waiting for. It is a major role change from being an employee or team member to being a manager. From the position and the name, it is clear that we are about to become a full-fledged leader. But this kind of positive change often comes with a challenge that increases the level of difficulty, like playing a game in the later levels, which everyone knows that the first levels of the game are always easier.
What kind of leader? How to be successful?
This book, The Making of a Manager, is a handy guide for new managers who need someone to guide them on their way to becoming a product designer. It was written by Julie Zhuo , a former software engineering intern at Facebook. She was a product design manager at the age of 25, and she based her experience on the book. It offers guidance on how to do great work, how to make your team listen, and how to motivate them to do more than they already do. This is not a dream, but a way to find out in this book.
“Because our work requires a lot of our skills, and many people in the team rely on us.”
We must first understand that being a manager is certainly not an easy journey. Times change, there are many new ideas and phenomena for you to get used to. In this role, it is necessary to be flexible enough to adapt to new things and disciplined enough to stand by the values that will make us win. This challenge may seem impossible, but if we are determined enough to do our best, we will definitely get the results we want.
“If we have to serve eggs, toast and coffee to a customer, all three dishes have to reach the customer at the same time.”
We must use the basic steps of production to create and deliver the products that customers want on time, with acceptable quality and at the lowest cost. Sometimes the terms from the customers are not always favorable to the manufacturers. It is our responsibility to deliver the products on the agreed time while making the best possible profit from the bargain.
“Careless movement creates an imperfect process in the work.”
It is important that we understand the production process very well and document all the steps in which direction it will take. We do this by specifically identifying the actions that will take more time or effort. If a customer asks for eggs, toast and coffee, we need to plan the whole thing around the time it will take to prepare the eggs, because this important step determines everything.
Our production process starts with the most difficult step and moves to the easiest step. During production, there are three main operations as follows:
- Manufacturing process: This step changes the physical state of the raw material, such as from raw eggs to boiled eggs.
- Assembly This step brings the products together to create a new identity.
- Testing The new identity must be tested for features.
These steps can be applied to any type of work, no matter what the activity is. Even when trying to do this carefully, there is always the possibility of complications. We will have to adjust our production process to accommodate these complications.
“No rule is too strict. Adapt your approach to every change.”
Unexpected events can occur when we have to work on two or more important tasks simultaneously. In such cases, we can look for additional help so that they (our team) can handle the tasks in different stages on our behalf. Although we can lighten the workload, the disadvantage is that we will lose more money and resources. When the work depends on others, we may be less able to predict or understand the situation of the work because we do not have full control over all the steps.
“Our job is to find the best way to implement the plan.”
Our job as managers is to find the most cost-effective way to allocate our resources while trying to maximize profits. We must regularly check the quality of the goods produced, equipment, delivered goods and raw materials available to us. These steps are important because goods have value when they move through the production process. It is important to detect problems as early as possible. Careful monitoring of every step of production will help prevent unnecessary losses.
“The secret is to work smarter, not harder.”
The more people like our service, the more our business will grow. As a manager, this means we have more staff and resources to look after. We need good KPIs that show change. Good KPIs cover outcomes beyond activities and measure tangible things. Our systems need to be able to compete with other organizations in the market while still satisfying our customers. If we do this, we will see an increase in our efficiency.
“Our success as managers is measured by the performance of the team.”
A manager’s job is never really over. There is always work to be done. Our results are not just what we do, but the results of the organization and the teams under our management or responsibility. Our lines of communication must always be open, so that our teams can tell us what is bothering them while we find solutions together. Because doing well is not enough; our teams should be able to do it too.
“A wrong meeting not only wastes everyone’s time, but also ruins the participants’ ideas.”
Often, meetings take longer than we think and can lead to conflicts. Meetings are a necessary part of any organization because they are a good way to exchange information. Therefore, meetings can be basically divided into two types as follows:
- Process meetings are regular meetings held to exchange knowledge and information.
- Mission meetings These are held from time to time to address specific issues.
Both types of meetings are essential for proper growth and management of the organization. Problems arise when too much time is spent on mission meetings, which means there are many immediate problems with no resolution, which is a sign of deeper problems in the organization. The bad news is that trying to solve many problems with no resolution can also be problematic.
“Before making a final decision, ask yourself when the decision needs to be made, who will make the decision, who should be consulted before making the decision, who will object to the decision, and who will have to know the consequences of the decision.”
Everyone has a responsibility as an organization to fully support the decision. Encourage people to speak their minds without fear of being ignored. Empower all employees to make decisions that others will accept. If you have to make a shocking decision, don’t walk away. Choose an appropriate time to speak broadly and give people time to think.
“It is important that we always move forward. We have to think about the future.”
An organization without a plan for the future is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Planning is a critical, thought-provoking process that takes into account the current state of the company. Study the environment while considering customer expectations and balancing the people in the team. For example, compare the capabilities of the team and the ongoing projects, then decide what needs to be cut or let go. This will help us to clear the path for new projects and clear the way for what we need to accomplish. Managers should know when to let a project go, when to step in and provide support.
“We are the pieces that hold the other pieces of the puzzle together.”
Our teams are our organization’s greatest assets. They determine what success looks like because they work together. As managers, we are part of a larger organization, and we are responsible for balancing many different executive and team members. Their success depends on our ability to transform from executive to team member.
“We are the ones who set the rules, we should play by the same rules as they.”
Every organization needs rules. Our job is to make sure that everyone adheres to those rules. Everyone behaves differently in the workplace. As a manager, we need to set and adjust the rules for evaluation to make them most appropriate for everyone, and to set the example for our team members. If we, as managers, can do this, the rest of the team will feel like we can do it too.
“Our job as managers is to get the highest possible performance out of our teams through training and motivation.”
Everyone on our team is an important player, but we have to show them that as long as each member of our team is doing their best, is committed to their progress, motivation is not something we can always or permanently give our team members. What we can do is create an environment that encourages them to be motivated. As managers, it is our job to take note of these changes and keep our employees motivated, even though they may find the changes unsatisfactory.
“There is no perfect interview process. We can only try our best.”
Our management skills are tested every day. Some days we may have to do tasks that are more difficult than others we have ever encountered. The two hardest tasks we may have to do are:
- Interviewing a Potential Employee: In an interview, we have to determine whether or not he or she is a good fit in a short period of time. It can be quite daunting, but it is important to take the time to review past performance and references. However, these records can be distorted with a lot of false information. We may end up being wrong about the candidate, even though we tried our best. Remember, this process is not perfect.
- Try to retain potential employees: People leave the organization and get fired. It becomes a problem when a key employee decides to leave because they feel disliked. This means that we are not doing our job properly as a manager. We need to be careful in how we handle this situation. Do not argue and do not try to change their mind. Try to find a chance to talk or have a meeting where you can sell them a better deal. Do your best to find out what they are dissatisfied with and make sure that you find a way to resolve it. Valued employees are a good asset to the organization.
Conclusion
As a manager, no matter how challenging or difficult the road ahead is, being in this position indicates that we have a lot of responsibility in the organization. Tell yourself that if other people see that we should be in this position, it means that they believe that we can do it. They see our abilities. Therefore, we should believe in ourselves, do not be afraid to progress, and happily accept the role of a manager.
If we want to improve our work as a manager, this is a good sign and an indication that we have the determination to get things done. If we have ever doubted our abilities, think again because we have everything we need to manage our team successfully.
“Take the time to be a manager, review the performance of your team members, find out who deserves a promotion or a move to another department, and be sure to reward everyone accordingly for their efforts.”
