Have you got the balance right between looking at the big picture while focusing on the details of your daily role?
More meticulous management minutiae from +Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School…
So, what constitutes being a better boss?
JB: There is lots of advice out there on how to be a good manager or leader but it’s mostly pretty obvious stuff. The problem, I believe, is not to figure out what we should do. Rather, it is about understanding why we don’t do what we know we should do! So becoming a better boss is first and foremost about self-awareness: knowing what your own strengths and weaknesses, and learning to adapt accordingly. And second, it is about seeing the world through the eyes of our employees. These two reframing exercises then drive a fundamental shift in the ways we act as bosses.
Why is good management so difficult? Are good managers such a rarity?
JB: Alas, there are few really good managers out there. Or rather, there are few people who are CONSISTENTLY good managers. Lots of us do a good job from time to time, but the acid test of good management is to be able to do it when we are stressed or when the organisation is going through a tough time. This is because good management is a somewhat “unnatural” act – it requires us to give up control to others, and to let others take credit, when our natural predisposition is often one of taking ownership and credit ourselves. And this is especially true in difficult times.
The best executives are the ones who can ‘zoom in and zoom out’. Explain what you mean.
JB: This refers to being able to see the big picture while also understanding enough of the detail to be able to support and help those who work for you. Most people are good at one or other of these things, but the risk is that the ‘big picture’ executive ends up becoming disconnected from the real work, while the detail-focused executive ends up as a micromanager. So executives need to work very hard on getting the balance between these two things right.
Do you think that managers often lack the necessary training to be effective?
JB: Yes indeed. How many of us received training before we were given a managerial job? Almost none. And yet, the evidence is that being a good manager is difficult, and can only be learned through many years of experience, with feedback and coaching along the way.
Spell out the differences and cross-overs between effective managers and inspirational leaders?
JB: In terms of definitions, I see leadership as a process of social influence, while management is getting work done through others. Viewed in this way, leadership and management are just two sides of the same coin – anyone who wants to be an effective executive has to do both. I have come to view the debate about leadership versus management as somewhat unhelpful, which is one reason I talk about becoming a better “boss” in this book.
We often hear of born leaders. Can leadership be nurtured or developed?
JB: Clearly some people are born with a more natural ability to inspire their colleagues and to talk with passion and charisma. But my research suggests that these things are a small part of the whole story. Most of the work of leadership and management is actually skills that can and should be developed over time, and through hard graft.
Should more senior executives follow the example of the TV show, Undercover Boss, and see the world through the frontline worker’s lens?
JB: Yes absolutely. Clearly, it is impractical for most of us to spend time “undercover” in the manner of the TV show. But there are many smaller ways of getting ourselves closer to the front line, and into the mindset of the people working for us. For example, many retail bosses spend time serving behind the food counter and working the tills.
How do managers go about motivating and getting the best out of Gen Y employees?
JB: Gen Y employees are different to older employees primarily because of their affinity to technology, especially social networking technology. They also typically have less loyalty to their employers, and think nothing of switching jobs as opportunities arose. So everything I am saying in my book about making work more intrinsically interesting applies particularly to Gen Y. In particular, the notion of allowing people to blend work and play – for example using work time to browse Facebook – is very important.
You’re CEO of a multinational for a day. What one change would you instigate?
JB: Well you cannot get much done in a day! The problem is, being an effective boss is as much about the consistency of your action over time as it is about the specific things you do. But with this point in mind, here is my simple one-day intervention that builds on a lot of the points mentioned earlier: I would get every mid-level and senior manager in the company to either spend that day with a customer or with a front-line employee two levels below them.
Management or an MBA?
JB: Well, the interesting thing here is that most MBA programmes, including the one at London Business School, spend very little time on the subject of management itself. Instead, the focus is on the more technical aspects of business, from finance to strategic thinking to consumer behaviour. So if you want to become a better manager per se you are better off getting a personal coach, seeking feedback from those around you, and diligently seeking to improve. An MBA programme is invaluable for providing you with the depth and breadth of understanding of how businesses work, but it is not a substitute for the experiential learning you get in the workplace.
And finally, what are your top tips for the management masses?
JB: I am reluctant to boil my work down to a specific set of “things you should do” because a big part of the problem is that management does not lend itself to quick fixes – just as you cannot become a better golfer, or lose weight, by just following a list of top tips. So I would reframe the question slightly. My top tips are two: (1) As a manager, always try to look at things through the eyes of your employees; and (2) Become more self-aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, by seeking advice and feedback whenever possible.
+Julian Birkinshaw has written extensively about management and leadership, including his most recent book, “Becoming A Better Boss: Why Good Management is So Difficult”. Julian is Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School.
Find out more about Julian and his work
No comments:
Post a Comment