Management is often misunderstood as a role that involves controlling people and their actions. However, this is a flawed perception of what management really is. At its core, management is about guiding and supporting employees to achieve their best work and contribute to the success of the organization. In this article, we will explore why management isn’t about walking around to control people and what it should be about instead.
Empowering Employees
One of the main responsibilities of a manager is to empower employees to do their best work. This means providing them with the resources, support, and guidance they need to succeed. Rather than walking around to control people, managers should focus on fostering a culture of trust and collaboration that encourages employees to take ownership of their work and contribute to the organization’s success. When employees feel empowered, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to their work.
Building Relationships
Another important aspect of management is building strong relationships with employees. Rather than controlling people, managers should focus on understanding their team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
This involves taking the time to get to know each employee as an individual, listening to their concerns, and providing them with opportunities to grow and develop. When managers invest in building relationships with their team members, they are more likely to create a positive work environment that encourages open communication and collaboration.
Setting Clear Expectations
Effective management also involves setting clear expectations for employees. Rather than using control as a means of managing performance, managers should provide employees with a clear understanding of what is expected of them in terms of goals, deadlines, and performance metrics.
By setting clear expectations, managers can create a culture of accountability and responsibility that encourages employees to take ownership of their work and strive for excellence.
Encouraging Learning and Development
Finally, good management is about encouraging learning and development. Rather than walking around to control people, managers should provide employees with opportunities to grow and develop their skills.
This can include training programs, mentorship, and coaching, as well as providing opportunities for employees to take on new challenges and responsibilities. By encouraging learning and development, managers can create a culture of continuous improvement and innovation that drives the success of the organization.
Conclusion: Management isn’t about walking around
In conclusion, management is not about walking around to control people. Instead, it is about empowering employees, building relationships, setting clear expectations, and encouraging learning and development. When managers take a more collaborative and supportive approach to their role, they create a positive work environment that fosters engagement, motivation, and commitment among employees. By focusing on these core principles, managers can help their teams achieve their best work and contribute to the success of the organization.
Management isn’t about walking around and seeing if people are in their offices, It is about creating the best conditions for people to work!
Management is tricky. In a big and established organisation, workers are well entrenched and look upto bonus, promotion etc for motivation. In a discovery organisation or a start up organisation, employees must the self motivated and get kick out of success they create. One key trick is to hire who are self motivated and are excited about the work they are doing. It is the job of management to recruit such go getters and self motivated employees.
True Abhijit, i think it is one of the harder challenges as a startup – there’s no ability to entice either with money or big brand. The only opportunity the startups have is literally the quality of work and the growth curve. Quite a challenge I must say. On the top of it employee attrition too. So it’s quite an onus on the founders to make it as exciting as possible and of course find self motivated people who don’t need much handholding