Everyone knows an ineffective manager can make workers of all levels miserable, which can result in low employee morale, stress, and turnover. And according to research from the Human Capital Institute, managerial effectiveness continues to decline.
Here are some typical bad habits of ineffective managers:
· Lacks basic communication and emotional skills
· Impatient, arrogant, entitled
· Inconsistent
· Micromanages
So why are some managers ineffective?
It could be because these managers define themselves only as a manager, and not also as a leader. They may view leadership and management as two different entities, when in reality leadership and management need to go hand-in-hand.
Leadership and management are not necessary the same thing, but they are linked together. Managers try to plan, organize, and coordinate, and leaders aim to inspire and motivate. While those are distinct sets of actions, both are necessary for success.
Sure, a foreman in an industrial-era factory probably didn’t have to give much thought to what he was producing or to the people who were producing it, as long as the job got done as ordered. However, in today’s business environment, value comes from the knowledge of people. People look to managers not just to assign them tasks, but to define a purpose. Decision-making, being assertive with ideas, communicating more clearly, and clarifying goals and objectives are all competencies that have increased in today’s management role. Managers must organize workers, not just to maximize efficiency, but to nurture skills, develop talent, and inspire results.
Being an ineffective manager is changeable. When a manager adds leadership competencies, he or she can better understand how to utilize their people to inspire peak performance. The manager needs to make every effort to coach their team but understand how to do so without micromanaging. After all, if a manager selects the right people for a team, the functioning team can solve many of its own problems.
A key way to develop leadership skills is to use management and leadership development assessments that can provide feedback to the manager. 360 Feedback results can clearly highlight the particular areas for the manager that need additional training.
Someone who is both a manager and a leader will provide the company a competitive advantage in today’s ever-changing business environment.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe management and leadership skills are linked together? Why or why not?
Source: Wall Street Journal
