Debunking management myths

It has been a long-held assumption that once a person reaches a position of management in a company, that person does not have to work as hard as they have in preceding years. This is a false notion that has recently been fed by advertising slogans that promote the belief that time spent in a management position at work is time spent doing nothing at all. Nothing could, or should, be further from the truth.

Managers who are able to tap into and use what makes their people tick are extremely valuable to an organisation.

Jill Hamlyn, MD of People Business

It is still a cause for concern that the South African IT industry is suffering from an acute shortage of effective managers. Many of those with the skills and talent to be dynamic leaders are still hopping the fence to what they perceive as the greener grass on the other side. As business and IT find themselves to be compatible partners, demand for quality managers is also still outstripping supply.

The flip side of the coin is that some people who are placed in a management position with all the demands that go with such a title find themselves ill-equipped to deal with the human resource issues presented on a daily basis.

It is a myth to assume that a manager does not need to be a people person. Managers who are able to tap into and use what makes their people tick are extremely valuable to an organisation. The idea that people are a company`s most important asset has become so often repeated that it is beginning to sound like a well-worn clich'e. It must be kept in mind that all clich'es contain a grain of truth and this is one that should be taken to heart and made into a mantra.

It has long been the rule that a position in management is the next logical step up the promotional ladder for any deserving employee. However, although promotion to a management position has traditionally been seen as a reward for hard work and perseverance, this does not mean that the people who have been promoted on the basis of their technical skills have the softer skills needed to be effective managers and motivators. Innate ability or inability to manage is not often taken into consideration when rewards are in the process of being handed out.

A contemplation of ability or inability to manage leads neatly on to the question of whether good managers are born or made. Considering the question seriously, it is possible to say that a combination of both play a role, and training is often the nourishment of a seed that has already been planted.

Almost anybody can be taught to manage and lead effectively. However, the concept of leadership is also undergoing a redefinition. The traditional South African authoritarianism has somewhat impeded the obtaining of dynamic management skills due to the establishment of a culture that teaches people to give and take orders as opposed to communicating meaningfully.

Management training offered in the IT sector has also traditionally played a secondary role to technical instruction, and when it has been offered, there is sometimes little or no follow up of the implementation of management techniques that have been taught. Leadership training has to take place within a leadership context so that skills gained can be put into place and practised immediately and to the benefit of all concerned.

Someone who has been promoted into a management role, and who is also able to manage people effectively, may also find himself still having to deal with more of the technical aspects of his job. This also then restricts time spent leading his team which can lead to an elevation of stress and frustration levels on both sides.

Symptoms of ineffective management are not hard to see. Dissatisfied employees who lack direction, and who have "attitude problems" should be your first warning sign. Excessively high turnover, crippling politics and increasing polarisation between management and workers are other signals to look out for. Employees may actually complain directly about their manager, but many are wary of doing this because they fear that there may be negative repercussions. In some cases, there may not be anyone to complain to.

Companies need to identify people with leadership potential and invest in that potential. Avoid either promoting people simply to fill a gap, or promoting too soon. Effective management skills are a function of training, time and experience. Organisations that are facing a shortage of managers need to be clear about the implementation of a long-tem plan to ameliorate the situation.

People in management positions are required to work as hard as they ever did before, but with a different focus. Interpersonal skills become much more important than technical skills and a major part of the challenges that management faces occur in their interactions with other people.

It is no longer enough just to type in an instruction and hit enter. An impassive computer may execute the command perfectly but employees with different personalities, thoughts, moods and feelings bring in an element, however small, of unpredictability. This is what makes life in management so exciting. Your people skills and the way you exploit them are the foundations on which the team you lead is built. The stronger the foundation, the less likely your team is to collapse under pressure. Leading people to success and being instrumental in developing their potential is enormously satisfying and a challenge well worth meeting.