The importance of your work as a manager

Starting in a new role, you may feel stuck between two worlds — transitioning from being on a team to being responsible for it. While we hope that your company sets you up with coaching, mentoring, and a plan for growth, you still face pressure from two directions: your team and your boss.

Understand this: Your work matters and it is one of the biggest — if not the biggest — drivers of success in your organization. It may be challenging, but it is vital.

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What does the research say?

In 2012, Thomas Davenport and Stephen Harding wrote an article where they asked, “do managers really matter?” Not only did they find that managers are essential for employee engagement, but they also have a significant impact on the bottom line.

According to their findings, capable managers correlated positively with high customer satisfaction and gave businesses a distinct competitive advantage. Their work highlights that a manager’s performance ripples outward in the organization and ties directly to the company’s financial performance.

Think about the helpful managers you’ve worked for in the past. They likely encouraged you to grow and to become a better version of yourself — even going so far as having fostered meaning in your work.

They created a virtuous cycle.

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Hard work

One of the hardest parts of taking on this role is that your work may not produce immediate results. The work as a manager is hard and brings so many challenges but is equally rewarding. Thomas and Stephen pointed out, “[the] best managers concentrate on managing the work environment rather than the employees.” They say effective managers today act as:

• Sculptors to craft roles with their employees;
• Catalysts to initiate work while avoiding direct contact and attention;
• Conductors to orchestrate the actions of others, enriching the atmosphere while not playing an instrument themselves.

Be sure to check in with your coach and challenge yourself in the above three areas. Your work is essential to forming a healthy and thriving business. As you improve in each skill, you will expand your reach and impact.

Here’s to learning about ourselves and our teams, and improving in the art of leadership and management!

References

Davenport, T. O., & Harding, S. D. (2012). The new manager manifesto. People & Strategy, 35(1), 24–31.