Uplevel Your Communication | Growth Companion

Communications

8 Roles of a Manager

In the past few days, I have been thinking a lot about how much I have evolved as a manager. I think I am mostly coming to realize this as I am managing managers who have the same qualities and traits that I use to have few years ago, which revolves a lot around micromanagement. Every manager goes through the ‘micro-manager’ phase at some point in their career, and in most cases it’s at the early stage of their management career.

I am not sure if it’s a maturity thing, age thing, experience thing or the position I am in that my management style has significantly changed from being a micro-manager to being a leader, and I can see and feel that difference in my thinking and execution.

I have learned a lot about management and leadership in MBA school, in work place, reading books and articles, talking to people, etc. so here is a very small inventory of the leanings and concepts.

Becoming a Master Manager: A Competing Values Approach (from Quinn R.E. et al. 1996). This is a management model I learned in my MBA school that is well structured.
Image 1 is the basis of the model and Image 2 are the 8 roles of a manager and core competency for each role.

Leadership and Management Qualities
Leader:

Soul
Visionary
Passionate
Creative
Flexible
Inspiring
Innovative
Courageous
Imaginative
Experimental
Initiates Change
Personal Power
Moving Between Paradigms
Doing Right Things
Creating Improvements
Leading & Developing People

Manager:

Mind
Rational
Consulting
Persistent
Problem Solving
Tough-Minded
Analytic
Structured
Deliberate
Authoritative
Stabilizing
Position Power
Working Within Paradigm
Doing Things Right
Holding the Gains
Managing Process

The 5 Level Hierarchy

Level 1: Highly Capable Individual

Productive contributor; offers talent, knowledge, skills, and good work habits as an individual employee.

Level 2: Contributing Team Member

Contributes to the achievement of team goals; works effectively with others in a group.

Level 3: Competent Manager

Sets plans and organizes people for the efficient and effective pursuit of objectives.

Level 4: The Effective Executive

Builds widespread commitment to a clear and compelling vision; stimulates people to high performance.

Level 5: The Level 5 Leader

Builds an enduring great organization through a combination of personal humility and professional resolve.

Five Levels of Direction

Vision - what success looks like

Objectives - how we will win

Goals - how much, and by when
Strategies - what we will focus on

Initiatives - specific projects we will undertake

Objectives

overview of management process from theoretical and practical perspective
learn sound management concepts and practice of concept in a changing management world
communication with audience in variety of channel mediums and formats
examine internal and external impacting manager’s responsibility
develop approached for “effective management” keeping stakeholders and organizational goals in mind

Five Major Learnings

1) Managing in New Career article

2) Master manager roles consisting of eight roles

3) Modern vs. traditional communication model

4) Bridge between manager and individual

5) Visionary leader

8 Roles of a Manager:

1. Director is expected to clarify expectations through processes, such as planning and goal setting, and to be a decisive initiator who defines problems, selects alternatives, establishes objectives, defined roles and tasks, generates rules and policies and gives direction.

2. Producer is expected to be task oriented and work focused and to have high interest, motivation, energy, and personal drive. They are supposed to accept responsibility, complete assignments, and maintain high personal productivity.

3. Monitor is expected to know what is going on in the unit, to determine whether people are complying with the rules, and to see whether the unit is meeting their quotas.

4. Coordinator is expected to maintain the structure and flow of the system and be dependable and reliable.

5. Facilitator is expected to foster collective effort, build cohesion and teamwork, and manager interpersonal conflict.

6. Mentor is expected to engage in development of people through a caring, empathetic orientation. They are helpful, considerate, sensitive, approachable, open and fair.

7. Innovator is expected to facilitate adaptation and change. They pay attention to changing environment, identifies important trends, conceptualizes and projects needed changes and tolerated uncertainty and risks. 8. Broker is expected and concerned with maintaining external legitimacy and obtaining external resources.

7 Pillars of Vision

VISIONING: I know where I am going

MAPPING: I know how to get there

JOURNEYING: I am willing to start

LEARNING: I am open to change

MENTORING: I am open to others

LEADING: I will set an example

VALUING: I will do what is right

10 Qualities Shared By Visionary Business Leaders

1. They execute with confidence.

2. They’re self-created.

3. They aren’t worried about being liked.