On the Other Side: What It’s Like to Be a Manager

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To executives, being a manager seems like easy job. Managers delegate most of the work, sit and relax on the job with not much to do. That is the picture most executives paint of their managers. However, being a manager is not as easy as executives think. There are numerous different aspects to their job that are not easy to spot at first glance. We have the insights into what it is actually like being a manager.

Managers are Coaches

Before anything, managers serve as coaches to the employees that work in their team. They teach them the tricks to the trade, guiding them on the dos and don’ts and how to be effective in what you do. They help build an individual’s capacity and develop them into assets for the organization.

Managers that love their job and are goal oriented can be a bit particular about processes and their approach. So they can rub executives in the wrong way from time to time. But this is only due to the fact that they value their jobs and love what they are doing. Great managers instill the same passion in their employees through coaching so the organization flourishes.

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Serve as a Motivator

Managers need to play the role of the motivator at all times to make sure that the team performs well. Be it on the first or the 1000th day on the job, the manager needs to make sure each and every employee is motivated to work. After all, the work never stops, and someone needs to make sure it is done properly and in a timely manner. The best way to do that is to ensure the team is motivated to work, so there is no hiccup in work.

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Manage Workload

What may seem like a manager delegating most of the work to others is actually them managing the workload to the best of their ability. Most entrepreneurs like Sidd Pagidipati recommend delegation and believe that a great manager knows his or her team inside out. This means they know the strengths and weakness of each employee. Based on this knowledge they are able to delegate the workload based on the individual’s strengths. In this way, they know that the work gets done in the proper manner. Delegation is a major part of being a manager and in no way does it mean that they are just passing their workload on to others.

Deal with Upper-Management

Managers deal with a lot of stress, most of which comes from the upper management. Every business has goals planned out when they aren’t being met, there is a lot of pressure on managers and those that work under them. Executives may not feel the brunt of things when the goals aren’t met, the manager takes most of the bashing. This is due to the manager being the middleman between the upper management and the team. They do pass on some of the pressure and stress while absorbing most. This is to ensure that the team stays the course and works towards the goal without being demotivated.

Retain Employees

Another stressful aspect of a manager’s job is to retain employees. They have to ensure that each individual that works in their team is happy with his or her job. People switch jobs more often today than ever before, even huge corporations such as Facebook have issues with employee turnover rate. So the manager has to ensure that employees are challenged enough to keep in interest in their job and comfortable enough not to want to leave. This is not an easy task to achieve.

Managers are the main aspect within a business that link employees with business results. They coach their employees and work beside them to achieve goals and tasks. Contrary to popular beliefs, their responsibilities encompass a lot more than just delegation. In fact, even when it comes to delegation, they think long and hard about which task to assign to whom to get the optimal result. That is why it is important for managers to be critical thinkers, coaches, negotiators, and motivators all at the same time. Which makes their job a lot tougher than most executives may believe.