The thing about becoming a manager is that we have most likely risen to that position without ever thinking about what a manager does.
In been appointed a manager we will be given a position description and perhaps a list of key performance indicators based on achieving success. There will be words about managing teams, people and resources, but the easily measurable stuff about results will be in flashing lights. There will be a lot of things to do and little guidance about how to do these. And, most likely, there is an expectation that you can get on and do the job, but no requirement nor time for you to stop and think about what the job is. It will be assumed that we know what we are supposed to be doing.
Two factors need to be considered.
The first is a purpose issue – you have to know what you’re supposed to be doing? What is the purpose of the role? What does the organisation expect of you? To understand purpose you must getting in behind the position description and understanding where you as a manager fit in the bigger picture. Why does the position exist? Why was it created?
The second is a process issue – you need to understand what it means to manage and how to manage. Your people will have three expectations of you:
- that you know your job – know what you are supposed to do.
- that you can be trusted – you do what you say you are going to do.
- that you have the self-confidence to let them do their jobs
If you don’t know what your job is then you will not manage well.
__________________________________________________________
Heuristics can be mental shortcuts that ease the cognitive load in making decisions about what to do. Examples that employ heuristics include using trial and error, a rule of thumb or an educated guess. Management Heuristics are rules of thumb that can be used by managers to be more effective. A Rule of thumb refers to a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. It refers to an easily learned and easily applied procedure or standard, based on practical experience rather than just theory. Managing is the poster child of the mantra that there is no one right way.
