Managing Managers

Managing Managers: Roles and Challenges

Job Expectations: - Managing managers involves overseeing multiple teams and assisting in setting their goals. - It requires a higher level of abstraction and less direct contact with each team member.

Increased Complexity and Proactivity

  • The role adds complexity by managing managers of various teams, possibly in unfamiliar disciplines.
  • Proactivity is crucial, including being prepared for issues that aren't immediately visible.

Communication and Scaling

  • Implement processes that ensure efficient communication and scaling. Being transparent in communication helps in scaling management without being overwhelmed.

Development of Managerial Instincts

  • Developing instincts to sense and tackle issues intuitively is essential, especially for handling tasks outside one's immediate expertise.

Strategies for Effective Oversight

  • Regular engagement with skip-level employees assists in gauging a team’s real-time health and receiving unfiltered feedback.
  • Focus on nurturing managers' abilities, ensuring they facilitate team success efficiently, which in turn makes your role more effective.

Holding Managers Accountable

  • Ensure managers do not mask problems but address them proactively.
  • Accountability involves ensuring managers recognize issues affecting team productivity and seek solutions, sometimes requiring your direct intervention.

Challenges with People-Pleasing Managers

  • People pleasers can hinder managerial effectiveness; they need to learn to balance pleasing with making tough decisions.
  • Coaching should focus on helping them handle disappointments constructively and prioritize effectively.

Guidance for New Managers

  • New managers often require intensive coaching on fundamental managerial tasks and responsibilities.
  • Use skip-level meetings to identify areas where new managers might be struggling and offer necessary support.

Supporting Experienced Managers

  • Experienced managers bring proficiency but must align with the organization's culture and management style.
  • Integration involves ensuring experienced managers embrace organizational values and bring positive changes without cultural clashes.

Hiring Managers

  • When hiring managers, assess their ability to fit within the company’s culture and understand the specifics of expected managerial roles.
  • It’s vital to conduct thorough interviews and reference checks to ensure alignment with company values and managerial expectations.

Overseeing Larger Divisions

  • Managing larger divisions involves extended responsibilities like adjusting to greater scopes and handling functions without prior direct experience.
  • Engaging in learning and understanding different functions under your supervision is crucial for effective management.

Conclusion

  • Managing managers is a complex role that requires adjustments in management style and strategies.
  • Success in this role is largely dependent on the ability to communicate effectively, hold managers accountable, and adapt to expanding responsibilities.

Ask the CTO: The Fallacy of the Open-Door Policy

  • Open-door policies often fail because employees may hesitate to come forward with issues.
  • Proactivity in seeking out problems, rather than waiting for them to be reported, is crucial in higher management roles.