How Will You Manage in the New Year?

Role of the Manager is One of the Most Critical In Any Business

Managers: You are one, and you have had them. You have loved some and loathed others - but now that you’re in the role of manager, you realize just what a tough job it is!

In fact, the role of a manager is one of the most critical in any business, and perhaps the hardest of jobs to do well. You were likely promoted to management because of your success as an individual, your hard work, and your dedication to the company mission - only to discover that management is all about other people’s projects, priorities, and professional development.

Managers are typically accountable and responsible to many different levels, at any given time - supporting a team, collaborating with peers, reporting to leadership, and aligning to overall company goals. Managers more than any other role in an organization are responsible for the effective flow of information and activity up, down, and across an organization. You are the people we point to when things are not working well, the people we rely on to get the work done, and the people who assure execution of tasks and goals.

And yet, many managers are unprepared for and unsupported in facing the dilemmas, challenges, and everyday realities of fulfilling their role. Did you know that according to Gallup Research, managers account for at least 70% of the variance in team engagement, resulting in a huge impact in productivity? As the old adage goes, employees don't leave companies, they leave managers. This has never been more true than it is now. Droves of managers are currently navigating a new normal, as we all find ourselves in the “Great Resignation” era. Is this true for you? (click on the link below and let us know your thoughts).

Managers: The Need to focus

Given the complexity of the 21st century, post-pandemic workplace - riddled with challenges of recruiting, onboarding, upskilling, and retaining top talent, all while suddenly navigating remote and hybrid work - how can you possibly focus? Even before COVID, people realized that the biggest opportunity to improve their productivity and growth was through better management.

In reality however, there’s a gap: In today’s ever-changing environment, managers are often even less supported or prepared - which could mean stalled productivity, declining ROI, and losing your best employees. In general, managers are often overwhelmed by the job they have been given, or not set-up for success in both their functional and management roles.

Managers and the employees they lead are a company’s most valuable asset. Employers grow only if their employees are growing. If an organization wants to survive or better thrive through this crisis, they must start by developing managers into learning leaders - and that’s where our process improvement framework called Whole Brain® Thinking can help.

The Whole Brain® Model is a powerful tool for creating a shared language, improving alignment between your team and the tasks at hand, and learning your "secret sauce" for improving productivity and reducing your own level of frustration. For the better part of the last 40 years, our Whole Brain® Thinking framework and the associated HBDI® assessment have played a fundamental role in helping organizations be more efficient, effective, and productive - helping managers save time, increase engagement and better adapt to change. Once you learn the framework, integrate it into your professional practice, and understand how to best leverage cognitive diversity to your advantage, your 1:1 conversations, team meetings, and decision making all improve.

We at Herrmann are thinking a lot about how to better empower and equip managers to succeed in their roles and lead the charge toward the future of work using their Whole Brain®. We invite you to join us in this mission and be part of this exciting conversation on Whole Brain® management.