Sethuramalingam was my colleague in CSC. He has 13+ years of experience in IT industry predominantly as a quality consultant. He is PMP, CSQA and ITIL certified. He has handled lead quality positions in large programs. He is an expert in CMMI. Today he is sharing his thoughts on what it takes to be an effective manager.
Manager Vs Damager
Manager is not simply the person who gets things done. He / She should possess multi faceted skills and traits. Important among them are
1. Leadership
2. People Management
3. Mentoring
4. Confidence
5. Decision Making
6. Positive Attitude
7. Taking Ownership
8. Communication
9. Proactive planning
10. Problem solving and so on.
In olden (golden) days it took 10-15 years for a person to climb up the organizational hierarchy to become manager in contrast to the modern times where it is cut short to 4-5 years maximum. Everyone wants to be a Manager in short span and want to manage other people. But do they really posses the management skills to act as a true leader in front of their team?
Why do you think everyone wants to become a Manager? They think that being a manager is the easiest way to claim fame by show-casing others work. It will also get them relieved from their hectic work schedule and shred their responsibilities. Is that what is managing?
There are managers who are nick named as ‘Postman’ or ‘For Your Information (FYI)’ by the team members. They forward all emails as ‘FYI’ to team members and get answers which they forward to the orginator.
Management doesn’t come by doing work for 2-3 years.It comes by the 3Es- Experience, Exposure and Effectiveness.
A real manager is a committed leader who brings the positive energy to lead the team towards the goal and be with them in times of failure motivating them for success rather than blaming them for failure. He has to take responsbility and lead by example and stand by his teams’ side in times of need.
Managers needs to lend ears to team members and act as coordinators between the organizational system and team; identify the talent pool and act as catalyst for development of it.
A Manager becomes a Damager when he is not accepted whole heartedly by his team members as a true leader; He just carries the designation in the organizational hierarchy. Learning the art and science of management from experts plays a vital role in honing the skills of a person to make him an effective Leader. Let us strive to be a Successful Manager and not just a postman manager.
Visit Sethu’s blog at http://sethu-b.blogspot.com
Related posts:
- Organizing to Lead – Guest post by David Kershaw
- Does the role of Project Manager End with managing projects? The answer is “NO” – Umasree
- Guest post – To keep your staff, Keep them happy!
- Mind mapping – 1 Guest post by O.S.Balaji
- Does the role of Project Manager end with managing projects?…An Analysis by Umasree
15:03, 04.01.2011
Manager needs skills and qualities. A manager needs good knowledge in his functional domain.
Adaptability and keeping in pace with changes are also key in current day management.
One need to know the difference between a manager and a leader (who can lead) and a manager and a boss(who can drive people away).
13:38, 01.02.2011
he should be all rounder and have experience in all field at least.