Skip to main content

Excuse Me, Are You a Manager or Messenger?

The other day I talked to one manager about how to upgrade his team so that they can perform better. He answered me, "I don't know, if I upgrade them, wouldn't they be more capable than me and soon take over my job?"

 This is a clear example of the thinking of a messenger not a manager. There are 7 ways that you can tell your manager is just a messenger and not a manager:
  1. Never Develop himself or his team.  You'll be shocked to find out that there are many managers out there that have never attended any non-technical courses since they left school.  Some of them don't even know that such courses exist!  Unbelievable but true!
  2. Good in Passing the Buck.  As we know, a manager must take up the blame even though he has no control over the hiring of his team.  As long as the team is under his responsibility, he must be responsible for ALL their actions
  3. Hardly Motivate, Inspire or Encourage his people. Worse still, such 'managers' often de-motivates and discourages people with his sarcastic remarks and negative thinking
  4. Operates with Minimum Communication.  Such a 'manager' hardly listens to people, never take suggestions and often issues last-minute instructions with little concern for others' workload.  In fact some of these 'capable managers' are proud of the fact that they can communicate so little and still 'get work done'!
  5. Treats Bosses Very Well, Treats Team Poorly.  This is self-explanatory
  6. Shies Away from Difficult Situations, Prefers to live inside comfort zones
  7. Spends More Time Working In the Business and Little Time On the Business.  Such a manager is operating more like a staff, as he just holds the title of manager but hardly does any management or leadership. Almost all his time is on doing the technical work EVEN THOUGH HE HAS PEOPLE UNDER HIM. 
If you too want to turn your messengers into managers, start by waking them up with a course.  The next run for How to Be an Effective Manager and Leader is on 15 January 2015 Wednesday 9 am to 5 pm.  Limited seats left, so register early.  For details, email to andythecoach@gmail.com or click here. Related articles on management:
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kindness as a Way of Life: How Kindness can Reward You 6 Times Over

Kindness as a Way of Life by Andy Ng Kindness is a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries, enriches human connections, and has the power to transform lives. It goes beyond mere acts of charity or random good deeds. To me, kindness, when practiced as a way of life, becomes a profound philosophy that can shape our interactions with others, the world around us, and even our own well-being. In this article, we will explore the multifaceted aspects of kindness as a way of life, touching on non-violent communication, the limitations of traditional charity, the potential harms of helping, the deliberate cultivation of kindness, and the incredible rewards it brings. 1.       Non-Violent Communication Non-violent communication (NVC) is a key component of practicing kindness as a way of life. Developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg, NVC emphasizes empathetic communication that seeks to understand and connect with others on a deeper level. It encourages active listening, empath
1 comment
Read more

New Age Mobile Numerology

Many people look at 'mobile number change luck' with skepticism, they say, how can just one simple mobile number change create so many changes in a person's life?   Also, the mobile numbers are given to us by random by the telcos, how can our fate be assigned by the telcos at random? Besides, isn't it true that our lives and fates are determined by birth and what we do, how can a small mobile number, which is a modern invention, have any effect?  How about people in the past without mobile numbers?  You mean they don't have a life without mobile numbers, right? One more thing: you cannot just change your mobile number and expect your life to change. If this is so, wouldn't everybody be rich just by changing their mobile numbers? Finally, isn't this kind of fortune-telling thing more of psychology and blind faith than science?   If so, how can we trust anything that is not proven and not science? Today let's resolve all these doubts and I welcome your co
3 comments
Read more

If Not You, Who Else?

I learnt this very powerful 5-word phrase from Singapore's highest ever box-office movie ever: "Ah Boys to Men II". In one scene, the recruits were about to start their 3-day field camp.  Their Officer-in-Command asked them, "Before we moved out, anybody not feeling well?"  All the soldiers replied loudly, "No Sir!!!" "Gentlemen", continued the Officer, "Every time the training gets tougher, one thought comes to your mind, 'Why Must I Serve National Service?' "My answer to you is, 'If Not You, Then Who Else?'" Wow!  What a powerful phrase!  If Not You, Who Else may mean: You are the most suitable person, and we can't find anyone better than you.  This is appreciation at the highest level How can you push this responsibility to someone else? I am making a request to you specifically, please don't reject my request Can you find me another person more suitable than you? Please refer me anot
Post a Comment
Read more