In companies small or large, a manager has 7 very different roles from the perspective of his or her team. This is not to say that a manager has to do the job of seven people. But what is required of each manager is broadly knowing what the different roles are and the ability to make sure that these areas are more or less covered, most of the time.
# 1. Ideologist
Effective managers are visionaries who create clear pictures of direction, explain the most effective route, and express individual and collective requirements to the team.
Tasks
- Offers clear and decisive direction under and the guidance of company mission.
- Provides clear long term goals and connects the individual work with the overall mission.
# 2. Captain
Effective managers are captains of their ship and are responsible for the entire team. This includes staffing, managing, and owning the outcome.
Tasks
- Ensure each team member is suitable for their role.
- Effectively manage, swap, or remove unsuitable team members.
# 3. Bar Setter
Effective managers are masters at goal development, best practices, and instilling uncanny belief that the goal is highly attainable. If everyone sees the same bar, everyone will take the proper leaps to achieve it.
Tasks
- Create and communicate clear team goals.
- Get the team to take ownership and buy into the goals.
- Conduct constant process review to make sure everyone is reminded, focused, and have renewed ownership of the goal.
# 4. Battery Charger
As the battery of the team, you must keep the team charged up and energised. A battery must be able to teach the team to channel and use their own energy.
Tasks
- Teach the team members create their own positive energy, how to renew it, and how to inspire other members.
- Instead of always having meetings to discuss problems, conduct meetings to congratulate, inspire, and to boost overall morale and team energy.
- Help team members charge through troubling times.
# 5. Supervisor
Providing supervision means giving clear and concise instructions as well as giving feedback to the individual and to the team.
Tasks
- Use data and performance reports to constantly assess and analyse performance and progression.
- Give the team incentives, praise, and constantly recognise outstanding performance. Allow outstanding performers to explain their process.
- Coach and guide poor performers.
# 6. Coach
No Superbowl Champion gets there without a championship level coach. Effective managers inspire and develop their team members toward optimum efficiency. In addition, effective managers always create a contingency plan and accept the outcome.
Tasks
- Role play or simulate situations to develop a renewed sense of readiness.
- Spend time monitoring team in action to provide real-time coaching.
- As a championship coach, you must demand championship performances.
# 7. Psychologist
The most effective managers accept the role as therapists and psychologists to their teammates. The ability to devote individual attention to the interpersonal needs of the teammate is imperative to creating a trusting relationship.
Tasks
- In any pressure situation, steam must be released. You are the valve, and the gate keeper that restricts negativity from entering.
- Ego stroker, hand rubber, or simply attender of the individual’s needs are always needed and required of an effective manager.
With so many hats to wear, the role of a manager changes on the spot without notice and without dress rehearsal. It’s not necessary to be Superman and keep everything in check all the time. However, each manager can and should be aware of the different roles, and continuously seek to understand which of the roles is most helpful to his or her team at any given time.
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