13 Things Managers Need To Know

Management and managers come in all shapes and sizes but the one thing they have in common is the ability to cope with change. New ideas and new trends, however, disrupt old ways of thinking and doing. So how can managers stay ahead?

  1. Doing more with less is a familiar management mantra but doing better with less is the call of frugal management as it builds sustainability into everyday practice.
  2. Treating customers as partners with long-term rather than one-off relationships is an increasing feature of management in the new digital sharing economy.  
  3. Good managers have always tried to lead but they now must do so in a way that encourages leadership at all levels of the organisation, rather than on an elite few.
  4. Many traditional management practices that worked in the past are no longer relevant, as managers reach outside the organisation to contract in specialist expertise and resources.
  5. Managers are often associated with long, boring and unproductive meetings so shorter time-bound meetings with clear objectives and outputs are growing in popularity.
  6. The use of small teams of people to solve problems regardless of scale is a growing feature in organisations, as managers are expected to deliver better results more quickly and more cheaply than in the past.
  7. Managing with a sense of organisational purpose is more effective than focussing solely on profit, as the micro measurement of performance can cause people to make the wrong decisions.
  8. Changing workplaces, changing technology and changing management habits mean managers have to change too and the best way is to embrace everyday and continuous learning.
  9. Management and performance management are more effective when underpinned by strong organisational values as it allows managers to work with employees to achieve common goals.
  10. New types of entrepreneurs and digitally driven businesses are creating new and different models that thrive in unstable and chaotic environments although the calming influence of a good manager is still vital.
  11. Entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs and high-growth start-ups present their own challenges but managers must revert to the first principles of common sense as they deal with what seem like unusual scenarios.
  12. The next generation of employees have grown up with digital connectivity as the norm and expect to work for different companies and experience different careers, which can create new challenges for old managers.
  13. Managing flexible working, flexible workplaces and flexible careers for people who wish to take a break or a longer sabbatical and return to work are all part of a managers toolkit in today’s workplace.

SO, organisations will always need good managers but how managers manage and what they manage is changing fast and getting faster.