Roles and Responsibilities of Managers

As definitions of management have changed, the role and definition of the managerial coach has likewise changed. It is no longer sufficient to have business and managerial savvy or skill sets that may prove to be dated. It is now necessary for coaches to also understand business work groups, integrated product teams, virtual employees and the ways businesses are re-structuring to meet market demands.

The coaching task is increasingly complex and challenging partially due to increasing requirements from businesses for greater employee output with declining resources. The task is also impacted by competition from companies that out-place jobs to domestic or off-shore companies, or both. As a result coaches are challenged understand ways to manage business resources, systems and processes that were never designed for these new demands. Coaches must now help managers to learn and settle in to the new roles and responsibilities required by businesses.

Roles and Responsibilities of Managers, is one of the Essential Management Skills modules offered by Mentorsys. These modules are resources for managerial coaches when working with both new and seasoned managers.

Roles and Responsibilities of Managers is written for coaches to use in part, or as a workbook. It is intended as a guide for coaches who may be new to business coaching. It is also written in a manner that directly addresses and tasks the manager. Please use this method as a guide, and feel free to adapt the words to your particular coaching situation.

A Note to New Managers

• If you, as a manager, were promoted into your manager role without coaching or management skills training, your superiors may have made a mistake.
• If you, as a manager, do not take it upon yourself to obtain a business or managerial coach or trainer, you may be making a mistake.
• If you did well in your former assignment and, now as a new manager have not yet sought coaching, you may be making a mistake.
• If you believe in management by command and control, you are making a mistake.
• If you do not properly delegate and coach your employees, you are not managing, you are stealing.
• If you do not know how to correctly and efficiently interview candidates, or talk to your employees with respect, or to provide feedback to superiors and employees, or keep good written employee records, or take corrective actions, or work through conflict and confrontation, then you are not managing (and you may be asking for legal trouble, for you and your company).
• If your employees are assigned to teams that have not been provided with training in teaming, you are not managing.
• But there is hope!
  
  

Roles and Responsibilities

The sense of pride and accomplishment newly promoted managers feel can be quickly challenged by new relationships with co-workers, other managers, upper management, unions and the public.

New managers learn that skills needed to be top performers in their past jobs are now only a part of what is required to be successful.

Effective management means taking responsibility for a job by:

• management of employees doing the work
• focusing on common goals
• overcoming obstruction
• becoming a leader

Managers must constantly rise to many challenges by developing core leadership competencies.

They must quickly learn that many early struggles are common for most new to supervision.

These early struggles include:

• Viewing oneself as part of “management”
• Managing friends
• Dealing with people while managing technical tasks
• Building and motivating team members
• Managing time by delegating work, handling interruptions, and organizing work flows