Blame the delay in this post on the festive season:-)
The second passage of Leadership Pipeline - Managing others to Managing Managers is where the company’s foundation is constructed. So obviously organizations would want to pause and spend some time and thought to create a solid foundation.
However the challenge lies in the perception that there is very little difference between managing others and managing managers.
Key Value Shift
1. Move from valuing individual contributor to strategic and team contributor. The focus is now to identify, cultivate and promote ‘Leaders’ and not just ‘Doers’. MOMs, (Managers of Managers) need to recognize that managers not only require functional expertise but more importantly managerial expertise.
2. Empower First line managers. It’s quite easy to fall in the trap of ‘doing’ things rather than ‘delegating things’.
First Line managers often get frustrated and disengaged when their managers ‘usurp’ their functions. …. Does it remind you of your early days…Delegate, and delegate properly.
3. Effective Performance Management. First Line Managers are looking for support and direction from MOM. MOMs are responsible for the greatest chunk of work force that are in charge of getting the actual work done. The art of giving feedback and coaching conversation need to be learnt and implemented. It is important to keep this force motivated and engaged. MOMs require to focus on identifying and developing Managerial talent.
4. Managing the boundaries. The horizon of work expands from self unit performance to cross functional productivity. This needs a transition from a purely functional mindset that values specific function to one that embraces a more egalitarian view – looks easy but a difficult transition for most of the managers.
5. Strategic Team Selection. MOMs are responsible for selection and recruitment of the First Line Managers and their direct reportees. Selection of team is an art and MOM need to be trained in this field.
Unfortunately, because of lack of training and guidance, many a times, people chose their mirror image which causes lack of diversity and later choke the leadership pipeline.
Role of Organization to prepare MOMs
Transition from First line Manger to MOM is not just a stepping stone, rather it is a very critical career passage. Hence organizations should help the managers transition this passage. All learning organizations spend critical time in preparing their employees for this role.
- The new requisite skills, time application and values should be communicated in the beginning and even midway.
- Goals and measurements must be put in place that creates accountability for new managerial behaviors.
Constant guidance and periodic monitoring helps the new MOMs to develop people skills early in their career –
• Effective selection and training of first line managers – according to Ram Charan, “they are not just choosing their team but also seeding the organization’s leadership field ”.
• Managing accountability, appraisal and performance feedback – this call for developing and demonstrating sensitivity towards people; this also means that they need to use their position to motivate, instruct and guide rather than demean and demoralize.
• Strategic deployment of resources – “Learning to reallocate money, technology, and support staff….to improve results is juggling act that takes some practice”, says Ram Charan.
• Engage them in strategic long term planning – Interestingly, MOMs operate in ‘no man’s land’… they usually do not participate in setting company’s direction nor are they now supposed to do the technical work.
In summary MOM’s are the bridge between the strategy makers and the workers/managers.
Managing and guiding them will help organizations build the much required ‘Concrete Layer’ which would help the vision flow into action.
