Their own career will be just fine for it
I caught a post today on LinkedIn that really irked me. The poster promoted the idea that a) (good) managers were only looking out for themselves and their careers and b) you should do that too.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6395301756926070784
Yeah, no.
To me a manager’s job is to help you get your next (dream) job (the idea isn’t mine, I don’t remember where I read it). Maybe that’s to have the manager’s job. Maybe that’s a job outside the company you’re at now. Doesn’t matter, your manager (or mentor) needs to help you get there.
Related to this (people getting the next better job) is making sure your team is successful. The two goals are completely entangled with each other. Successful teams get recognized for their awesomeness. The people on those teams get chances to do other cool things. Everyone feels they’ve accomplished something, oh and the company has probably benefitted too.
And the manager?
A great manager who builds a great team will be just fine
Really, who would you rather do an awesome job for, a manager who is a task master and driving you into the ground or someone who truly believes in you and wants you to be the best you can be? Who would you work harder for? Who do you think would lend a hand when sh*t hits the fan?
That’s what I thought.
And the manager who leads a successful team full of motivated, awesome people who get sh*t done; they’ll be just fine.
Is a leader lifting up their team altruistic?
Even though leading a team to lift up the team and its members does benefit the manager, I don’t think that’s why good managers do it. I do it because I like to help people as I’ve been helped. I know that having a roster of people who are awesome is never a bad thing when you need to get a job done. So while, sure, there is a benefit to me; I don’t act or treat it like that. A lot of people have believed in me in the past and that’s why I’ve been able to accomplish what I have.
I’ve been asked about my management style a lot lately
Since I’ve been interviewing for my next great gig, I’ve been asked about how I lead teams. How I motivate teams. And this post is a distillation of those answers. When you act and treat people like the awesome people they want to be themselves and set clear goals/path to success, even the near-impossible seems achievable. It really does.
Oh and if you think I’d be a great addition to your team, ping me and check out my LinkedIn profile for details.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6395301756926070784
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