Developing as a manager

Overview

So now you are a manager how do you think you are doing? Which parts have gone well and which not so well? And what have you learned along the way? Being a manager is a journey not a destination. You need to plan the next part of your journey and identify the areas where further skills or experience will help you develop as a manager.

Over the next 20 minutes you will realise that the transition to management can be quite tricky as you move into unknown territory. You will learn about the characteristics of adult learners and the different preferred ways of learning - learning styles. You will consider whether you need further training and development to help you in your role and you will look at some ideas for improving your relationship with your staff.

Transition into management

When you have been a successful professional or specialist it can be difficult to move into a management role without feeling that some of your previous expertise has been lost.

The temptation for new managers is to continue to do the comfortable parts of the old job (continuing as a player) rather than moving on to unknown territory (as a manager). The new role is very different and seems very daunting.

These feelings and reactions are normal! Other people have felt just like you and the transition process diagram shows the roller-coaster of self-esteem you may well experience.

Transition into management (cont'd)

The seven stages of transition (J Adams et al., 1976) are:

1	immobilisation - the initial 'frozen' feeling
2	minimisation - you carry on as if nothing has changed, denying your new role as a manager
3	depression - the nature and volume of expectations have sunk in and you may feel panic, anger and blame
4	acceptance - you begin to realise that you are achieving things and could achieve more.
5	testing - you begin to form your own views of what management is all about and start experimenting
6	seeking meaning - you find the inclination and energy to reflect upon and learn from your own and others' behaviour
7	internalisation - you define yourself as a manager. You and your job have come to terms with each other!

Which elements of the model help to explain your own experience of transition in your present job?

Learning as an adult

As mentioned earlier, being a manager is a journey not a destination. If we are to continue to develop as managers we must continue to learn, both on and off the job.

Knowles (1980) identified four characteristics of adult learners that distinguish us from children:

1	self-directive - preferring to be in control of what we learn and how we learn it
2	experienced - recognising that we can draw from our experience when we learn
3	ready to learn - particularly in areas that seem urgent or relevant
4	problem-centred - interested in areas we want to understand better or situations in which we want to behave differently.

Learning styles

We all have different learning styles. In the 1980s Honey and Mumford identified four styles:

1	activist - 'I'll try anything once.'
2	reflector - 'I need some time to think about this.'
3	theorist - 'How does that fit with the outcomes from last time?'
4	pragmatist - 'What does that mean in practice?'

Each of us will find one or two styles more comfortable. However we learn the most if we continuously go round the learning cycle as shown in the diagram.

Your development and training

Having considered how you might best learn, you now need to consider what knowledge, skills and abilities you could develop further to help you do your job better.

Answer 'yes' or 'no' to each of the following questions. Where your answer is 'no', note down the further development and training that would be beneficial.

In your present role do you have:

Your development and training (cont'd)

	mutual expectations - make it clear what you expect of your staff and find out their expectations of you.
	information flow - work out what information you and your staff need and how best to obtain it.
	dependability and honesty - be honest and consistent and expect the same of your staff.
	use of time and resources - respect your staff's time and ask them to respect yours.

Think about these areas and identify any actions you could take to enhance your relationship with your staff.

Summary

The transition into management may not be easy. It's tempting, but usually misguided, to cling on to the comfort of doing some parts of your old job.

Adults are willing to learn when there is a good reason. This means they are often able to put what they have learned to very practical use.

While we each have preferred styles of learning, we will learn most by continually going round the full learning cycle.

Some more development and training will almost certainly be beneficial for you.

Both you and your staff will benefit from putting effort into your relationship with each other.



		After completing this module you should be able to:

		recognise the reactions and feelings you may experience on becoming a manager

		explain how adults learn best and the benefits of the learning cycle

		carry out a review of the development and training you may need in your present role

		identify areas where you could improve your relationship with your staff