Managers are responsible for results and retention1. There is a tendency to focus on the former, and this is often how they are judged in the short run. However, the former is not sustainably possible without the latter. A manager accomplishes both by managers grow and coordinate their team. Additionally managers must possess a handful of management skills and do several important activities The best managers are those known for their powers of persuasion, negotiation, good-will, and large reservoirs of trust2.
Resource for Learning Management
- Management Training
- Books
- High Output Management
- Armonstrongâs Handbook for Human Resource Management Practice
anti-patterns Predictors of failure for managers include3:
- Lacking self awareness which leads to defensiveness in response to feedback or poor delegation skills
- Lack of team empathy for manager (empathy is a one way street)
- Unproductive manager-employee relationships (meetings are ad hoc, lack ownership, focused on output rather than behavior, and do not include other team members)
- IC behavior does not align goals
1. Horstman, M. & Auzenne, M. Results and Retention.
2. DeMarco, T. Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency. (Currency, New York; London, 2002).
3. Shepp, J., Das, A., Bretas, V. & Basu, S. 4 Reasons Why Managers Fail. Harvard Business Review (2024).