Managers have a common misconception that management is to manage subordinates, and managers are people with subordinates.
A common misunderstanding
In my early twenties, before graduation, I started my first formal job as a part-time copywriter in an advertising company. Because I did well, I was soon promoted to be a department manager. At that time, I thought like this: "I have subordinates, I become a manager!" This kind of misunderstanding is very common among new managers, but even senior managers often think so.
In my leadership workshop, I asked such a question: Who are you managing in your current position? A senior sales manager replied, "I manage eight salesmen, five of whom are 'eagles' and three are' bluebirds'."
The "eagle" he said refers to a salesperson with strong ability and more experience, while the "bluebird" refers to a salesperson with less experience and less ability. He knew that it was right to distinguish between "eagle" and "bluebird" - an important principle of managing subordinates was to treat them differently.
However, his problem is that he only sees the dimension of managing subordinates. Management is not just about managing subordinates. The reason why managers only look down comes from the misunderstanding of "what is management".
Management does not work through others
So, what is management? If you think that management depends on the authority brought by the position and works by commanding and controlling others, you will think that the manager only needs to manage the subordinates, because the manager can only command and control the subordinates.
There is a popular definition of management - management is doing things through others. This definition is wrong. If defined in this way, there is no such thing as self-management. The "others" in this definition are often understood as subordinates, and only the downward management dimension is seen.
There is no standard definition of management. However, how we define management largely determines how we manage. If we define management as doing things through others, we will ignore self-management and often adopt a dominant and controlling management style.
Management is to exert influence to obtain results
Here, I define management in this way: management is to consciously exert influence to achieve the expected results. The objects of influence include your subordinates, your superiors, your peers, your suppliers, customers and other external stakeholders, as well as yourself.
If you define management in this way, you will understand management as influence, not power.
Managers have no authority over their superiors and external stakeholders, including customers, and cannot command them. However, official power is only a means of influence, and often a secondary means. Managers can also influence their superiors, peers and customers to change their behavior and achieve their expected results.
For example, the sales manager can communicate with the financial manager to change the process of the financial department in collection and invoicing, so as to achieve the goal of faster delivery for customers. This is called management hierarchy. If the head of the HR department in charge of salary thinks that the HR director does not pay enough attention to salary management, he can propose to the HR director to establish a regular communication mechanism, such as an appointment for a regular meeting every month. This is the management superior.
Not all impacts are management
To define management, on the one hand, do not be too narrow, and equate management with command and control; On the other hand, do not be too broad, and equate management with all influential behaviors. Management is influence, but not all influential behaviors are management.
More than once, a manager said: People will manage when they are born. They give examples: babies cry when they are hungry, and adults know how to feed them. Therefore, baby crying is management.
This is wrong. Management is intended to exert influence to change the behavior of specific objects to achieve the desired results. Crying when a baby is hungry is an instinctive reaction, not an intentional one, and it is not aimed at specific objects. Moreover, infants did not have a clear expectation of the results of adult feeding. Management is intentional and result oriented.
A manager who cries may be in management if she is intentional and has a clear expectation of the outcome. When I was a manager, a sales manager once sat in my office and cried. She is trying to manage me and get my support for her sales activities. Of course, if you cry instinctively because you feel wronged, such crying is not in management, just like baby crying.