Intermediate Manager Skills – Part One

Redefining Your Role 

The difference between management and leadership 

Are you a manager or a leader? Your answer to this question will ideally be both. 

Let’s consider the different competencies required: 

The aim of a manager can be summarised as:Achieving results through other people 

In order to achieve this, MODEL managers demonstrate the following behaviours: 

Action Centred Leadership 

John Adair proposes the following, much simpler,model for leadership: 

We can see that the elements are interlinked, which means that efforts in any of the three aspects will impact the other two. We can then explore the manager’s responsibilities through each of these lenses: 

The leader explains the required end result and asks the team member for their suggestions. They ask lots of questions and praise progress. The final decision on how to proceed with the task is still usually made by the leader. 

Supporting Style 

Here the leader listens and encourages self-reliant decision making and problem solving. The decision regarding how to tackle the task is usually a joint one – let’s decide together! 

Delegating Style 

With this style, the leader provides the resources and empowers the team member by allowing them to make decisions themselves and act autonomously. Over to you! 

How Do Others See You? 

The way we think we are perceived by those around us is irrelevant – it’s the impact your behaviour has on those around you that counts! The more self-aware you are, the better your interactions will be with those around you. 

The Johari Window was developed by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955. It is a model which enables us to better understand our relationship with ourselves and others. 

Arena 

The information here is known to everyone – things you know about yourself that you have shared with others. The more you get to know someone, the more information will enter this box as you open up and share personal details, opinions, feelings etc. If you are going to build trusting relationships, then the more information here, the better! 

Façade 

These are the things we know about ourselves but others do not. As you get to know someone, you will tell them more about yourself, and the information will travel from this area into the Arena. You might know someone for 30 years, but even then they could reveal a hidden secret which will surprise you!  

Unknown 

Information about us that nobody knows – these could be for example hidden talents we possess which have not yet been discovered until we try something new. You sit down at a piano for the first time and find you have the natural ability to play it very well. Someone says ‘I didn’t know you could play the piano!’ to which you reply ‘neither did I!’ Clearly this information has now to moved to the Arena. 

Blind Spot 

In terms of your self-awareness, this is the main area for concern. These are the things that other people know or think about us, and we are unaware. People with low self-awareness have a lot of information contained in this area. Some people believe themselves to be assertive, but they try too hard, and everyone around them perceives them to be rude, aggressive and a bully. The only way to know how we are truly perceived by others is to ask for honest feedback! This will help you to move information from this area into the Arena, so you can improve your people skills and build better relationships.