Managers are overworked and stretched in too many directions, prompting a much needed redefinition of the role, Lynda Gratton, PhD, a professor of management practice at London Business School, writes in an April 26 Harvard Business Review article.
Leaders are asking too much of their managers, with the current role requiring managers to lead and performance coach employees instead of just overseeing processes, argues Dr. Gratton. Here are four of her suggestions to help managers and reimagine the role:
- Executives shouldn't think of managers as the frozen middle of the company, but instead as its beating heart and company connectors and subsequently consider what they can do to help them succeed in their roles.
- Consider investing in coaching skills training for managers, which is a fundamental part of managing people.
- Look into using artificial intelligence to pick up some of the brunt work for managers to ease their workload.
- Consider redesigning the role by breaking it up between people to ease the workload of managers and ensure every task gets done to the highest degree with ample time.