The True Function of Managers
Agha Hasan Abedi said "The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work." This is one of my favorite quotes about management because it highlights a common attitude about what management is while highlighting what it should be. There are many managers who focus on processes and procedures vs. people. Many of these managers want to focus on developing their people but somewhere down the line, they got bogged down with tasks so coaching their employees may seem like a daunting task. Ironically, employee development is precisely what can eliminate many of the tasks managers may be carrying out that they should be delegating.
Effective Employee Coaching can provide several key benefits including...
- Strengthening employees' skills to delegate more tasks to them and devote time to more important responsibilities—such as strategic planning
- Overcoming costly and time-consuming performance issues
- Improving employee retention by building employee engagement
- Fostering a positive work culture in the form of greater job satisfaction and higher motivation
- Maximizing use of human resources through effective employee coaching
- Planning for succession by building a pipeline of talent capable of transitioning to different job functions
- Boosting productivity by helping employees work smarter
Do you agree or disagree that management is truly about developing people? Why or why not?
For those interested in improving their coaching skills, check out ML118 - Coaching Skills sponsored by Harvard Business Publishing.
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