Amy Waninger

Are you a manager or curious about taking on a manager’s role? Your company probably expects you to improve your team’s performance, boost your team members’ morale, and coach your employees. You’re asked to wear a lot of hats in working with your team.

But have they trained you on all those skills? Or even communicated those expectations to you? Chances are, you don’t have the tools or training that would make you successful in all of these roles. Think for a moment about all the different “jobs” you have.

The Manager’s Role

Air Traffic Controller

Job description: Assign and monitor the work, coordinate dozens of moving parts, look for problems, and intervene before something crashes.

This is the most basic definition of the manager’s role. Managers have to delegate the work that comes to them. Frequently, you also need to assign people for extra work and special projects. When the direction changes or a team member gets sick, you’re back to square one. You may feel like you can’t keep track of it all. And how will you know if someone needs help?

Coach / Cheerleader

Job description: Know everyone’s strengths and what motivates them. Keep morale high while constantly pushing team members to perform at higher levels. Never let anyone lose sight of the goal.

According to the Association for Talent Development (ATD), coaching from managers leads to improved performance of individuals and teams. High-performing companies train their managers in coaching skills and hold them accountable. But most of us got promoted to management roles because we were good at our old jobs. We may not be prepared to have deep conversations with our employees about their goals and limiting beliefs!

Mediator / Diplomat

Job description: Manage expectations from above, below, and all around. Help everyone see one another’s value. Resolve conflict, sometimes before it even starts.

Let’s face it, half of your team is below average. (Or, at least, below the team’s average.) But they each think they’re the star player. When conflicts arise, how do you protect everyone’s egos, work, and relationships? For that matter, how do you know they’re telling you what’s really going on?

You’re Not Alone

Whatever role you’re playing today, you’re not alone. All managers are expected to delegate, assign, and monitor work. Ninety percent of companies also expect their managers to coach team members. And, because team members interact with each other, managers spend about 20 percent of their time mediating conflicts.

Still, all these demands on your time and attention can be exhausting.

What If…?

What if you had a crystal ball that told you…

• How well your team members are performing on their tasks?
• What your team members actually want to accomplish?
• How your team members perceive the performance of the team?
• How your team members perceive your performance as their manager?

What if—just by asking the right question—you could improve team cohesion and company culture?

What if you always had the right words to coach your employee, whether they’re struggling, striving, or thriving?

Lead at Any Level is offering a new tool—FREE FOR A LIMITED TRIAL PERIOD—that does all these things and more! If you manage a team of three people or more, schedule your free consultation today!

Do you think Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives begin and end with hiring? Think again. Your next hire is just one decision of many that can affect your D&I metrics. You need to go beyond hiring initiatives to create a real and lasting impact.

Go Beyond Hiring

A prospective client, the HR director of a small investment firm, called me to inquire about D&I programming. After some small talk, I asked if there was a problem they were trying to solve, or if they had a goal in mind for the session.

She replied candidly, “I’m having trouble getting some of the managers on board with our diversity initiative. We’re a small firm with very little turnover. They asked me if I was going to fire ten people and hire for diversity. This got me thinking. What can we do to show diversity and inclusion is a priority for us, if we’re not hiring anytime soon?”

This is not a unique concern. I talk to owners of small and medium-sized businesses all the time. They want to do the right thing. They want the innovation, sustainability, and profitable growth that come with a diverse workforce. Here are some ideas I

Include the People You Already Have

Find out, to a person, what makes each of your employees feel included or excluded. Talk to everyone to learn what the trouble spots are, or bring in trained facilitators to help you. Chances are, your employees already see the firm from very different perspectives. Ask them how you can do better.

Work with Diverse Suppliers

Whether you’re looking for printer paper, toilet paper, or an event caterer, there are probably dozens of diverse suppliers in your area who can meet your needs. Rather than sending your office manager a big-box store, invest in your community be seeking out a minority-, woman-, or veteran-owned vendor. Your local Chambers of Commerce (yes, there are several in every city), WBENC regional partner, or NMSDC office are a good place to start.

Broaden Your Funds and Portfolios

Admittedly, I know very little about investment management. Still I have to imagine that fund managers make decisions everyday that affect millions of people’s jobs and livelihoods. With this in mind, put some intention around the firm’s investment products and its own investments. Adherence to ethics guidelines, diverse board representation, and transparency around pay equity all contribute to a company’s long-term success. Some investors will be especially interested in products that both do good and perform well.

This one is specific to the client I referenced, but look for ways to apply this kind of thinking to your own business’s offerings and operations.

Mind Your Philanthropy and Pipeline

Your firm probably helps fund fellowships, scholarships, internships, and other “feeder” programs for aspiring financiers. Look outside the alma maters of your founders. Intentionally invest in students at HBCUs, for example, to maximize your impact and to create a sustainable talent pipeline.

Pay Attention to Your Hiring Processes, Too

You may be six months away from hiring your next employee. Now is a great time to shore up your selection process. Review job descriptions for bias, create a system for reviewing resumes, implement training for conducting interviews. Look in new places to be sure your talent pipeline isn’t artificially limited to exclude veterans, women, Black and brown people, or people from the “wrong” Ivy League school. It’s much easier to fix these problems now, than when you’re scrambling to find a new team member.

TL;DR: In Summary…

Think beyond hiring if you’re really committed to sustainability, profitability, innovation, and inclusion in your organization.

Are you facing a tough challenge or change at work? You might get frustrated if you expect steady progress or quick resolution. None of us is going to glide smoothly from start to finish. So, what do you do when you hit a rough patch? Your answer can mean the difference between success and defeat. Change your perspective to realize you’re collecting footage for your montage.

The montage is one of my favorite cinematic storytelling devices. A montage is an edited series in a movie wherein a main character advances through scenes in quick succession. In the best montages, we watch the character transform from awkward novice to confident badass, while a catchy pop tune engages our emotional response.

Famous Montage Examples

Think about your favorite movies. In Rocky (1976), director John G. Alvidsen didn’t have the time to show us every workout and every sparring practice that built a champion; he used a montage to show incremental improvement, setbacks, and small triumphs along the way. In the 1984 bromance hit Footloose, we cringe at Willard, Ren’s best friend, who enters the montage as an uncoordinated oaf, unable to stomp to a simple beat. In a steady-but-edited-for-time progression, we witness his miraculous transformation into a teenage dance floor sensation. And in Disney’s animated feature Mulan (1998), we watch as the main character pushes her way through military training. She fails at first but slowly gains competence, ultimately overcoming the “impossible” challenge set for her by Captain Li Shang.

As you read the last paragraph, did you catch yourself singing “Eye of the Tiger,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” or “Be a Man”? The songs, too, are often edited for length so that you felt the whole transformation take place at warp speed. Think about how many hours of planning, rehearsal, costumes, makeup, raw footage, B-roll, retakes, camera angles, animation, sound effects, and editing went into create your favorite movie montage. All of that for less than three minutes of concentrated storytelling!

Get to Work!

While you’re doing the hard work – when this whole ordeal seems like it will never end – remind yourself that you’re collecting footage for your montage. The planning, practice, pain, and frustration are all fodder for the montage memory you will someday have of going through this challenge. So, pick a catchy soundtrack and get started.