Thread by @shreyas

4 stages of maturity as a manager

(trigger warning: might feel too real)

👇🏾

Stage 1 manager:

A new manager who is unwittingly still trying to prove (to self & others) why he deserves the manager job.

Common Stage 1 signs:

-General insecurity

-Rarely says “I don’t know”

-Often tries to do team members' jobs

-Nitpicks a lot when providing feedback

-Comes across as competing against direct reports

-Often complains about direct reports with trusted peers & his own manager

Simple (but not easy) lesson for Stage 1:

Once you have the job, stop trying to prove that you deserve the job, and just do the new job.

Stage 2 manager:

A manager with only one management style, that he uses on everyone on the team.

In most cases, it is the style in which *he* prefers to be managed.

Common Stage 2 signs:

-often talks about the “one right way to do things”

-goes out of his way to justify style

-prefers to hire people who are very much like himself

-great rapport with a few team members, but leaves all other team members feeling very frustrated

Simple (but not easy) lesson for Stage 2:

You cannot expect all your direct reports to adapt to your style (no matter how clear your "User Manual" doc is). As a manager, you ought to adapt your style to fit the preferences of your direct reports. If you have ONE job, this is it.

Stage 3 manager:

A manager who is all-business & primarily views people as "resources". May care about people. May even care a lot.

But cares much more about short term results & targets. So when the two are in conflict, she will unabashedly prioritize short term results.

Common Stage 3 signs:

-Shows up very busy & distracted in 1:1s

-Talks excessively about “holding people accountable”

-Often uses process, policies, senior mgmt as an excuse for her stance

-Tends not to make an effort to maintain a relationship after someone leaves her team

Simple, but not easy lesson for Stage 3:

By all means business results are important. But remember that, while you might get good short term business results by treating people like "resources", you are likely getting suboptimal long term outcomes for yourself & the company.

Stage 4 manager:

A manager who is generally a good manager, but isn’t yet fully proficient in

(a) the art of authentic listening, and

(b) the skill of asking great questions.

Common Stage 4 signs:

-Often jumps to solutions after hearing about a problem

-May ask questions to understand the situation, but tends to get impatient when team members are answering

-You may feel the need to “perform” somewhat in 1:1s instead of being yourself

Simple (but not easy) lesson for Stage 4:

Listening intently and asking high quality questions are necessary to go from being a good manager to becoming a great manager.

This sounds too impossibly simple and therefore unlikely to be true.

But try it and thank me later.

Final observations

A) Sadly, some managers remain in Stage 1 forever

B) Stages aren’t always strictly sequential & mgrs may exhibit signs from multiple stages

C) But the stages do roughly correspond with many mgrs’ maturity & growth

D) I've been in each of these stages myself

Back to the top of this thread:

https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1355405159833038856

Additional reading material👇🏾

What does Stage 5 look like?

Stage 5 is about being a consummate manager (though not necessarily always perfect).

It looks like this:

https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1290685921348562948

To be really good at something, it's important to learn what *not* to do (besides also focusing on what *to* do)

Hence this thread.

Hence also these 7 Manager Anti-Patterns:

https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1287142361441505280

The Incompetent Leader's playbook

(especially relevant for senior managers & executives at a company)

https://twitter.com/shreyas/status/1339997380335128576