Everyone likes to be their own boss…and it seems to have its perks! You get to set your own hours, tell people what to do, make your own decisions and the list goes on!
Being a team leader, manager or a boss is something that a lot of us work towards or end up doing at some point in our lives. This can either be the shift manager of a call centre, or a business owner with staff under them or even a Bible study leader who determines the direction of what the people under them should be doing or working towards.
Over the past couple of months, we have been looking at a number of tips to help us in the workplace. Whether it is working out what to do with our lives or for our jobs, or starting out a first job or being a better worker, there are many overlapping principles which apply.
What makes being a manager or a boss any different to being a worker?
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes
Empathy ultimately helps a team understand each other to function and perform well. When we are aware of each other’s circumstances, personalities and strengths, we are able to provide honest and edifying feedback to help a team perform. As a manager or a team leader, this quality is important in order to take the lead in building up in your teams and lead by example.
For instance, a person on your team may be performing poorly or clumsily today. Being aware of what they might be going through outside of work can help guide our response to them. If they are going through family issues, the last thing they need is a manager coming down hard on small mistakes.
The other challenge for bosses is to balance the team’s personal circumstances, personal goals and motivations with the workplace goals and objectives. There may be scenarios where you (as a manager) might be ambitious and drive sales results for your team over and above the targets set. However, if there are members in your team who are not as ambitious as you are and are only looking to meet the target, then this is something to work through with your team to find a solution or a midway point.
All of this comes down to remembering that every person is a human being and made in the image of God. We must make sure we treat those who work with us with respect and dignity. (Genesis chapter 1, verse 27 & Ephesians chapter 6 verse 5 to 9).
With great power comes great responsibility
The famous (and cliché) Spiderman quote “with great power comes great responsibility”, has many truths when it comes to managing a team. Ultimately, you, as the team leader, are responsible for not only your own role, but the performance of those under you from both a work perspective and in their conduct.
While we may have increased power, such as being the one who makes decisions, it comes with greater responsibilities as the “KPIs” or “end results” fall on your head. This means we need to make sure we continue to be diligent and hard working (the same habits that got us the promotion) and to also keep the big picture in mind as we motivate our teams.
Generally, other aspects of these manager roles also mean we can be responsible for coaching and mentoring those that are in our team and also be batting for our teams and championing their work throughout the organisation. The increased power is not an excuse to become lazier.
Focusing on the value add
The main difference you might realise when becoming a boss and having people under you is the type of tasks that you focus on. Managers focus on tasks which help enable their team to do their jobs well and perform. And the higher up you move in your role, the more input you have on the overall strategic direction of the business. This in turn enables those under you to (again) do their jobs well and perform.
For example, if I was running a car wash myself, I would need to:
- do marketing to get customers
- get bookings to manage customer flow
- wash the cars
- restock cleaning supplies
- clean the premises and tools
- pay the bills
- make coffee for customers waiting for their car wash
- more marketing to get repeat customers
… the list goes on! It is a lot of tasks and surely, we cannot do them all perfectly in a timely manner; we would be burnt out!
Having a team under you enables you to focus on the tasks that are important (not necessarily what you are good at or interested in) in order to help the business run smoothly and grow (scale).
Many of these tips for being a better manager actually come from the Bible. This example is seen in the Old Testament when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, observed Moses governing Israel. He advises Moses to appoint capable leaders to be judges and officials under Moses so that Moses can focus on the important task of being Israel’s representative before God. (Exodus chapter 18, verses 7 to 26).
Let us continue to seek Godly wisdom from the Bible and work out how we can apply it to our leadership in everyday lives.
Brandon Tsang is a Sydney-based writer currently working in IT. He studied Marketing and Economics at UNSW and loves to spend his spare time hiking, playing volleyball or watching Netflix.
Brandon Tsang’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/brandon-tsang.html