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Why can’t managers make decisions any more?

Modern managing is hard.

In years gone by managing was much easier. Everyone had clearly defined roles. You knew where the boundaries were.

Managers ‘managed’. And workers ‘worked’.

Decisions were made by managers, and the orders were carried out by the workers. The workplace functioned much like a military command and control structure.

Sure, history shows that at times those old-school managers pushed too hard, were unfair to employees, and didn’t really focus on the well-being of their workers.

Aspirations increase; time moves on

Each subsequent generation wants/expects/strives for a bit more than what their parents had.

These days it seems as if many managers are confused into management paralysis. Not sure what to stand for. Scared of making decisions.

This confusion – and the resultant lack of direction for staff who report to them – may be rooted in conflicting values and misdirected altruism, demonstrated by thinking along the lines of:

  • Should I tell my team members what to do? Or should I let them discover the path for themselves?
  • I need to treat everyone as an individual at all times.
  • How can I keep everyone happy?
  • How much responsibility should I take myself, or give to my team?
  • Everyone is an adult. Surely they can look after themselves.
  • Should I focus on being a manager (doing things right) or on being a leader (doing the right things)?
  • I can’t correct them (or tell them they’re wrong) because that isn’t a nice thing to do.
  • If they don’t meet their goals, maybe the goals were too high?

Why is managing in the 21st century so damned hard?

Recent sociological changes haven’t helped.

Following the Permissive Parenting era of the 1960’s through 80’s (defined by developmental psychologist Diana Buamrind in 1973 and typified by parents having few behavioural expectations for their children), parents began to aspire to be their children’s best friend rather than taking the flak of being the adult, setting boundaries, saying ‘no’, and holding children accountable for their actions.

The development of new technologies during the 1990’s (the Internet being a major force) opened the door to new levels of access to information. This included the perceived ‘right’ of anyone to access whatever they want online (usually for free) and unparalleled interpersonal connectivity at any time.

In many ways the practice of waiting (and possibly along with it, patience) became an old-fashioned concept. All of a sudden you didn’t have to wait for TV shows to go to air, to get to a phone to make a call, or to visit the shops to make a purchase. You can get it now, online.

Happy days and new ways

During the economic ‘happy days’ of the noughties (from 2000) jobs were plentiful, money was relatively easy to find, and a new influence was observed in the workplace – the emergence of distinct generational cohorts working together in unconventional ways. Along with this came different workplace relationships between these cohorts. These new relationships defied the previous linear career expectations that had been the norm for decades.

  • No longer were managers always older than their direct reports.
  • No longer did everyone simply accept the directives they were given.
  • No longer did employees remain at the same company to work their way up the career ladder.

Add to this mix the trend of so-called Generation Y (also called the Millennials, born 1980 to 1995 or thereabouts) and younger cohorts who truly expect – through no fault of their own – to step into a role that fits their own self-image and sense of ‘expectations’, rather than a role that matches their actual skill level.

It’s no wonder managers get confused about where the line is drawn and how, when (and even if) they should make a decision.

In some ways it can seem like managers don’t have a role any more. Or at best they should step back and let their team manage themselves.

After all, employees these days are all capable, competent, and self-directed individuals.

Aren’t they?

Not quite …

The reality is that at work people still:

  • Don’t know what they don’t know.
  • Need to be held accountable for their actions.
  • Need a clear line of communication.
  • Need to know exactly what their role is and how their work fits in with others.
  • Need to be guided by others with greater experience in life as well as on the job.
  • Need the opportunity to be motivated and successful.
  • Need to understand the limitations of their own knowledge.

Yes, managers still have a vital role to play. For both the organisation and their team.

This line of discussion doesn’t mean managers should regress to a draconian 19th century management style. The industrial era is long gone.

Time for managers to step up

Now managers must step up and push the boundaries. Managers need to lead and manage simultaneously.

Modern managers need to feel the fear of uncertainty, and do it anyway. They can’t afford to be distracted by:

  • Relying on team consensus for all decisions.
  • Blurring the lines of accountability to avoid singling out poor performers.
  • Acting submissively (versus being assertive) in an effort to keep everyone happy.
  • Expecting a true democracy. Ultimately someone needs to make a decision.
  • Waiting for team members to realise the error of their ways.

As the manager, you must clearly set the direction and goals for your team.

You, as the manager, must proactively manage, coach and lead each team member towards achieving their individual goals.

No confusion.
No self-doubt.
No paralysis.
Decisions need to be made.

Let’s be honest. As a manager not every decision you make will be ‘right’. There is often ambiguity, a variety of expectations, the impact of timing, and interpersonal differences that you can never fully remove from the decision making process.

But that’s why you are the manager. Your team needs you.

Be proud of yourself. Take the responsibility. And take action.

 

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As featured in Sales & Marketing Management magazine cover story

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Overview of client feedback

The week following the 2-day training, the team had already commenced implementing some of the learnings from Stuart’s training.
Camille Johnson, CEO

Sales figures have increased by 20% on last year to date!! The team also continue to pick up new customers.
Sharyn Moran, General Manager

Our sales results have increased since incorporating Stuart’s sessions into our sales conference and this has been during a downturn in the market.
Justin Zakaras, National Sales and Marketing Manager

The content of the sessions was customised to suit our customer interactions, with a lot of preparation on the part of Stuart.
Dr. Sunil Kadri, Head of Sales and Business Development


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Thank you so much for a brilliant session on Thursday. I think the format and content was ideal.
Rennie Colston, Sales Director

We had a very positive result from involving Stuart in our Managers Conference last year.
Russell Varley, Human Resources

The training got us thinking more strategically about how the business is structured. It has really built our capabilities as a management team.
Mia Graham, General Manager


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Stuart was patient, flexible and knowledgeable. He took the time to truly understand our business.
Helen Zwicker, Executive Officer

The best thing is that I now have a road map of specific marketing activities that can be implemented with confidence.
Donna Cazzolato, General Manager Sales and Marketing

The participants immediately felt engaged as Stuart demonstrated his understanding of our needs and challenges.
Frederic Vanhove, Principal Engineer, Pacific Delivery


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With only one day we had a lot of material to cover and Stuart created a positive learning environment for all involved.
Kylie Kinsella, Sales Manager Australia & NZ

Bad ideas are expensive in business however with Stuart Ayling, it was money very well spent.
John B. Lonergan, Sales Manager


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By the next week, sales of this product had doubled from 10% of all new sales to 20%. The extremely cost effective session with Stuart paid for itself within the first week.
Maria Triggs, General Manager

We have already seen a new client on board as a result of the two-day workshop.
Mark Mahoney, Managing Director


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Stuart put the sales training across in a way they could accept as a part of our service offering with out them feeling like “salesmen”.
Gary McDonald, Managing Director

We were impressed by the approach of Stuart and the simplicity of the program without the hype generally associated with these courses.
Dirk Kuiper, General Manager


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Read the latest on the blog

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  • Understanding the emotional experience of clients Aug 1, 2019
  • What does your sales team really need to learn? Apr 29, 2019

About Marketing Nous

Marketing Nous was established in 2000 by Stuart Ayling, Director and Chief Sales Strategist. Stuart works  with expertise-based businesses to develop customised sales training and … Read More >>

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