The Manager's Role from the employees' point of view

The role of a manager is often defined from a business point of view only. But what about the role of a manager from the employee's point of view?

1. Managers proactively let their people know where they’re spending time and effort on the unnecessary.

2. Managers give ambitious employees tasks that are ambitious enough so that, if the employee succeeds at them, there is enough windfall to reward them with career growth.

3. Managers give early and frequent feedback. This helps workers know when they’re going off track before it’s too late. It thus prevents frustrating surprises or wasting efforts on actions that cannot be rewarded.

4. Managers help spot and fill competency gaps in their people. It’s frustrating to be assigned a task and fail because you lack the information or skill to succeed. A manager helps fill such gaps before they lead to frustration.

5. Managers make the employees’ jobs less frustrating. This includes removing excessive bureaucracy, providing adequate tools, and addressing internal disputes and friction between departments.

6. Managers proactively let their people know the hidden purpose of tedious tasks, well-knowing that the difference between tedious and demotivating is purpose.

7. Managers talk so clearly & concretely that what they mean is clear to everyone. They don’t clarify misunderstandings but prevent them.

8. Managers find for their demotivated employees small but value-adding tasks they can succeed at.

9. Managers respect their employees' time. While requiring overtime might be occasionally necessary, managers take proactive action to avoid unnecessary overtime.

10. Managers don’t give up easily on demotivated employees, understanding that demotivation is just having learned the lesson that efforts go to waste. Therefore, they find ways to direct their people’s efforts to tasks that will teach them the opposite lesson.

11. Managers give motivated employees outlets to put their motivation to use.

12. Managers interpret abstract objectives, telling each worker what concrete actions to take and why. They never mention company-wide objectives and core values without immediately afterward explaining what they mean concretely to the individuals they’re talking to.

To summarize, managers prioritize, delegate, help, explain, acknowledge, teach, and coach to ensure that their employees’ time and efforts at work are worthwhile (in terms of salary, growth, self-respect, security, or whatever resource the employee joined the company for)