As you progress through your career as a manager you’re going to find that people have certain preconceived notions about managers and their abilities. They think that managers are mind readers and are flawless in character, organisation, and technical skill.
These assumptions couldn’t be further from the truth. While those who find themselves in management positions have usually shown their superiors a certain amount of skill, they’ve also shown their superiors that they have the will and tenacity to learn more. No one takes a management role knowing exactly how everything is done. Today I’m going to share three myths about management.
Management Myth #1: Managers have excellent time management skills.
The truth here is that most managers have great time management skills but those skills are often blown out of proportion. I have, on my occasions, created a daily schedule for myself but my position as a manager does not necessarily allow me the ability to enjoy sticking to that schedule. I am constantly interrupted by my employees, phone calls, emails, and people who truly believe that what they’re working on is more important than what I am working on. At the end of the day I may find I completed 7 out of 10 tasks or, on a bad day, only 1. Time management is relative, especially when managers are responsible for other individuals.
Management Myth #2 – Managers delegate work to others and do nothing else.
I’m not sure who started this myth but I wish it would disappear. It’s usually a disgruntled employee who believes that a manager merely dumps his work on his subordinates and then goes to his office to sip a cup of coffee and read the paper. Good managers delegate tasks – that means they give away parts of a project and keep others for themselves. A true manager is always busy – both delegating tasks, completing his own, and then putting the project back together when all of the parts are complete.
Management Myth #3 – Managers have access to all informational resources.
This is, again, false. Managers ask questions and look for information but in reality their superiors in upper management often have access to additional information that doesn’t trickle down to middle management. As such, you and your team may find that you end up doing extra work that could have been avoided if only someone had given you a piece of information you didn’t even know existed.
Keep these myths in mind as your superiors, peers, and employees question and approach you throughout each day. It’s very likely that they expect you are perfect when, in reality, you’re merely working with the resources you’ve been given.
