In my early twenties, when I first started thinking about building a career, I had the idea that people in management roles had to be older than 40 and have a lot of experience and knowledge of what their company is selling or developing in order to be in a management position. And I realized I was not the only one with this mindset. However, in these past years, I discovered that I was completely mistaken about this and so much more. Here are the top 5 myths about managers:
- Managers need to be older than other employees on their team;
Age is a thing of the past. Respect is not earned by how many candles you blow on your birthday. Old or young, what matters is your talent and your management skills. If you truly help your team, it won’t matter whether you’re 45 or 22.
- Managers know the product inside out.
What a lie as you probably know! We all had managers who were not experts in the area they were managing and we all thought, at some point, that, if for some reason they had to replace us, they would be clueless. Although knowledge of the product is important to earn the trust of your team, it is not everything. It is ok to be honest when you don’t know something and it is fine to realize you have people in your team much more knowledgeable than you. In fact, they will come handy when you need their help. What is important is that you consider yourself as part of the team and that your team feels they also want to help you as much as you help them.
- Managers need to dress up for work.
It is the 21st century and this is definitely something that is changing. It is true that some people will perceive their manager differently if he/she dresses up for work. However, when you think about it, if you’re a manager, is this really the reason why you want to be viewed as competent and skilled? If you’re good at what you do, you’re good, period.
- Managers can’t be friends with the people they’re managing.
That old idea that the manager is someone who is more distant who only sets targets and looks at numbers is outdated. Managers don’t hang out only with other managers. They can have fun, they can tell jokes and they can be friends with their employees. The only thing to have in mind is to never let these relationships interfere with how you manage your team. if you’re consistent, fair, and set the right expectations from the beginning, no one is going to unfriend you because of the way you acted at work.
- Managers are responsible to always tell employees what to do
If you are a manager, you may feel the pressure all the time to check in with your employees, know how they are doing and analyze what they need to improve on. Although it is part of your tasks to do this regularly, you can’t hold this responsibility alone. Remember, you are in a team! Encourage your team members to be autonomous and pro-active. They are also responsible for their development. They can also be the ones who share with you how they are doing and how they could use your help to improve. Always set the right expectations and agree with each employee how you can help each other moving forward. Sometimes, it is as simple as that.
It is hard to define what a manager should be, but there are just some ideas that expired with time. What other myths are on your mind?
André Vidal 