My Praxis of Principled Management
I’ll be honest—it’s hard thinking of myself as an experienced manager of people, campaigns, and projects. More times than not, I still feel like the most junior person in the room even when that’s the furthest thing from the truth. But as I work through what my career has been and what I want it to be, I realize I have amassed a significant amount of management training and knowledge, from in-house mid-level associate training intensives to multiple sessions of The Management Center’s curriculum. I’ve also experienced all types of managers in my work, and have adopted some best practices from the most effective managers I’ve ever had. Even when there were bumps in the road, I’m grateful for my exposure to diverse management styles because it has improved my own management praxis and made me a more flexible direct report. While the debate rages on about whether people leave managers or companies, everyone I know wishes that better managers were more plentiful across industries. I believe the skill and art of management are not innate—just because we are promoted and given direct reports doesn’t mean we have any idea how to help our team achieve our shared goals.
I want to share a few of the guideposts I personally use in what I call my praxis of principled management:
Acknowledge your team’s labor at every opportunity.
Especially when working with a team of people at different levels of organizational seniority, make sure to acknowledge your team’s labor at every opportunity, at each stage of a project or campaign. As a direct report, few things feel worse than laboring over a project that transforms dramatically without any recognition of my contributions (even when they don’t end up in the final product). A simple, “Thank you for your work on this; our goalposts have moved but I recognize how much you did to get us here,” goes a long way, and serves as a solid reminder that the final product rarely tells the whole story. If you have the power, create opportunities for your team members to receive public credit or attributions for their work. Point to the passer in your meetings—acknowledge those who make valuable or interesting suggestions, even when they are not implemented. This type of acknowledgement practice helps people feel seen and heard when working with you.
Model accountability by falling on your sword early and often.
I am of the school of thought that if I assign a project to a direct report, and I don’t receive what I wanted, the fault more likely than not lay with me and my insufficient communication. Did I provide a bigger picture or background context? Did I clarify exactly what I wanted? Did I double-check for understanding? Did I err on the side of over-communication? Did I share instructions in writing? Did I break down the complex aspects? I firmly believe that managers should model the accountability they routinely expect from direct reports and teams. Managers should always leave room for the possibility of their own imperfect communication, and should apologize for shortcomings freely. It truly costs nothing, but bolsters your integrity with your team. I am quick to tell a direct report, “I’m sorry. I did not give you enough information to execute what I wanted to see.” Don’t let a project’s contours change in your mind without letting your direct report know. Allowing your team or direct reports to see you as human will, more often than not, engender their respect and loyalty. Those are priceless.
Make the implicit, explicit, and demystify things wherever you can.
A critical mistake managers often make is to assume a direct report knows everything the manager knows, or will act just as the manager would in a given scenario. Do not hide your expectations and then reprimand direct reports for not meeting them—that’s not fair! Make the implicit, explicit. Are there unspoken norms at your organization that feel like second nature to you? Your direct report may not be aware of those just yet; prepare to have a conversation about them so the direct report is on notice. Try to remember that workplaces in the same industry may vary wildly; do not assume your team or direct report has done things “your way” before. Relatedly, demystify processes. Tell direct reports what happens to their work product after it leaves them. If a project or initiative is stalled, paused, or dies, discuss that openly with your team or direct reports wherever you can. Few things feel as demoralizing than contributing to a project, only to watch it languish without explanation. Doing all you can to make sure your expectations as a manager are clearly and repeatedly stated will increase the chances of them being fully understood and then satisfactorily met (or exceeded!).
Invest early in the relationship and be patient.
Many people feel as though their jobs are akin to putting out fire after fire; all emergencies with zero time to reflect on performance or to implement changes to processes. As we gain seniority, we experience profound pressure to perform at higher and higher levels and we are reliant upon teams and direct reports to help us do so. However, rushing through a relationship with a new direct report will not yield high dividends in the future. You cannot develop a manager-direct report shorthand without putting in the underlying work up-front. If the person is new to you, invest substantial time and conversations early on about your management, communication, and working styles. Make this a priority and exercise patience. Direct reports who haven’t quite hit their stride at work, but know that you are committed to building out your relationship, will feel motivated to stay the course.
Expect to be working on this skill for as long as you work with others.
Plateaus can be dangerous. This may sound trite, but management is a skill that you will simply have to keep sharp to keep people excited to work with and for you. Seek out additional training, strategies, and other ways to improve. Look at 360 and upward reviews as utterly invaluable sources of first-person information—you may even look forward to them in time! Just as we expect our direct reports and teams to sharpen their skills, we should in turn be committed to improving our abilities as workers and sharpening our praxis as managers.
There are popular quips that malign the role of managers (or lack thereof); I’m not here to debate whether those are true or not. But managers don’t have to live up to stereotypes. Instead, skilled, principled managers can be critical links in an organization—fostering positive, productive relationships with members at all levels of a team or staff. Managers should be like mindful gardeners, providing each person on their team with a nurturing growth environment and specific care suited to their unique needs.
A parting gem: As a manager, I strive to facilitate work by getting out of the way wherever I can, but still being available as a resource. It’s a delicate balance, and I am working on it!
