It was the end of another long day and Ralph Brown wasn't sure he had the strength to make the 45-minute commute home. Sitting in the bumper-to-bumper traffic as he headed out New Hampshire he was finally able to let out a long sigh in the dark solitude of his car. No one was there to hear his frustration as he mumbled to himself, "What have I gotten myself into?
Three months earlier he had been hired to be the office administrator by one of the most prestigious law firms in Washington, D.C. He had felt nothing but elation and confidence in his ability to take on this new job. Although he had never been a manager of a multi office law firm he had graduated summa cum laude with a master's in business management and had worked for several years for a small single office firm as legal administrator. This new position was definitely a step up the career ladder. But now, three months later, all he was feeling was frustration, uncertainty, and very alone.
The day had started off well and, overall, he thought things in the office were going okay. But it quickly changed when Beth, a paralegal who had come on board shortly before he did, entered his office and asked for a few minutes of his time. He did not like to have his workday interrupted but decided he could spare a few minutes before he got started.
By the time Beth left his office about 45 minutes later all he could do was sink back in his chair and try to process everything she had just told him. He was able to keep a ‘game face' on while she talked but his expression collapsed into shock and bewilderment as soon as she closed the door on the way out. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. If everything she had told him was true there was a good chance he would not last long working for this firm.
Were things really as bad as Beth described? He thought back to how hard he had worked to make certain everything was done right. How he had worked until nearly midnight correcting peoples' mistakes. How he had come into the office early before anyone else got to work to go over reports and cases so everything would be perfect for the attorneys. But he didn't mind because he could get so much more accomplished working by himself than taking the time to explain things to everyone else. Had he just been glossing over issues that needed to be addressed and they were quickly developing into full-fledged problems?
As he approached his home he thought of a college friend, John. Ralph really had not kept up with many people from his past but he did know that John had been working in human resource consulting for several years. Maybe now was the time to renew the friendship. He quickly fixed himself some dinner and then found his alumni directory and looked up John's phone number.
He apprehensively dialed the number and before he could hang up John answered. Now he had to say something. They discussed college years, the economy, the weather, everything but the real reason he had called. Finally John said, "Ralph, I get the feeling there is more to your call than just catching up?"
It was like a torrent as Ralph spilled out what Beth had told him earlier that day and that he was suddenly feeling very unsure of himself as a manager. John listened intently, taking notes and occasionally asking questions. When Ralph finally finished he immediately felt relieved. He had told someone else what he was feeling and it felt good.
There was a few seconds of silence and then John said, "Ralph, this is what we are going to do. I am going to fax you a simple list of qualities that a good manager should have. I want you to read it and think very carefully about the characteristics on this list and then decide which ones pertain to you and which ones do not.
They hung up and in just a few minutes Ralph received John's fax. He sat down at his desk and immediately started studying it.
How to tell if you are a good manager
As a person:
- You have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You are happy with who you are, but you are still learning and getting better.
- You are something of an extrovert. You don't have to be the life of the party, but you can't be a wallflower. Management is a people skill - it's not the job for someone who doesn't enjoy people.
- You are honest and straightforward. Your success depends heavily on the trust of others.
- You include, not exclude, others. You bring others into what you do. You don't exclude others because they lack certain attributes.
- You have a ‘presence'. Managers must lead. Effective leaders have a quality about them that makes people notice when they enter a room.
On the job:
- You are consistent, but not rigid; dependable, but can change your mind. You make decisions, but easily accept input from others.
- You are a little bit crazy. You think out-of-the box. You try new things and if they fail, you admit the mistake, but don't apologize for having tried.
- You are not afraid to "do the math". You make plans and schedules and work towards them.
- You are flexible and can change plans quickly, but you are not flighty.
- You see information as a tool to be used, not as power to be hoarded.
Ralph realized that some of these things pertained to him but a lot did not. Maybe he had been overly confident as he felt like he was expected to have all the answers. Maybe he should have been spending more time with others in the office, listening to what they were telling him instead of in his office correcting the work that others should have done.
He was just not comfortable dealing with people. He liked structure and procedures but he felt that he was not so rigid that he couldn't accept change and redirection. Or was he?
Although it was late, Ralph called John again. He asked John if it was possible for him to ‘reinvent' himself. "Yes, you can but it won't be easy or quick. You need to think about what you need to do to be a good manager for this firm and then work on it everyday in order for you to change your behavior," replied John. John suggested Ralph write down his own list of character behaviors that he needed to succeed in his job and refer to them everyday.
After hanging up Ralph immediately started thinking about how he had done things in the past, how he needed to do things, and the behaviors he needed to change to be a better manager. He also decided to set down with the employees individually and find out what they felt were problem issues. He knew he had a lot to do but he had a start.
As Ralph went to bed that night he felt excited about going to work the next morning for the first time in a long time.
Linda Richardson
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