Are Your Skills Holding Your Team Down?
Image source: Md. Zabir Hasan
Some conversations leave lasting impressions and this one did.
He is a rising star in one of the largest companies in the world. His work has caught the attention of those in the highest levels of the company. He’s technically skilled and socially gifted. He’s an achiever with a humble demeanor. He asked me:
“Would you rather have a manger who understood your job or one who didn’t?”
I knew where he was going with the question and I knew the answer he expected. He wanted me to agree with his unspoken assumption that a manager who knew how to do a subordinate’s job would be better than one who didn’t.
I replied, “A manager’s technical knowledge is not the main issue, their ability to bring out the best in others is.”
Is it an advantage for managers to know how to perform the jobs of their direct reports? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.
Telling people the best way to do their job may not be the best way. An environment that leverages other’s skill-sets is more important than a manager’s technical ability.
Managers who help others learn new skills motivate peak performers. Meddling managers, however, don’t lift they de-motivate.
Meddling managers don’t bring out the best in others they create cookie cutter employees who reflect the boss. The result, their organizations won’t rise above their technical ability.
My rising star feels the tension everyone feels when they work their way up the organizational chart – the tension between leveraging their technical knowledge and letting go so that others can achieve.
Have you had a manager who knew how to do your job? Did they meddle or let go?
How can a technically skilled manager leverage their knowledge without de-motivating others?
Meddling managers micromanage, and this is usually damaging to the person and the project.
An important thing to figure out in work and in life, is what your strengths and weaknesses are; what you are good at. If you are not working out of your strength and being helpful then you will definitely stunt the growth of the team members.
I currently find myself “working under” someone who feels they can do all tasks well. This is not true. So a lot more of the work that could be done isn’t getting done at all.
Great point about knowing your strengths, Martina, and closely related is knowing your current role. My boss is an engineer by training, but engineering isn’t his job anymore. He avoids comparisons between his skills and younger engineers whose training is fresher by focusing on the adminstrative, organizational and resourcing tasks that they have no experience for. Harder for him: not directing their work.
I read a book by Daniel Goleman many years ago that gave me a clue that technical skills are not as valuable as so called “emotional intelligence” with regard to my effective leadership. The more I moved up, the more time I spent helping to knit people together so they compliment each other, rather than constantly work at odds with each other. My technical skills help me to establish credibility with others, and perhaps be a resource, but not to take over and do hands-on. I find it vital to help preserve the esteem, respect and confidence that people have for themselves, and for other members of the team.
I love the “emotional intelligence” concept, thanks for the reminder. You can establish a lot of credibility as a leader with very little technical expertise if you show skills at what your team needs from you: Understanding their requirements and providing them with the workplace and resources to effectively do their work.
Good points, James. The technical skills and knowledge that we posses help us with our credibility that we actually know what ppl are supposed to do. The EQ, helps us know them and ourselves better, and this should lead to more harmonious and productive teams.
Second point is good as well, we must demostrate to them that we are confident in their abilities. And, you can’ do that if you’re meddling.
Dan, I don’t think you necessarily meant it this way – it’s just something that struck me. Knowing how to do a job doesn’t necessarily mean we must tell someone how to do it. Allowing some latitude would be characteristic of a skilled or empathetica non-meddling manager.
In my experience, one of the most, if not the most, difficult things for managers at any level, is to learn is how to delegate and be comfortable with it.
Most of the time when they are micro managing, they think they are “helping” and don’t realize that the subordinate views and feels what is being done as a lack of trust.
Plus if you do it now, you always have to do it because the subordinate either grows to lack confidence or becomes demotivated in the belief that he/she will just have to re-workd things once the boss comes by for a look.
A technically skilled manager brings one huge asset for his employees: He can represent them well to the rest of the organization. For example, he can communicate the impact of a decision to add service or a product line, or sell a piece of equipment.
I think the greatest danger is that technically-skilled managers assume they’re more skilled than they are. Your skills begin to atrophy the day you stop being hands-on. The ones still doing the work will soon be more current than you are, especially on rapidly-changing techology. So even if you think you know, defer to your sharp people, or risk looking like a dinosaur, frustrating your people, and degrading the efficiency of your team.
Dear Dan,
An excellent post with a real good message. Effective managers motivate others and get the best out of them by guiding them and pushing them to excel at work. I had a young boss who was an arts graduate with management degree in a pharmaceutical firm but he knew how best to get the work done with a team of science/pharma graduates and much senior senior management staff with greater experience. But, as a good professional, he managed the marketing dept. so well to register consistent two digit growth for consecutive 3 years with accelerated profits.
One need not require technical skills but should have a basic tact of managing the employee staff with superiror performance. It’s more of management skills with professionalism help to achieve the desired goals.
Meddling managers are a curse to the organization and they really demotivate staff and put a break to the organization’s progress. Before it is too late, such managers need to be brought in the basic system of people-centric and growth-oriented approach.
True leaders always take people along and make them extra-ordinary from the ordinary type.
Dear Dan,
I have come across mostly meddling managers. They generally create blocks and try to impose their way of doing things. Mangers who let go things done usually allows others creativity to come out. They are more flexible and open than meddling managers. It is also true that meddling managers have little or less knowledge and this makes them feel that they know more than anybody else. They are more arrogant and egoistic than others.
Technically skilled managers can leverage their knowledge by guiding, teaching and supporting others in day to day operations. I have seen managers, who are afraid to share their knowledge to others. They think that after sharing their knowledge, others may go ahead of them. They treat their knowledge their unique selling point and they don’t share with others. Managers, who are open, flexible and believe that lifting others is actual success, share their technical expertise to others. They actually lift the organisation up by leveraging their knowledge.
Have you had a manager who knew how to do your job? Did they meddle or let go?
Yes and those that thought they knew even though they had been far removed from the work for many years. As far as the meddle, the great ones coached and also let me make my own mistakes.
How can a technically skilled manager leverage their knowledge without de-motivating others?
By knowing that tech skills are usually not the alignment needed to move toward a vision. By knowing that attitudinal skills require the tech manager to ‘let go’…repeatedly. By learning/applying the attitudinal coaching skills, it will be clear that the tech skills have a place, but not necessarily in the new position. In a pinch, in a crisis, when all hands are needed on deck, absolutely jump in with the technical ability, otherwise, build those other skills to help the organization toward its vision.
Great points in your last paragraph, Doc. If you do the work, or direct the work, then no work happens without you. If you let the workers do their work and you focus on developing and using “those other skills” then you can move forward with the organization, and there will still be technically-skilled workers doing the work.
I have had one good manager so far who was a great leader. She motivated me to become my best both personally and professionally.
The person(Leader) should share and develop their people. Being a river not a reservoir. If a leader can do this they will motivate others. Great post.
Have you had a manager who knew how to do your job? Did they meddle or let go? My job isn’t especially “technical” (as engineering or medicine would be) so I don’t know if there’s a clearcut answer for me. I had a very good boss years ago who could have done my job with his eyes shut but was sufficiently “big picture” that he didn’t interfere unless an issue arose.
How can a technically skilled manager leverage their knowledge without de-motivating others? By not stating out loud every little thing they see going wrong! By understanding that the person being supervised needs to learn.
Good thoughts today.