I started my career at one of the “big four” accounting firms. They hired talented college graduates and applied a time tested approach to developing them. It was much like going to boot camp. Management wanted to make sure you were instructed on the proper way to work within their environment. Your first year you did all the basic duties that reflected your position at the bottom of the corporate ladder. I spent time delivering supplies, proof reading financial reports and working on my calculator skills. I was assigned on multiple client engagements where I supported the more senior staff. It could be mind-numbing work. I wondered when I would utilize all my knowledge obtained as an accounting graduate.
Slowly but surely I moved up the corporate ladder and started to manage my own staff. Each year I received excellent training from the firm to help me develop as a manager. After five years I was managing multiple engagements and working with senior management at large public corporations. It seemed to me that success was measured in the number of people one managed.
Inside the Industry
In my current role at TeamPeople I see many of our clients grappling with the same issues related to managing their media staff. They spend their time trying to decipher the growing issues related to a multi-generational workforce. This got me to thinking. Is managing people overrated in today’s workplace? There are thousands of articles, philosophies, and opinions on how to manage your staff more effectively. Should you spend your time becoming a better manager? Will your staff appreciate you more and work harder for you? Will your boss reward you with a promotion or salary increase?
Being a good manager and empowering your staff is clearly important yet should not be your only focus. Successful media managers minimize the amount of time they spend dealing with the day-to-day management tasks and effectively delegate or partner with third parties to take these tasks off their plate. This allows them to spend their time on things that will actually help get them that desired raise or promotion.
If you want to be an effective manager stop worrying about who called in sick today and focus on these three areas!
3 Ways to Be An Effective Manager
1. Focus on the big picture
Spend time thinking about your department’s role in the business. How can your department better serve its internal customers? Why are people utilizing outside agencies instead of your department? How can the organization’s media resources be better utilized to support the company and help it grow?
2. Spend your time doing important tasks that can make a difference
There is no faster way to attract the attention of senior management than completing a difficult task that has a significant impact on the business. It might be fun to get behind a camera in the studio or that audio board on occasion but is that really the best use of your talent?
3. Work on internal relationships
It is your responsibility to spend time building effective relationships with your internal customers and corporate management. This is critical in becoming a valued partner within the organization.
