The three roles of a manager

Management manuals can be helpful, as can job descriptions but what exactly is the job of a manager. Remember these three fundamentals and you won’t go far wrong. 

Enabler – rather than be great and doing the job yourself now, you’re all about helping the team to get it done. Whether it's unblocking the processes that get in the way or helping with that difficult stakeholder, roll your sleeves up and clear the way for your team to perform. 

Director – no not literally, but it's your job to give the team direction. A good manager will show the team what they are working towards and how that fits into the wider company picture. For example, if your organisation’s vision is to produce the best value, easiest to use cameras ever, your team may be responsible for sourcing the best quality, lightest materials at the cheapest price to make that happen. 

Developer – the best managers will constantly and consistently develop then team. A stagnant team is bad for you and bad for the team. You need to be regularly giving clear and constructive feedback good or bad to help the team all the time. You need to be moving them to a position where they can either take your job or move on for another promotion, within a couple of years.