How to Be a Manager in an Anti-Manager Era
Managerial roles are being eliminated, while managers’ direct reports have grown by 50% since 2013. Here’s five ways to be a great manager anyway.
It’s not an inspiring time for aspiring managers. Once heavily populated, firms’ managerial layers are going the way of rotary phones, and a manager’s average number of direct reports has grown by 50% since 2013, according to figures from Gallup. Today’s managers are described with phrases like “quite beleaguered” and “under fire.” What’s a hungry wannabe manager to do?
Despite what you’ve heard, managers aren’t going anywhere. But in their current roles, they might not be labeled as managers, at least primarily: Think “senior leader” or “head of department,” not “senior manager.” And they will need one thing: resilience. Because today’s managers are already busier than ever. “With all of the responsibilities we seem to be putting on their plate and not taking off, they have change fatigue,” says Shanda Mints, vice president for AI strategy and transformation at Korn Ferry. As a result, the ability to withstand stress and adapt to unexpected situations is not just a foundational quality, but mission critical. With that in mind, here are five ways to launch yourself into managerial excellence:
Become an AI mastermind.
Growing your AI expertise is essential—and time-consuming. Managers need not only to understand AI strategy and go through AI transitions with their teams, but must also recognize its impact on workers, says Mints. Finding the hours in the day to do that requires “relentless prioritization,” she says. “You must figure out what to let go of to create the time and space to explore tools and get your hands dirty,” says Mints.
Step up.
Managers often shift away formally from individual-contributor roles because they are already managing. To get there, try taking on a volunteer role in leading a committee or attending an outside meeting. “Your answer should always be yes,” says David Vied, global sector leader for medical devices and diagnostics at Korn Ferry. “When you do that, you’re the one given even more opportunities and insight.”
Develop critical thinking.
“Time and time again on leadership surveys, critical-thinking skills are the top skills for managers,” says Mints. Think curiosity and agility. She advises taking on this development challenge as a matter of personal accountability, to be cultivated within yourself.
Run a book group.
The military has required reading lists for different levels of service. Why not do the same at a company? asks JP Sniffen, practice leader at the Military Center of Expertise at Korn Ferry. Put yourself in charge of a monthly book group organized around a theme like leadership or business. “Get on the radar of senior leaders by asking what books they suggest,” says Sniffen.
Be an understudy.
As in theater, understudies perform when the lead actor is unavailable. It’s a potent concept in business: Future managers can offer to be the understudies of busy leaders. “Meetings then don’t need to be cancelled when the leader is not around—and you get great management exposure,” says Sniffen.
Learn more about Korn Ferry’s Leadership and Professional Development capabilities.
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