Roles And Responsibilities Of A Manager

Day 3: 5:00 pm

[...]

"Can I assume that you can recruit David to your team? That you can excite and inspire him to join this project?" the Mystic continued to challenge.

"Yes, I think I can," Alex answered.

"Same for Ed after you talk to him?" the Mystic continued.

"Yes," Alex answered.

"After you recruit them to your team, will you be clarifying their roles and responsibilities?" the Mystic asked, introducing a new idea.

Alex was a little puzzled. "What do you mean? As I said, I will make them managers, and that will be their role. After we create the plan, then their assignments will also be very clear."

"That is a common assumption. Wouldn't there be more?" the Mystic probed.

"I don't understand." Alex was feeling very puzzled now.

"Alex, as I said, your role has changed. First you must elevate your level of management and start taking charge. If David and Ed are to be part of your management team, they have much more responsibility than what you just mentioned, correct? Failure to be clear on their roles and responsibilities will rest on you," the Mystic explained.

"Oh, what are these responsibilities?" Alex asked.

"Let's start with the subject of communication. It is more involved than most people realize. Wouldn't you want to be clear on what and how David and Ed are to communicate with you? Wouldn't you want to lay down the rules of engagement right from the start?" The Mystic began to guide Alex.

"That's right," Alex agreed.

"Wouldn't you want to make sure that they understand how you plan to manage also?" the Mystic continued.

Alex agreed again.

"Wouldn't you want to let them know your expectations for the project and their performance?" the Mystic guided.

"That's also important." Alex was beginning to see the complexity.

"The same applies to subordinates. What about David and Ed's method of communication and management of their subordinates?" the Mystic continued to identify the many perspectives of communication.

He went on. "What about communication with the clients?"

"Very important." Once again, Alex nodded his head and agreed quietly.

"I think you get the point that managing communication is more involved. I don't imagine that David or Ed is trained on many aspects of communication. Educating them will be your responsibility. You should start right away. This process empowers you to take charge sooner," the Mystic explained.

"So that is part of the Lateral Approach to taking charge?" Alex questioned. [...]

What the Mystic was saying captured Alex's attention, and now he wanted to know more.

Excerpt p. 71-75. Reprinted by permission. 'Lateral Approach to Taking Charge: Simple Principles for New Bosses on Building Authority and Partnerships', Ho Wing Sit and Ling Bundgaard, 2010, Lateral Approach Publishing, Moraga, California. All rights reserved. The Lateral Approach Series is about powerful management principles that produce results and bring out the best in people.

About the authors:

Ho Wing Sit is the author of the practical Lateral Approach Book Series. He has been pursuing, refining, and applying powerful and effective management principles and techniques for over 30 years. Mr. Sit holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You can connect with Ho Wing Sit on twitter @Howingsit.

Ling Bundgaard is the co-author of the Lateral Approach Series. During her 31-year tenure at Intel Corporation, Ms. Bundgaard managed many large projects. As General Manager, she started up the first manufacturing plant in Shanghai, China, establishing the first major corporate commitment from Intel inside China. Ms. Bundgaard excels at bringing people and information together to solve problems. She believes in lifelong learning and enthusiastically shares in her writing her most memorable nuggets from peers, bosses, and mystics in business.

The Lateral Approach Book Series:

• Lateral Approach For Creating Success

• Lateral Approach To Taking Charge

• Lateral Approach To Managing Projects