Why Managers are More Important than Ever
Managers are the connective tissue of a remote-first world.
Over the past three years, the world has fundamentally changed. We are a remote-first workforce. Talent is in short supply. Workers have reevaluated their priorities, resulting in high turnover and job switching.
One of the reasons cited for high turnover rates is a lack of connection. In the past, companies kept employees feeling connected with a cool office setting, perks like snacks and lunches, fun people to hang out with at the office, access to leadership at all levels, and visible signs of the company's mission and vision.
In a remote-first world, the manager is the primary connective tissue that binds employees with a company and its mission, values, and goals. The manager role is no longer just checking in periodically and completing a performance review. We expect managers to:
Develop trusting relationships.
Understand the unique needs of individuals.
Have difficult conversations.
Help people connect to the company's vision and mission.
Build personalized learning plans.
Show appreciation.
“In a remote-first world, the manager is the primary connective tissue that binds employees with a company and its mission, values, and goals. ”
Here are three things companies can start doing to adapt to this new reality:
Don't put people in manager roles out of convenience.
Too often, companies promote high-performing individual contributors to a manager role because of the individual's performance in their job function. For example, a highly skilled technical leader becomes a manager of a team of developers. Just because someone is highly skilled in their area of expertise doesn't mean they have the desire or aptitude to be an effective manager of people.
Putting someone in a manager role who isn't interested or skilled in this can have serious consequences like burnout for the manager, disconnection, and even turnover of high performers. If you view the role of a manager as a critical function and the carrier of connection, it makes sense to promote people into the role who have the interest and aptitude to be successful managers.
Following the example above, this may mean the high-performing tech lead isn't the right fit. Maybe a less experienced developer with a high aptitude for management fills the manager role, and the technical lead offers technical mentorship through alternate channels like a formal training program or center of excellence.
Clarify the expectations of your managers.
Sometimes, the primary function of a role like marketing, finance, or tech takes center stage, and the "manager" role is an afterthought. It's easier to quantify the functional elements of performance, like number of qualified marketing leads or profitability. The "manager" performance metrics are more challenging to quantify, so they often get left off the scorecard. Without clear expectations and performance metrics, it doesn't become an area of focus. What you measure is what you get.
Creating clear expectations and metrics for the manager role is possible. Common performance metrics include retention, employee satisfaction surveys, professional development milestones, and process metrics like 1-on-1 meeting frequency. When these metrics become a part of a manager's performance evaluation, it reinforces the importance of it as a function of their role and as a skill they can develop.
Teach people the skills needed to be good managers.
In the same way people develop skills and competencies in disciplines like design, sales, and tech, people can move along a maturity continuum for people leadership.
Offering a manager training program that guides people along this continuum is critical to developing the manager competency in your company. Foundational manager skills include active listening, empathy, and giving and receiving feedback. More advanced skills include conflict management, navigating complex team dynamics, and leading through and inspiring change.
Managers are at the epicenter of connection for any remote-first organization. Promoting the right people to the manager roles, setting clear expectations, and offering support and training are critical to activating these connectors in your organization.
