My Management Theory of Change
A Quest for Better Managers
Managers have an outsized influence over how we experience our day-to-day lives. Your manager has the power to make your work days be filled with the rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns of a positive work environment. Managers also have the power to wreak havoc by micro-managing, being unempathetic to your needs, sending you on useless wild goose chases, and in some instances, just being a downright jerk.
Recent data back this up: Over ⅓ of employees feel that their manager is the most stressful part of their job (that’s saying a lot given how many other stressors we have in our lives!). And, almost 50% of employees don’t feel seen and understood by their employers.
I recently turned 40 and in reflecting on my life’s meaning and purpose in entering my fifth decade (lots of heavy contemplation interspersed with Love is Blind Season 2 episodes in my household these days), I’ve come back to my personal theory of change: in a small way, if I can help managers be better at what they do, their teams will feel more fulfilled, find more meaning in their work, and just have better days. If something I write or share accomplishes that for just one person, I’ve lived a well-lived life.
A little bit more about my management theory of change: I believe that everyone, regardless of their experience or tenure can start to build managerial skills from the very first day of their very first job. We can all start practicing giving constructive feedback, having difficult conversations, understanding how we and others are motivated, and coaching our peers - all critical skills to being a great manager.
So, in the hope of better fulfilling my personal mission, I’m excited to share a resource that may help you and those around you build managerial skills:
A Manager “Book Club” Guide:
Yes, book clubs are great excuses to drink wine and gossip about the latest Bennifer updates. However, book clubs in organizations are also great ways to build communities of learning and practice new skills.
I’ve had a number of folks ask if there is a set of guided questions and exercises that organizations can do alongside reading the book, Bringing Up the Boss. I’ve created a guide that has discussion questions, exercises and additional readings for teams that want to build managerial skills. I’m sharing a one session “book club” guide or a five session “book club” guide that can help build managerial skills over a few months. I’ve loved hearing how different teams meet once a month or every other week to talk through manager topics and incrementally build management skills. I hope this helps facilitate those conversations and meetings!
Thanks for being part of my management theory of change. I appreciate you sharing these materials with others and helping me in my quest to make as many peoples’ work lives better….by making sure their managers don’t stink!
Happy April!
Rachel
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More fun stuff!
Join: Giving Effective Feedback Workshop for non-profit / government team members on April 8 at 12pm EST:: You all know that I’m obsessed with the gift of feedback, so I’m hoping that a second interactive workshop for nonprofit team members, one tailored to giving effective feedback, will be useful to folks in this space. Please share the details with others who may be interested!
Listen: Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? Leave it to the team at Freakonomics to so well explain why many of us just stink at being managers. Worth a listen!
Read: The Hidden Upside of Imposter Syndrome: During a talk I gave this past week to female leaders, someone asked about how to effectively “shake” imposter syndrome. I referenced research from a friend and former classmate, Basima Tewfik, who argues that we should think about this phenomenon as imposter “feelings” and that in some cases, our feelings of being an imposter are incredibly beneficial!
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Want all of the manager tips and tricks in one place alongside some mediocre cartoons? Check out Bringing Up the Boss: Practical Tips for New Managers. It’s chock full of stories, research, exercises, and templates for how to immediately start building your manager skills.
And, I’m always excited to speak to organizations, groups (and book clubs!) on what it takes to be a great manager. Please email me at rachel@bringinguptheboss.com for more information!