Reclaiming the manager title

Sometime in the last 20 years, the word “manager” has turned into the 4-letter-word of the business world. Everyone is now a “leader,” a “head of,” a “supervisor,” or a “team lead.” Even “boss” has made a comeback. People will do just about anything to not use the word “manager.”

However, we all know (or have felt) the Gallup Study finding – that 50% of people leave a job to get away from their manager. We also know that retaining top talent is paramount to a successful business. So why do we avoid the title of some of the most critical people in our companies? We think it’s high time to respect the title and reclaim “manager.”

Why the bad rap?

If managers are so important, why do we avoid the title? Somewhere between Office Space and The Office, middle managers got a bad reputation. Managers were painted as ineffective and over-compensated middle tiers who often stood in the way of their best employees. They bumbled through performance reviews, took the credit of their top workers and generally added layers where layers were not needed. They were more concerned about maintaining their position than about the success of their teams.

To put it bluntly: middle managers became the poster child of mediocrity.

And yes, ineffective, middle managers do exist. But there are far more managers out there who are champions of their teams, strong employee advocates, and the reason why many people are inspired to do their best work. And we’re here to celebrate them. We’re here to reclaim their rightful title.

Managers have impact

Great managers are the beating hearts of organizations. They are the go-to for information, coaching, and motivation for employees. Managers provide structure and air cover. They amplify the talent of each employee and their team as a whole. Great management is a lifestyle for these folks. The role is exhausting, rewarding, and often thankless. Great managers could usually make more money in other roles, and they know it. But they keep at this work because of the impact they are able to have on others.

That impact defines their employees’ experience. In fact, a Gallup Study found that 70% of variance in employee engagement comes down to an employee’s manager. The choices a manager makes in terms of how they support their people, affects not only performance but also culture and morale. Great managers know how to leverage strengths to get the best from their people. That same Gallup Study found that employees are far more engaged when they strongly agree that their manager focuses on their strengths (67% engaged) vs those who strongly agree that their manager focuses on their weaknesses (71% actively disengaged). Great managers make other people more successful through their actions.

How do middling managers happen?

Bad managers are the byproduct of bad organizational design.

Many organizations promote the most talented individual contributor (without training) until they fail in middle management (this is so common it has a name - check out the Peter Principle!). This robs the team of their most productive player and doesn't always line up that person's skills or passions with their new role.

Most companies don't create a clear job description or expectations for management roles either. This lets managers confuse power and resources with productivity and excellence. They end up hiring for people with experience building headcount rather than people with the ability to get the most out of each team member's skills and abilities. Later, it's easy to lay off the people who weren't given clear expectations or training and have a higher salary.

By the same token, great managers come from smart companies.

These organizations assess the right management structure for their business and set clear expectations and goals for the role. They upskill on soft skills and demand excellence in leadership skills as they would functional skills.

In August 2024, 37Signals got rid of managers altogether, relying on everyone in the business to flex leadership skills (memo here). And while we wouldn't recommend this for every business (just ask Google who tried and proved that good managers are vital with Project Oxygen) we recommend intentional design and support.

When organizations have clarity and commitment about leadership, atypical practices - like Nvidia's CEO famously has 60 direct reports with no 1-on-1s and Canva uses a structure of Coaches instead of Managers - can thrive. And it means they have a blueprint for hiring and developing managers into business-critical assets (rather than leaning on management as a retention tool).

Now's the time for strong management

In the wake of the pandemic, layoffs, hyper-growth, modern war, remote environments and global uncertainty, the role of manager is harder than ever. And for all those same reasons, we’ve observed that the role is also more important than ever. In the face of all this uncertainty, people are looking to their managers for understanding, structure, motivation, and clarity.

In the last few years with many of us working from home, managers have often become the sole touch point between the company and employees. They have become the face of the company for team members. They are the glue that holds the team together (or doesn’t). Their role has never been more important.

So what does it mean to reclaim manager?

We’re here to support the managers who bring out the best in their teams. They manage their craft, people, and expectations. They manage up, down and around. They raise productivity, decrease attrition, and make work a better experience. They are not your mom or dad, or confidante, or BFF. They are your expectation-machine, coach, and bar-raiser.

Can we give great managers the respect they deserve?

If you need to build or refresh your manager practices, or want to upskill potential and emerging leaders - give us a shout! We can get your managers the essential skills they need to increase productivity and performance in 4 weeks.