The foundations of a building are the most important part of the structure. Similarly, the foundation of an organisation is good management.
Both are the base on which the entire entity stands. Both are responsible for bearing the brunt of the stresses and strains. And the integrity of both the building and the organisation depend on the quality of their foundations. The management is responsible for setting the tone of the organisation, and it is responsible for ensuring that the organisation is able to withstand the pressures of its marketplace
In this blog post, we’ll consider the importance of strong foundations in management and leadership.
The foundations – starting at ground level
When you start to build a building, you don’t start with the roof, do you? Obviously enough, you begin with the foundations. You make sure the foundations are robust and complete enough that they can support the whole building. Those foundations also have to bear the weight of the building AND everyone and everything inside it. Any fault in those foundations will show in cracks, instability and, if it is not addressed, the whole building toppling to the ground.
It may be stressing the metaphor, but bear with me here. Without effective management, any organisation will struggle to function. Management may not set the vision and direction, but they definitely influence the tone within an organisation. Management creates the day-to-day culture. Not only this, but managers all need a high level of skills and the right attitude, to enable the organisation to tolerate the stresses and strains it will face in its regular operations. Without this, an organisation will struggle to function, or at least function effectively and productively. The culture can become acrimonious, overly-competitive and, ultimately, so divided that it fails to function. When that happens, you can bet that the whole organisation will struggle to continue. One thing is for certain: no organisation has survived having brilliant leadership but underperforming management.
Management – why it’s the foundation
When you have effective management in your organisation, you don’t notice it. Just like the foundations of a building, you don’t spend much of your day wondering at its effectiveness. You assume it’s there and that it works. It leaves you free to admire the windows (services) the design (structure) and yes, even that roof (your leadership). I would argue that this is an unfortunate state of affairs. By ignoring management and taking it for granted, you are storing up potential trouble. My company focuses on the importance of management for this very reason.
When you focus on the management in your organisation and celebrate their importance (rather than take them for granted or, worse, view them as “the clay layer” that gets in the way of your brilliant visionary planning), you are effectively taking a jackhammer to the foundations of your organisation’s success. Instead, how about investing in your managers? Offering them training to hone their skills is an investment, certainly. However, it is also prudent. This is because your managers’ skills are the currency of your organisation. By helping them improve their skills, you help them build their confidence alongside their competence. In turn, this contributes to a confidence across the organisation. And this is very important because it encourages a collaborative culture, not a competitive one. This is where I am starting to move away from traditional “measure what’s important” management gurus.
Modern Management – the good foundation your organisation needs
Modern management theory emphasises the importance of strong foundations in management. As I set out above, current thinking holds that the foundation of an organisation is its management. By making sure your managers have up to date skills, that match the needs of your workforce, you are shoring up those foundations.
On the other hand, older management theorists thought that the most important function of management was to supervise and measure. Those skills are still relevant, certainly. In addition, I would argue that making sure your teams feel well-led, supported and valued require your managers to have a good grasp of a lot of other management skills. Managers need to be able to read their people. Your managers need to be able to translate corporate vision-speak into practical deliverable plans. And most of all, your managers must be competent at the interpersonal basics: saying please when asking for work done; thanking their staff for work well done; ensuring the credit goes to the people who did the job, not the manager taking all the limelight.
Where is leadership?
Leadership is often seen as the Holy Grail, the ultimate career destination. I think this is a flawed premise. For a start, not all managers are cut out to lead. That doesn’t mean they are anything other than super managers, motivating their happy teams to deliver well against targets. On the other hand, not all people in leadership roles can manage. Note the language here; I do not call such people leaders. That title only goes, at least in my book, to those who can also set organisation-wide strategic visions and purpose. This “big picture” context provides the essential context, for your managers to deliver.
So, to circle back around to our metaphor, if you want an organisation that is built on firm foundations, you have to have managers throughout your organisation who can manage – and manage well. The required skills are really important for your managers to have, and even more important for your organisation that they have them and use them regularly.
How will you ensure the managers in your organisation are your reliable, invaluable foundations? If this has made you think about the management in your own organisation, and you would find it helpful to talk over your thoughts, please contact us. Let’s have a no-obligation chat and see what you need.