19 May It’s exhausting seeing so many posts about exhausted managers
I’m not saying it isn’t real.
We see it in the organisations we work with every day, and the research certainly backs it up.
But somewhere in the middle of all the conversations about burnout, resilience and wellbeing, I keep coming back to a different question:
What changed to make management suddenly feel so hard?
From where we stand, managers are constantly expected to take more on, while the support for new and middle managers (which was never particularly strong to begin with) simply isn’t growing at the same pace as the expectations placed on them.
We promote our “super-stars,” but too often we don’t give them the practical support they need to navigate the reality of management.
Today’s managers are expected to:
- deliver performance,
- hold emotional space,
- drive culture,
- coach individuals,
- manage change,
- maintain engagement,
- communicate endlessly,
- and somehow still “get the work done.”
Management hasn’t become harder because managers are weaker.
Perhaps it has become harder because the world of work has become more complex, while many managers are still expected to figure it out as they go.
And perhaps this is exactly why practical management development matters so much right now.
This year, our monthly Conversation Cafés are focused on Practical Management; exploring how organisations can support managers in ways that are useful, realistic and immediately applicable in the real world of work.
This month’s conversation focuses on performance conversations.
Join us on Wed 20 May if this is a conversation your organisation is also wrestling with.