Responsibilities of a Manager
Explore the multifaceted responsibilities of managers, including inspiring teams, managing resources efficiently, and balancing power with accountability. Understand how effective managers lead by example, foster collaboration, and make informed decisions that impact their teams and organizational goals.
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Team inspiration
The need for control should not be an aspiration or goal for someone hoping to be a manager.
“It is better to lead from behind and put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”
- Nelson Mandela
A manager is the person who should aspire most to be the inspiration for their team.
"Managers must inspire people to dream more, do more, be more."
- Sharad Bajaj
Power and responsibilities
From the general perspective, it’s clear that managers hold many responsibilities because they oversee day-to-day activities and the successful execution of projects within an organization. There is, however, much more to a manager.
“Project management can be defined as a way of developing structure in a complex project where the independent variables of time, cost, resources, and human behavior come together.”
- Rory Burke
It’s clear that as a manager, you are tasked and entrusted with the responsibility of bringing different resources together and making them work effectively and efficiently.
The above definition implies power and responsibility for a manager. If not adequately checked, power can easily result in abuse. However, nobody wants to work with a person who craves power and is controlling. Individual growth never occurs in a suffocating environment and within a disgruntled team. So, a manager must be a team player, accessible to everyone, and ready to be an inspiration to people to dream more, do more, and be more.
Working as a manager is an accomplishment because it reveals a professional’s ability to successfully lead people, oversee multiple business operations, manage stress, and effectively communicate with coworkers. It’s like cooking a pot of soup; different ingredients come together to make it tasty. Chicken soup doesn’t only require chicken. It requires elements such as water, pepper, salt, seasoning cubes, and much more. These ingredients, when brought together, produce a delicious product. A manager must effectively bring diverse resources together to achieve an organizational goal.
Power requires responsibility
I remember one incident where the team members agreed to settle a minor issue that could escalate if not adequately resolved. However, the manager didn’t quite agree with the team’s suggestions, and this led to the failure of the team to execute that task.
A manager heading a group of people must be willing to take opinions and suggestions from others. They must be ready to follow and listen to their team members before making decisions because whatever decision a manager makes affects everyone in that group.
What is the method of developing structure in a complex project where the independent variables of time, cost, resources, and human behavior come together?