The
role of a Manager plays an essential part in any organisation. They must be
able to lead, direct and motivate their Team and staff to undertake many tasks,
often within a stressful and changeable environment. Unfortunately for
organisations today, the ability of a Manager to manage is severely compromised,
as they:
The Magnolia Manager arrives at work as an unmotivated Team Leader and Manager of staff. Their one ambition is to survive the day and achieve just enough to stop themselves from being described as incompetent. The Magnolia Manager will, at all costs, avoid being the subject of a disciplinary process to prevent themselves from being dismissed for incompetence.
Typically, Magnolia Managers are unmotivated and unchallenged. They claim a salary that could be described as fraudulent, as they achieve very little in return for being paid. A Magnolia Manager does not drive growth, progression, increased efficiency, or profitability, nor do they motivate their Team to achieve anything other than the bare minimum.
Organisations that employ Magnolia Managers are usually low-performing organisations that need to adapt better to change. They let minor issues grow into significant problems. They rely on low-skilled employees whose sole purpose is to keep costs to a minimum and to drive sufficient profitability so an organisation can stay in business.
Magnolia Managers become very non-committal if you ask them: "What have you achieved this week, this month or this year?" which leads to a variety of reactions, such as:
Some organisations see change as unnecessary, resulting in "Change Managers" being seen as the devil's scourge and pariah. Magnolia Managers exist at all levels within an organisation, from the Director who fails to "Direct" to the senior Manager who gained their position through nepotism or by knowing the right people.
Magnolia Managers will go to extreme lengths to hide their inabilities, to the extent organisations fail to deal with them, either through a lack of political will or because organisations do not realise that they have an issue with them and the damage they impact on organisational staff and Teams. Magnolia Managers all have one thing in common, that is a lack of some or all of the following skills or abilities:
It is essential to realise that Magnolia Managers exist at all levels of an organisation. Directors often need to realise that their role is to direct, lead and motivate an organisation, its Teams and its staff through change, development, and goal achievement. If they fail to do this, they will fail an organisation. The lack of skills amongst Directors generally within the UK is perhaps the UK’s most significant stumbling block to increased growth, prosperity, and wealth.
An effective Manager must possess a mix of competencies and skills. Due to the diversity of Teams and staff, Managers must also understand how staff thrive in an organisation that inspires them to achieve more with less. In other words, work smarter, not harder. A Magnolia Manager needs the intelligence and ability to bring out the best in staff. Otherwise, an organisation's teams and staff become low performers who achieve very little in the way of success.
- Fear upsetting or offending people by saying the wrong thing.
- Do not want to be accused of micro-managing by directly asking staff to do things.
- Cause increased levels of stress by setting unachievable deadlines.
- Deal directly with staff issues for fear of being accused of bullying.
The inability
of a significant number of Managers has led to the creation of what could be
described as the "Magnolia" Manager. Like the colour Magnolia, a
non-descript form of beige, the Magnolia Manager wants to avoid standing out
and setting themselves apart from anyone as they strive to exist merely.
The Magnolia Manager arrives at work as an unmotivated Team Leader and Manager of staff. Their one ambition is to survive the day and achieve just enough to stop themselves from being described as incompetent. The Magnolia Manager will, at all costs, avoid being the subject of a disciplinary process to prevent themselves from being dismissed for incompetence.
Typically, Magnolia Managers are unmotivated and unchallenged. They claim a salary that could be described as fraudulent, as they achieve very little in return for being paid. A Magnolia Manager does not drive growth, progression, increased efficiency, or profitability, nor do they motivate their Team to achieve anything other than the bare minimum.
Organisations that employ Magnolia Managers are usually low-performing organisations that need to adapt better to change. They let minor issues grow into significant problems. They rely on low-skilled employees whose sole purpose is to keep costs to a minimum and to drive sufficient profitability so an organisation can stay in business.
Magnolia Managers become very non-committal if you ask them: "What have you achieved this week, this month or this year?" which leads to a variety of reactions, such as:
- Guilt that they haven’t achieved anything.
- Anger that they have been found out as not having achieved anything.
- Curiosity as they did not know they had to achieve something.
- Insult that they have been asked as they don’t know what they should have achieved.
- Insecurity as their lack of achievements has been highlighted.
Some organisations see change as unnecessary, resulting in "Change Managers" being seen as the devil's scourge and pariah. Magnolia Managers exist at all levels within an organisation, from the Director who fails to "Direct" to the senior Manager who gained their position through nepotism or by knowing the right people.
Magnolia Managers will go to extreme lengths to hide their inabilities, to the extent organisations fail to deal with them, either through a lack of political will or because organisations do not realise that they have an issue with them and the damage they impact on organisational staff and Teams. Magnolia Managers all have one thing in common, that is a lack of some or all of the following skills or abilities:
- Time Management: Magnolia Managers cannot manage their time well and are often ineffective. As time is a fixed commodity, it is essential to schedule tasks effectively. It is often difficult for them to differentiate between necessary and trivial activities. Magnolia Managers think they are considered dynamic if they work long hours. Yet, they waste their time on unimportant activities, failing to realise that people can see through such shenanigans.
- Training: Magnolia Managers are ineffective because they are poorly trained or lack fundamental skills. They need to realise that management is an art that takes time and education to perfect. They possess inadequate skills and tend to fare poorly in their role. Magnolia Managers wonder why highly educated Managers command respect among their peers, why their thoughts are held in high regard, and why they are better positioned to implement their goals.
- Communication Skills: communication is only effective when it occurs, and the listener clearly understands the intended message. A Magnolia Manager cannot communicate their vision or goals to their Team or staff due to a poor choice of communication channel, linguistic barriers or their unintelligent or emotional state of mind.
- Motivation: Refers to the internal forces within an individual that pushes them to perform their duties or obligations without being coerced. Organisations must always hire the most effective managers to energise and motivate their staff to perform their tasks effectively. A Magnolia Manager manages their staff, so they become ineffective. The Team loses the drive and energy to work, driving a slump in an organisation’s performance.
- Stress Management: Magnolia Managers are continuously under stress due to lateness, their inability to meet deadlines, and countless complaints from other stakeholders who are dissatisfied with the Magnolia Manager’s work. High-stress levels divert managers from concentrating on their work, leading to poor absenteeism, health concerns, and poor job performance within their team and staff.
- Control Staff Turnover: Magnolia Managers cause highly skilled staff to leave an organisation as they search for more fulfilling jobs elsewhere, depriving an organisation of its experience and leading to a further decline in effectiveness, customer service and profitability.
It is essential to realise that Magnolia Managers exist at all levels of an organisation. Directors often need to realise that their role is to direct, lead and motivate an organisation, its Teams and its staff through change, development, and goal achievement. If they fail to do this, they will fail an organisation. The lack of skills amongst Directors generally within the UK is perhaps the UK’s most significant stumbling block to increased growth, prosperity, and wealth.
An effective Manager must possess a mix of competencies and skills. Due to the diversity of Teams and staff, Managers must also understand how staff thrive in an organisation that inspires them to achieve more with less. In other words, work smarter, not harder. A Magnolia Manager needs the intelligence and ability to bring out the best in staff. Otherwise, an organisation's teams and staff become low performers who achieve very little in the way of success.
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