Five reasons why you can’t do without your manager

“Manager’s do not do,” the saying goes: “They enable.”

The manager who does not do might seem an unnecessary appendage to the team. However, there are at least five good reasons why, without your manager, the team would fall apart:

1. The manager knows everyone

The manager is the centre of communication.

When new orders come from above, it is the manager who processes them, decides how they will be distributed and puts them into effect.

When one of the team members has a problem with these orders, it is to the manager that he goes. If the manager does not have the authority to deal with the problem then he takes it back to the senior authorities.

If a staff member needs training, or the budget has overrun or any other change is proposed, then it is the manager who ensures that the relevant authorities are informed.

This function also means that the manager can act as a buffer. If one staff member comes into conflict with another staff member, then the manager is in a position to act as an external, objective authority and to mediate the resolution of the dispute.

2. The manager knows everything

It is the manager’s job to know what is going on in every aspect of the team’s work – and if not, to know how to find out.

The manager is in place to know that Sally is off on Thursday and that James needs help installing the new printer and that Ruth and Ben are behind with their reports. Without a know-all manager, the team would flounder.

3. The manager is responsible

Somebody needs to take responsiblity for the overall performance of the team. While it may not be the manager’s fault if Susie fails to come in all week, or if Nigel doesn’t follow the correct procedure, the manager is the person answerable when things go wrong.

This means that the manager is ultra-careful that nothing does go wrong. Without somebody shouldering this responsibility, the team would lose focus and direct, and wind up in disarray.

4. The manager delegates

The manager decides who will be responsible for which jobs. This requires full knowledge of what each job will involve, as well as understanding of what each person is capable of.

Centralised delegation of duties reduces workplace squabbles and allows each individual to contribute and develop according to their abilities.

5. The manager conducts

Each individual musician in an orchestra might know the instrument and the part better than anyone in the world. The orchestra as a whole might even be able to play in time and in tune without a conductor.

But it is the conductor – or the manager – who listens to the overall sound that the orchestra is making and indicates any changes that might be necessary.

The job of the manager might not produce such direct results as, say, a carpenter or a harp-player, but without the manager there to concentrate on the overall picture, the orchestra or team will fall to pieces.