All our advice for managing managers

Very different from a local managerial function, the position of manager of managers requires unique interpersonal skills and very targeted managerial skills.

Are you required to lead a team of operational managers? Here is an overview of the best practices you need to know to effectively manage your managers.

 

Understand the business environment

To manage several managers, the first step is to carefully analyze the company’s environment and the functioning of the different departments.

What are the culture and values of the organization? What is the state of mind of employees and managers? Is the communication between the different actors and services close or is it more of a siloed operation? What are the management styles that are valued?

Identify the roles and responsibilities of managers, but also their personalities, as well as the skills, strengths and weaknesses of each, in order to identify potential performance levers.

Your assumption of this position as a high-ranking manager will be facilitated by this first inventory and will give you all the more credibility in the eyes of the managers in your charge.

 

Knowing how to take a step back

The local manager is responsible for the efficiency and commitment of employees on a daily basis. This is what we call ” Middle Management ». On the other hand, the manager-coach is part of the company’s team of decision-makers. He therefore participates in decision-making concerning the company’s strategic orientations, which he is responsible for relaying and promoting to operational managers.

He manages several managers from different departments of the company, and is in charge of coordinating all transversal actions between the different departments.

The manager of managers is therefore a strategic manager first and foremost. As such, he must emancipate himself from all operational actions, to take on the role of coach.

The challenge for this top manager is to commit himself to this strategic management function, without intervening with the employees, or overstepping the authority of the operational manager. Even in the event of difficult, conflictual crisis management or change management situations, he must know how to delegate, trust his team and not take away their responsibility.

The leader of managers therefore plays far from the field, but this distance also offers him a very beneficial height. Thanks to his outside view and this overview, he more easily identifies opportunities, but also the sources of dysfunctions that local managers cannot detect.

However, while this step back is essential, it should not be an obstacle to the establishment of a close relationship with the teams. The top manager must therefore find the right balance so as not to short-circuit the actions of his managers, while being close enough to his teams to establish a bond of trust.

 

Building a relationship of trust and respect

Establishing a close and trusting relationship with your managers is indeed one of the keys to effectively leading a team of operational management professionals.

The establishment of such a relationship depends above all on the human and relational qualities inherent to any leader: leadership, natural and benevolent authority, charisma, active listening, pedagogy…

Exemplarity is another prerequisite for inspiring respect and legitimacy in your teams. Indeed, managing professionals who themselves hold the keys to management requires building a credible image, which instills respect and authority, by setting an example through one’s daily behavior.

This trust is also established through transparent communication, and clear and constructive feedback delivered with pedagogy and humility. Finally, this leader must know how to show empathy and gratitude, knowing how to congratulate in case of success and encourage and guide in case of failure.

 

Individualize your management

Properly supervising managers involves knowing how to adapt to several individuals from different departments within the company.

To be a good manager of managers, you must not just apply the codes of management. But you have to individualize your management by adapting it to the personality, skills and needs of each person.

This implies great interpersonal skills, strong adaptability, and real emotional intelligence.

 

Uniting managers around a common vision that makes sense

It is also very important to mobilize your team of managers around a common vision, which is meaningful.

Indeed, the manager of managers is responsible for the proper implementation of the company’s strategic orientations. The heart of its mission is therefore to ensure that this strategy is relayed and supervised effectively by local managers.

To do this, it is first necessary to speak clearly, strongly and meaningfully, because it is essential that management teams identify the interest of their mission, and that they can give meaning to the dictated directives, in order to have them applied effectively by employees. The top manager must therefore make sure to explain how the operational actions will be put at the service of the company’s strategic objectives.

He will also have to maintain regular and close communication with each of the managers, to carry out a rigorous follow-up, but also to repeat the objectives to be achieved.

Finally, this high-ranking leader must ensure that his managers understand and adhere to this vision, so that they themselves can share it with the teams. The effectiveness of employees therefore depends indirectly on the clarity and strength of the message relayed by the manager of managers.

 

Developing the skills of your managers

As mentioned, manager leaders take on the role of coach. As such, they are on a mission to develop the skills of their management teams. This requires regular and constructive feedback on behaviors, actions, and areas for improvement, always showing benevolence and pedagogy.

The manager of managers must also empower his teams, and encourage initiative and autonomy. It will thus allow managers to strengthen their managerial skills but also their soft skills (interpersonal skills, maturity, interpersonal skills, communication, etc.). Finally, it will help the manager to enhance his strengths and develop his leadership.

 

Soliciting collective intelligence and encouraging team spirit

Managing managers means having a very wide field of action within the company, with several different departments under your responsibility. Therefore, while it is important for the manager of managers to support each department head individually, it is also essential that he or she solicits collective intelligence to co-construct the strategic vision, strengthen actions, and make any adjustments.

This will make it possible to develop a spirit of mutual aid, to make exchanges between managers more fluid, and to strengthen team cohesion within the company.