I was once told by a good friend of mine that if I wanted to be successful in working as a manager then I needed to aspire to be like the manager who was managing me.
How do you react to that statement? Agree? Disagree?
I have been working for many years now and it does indeed strike me that many people in management strive for that common ground with their managers or directors. They want their senior managers to know that they are supportive and are ready to stand by them and in return they want to be seen as competent, an 'asset' to the team perhaps, an ideal candidate for future opportunities.
There is absolutely nothing wrong in that, however, what does go wrong in so many cases is how much that person sacrifices in order to maintain that perception.
When we are young we are keen to impress, be seen to be dynamic and because we haven't got much to lose we take risks in being ourselves and then we learn how to be at work and sometimes as we accumulate personal wealth , family, debt, we start putting restraints on ourselves in order to manage risk. 'How can I really stand up for what I believe is the best course of action when I risk losing my position in my company, or respect or future prospects...' etc etc.
Here is the problem. I believe that we are all different, but in business it feels like we all have to behave the same and shed some of that stuff that makes us unique in order to 'fit in'.
Have you done that? What does it feel like to not be able to fully express yourself within your work environment?
I believe strongly that when we do a job, we are not like everyone else. We bring into that job our own unique perspectives, views, personalities etc It is these attributes that make us inspirational and possibly might actually make you more effective as a manager.
Do you enjoy your role as a manager? Find it satisfying? If you don't perhaps you have sacrificed too much of yourself to be a person that you are not. You need to bring new life into your work.
So I challenge you to take a risk, bring more of yourself into your role as a manager and inspire your team. Yes, there is a risk, it may not go down well and if that is likely to happen shouldn't you question being there in the first place and maybe find an employer that does value you and your 'stuff'.
